Gan Zi nodded, "I’ve heard that he beca a police officer just for revenge. After his most beloved woman died, he never loved any other woman again! Such persistence—it’s less persistence and more an unapproachable paranoia!"
"Do you think there are similarities between the two cases?" Qiao Xiaoyan asked, looking up at him.
After contemplating, Gan Zi replied, "A police officer forgetting his duty, fixated only on the original intention of avenging his lover—that’s a trait exemplified by Song Xuyao. If the killer’s profession is a doctor or a forensic expert, then there are similarities with Song Xuyao. But what is the killer’s initial motive? What drove him? Evisceration is the most brutal thod of killing, yet a single rose is the most romantic gesture..."
Days passed by one after another.
On this Saturday, Bai Ye ca running excitedly.
"Professor Gan, Xiaoyan, we’ve caught the killer!" he announced, brimming with excitent.
Gan Zi and Qiao Xiaoyan exchanged a glance; Qiao Xiaoyan was the first to speak: "Let’s go and see right away!"
In front of the Chen Family’s door, Chen Chen was clasped in handcuffs.
Qiao Xiaoyan ran to the front, unable to believe what she was seeing, and then said to Gan Zi, "Professor Gan, how is this possible? Did you see it?"
Gan Zi, peering through the crowd, had already seen Chen Chen being caught by the police. Just like Qiao Xiaoyan, he was taken aback. Why Chen Chen? This did not match the psychological profile he’d created at all!
Could it be that his early psychological profiling was wrong?
Bai Ye, seeing their arrival, imdiately said, "Unexpected, isn’t it? We didn’t think of it either when we caught him. But it’s all thanks to Professor Gan’s credit, right?"
"Mine?" Gan Zi didn’t quite understand.
With excitent, Bai Ye explained: "Exactly as you suggested, to inquire privately about who has worked as a doctor, forensic expert, or butcher. When we asked, we hit the jackpot. There really was one—it’s Chen Chen. He used to be employed at the local slaughterhouse. In rural areas, besides the regular slaughtering of pigs and sheep in the town each day, it’s typically only during the New Year that every household slaughters pigs or sheep to celebrate and welco back family mbers who work away from ho."
"After Chen Chen suffered a head injury and beca ntally incapacitated, the village butcher got too busy before New Year, so Chen Chen helped out a bit, but that was limited to lifting things. The town’s butcher took advantage of him not demanding wages, so he just provided three als a day and ordered him not to ntion it to anyone."
"Moreover, there’s only one slaughterhouse in town, and it has only one butcher, so almost no one knew that Chen Chen could kill pigs. We caught him red-handed last night—his knife skills while slaughtering pigs were exceptional!" Bai Ye finished in one breath.
Qiao Xiaoyan still found it hard to believe that Chen Chen would kill his own sister, "But Bai Ye, just because he can slaughter pigs doesn’t an he could bring himself to kill his own sister!"
"I thought the sa, but we found the gold necklace that Chen Hui lost inside his clothes, and he even went gambling with it. Isn’t this a case of being caught red-handed?" Bai Ye said, "He wanted to gamble and asked Chen Hui for money. When she refused, he got greedy for wealth and killed her. Then he took the gold necklace and eviscerated her, mimicking the thod of slaughtering pigs."
"Then how do you explain the rose?" Qiao Xiaoyan shook her head, "Do you think, with his intelligence, he could stage such a cri scene that rges horror with beauty? I don’t believe Chen Chen is the killer!"
Qiao Xiaoyan continued: "Moreover, with his intelligence, how could he have thought of first killing Chen Hui with sleeping pills and pesticides, then stealing the necklace, eviscerating her, and placing a rose on her secret spot? These actions require ticulous steps and logical thinking—sothing beyond Chen Chen’s capabilities."
Bai Ye nodded, "I’ve had the sa doubts, but the higher-ups want us to close the case. Xiaoyan, as you know, the town is undergoing construction and developnt, and this project has gained national attention. Plus, with such a heinous case, everyone hopes it can be resolved quickly."
"But we can’t just pin the bla on soone randomly!" Qiao Xiaoyan still felt sympathy for Chen Chen.
Chen Chen looked around blankly, muttering incessantly, "I killed my sister... I killed my sister... I disemboweled her... I gave her a rose..."
"You didn’t! You didn’t!" Qiao Xiaoyan ran over, shouting loudly, "You didn’t do any of this, why are you saying such things? Who made you say them? Speak up! Chen Chen, who taught you to say this?"
Chen Chen parroted Qiao Xiaoyan’s words: "Who taught you... Who taught you... Who taught you..."
"See? Soone must have coached him!" Qiao Xiaoyan said, "He can’t even clearly state what he wants to do, so how could he know to commit murder?"
At that mont, Qiao Xiaoyan turned to the silent Gan Zi, pleading urgently, "Professor Gan, please say sothing! How can you let Chen Chen take the fall for such a case full of holes?"
Gan Zi, of course, was aware of the police procedure for handling cases. Everyone wants to close cases quickly, especially such heinous ones with profound implications. But could Chen Chen, who couldn’t even take care of himself properly, really be the murderer?
"If all the evidence points to him, then either the murderer deliberately set him up, revealing Chen Chen as the scapegoat at the right ti. The other possibility is that it really was Chen Chen who did it, but the murderer instructed him in all these things; he is just a puppet executing the murder, the most pitiable person!" Gan Zi said gravely.
Despite also feeling pity for Chen Chen, Bai Ye knew that police work relied on evidence, "If it’s the first case, then the murderer is undeniably powerful. If it’s the second case, the murderer is extrely twisted, manipulating a brother to kill his sister in such a brutal way. How deep must the hatred be to devise such a sche?"
"No matter what, Team Leader Bai, let’s withdraw," one of the officers suggested.
"When did the higher-ups say we can pull out?" Bai Ye inquired.
"Tonight!" the subordinate replied.
"Let’s search for more evidence," Bai Ye proposed. Seeing that no one seed eager to move, he added, "I know everyone is exhausted, but as police, we must not let a villain slip by, nor wrong an innocent person. If Chen Chen is truly innocent, we won’t be at peace for the rest of our lives. If the real criminal isn’t caught, they will continue to offend, causing more people to suffer! Alright, let’s get through today, and if we can close the case, everyone gets a day off tomorrow."
The four officers continued to search for evidence. Sympathizing with the underdog is a natural human instinct, but with the evidence overwhelming, everyone could do nothing but give their best and leave the rest to fate.
Qiao Xiaoyan looked at Chen Chen’s bewildered appearance. It seed he was not yet aware of the dire fate that was soon to befall him!
Gan Zi remained deep in thought, observing Qiao Xiaoyan’s anxious deanor, "Right now, only new evidence can exonerate Chen Chen of the criminal suspicion. Xiaoyan, I understand you pity Chen Chen. His sister t a grueso death, and he has been frad. However, in court, the law shows no sentint; ironclad evidence is paramount!"
"What do we do, then? Are we supposed to just let Chen Chen be the fall guy?" Qiao Xiaoyan was frantic, "Professor Gan, you are the most talented, please think of sothing!"
Just then, soone called Qiao Xiaoyan, and upon hearing the news, she imdiately burst into laughter, "I have evidence proving that Chen Chen has an alibi for the early hours of the 3rd, proving he wasn’t at the cri scene."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ye felt a mix of sorrow and joy. He didn’t want Chen Chen to be the murderer, but he also did not want the case to drag on endlessly!
"Who called? What’s the evidence?" Bai Ye asked imdiately.
Qiao Xiaoyan chuckled, "It’s President Su, Su Tianqing. He said that he saw Chen Chen outside the guesthouse during the early hours of the 3rd..."
"How could he have seen him?" Bai Ye was skeptical.
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