“For the following year, the killer vanished without a trace, and no similar victims were discovered,” Yin Feng said.

“A year later, Liu Yisha, who was also caught in Fenjin Bao Company’s campus loan scheme, went missing and was killed. It was proven to be the work of Fenjin Bao Company, with Chen Zhaoci mimicking the body disposal method from the case a year ago. Fan Jia posed as bait, was taken by Chen Zhaoci from Fenjin Bao Company, and hidden in the tunnel. Chen Zhaoci’s girlfriend had committed suicide due to campus loans, and his twisted mind, full of hatred, led him to assist these criminals.”

Yin Feng nodded: “From the surveillance footage, we can see that Fan Jia had successfully broken free and subdued Chen Zhaoci. Judging by their walking direction, they were heading to the nearest police station. It was on this route that Fan Jia was taken by the mysterious figure. Chen Zhaoci was also injured by this person and is now on the run.”

You Mingxu continued: “We’ve gathered surveillance footage from several roads near the crime scene during that time frame. Due to the early hour, few vehicles were coming and going. We’ve investigated them all and found nothing suspicious. This means Fan Jia is still somewhere in this area. The question is—is the person who took her the real killer from a year ago? Or someone else entirely?”

“We can’t be certain,” Yin Feng replied. “But like the real killer, this mysterious person also lives in this area, and the head injury they inflicted on Fan Jia bears similarities to Zhao Feier’s wounds.”

You Mingxu exhaled a cloud of smoke silently, then said after a moment: “If the mysterious person is the real killer, was their presence on that road at that time purely coincidental, or is there more to it?”

Yin Feng answered: “Both are possible. That road isn’t far from Zhao Feier’s activity range, which means it’s also close to the killer’s usual territory. And being in the early hours when few people are around, it would be the killer’s optimal hunting time.”

You Mingxu’s brows furrowed deeply. She had a strange feeling about this case now. As they uncovered each layer, and unlocked each piece, it seemed like a series of coincidences piling up, cases within cases within cases. The perpetrators at each stage appeared to have no connection to the criminal activities of the others. Yet these coincidences and chance occurrences kept happening. She even felt like she was being led by the nose…

Yin Feng’s phone rang. After a brief conversation, he turned to You Mingxu: “Xu, come with me quickly. My people have finally identified four suspects who best match the profile, all living nearby.”

You Mingxu was stunned.

If they could truly identify the killer from the vast sea of people based on the criminal psychological profile, it would be like a sharp knife cutting through layers of mystery, solving everything at once.

But… Yin Feng’s people?

That team of cooks, gardeners, drivers, and housekeepers?

—

Despite her doubts, You Mingxu got in the car with Yin Feng to visit the first suspect’s address. There was nothing else to do but try everything possible. Besides, although Yin Feng always dressed like a big green caterpillar or a yellow duckling during investigations, looking youthful and cute, his conclusions had consistently been precise, sharp, and profound. So when he said they’d found four suspects, You Mingxu couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

However, at this point, every minute and second that passed could mean Fan Jia’s life. After discussion, they decided they had no time for subtle probing and observation—they would confront the suspects directly. If the real killer was among them, they’d catch them off guard!

—

Initially, when they first arrived at Liu Yisha’s crime scene, Yin Feng provided a profile of the criminal. Later, his mentor, Professor Fan Shuhua in America, gave a matching but more detailed profile. At the time, You Mingxu had thought their conclusions were like the moon’s reflection in water—clear to see but impossible to grasp. So she hadn’t taken it seriously.

Who would have thought that after all their investigations, they’d come full circle back to the beginning?

While driving to the first suspect who matched the profile, You Mingxu recalled the key criteria given by the mentor-student pair of psychologists:

Age between 25-40 years.

Resident.

Lives near the victims.

Working-class background, limited education.

Works in manual crafts.

Hates women, received no love from older females in childhood, but rather abuse and humiliation.

Unable to establish normal relationships with the opposite sex.

Possible accomplices not ruled out.

The type of person commonly seen in working-class areas, wouldn’t appear out of place walking the streets late at night.

Obsessive-compulsive, keeps both workplace and home meticulously organized.

Poor communication skills, easily agitated, strong violent tendencies.

…

Apart from the later psychological characteristics, You Mingxu realized that the person who attacked and took Fan Jia matched the profile: the silhouette wasn’t elderly, lived nearby, and appeared late at night, with no witnesses found…

You Mingxu felt a chill creep into her heart.

They arrived at the first suspect’s home.

You Mingxu immediately noticed it was very close to the first victim Zhao Feier’s home, perhaps just a few hundred meters away, and was also in an old residential building. The man’s name was Zhao Dawei, and according to the information gathered by Yin Feng’s domestic staff, he was 28 years old, a carpenter, a resident, and had lived here for over ten years.

Zhao Dawei was single and lived on the first floor with his older brother Zhao Daqiang, who worked as an electrician.

It was a small storefront, lit by dim yellow light at this late hour. Wood materials were stacked on the floor—You Mingxu noticed they were neat but dirty. Several tools for grinding and cutting wood sat nearby. A man stood with his back to them, shirtless and wearing black pants. His muscles were taut and gleaming with sweat as he worked.

From just the back view, it was impossible to tell if he was the person from the surveillance footage.

“Zhao Dawei?” You Mingxu called out.

The man turned around, revealing unremarkable features that were somewhat ugly. He looked at them with confusion.

You Mingxu directly showed her credentials, keeping her eyes fixed on Zhao Dawei’s expression. He appeared nervous, his voice muffled: “What’s the matter? Neither my brother nor I have done anything illegal!”

You Mingxu said coolly: “Just answer a few questions truthfully to assist our investigation.”

“What were you doing last night?”

“Last night? I closed the shop, watched some TV, then took a shower and went to bed.”

“Didn’t go out?”

“No.”

“What about your brother?”

“He was working the night shift yesterday, and just now… just now went out drinking with his coworkers.”

“Do you have a car?”

“No.”

“Don’t you need one for deliveries?”

“I can’t drive, haven’t gotten my license yet. For deliveries, I usually hire a car at the market, it’s very convenient…”

You Mingxu asked several more questions, and Zhao Dawei answered everything in detail. Finally, she took out a simple fingerprinting kit and had Zhao Dawei provide his prints.

Yin Feng stood quietly to the side, watching You Mingxu efficiently handle everything. And… some procedures might not have been entirely by the book. But why would he care? As long as Xu was happy.

After leaving Zhao’s residence, You Mingxu checked the surrounding surveillance cameras again. There were only one or two, and she noted their locations before heading to the second suspect’s house.