Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After another exhausting two hours, Tang Qiu finished wiping her sweat and massaged her muscles while requesting time off. "Coach Zhong, I have something to do this weekend. Can I make up the missed class later?"

Coach Zhong, also stretching her muscles, replied casually, "Of course. I charge by the session anyway. Your class won't be considered complete until you've finished all the sessions."

Tang Qiu nodded in thanks. After massaging her muscles and taking a shower, she found Chen Chen in the equipment hall, running on a treadmill.

Probably due to work reasons, Tang Qiu ran into Chen Chen every day at the gym, but she rarely saw Lv Xinghe.

Without any small talk, Tang Qiu went straight to the point when she found Chen Chen. "Mr. Chen, I saw in the group that you organized a camping trip this weekend?"

Chen Chen pressed the pause button, stepped off the treadmill, and wiped his sweat with a towel. "That's right, Lawyer Tang. Are you planning to join?"

Tang Qiu nodded seriously.

She had seen it while habitually scrolling through her phone during lunch today to learn about her predecessor's background. She hadn't replied in the group; compared to communicating online, she preferred face-to-face interactions.

This way, during conversation, she could carefully observe the other person's eyes and facial expressions to judge the truthfulness of their words and whether they harbored any ill intentions.

Chen Chen looked at Tang Qiu with surprise and hesitated. "I originally thought after last time, you wouldn't want to participate in similar activities anymore. Of course, I'm very happy you're willing to come."

Tang Qiu had already planned to identify everyone present at the scene of her original body's death, except for Lv Xinghe and Shen Chen. Since she had just acquired the new tool, Fate's Prophetic Eye, at noon today, she decided to act tomorrow to avoid any further delays. Looking into Chen Chen's eyes, she observed his expression changes and asked, "I saw in the group that you said it's tomorrow? About how many people? Is it the same group from last time's camping?"

Chen Chen, unaccustomed to prolonged eye contact with female friends, looked away slightly before answering, "As of now, including you and me, there are ten confirmed—nine adults and one child. Old Lv isn't coming; he has a blind date arranged for tomorrow. Tian Li and Tang Fangfang are coming, along with Old Qian and Bao Xiangchen. The rest are new faces. Oh, the one child is Tian Li's nephew. Her sister and brother-in-law are both on business trips, and the kid has never been camping before. He was insistent on coming, so I had no choice but to agree. Tian Li and I are close, so I couldn't refuse. But I promise the kid is very well-behaved—doesn't cry or make a fuss, does as he's told, and won't cause any trouble."

Tang Qiu's main goal was to identify people, so she didn't care much about the child—after all, she wasn't responsible for taking care of him. She nodded and said, "I understand. I'll meet everyone at the assembly point tomorrow as scheduled."

Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. If it's inconvenient, Old Qian and I can pick you up."

"Oh, by the way," Chen Chen added as Tang Qiu was about to leave, "how's your injury..."

He felt awkward and gestured vaguely at his head, trying to convey his concern. "How is it now? Any precautions to take? Any dietary restrictions? Everyone was thinking of having a barbecue, so..."

Chen Chen felt his words could be easily misunderstood but had to ask, his expression awkward and eager.

Tang Qiu didn't feel offended; she merely nodded coldly. "The injury has mostly healed. Aside from memory loss, it doesn't affect daily life much."

Chen Chen scratched his head. "That's good, that's... see you tomorrow then."

Tang Qiu replied politely, "See you tomorrow."

As she turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of Chen Chen still waving goodbye ceremoniously, muttering under his breath, "Still as cold as ever, but even more quiet now."

...

Yuntang District Police Station.

When the young female officer found Lei Yue, he was sitting on a low stool, watching the station's police dog, Heihu, wolf down his dog food with unwavering focus.

The dog, apparently annoyed by the attention, suddenly turned around, presenting its back to him before continuing to eat.

The young officer approached quietly, greeting, "Captain Lei, I thought I'd find you here. The calls to other district colleagues came back at noon. The suspect we just caught isn't a first-time offender. Captains Tian and Liu are on their way with their teams and case files; they should arrive soon."

Lei Yue watched for a few more seconds before standing up, brushing the dust off his pants. "Alright, let's go."

The young officer fell in step behind him, continuing her report. "Oh, and Captain Lei, the sketch of the mysterious person who subdued the suspect in the third case is out. I compared it with the surveillance footage from the second case, and something feels off. They look similar but not quite the same. Could it be a lighting issue?"

The young officer, named Si Zhao, scratched her head in confusion. "But according to the artist, Artist Fan, who drew the sketch based on victim Cui Yueyi's description, the victim was very certain it was the person who saved her. That's strange. Maybe I misjudged?"

Si Zhao muttered to herself as Lei Yue quickened his pace. "What about the surveillance footage? Any leads?"

Si Zhao replied, "Brother Xiao and the others are still reviewing it. Nothing yet."

Lei Yue nodded. "Let me know as soon as you find something."

In a few quick strides, they returned to their team's office. Lei Yue went straight to the whiteboard used for posting case details and stared at the newly attached sketch. Reaching out, he said, "Give me the surveillance photo of the mysterious person from the second case."

A tall young man quickly pulled a photo from a drawer and placed it in Lei Yue's hand.

Lei Yue attached the photo next to the sketch and frowned after a few seconds. "They really don't look alike. The shapes of the brows and eyes are different. If Cui Yueyi's description is accurate, it's highly possible they're not the same person."

Si Zhao and the others in the office opened their mouths in surprise. "Not the same person? Could this be an organization?"

Lei Yue shook his head and corrected, "We can't confirm an organization yet, but based on current evidence, it's at least two people, or a team of two or more."

Si Zhao nodded in realization. "That makes sense. One person alone couldn't gather information and rescue people with such precision. But I still can't figure out how they knew the exact time and location of the crimes. Did they start with the victims or track the suspects?"

"It's a bit inconsistent," the young man said. "In the first case, the attack was clearly aimed at the suspect, with specific, vengeful intent. In the second case, based on surveillance footage, the mysterious person followed the victim Su Ying to the scene. Possibly due to the suspect's motive, the mysterious person didn't inflict the same devastating injury to the suspect's genitals as in the first case. And now the third case seems to revert to the pattern. Based on the methods used, I'm leaning toward two different people."

Si Zhao thought for a moment and agreed. "That fits with the differences in appearance we've observed between the second and third cases."

After some discussion, Lei Yue removed the sketch and surveillance photo from the board and handed them to Si Zhao. "Put these away for now. The third case is likely part of a serial murder. Our priority is to build an airtight case and nail the suspect, and push for a swift conviction and death sentence."

Si Zhao immediately responded, "Got it, Captain Lei."

Lei Yue then ordered, "Tidy up everything. Don't leave anything sensitive out. Some colleagues from other districts are coming for a meeting. Everyone, be mindful of confidentiality regarding our current cases."

The team bustled into action, and Lei Yue went to his desk to organize scattered documents.

As he sorted through them, he paused at a photo tucked under a case file. He picked it up, staring at it thoughtfully.

Si Zhao, having finished her own tidying, came over to help. Noticing the photo in Lei Yue's hand, she leaned in and asked, "How is that victim doing? Has her memory returned? I asked Brother Xiao last time he checked, and it hadn't."

Lei Yue snapped back to reality, carefully placing the photo back into the case file. He shook his head. "She hasn't contacted me, so probably not. But it's been a while—maybe some fragments have come back. Once things settle down in a couple of days, I'll go visit her."

Si Zhao nodded silently. "That's a good idea. I'll go with you. If her memory has returned, we can get more case details. If not, we'll need to explore other avenues."

Si Zhao then suggested, "Captain Lei, do you think it's worth reexamining the crime scene? We did an extensive search last time but found nothing. Maybe we were looking in the wrong direction. With this case concluded, we could take more people and search in a different direction—maybe we'll find traces of the suspect's escape."

Si Zhao sighed in frustration, shaking her arms. "This is one of the reasons I hate outdoor investigations. The crime scene is too unpredictable, evidence is hard to find, and clues are even scarcer. Every time I encounter such cases, I feel like burning incense and praying for a smooth investigation without detours."

Lei Yue glanced sideways at Si Zhao, his expression stern but his eyes holding a hint of amusement. "Don't forget our job. Cut down on such inappropriate talk, or Director Zhang might overhear and drag you for a lecture."

Si Zhao guiltily glanced at the door before whispering, "I know, I know. I'll only say it outside, not at the station."

With Si Zhao's help, Lei Yue quickly cleared his messy desk.

Si Zhao turned to leave for other tasks but stopped and looked back. "Captain Lei, you promised we'd go together. Don't forget, okay?"

Lei Yue didn't respond, just waved his hand to acknowledge.