Yin Feng was a bit displeased by the interruption. Facing her, he puffed his cheeks full of air, turning into a round bun, then let it out with a "pfft."
You Mingxu felt a little better inside—this version of Yin Feng was much more agreeable.
He then continued, "These two cases seem completely unrelated at first glance. But upon closer inspection, they share quite a few similarities."
You Mingxu raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued by his words. She crossed her arms and thought for a moment before speaking first, "First, in both cases, there are no suspects."
Yin Feng narrowed his eyes and smiled, looking like a sweet, big milk cat. However, paired with his tall, sturdy build and handsome, well-defined features, it once again gave off an unmistakable vibe of split personality.
He replied, "Exactly. Those with motives lack the time, and those with time lack motives."
You Mingxu mulled over his words in her mind, feeling a slight tremor in her heart—an indescribable sense of eeriness.
"Go on," Yin Feng said.
You Mingxu nodded and was about to continue when she suddenly realized his tone sounded like he was the boss. Seeing his completely unbothered expression, she snorted lightly, lifted her leg, and kicked him in the waist. He froze, holding his waist and looking at her with aggrieved eyes. "A Xu, why did you kick me?"
"I felt like kicking you. Got a problem with that?"
He widened his eyes, looking furious but not daring to speak up, and could only take a step to the side to avoid her.
You Mingxu instantly felt much better. Her eyebrows lifted, her eyes sparkling, as she continued with her conclusions, "Second, the killers were familiar with the victims' habits, routines, and the surrounding environment. Third, both crimes were disguised as clumsy robberies-turned-murders. Fourth, the killers were solely focused on the goal of murder, using brutal methods driven by hatred."
Yin Feng muttered softly, "Isn't the fourth point exactly what I've been emphasizing all along?"
You Mingxu shot him a glance, and he immediately shrank back again. However, You Mingxu was usually satisfied once she had bullied someone enough. With a half-smile, she lightly tapped him with the tip of her foot and said, "Your sister has finished speaking. Does Handsome have any brilliant insights?"
Yin Feng wasn't actually stupid. He could sense the gentleness in her kick, which left him momentarily dazed, as if he had touched upon something, yet nothing at all. He shook his head to clear his mind, but You Mingxu, watching from the side, simply thought he was acting foolish again.
Then she heard him say, "There are two more similarities. First, although the victims were of different genders and professions, they both occupied dominant and controlling positions within a small, localized social circle. Second, in each case, there was a teenager who entered a completely new environment, faced overwhelming pressure, struggled with identity, and lived under the victim's dominant influence. I imagine their psychological states must have been very similar: confusion, pain, torment, loneliness, and intense... resentment."
Yin Feng's words left You Mingxu feeling uneasy. She said coldly, "That was his own aunt! And his cousins!"
Yin Feng just looked at her, his gaze clear and bright.
You Mingxu said, "It's all just your speculation. There's no evidence pointing to them as accomplices. They're just kids!"
Yin Feng replied, "There is evidence. The footprints at Xie Huifang's crime scene were size 39, and the bloody footprints at Xu Jiayuan's scene were size 38. What shoe sizes do the two kids wear?"
You Mingxu fell silent.They had recorded the shoe sizes of everyone related to each case. However, since the two cases weren't investigated together, no one would have thought to connect them. How did the person before her manage to link the two cases? Moreover, if she remembered correctly, Li Biran wore size 38 shoes, while Liu Ruoyu wore size 39.
"The perpetrator in Xu Jiayuan's case wasn't as cautious as the one in Xie Huifang's case—he didn't wear shoe covers. We just need to compare the bloody footprints at the scene with the shoe print patterns of Li Biran's shoes to find out. Kids might not clean their shoes thoroughly; we might even discover other traces, like bloodstains or soil from the scene."
"I'll check the footprints," You Mingxu said. "But it still feels far-fetched. We can't conclude they're the murderers just because the teenagers in both cases were in similar environments. I'd rather they weren't the killers."
Yin Feng actually smiled faintly at this and said, "A Xu, you're too soft-hearted. But if you think about it carefully, it's not so far-fetched. The two teenagers don't just share similar environments—the two cases are too alike. Both were clearly revenge killings where the perpetrator was very familiar with the victim, yet the final investigations pointed to strangers.
And at this point, in both cases, the footprints of the two individuals who had just had violent conflicts with the victims match the suspects in the other case. What a coincidence that both have shoe sizes on the smaller side for their age group. More importantly, they both largely fit the criminal profile of the other case. If this is a coincidence, it's too much of one."
You Mingxu could no longer sit still. She jumped up from her chair and headed out, saying, "I'm going to investigate right now." Yin Feng immediately followed. At the door, he called out, "Don't go out in your pajamas!"
If he hadn't mentioned it, You Mingxu would have completely forgotten she was still in her sleepwear. She rushed into her bedroom, quickly changed into a set of clothes, and came out saying, "Let's go."
As they walked, You Mingxu asked, "How did you think to connect the two cases?"
Yin Feng replied, "Something Xu Jiayuan's roommate said: he mentioned that a few days before the incident, Liu Ruoyu and Xu Jiayuan went to an internet cafe in the city together. There are plenty of internet cafes in the towns near the factory—why make a special trip to the city? I also calculated in my head that the most convenient and closest commercial area from the factory is the street where Li Biran hangs out at internet cafes. If Liu Ruoyu had Li Biran come to the factory to identify someone, it would leave witnesses and evidence. But taking Xu Jiayuan to the internet cafe for Li Biran to observe thoroughly—no one would notice. I think Liu Ruoyu must have read a lot of detective novels; he's quite clever. However, the characteristic of this kind of cross-killing is that if you don't see through it, you can't find any clues; but once you see it, the evidence is everywhere."
You Mingxu's mind raced. Yin Feng's reasoning was still more hypothesis than solid proof. But if they followed this line of thinking, both cases suddenly made sense! And all the previous puzzling aspects for the police were explained. Why did their investigative experience and the crime scene styles point to someone familiar with the victims, yet the suspected acquaintances all had solid alibis? Because they had exchanged murders.
She pulled out her phone:
"Fan Jia, check Liu Ruoyu's whereabouts on the night of Xie Huifang's case immediately."
Fan Jia: "Huh?""I remember the internet cafe owner mentioned that the night before Xie Huifang's incident, Li Biran came with a friend. Check the surveillance footage—I want to know who that friend was."
Xu Mengshan replied, "Got it!"
The night had deepened. The two hailed a taxi, and You Mingxu said, "To Third High School."
Third High was where Li Biran attended school. Upon hearing this, Yin Feng nodded approvingly. "A Xu and I are on the same page—start with the easy target first."
You Mingxu didn’t bother denying it. After a moment of silence, she added, "I just hope these two cases aren’t like this."
Neither of them noticed the black car that had been parked at the entrance of You Mingxu’s residential compound. It now started up in the darkness and followed them from a distance.
OpenNovel