As Guan Xia pondered, Pang Le had already begun analyzing, "I think the best way for you to utilize your talent is to collaborate with the police, but... upon further reflection, I'm not sure it would work."
Guan Xia immediately sat up straight, looking at Pang Le intently.
Pang Le rarely engaged in deep thinking, and Guan Xia's intense gaze made him slightly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat before continuing, "Judging by the few times you've provided leads to the police, you've always directly encountered the suspects and noticed subtle details. If you were to formally work with the police, you'd be a complete outsider when it comes to forensic techniques. The only way your talent could be useful is if you accompanied officers during investigations. But I don’t know if the police would even allow you on the scene. And even if you did go, unless the killer returned to the crime scene, your ability wouldn’t be of much use. Plus, fieldwork is exhausting. Is it really worth going that far?"
Pang Le paused, then added, "I’m not trying to discourage you or say I don’t support you. It’s just… you’ve finally built a stable life for yourself. Even if you want to make a change, shouldn’t it be something less drastic? This kind of life turn—"
He racked his brain for the right word but came up empty, finally settling on, "—is just too sharp a turn."
After a few seconds of contemplation, Guan Xia decided to share her rough plan to get Pang Le’s opinion.
She said, "Here’s what I’m thinking. That night, through the photo Lu Tingfeng gave me, I recalled a suspicious person. Later, I went home and used the sketch of the girl from that photo to find a news report about a related case. Xu Nian didn’t tell me much, but she did confirm that the girl was strangled to death, and the killer is still at large. So, the person I remembered might be a new lead—possibly even the murderer."
Guan Xia spoke earnestly, but Pang Le suddenly interjected, "Wow, that’s impressive. If I remember correctly, that girl wasn’t even from your university. You didn’t know her—you might’ve just passed her by. And you still remembered her from such a brief encounter? Are you sure you don’t have hyperthymesia?"
Pang Le eyed her skeptically, as if seriously considering dragging her to the hospital for a checkup.
Guan Xia quickly shook her head. "I really don’t. According to Xu Nian, I just have a strong memory for specific scenarios or certain types of people. Anyway, stop interrupting—I haven’t finished."
Seeing Guan Xia’s serious expression, Pang Le straightened up. "Alright, alright, go on. I’m listening."
Guan Xia continued, "This whole thing gave me an idea. If something as ordinary as visiting a food street during college could lead me to cross paths with a potential suspect, then in my 25 years of life, haven’t I likely encountered other killers without realizing it? Maybe I just didn’t know about nearby crimes, so I never connected the dots."
Pang Le sucked in a sharp breath. "That makes a lot of sense. If that’s true, then your Conan-like luck might not be a recent thing. It’s just that past cases weren’t as close to you as these recent ones, so you never noticed."
Guan Xia nodded. "Exactly. So, I’ve been wondering—what if I worked with the police? They could cross-reference my life history with unsolved cases, show me victims’ photos, and see if anything triggers my memory?"
She looked at Pang Le expectantly, hoping for affirmation.
But Pang Le hesitated before grimacing and saying, "For Pingjiang District, maybe. Xu Nian and her team solved two cases thanks to your leads. But other districts? Other cities, even other provinces? That’s…"
Though he didn’t spell it out, Guan Xia understood. Xu Nian trusted her because they’d interacted before, and she knew Guan Xia’s capabilities. Outside Pingjiang District, she’d just be an ordinary civilian.
Realizing this path was likely a dead end, Guan Xia deflated.
Not wanting to see her disheartened, Pang Le patted her shoulder. "Don’t give up yet. I don’t know much about police procedures, but we do know an expert. Why not ask Xu Nian? Maybe there’s a way."
Guan Xia considered it. Though still doubtful, she clung to a sliver of hope.
After some more casual chatter, Pang Le stood up. "Well, mission accomplished. I’ve delivered the intel, and we’ve talked things through. Time for me to go."
Guan Xia saw him out and checked the time—nearly dinner. Her thoughts were too scattered to focus on her show, so she decided to cook early.
Just as she finished eating, the doorbell rang again. Peering through the peephole, Guan Xia was surprised to see Xu Nian.
She opened the door. "What brings you here? Is the case closed? Or was the lead I gave you useless?"
Mentally counting, she realized only four days had passed since their last conversation.
Xu Nian smiled as she stepped inside. "Useless? Hardly. You practically handed us the answer—we’re just working backward to piece together the process now."
Guan Xia’s face lit up. "Really? That person was actually the killer?"
Xu Nian nodded.
After pouring Xu Nian a glass of water, they settled on the couch. Xu Nian began, "After we talked that night, I submitted a request to my superiors the next day. It was approved, and I’m here today to update you on the case."
Guan Xia, who had been lounging, immediately straightened up.
Xu Nian continued, "The girl in your sketch was named Huang Man—the victim in the November 17, 2019 case. But she wasn’t the only one. There were five others: Wei Xueyan from the September 22, 2011 case in Linshan City; Peng Xuanxuan from the September 10, 2013 case, and Cen Xing from the November 2 case in Lian City; Zhang Ying from the October 19, 2015 case in Taoyang City; and He Yijia from the September 26, 2017 case in Ningguan City. Initially, these cases weren’t linked due to insufficient connections, but when investigating Huang Man’s murder, suspicions arose about a single perpetrator. Still, they couldn’t officially merge the cases—until your lead provided the missing link. Now, all six cases are connected, and we’ve even found traces of the killer in surveillance footage from the victims’ daily routines."
Guan Xia had been holding her breath unconsciously, only exhaling in relief at Xu Nian’s last words.
Recalling the cities and dates Xu Nian listed, Guan Xia gasped. "Good grief, this killer was active across the entire Dingyuan Province! And all the crimes happened between September and November, with a chillingly consistent two-year gap between each one."
Xu Nian said, "Exactly. From the very first discovered case in 2011—the 922 case—this killer already possessed highly sophisticated methods. Even in subsequent crimes, his techniques showed no evolution, which indicates extreme confidence in his approach, believing it to be flawless."
Guan Xia understood. "So, even the 2011 case wasn’t his first."
Xu Nian nodded. "That’s our current theory. We’re still searching for the initial crime."
Guan Xia exhaled heavily. "Six cases, six victims—possibly more. This killer is utterly deranged. Who is he? Why would he take so many lives?"
Xu Nian replied, "The suspect is Xia Wenguang, 39, from Jianyang City, Dingyuan Province. Currently, there’s no direct evidence linking him to the crimes because the crime scenes were meticulously cleaned. His psychological defenses are also formidable, making it difficult to extract a confession within 24 hours. If we detain and release him once, securing a second interrogation would be even harder. For now, we’re keeping him under tight surveillance. Multiple cities involved in these cases are pooling resources to gather evidence."
Guan Xia stared at Xu Nian in shock. "So, unless we find his first victim, it’ll be nearly impossible to pin him down conclusively?"
Before Xu Nian could respond, Guan Xia added, "This killer isn’t just brutal—he’s cunning. Like a high-IQ criminal from a crime drama. What’s his background?"
Xu Nian explained, "He graduated from Dongning University in 2002 with a law degree. After working as an intern at Rui Hai Law Firm in Jianyang for two years, he quit and opened a countryside inn. His parents passed away—his father in a car accident in 2009, his mother from cancer in 2000. She was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1994. Our investigations show his parents had a stable marriage, rarely argued, and only disagreed over her medical expenses. Despite her illness, they followed his father’s insistence on treatment. As for Xia Wenguang himself, he was academically outstanding since childhood, though introverted. His looks and intellect attracted many admirers, yet he never dated—not in college, after graduation, or even now at 39. No romantic history whatsoever."
Guan Xia shuddered. "Then he’s just a pure psychopath. Apart from his mother’s early death, his upbringing was practically ideal compared to most. And yet he killed all those people. Is he a born sociopath?"
Xu Nian shook his head. "Without concrete evidence or a confession, we can’t determine his motives. But now that he’s on our radar, he won’t escape. Once we uncover his first crime, all the pieces will fall into place."
Guan Xia felt a pang of melancholy. The work of criminal investigators was far more complex than she’d imagined. She’d assumed her crucial lead would swiftly crack the case, but Xu Nian’s calm explanation revealed how naive that was.
Take this case, for instance. Though there was only one suspect, the crimes spanned five cities—possibly more with undiscovered victims. Just imagining the scale made it clear hundreds, if not thousands, of officers were working on it. Even with Xu Nian’s trust and support, would other districts or cities really cooperate with her experimental approach?
She wanted to feel hopeful, but after putting herself in their shoes, her optimism deflated.
Xu Nian noticed her shift. "What’s wrong?"
After a brief hesitation, Guan Xia confessed, "This case made me realize... growing up, I might’ve crossed paths with killers before. But since I never knew about nearby crimes or was questioned by police, I never connected the dots. I can’t help thinking—if I saw photos of the victims, maybe something would click."
She phrased it more subtly than when she’d spoken to Pang Le, but Xu Nian grasped her meaning. After a pause, he said, "For cases in Pingjiang District, I’ll do everything to assist you. But beyond that..." He hesitated. "I can try discussing it with superiors, but no guarantees."
Guan Xia kept her expression neutral, though inwardly she sighed. As expected—it was a long shot.
(The author’s note: Heating’s out at home today—brain feels frozen. Will try to write more tomorrow. Love you all, mwah!)
