Guan Xia quickly skimmed through the text that popped up on the system interface, trying to maintain a calm expression, though she couldn’t help but grumble internally.
Even though the system had already helped the police solve several cases, she still found it hard to adjust.
After all, she and Pang Le had walked all the way from the entrance without encountering a single person who seemed nervous—otherwise, Pang Le wouldn’t have made that bet with her.
Once all the text finished displaying, it lingered for a few seconds before the interface changed, revealing a video. Guan Xia immediately pushed aside her scattered thoughts and focused intently.
Earlier, she had speculated whether the suspect might be the man she’d seen smoking by the trash can or the one playing games on a stone bench. But the system’s red frame highlighted a completely different person—a man walking on a narrow path a few meters from the main road, separated from them by a stretch of shrubs.
The man was unremarkable in both appearance and height, strolling slowly while staring at his phone, his hands busy as if replying to messages. There was no trace of tension in his demeanor.
The shrubs, which reached Guan Xia’s waist, stopped at his thighs, fully exposing the pockets of his casual pants. Perhaps because of the thin summer clothing—or because the system’s prompt had primed her—she could now see, under the system’s magnified replay, that the bulge in his pocket was long and slightly wide, resembling a utility knife. There were also faint stains near the edge of his pocket, though they would’ve been impossible to spot with the naked eye without the system’s enhancement.
The system appeared and vanished just as quickly.
The moment Guan Xia snapped back to reality, she noticed Xu Nian’s stern expression and Pang Le’s strange, excited gaze—clearly, they had caught on.
Without hesitation, Guan Xia stated, "After carefully recalling, I did notice a suspicious man. He was wearing a light blue T-shirt and khaki casual pants, around thirty years old, roughly 1.75 meters tall. His right pocket had something inside—based on the shape, it looked like a utility knife."
She glanced at the time. "It’s been about twenty minutes since I last saw him. He was on the main road, roughly a hundred meters from the entrance facing the residential area."
Her details were precise, and Xu Nian immediately stepped aside to make a call.
Pang Le stared at Guan Xia with sparkling eyes, as if she were some kind of treasure, and whispered excitedly, "Even though I’ve seen this before, I still can’t help but wonder—how does your brain work? We walked in together, saw the same things, yet you pick up on so many details."
Unable to contain her excitement, Pang Le grabbed Guan Xia’s shoulders and gave them a light shake. "I don’t know if brains can be insured, but I’d love to get yours covered with a hefty policy."
Guan Xia agreed—her brain was crucial, especially since it housed the "low-presence halo."
Noticing the lingering glances from the crowd, even as they gave statements to the police, she pulled Pang Le toward a quieter corner. "Act normal. Someone just died, and if you look this thrilled, you might end up trending on city news."
Pang Le finally composed herself, stealing a glance at the still-uncovered body waiting for the coroner. She lowered her voice. "You said the killer was a man in his thirties, likely using a utility knife to slit the victim’s artery and cause fatal blood loss. Was this personal, or random? That kind of method is almost impossible to survive, even in a hospital. I remember a show or novel where a serial killer used the same technique—all victims had something in common. Could this be similar?"
Guan Xia shook her head. Even with the system, without more details, she couldn’t speculate further.
Lately, she’d read a lot of crime fiction. While random killings happened, most motives fell into three categories: love, revenge, or money. Killing purely for the sake of it—even in a world blending detective fiction—was rare.
She studied the scene.
The narrow path, barely two meters wide, was about three to four hundred meters from the main road. Despite the short distance, dense vegetation and elevation differences made it nearly impossible for passersby to notice anything unless they turned onto the path. The victim lay east-west along it, and the blood trail suggested he’d tried to flee toward the main road for help but collapsed from blood loss before getting far.
As Guan Xia observed, Pang Le nudged her and pointed. "Look over there—is that a bouquet?"
Following Pang Le’s direction, Guan Xia spotted a large bundle of roses half-hidden in the grass a few meters from the body, along with scattered petals nearby, as if someone had tossed them there.
"It is," Guan Xia confirmed. "Roses, a whole bouquet. If they belonged to the victim, he probably came here to meet someone."
"A lover?" Pang Le guessed. "Roses usually mean romance—if not a partner, then at least a confession."
Their discussion was interrupted by a sudden phone ringtone.
The familiar default chime of a popular brand made several bystanders instinctively check their pockets, but a uniformed officer quickly clarified, "Captain Xu, it’s the victim’s phone."
Xu Nian hurried over, careful to avoid the blood as he put on gloves and retrieved the phone from the victim’s pocket.
Unfortunately, the call ended just as he picked up—but it rang again seconds later.
Guan Xia strained to hear Xu Nian’s side of the conversation, but the noisy crowd drowned out most of it.
Soon, though, her curiosity faded. Minutes later, a young woman in a pale green dress and full makeup pushed through the crowd. The moment she saw the body, she let out a heart-wrenching scream. "Jing Ming!"
Her face twisted in shock and grief as she tried to rush forward, but two officers swiftly restrained her, keeping her from the scene.
Her appearance silenced the onlookers, their expressions now filled with pity for the tragic couple.
Pang Le also sighed in frustration, "Damn that bastard. What kind of deep-seated hatred drives someone to kill, especially at a time like this?"
Though it wasn’t clear what significance today held for the couple, just the sight of the roses discarded in the woods and the girl’s heartbroken, despairing expression made it obvious—this was some kind of special anniversary.
The crowd fell silent for a moment before murmuring again, though this time, the whispers weren’t about the relationship between the killer and the victim, but rather about the killer’s connection to the girl. Without even trying to eavesdrop, Guan Xia could hear people speculating whether the murderer might have been a rival in love, driven to kill by unrequited feelings.
Pang Le couldn’t help muttering, "Picking such a significant day, killing someone, and then tossing the flowers into the woods—it’s clearly an act of rage. Maybe it really was a crime of passion."
Guan Xia had the same suspicion, but recalling the video the system had played—the killer walking away calmly after the murder—she wasn’t so sure. If this were truly a crime of passion, it would likely be the killer’s first time. Even someone with an innate antisocial personality wouldn’t remain so composed during their first kill.
Rubbing her chin, Guan Xia felt the killer’s relaxed demeanor matched that of the repairman she’d encountered when she first bound with the system. This might very well be another serial killer.
Thinking this, she said quietly, "I don’t think so. The suspect I saw walked toward the exit without a hint of panic, even fiddling with his phone the whole time. Doesn’t seem like a first-time killer."
Pang Le was startled, struggling to keep his voice low. "Another serial killer? So, you’re saying he might specifically target couples?"
Guan Xia glanced at the victim, then at the beautiful girl trembling with sobs, before nodding hesitantly. "Possibly."
Pang Le clenched his fists, his expression tense. "That bastard. Probably another loser who can’t stand seeing others happy because his own life’s a mess. Better hope I don’t run into him—I’ll beat him half to death."
Guan Xia agreed. A serial killer who targeted couples, regardless of motive, was undeniably twisted.
The two whispered a while longer before finally, the Pingjiang District criminal police arrived.
But to Guan Xia’s surprise, she didn’t recognize any familiar faces.
When Xu Nian approached with a notepad and pen, she couldn’t help asking, "Did you transfer? You’re not with the Second Unit anymore? And weren’t you on leave? Why are you here today?"
Guan Xia studied him, wondering if his recent success in cracking cold cases had earned him a promotion.
Xu Nian handed her the pen and notepad. "I am on leave, but the Third Unit handling this case is spread thin. It’ll take them time to get here, so the bureau asked me to secure the scene."
Guan Xia nodded in understanding, taking the pen and notepad. Without needing Xu Nian to explain, she flipped to a blank page and began sketching swiftly.
With the system’s paused video as reference, she didn’t even have to think, her hand moving almost mechanically as she asked, "By the way, I remembered another detail. The suspect wasn’t in a hurry when he left—he even had time to play with his phone. Pang Le and I both suspect this isn’t his first crime."
Xu Nian glanced around, noting the nearest bystanders were several meters away, then lowered his voice. "This is indeed part of a serial murder case, but since the Third Unit’s handling it, I don’t know much."
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged a look—their suspicions confirmed.
Pang Le leaned in slightly, cautious. "Mind sharing details about the previous victims? Guan Xia and I think the killer might specifically target couples."
Since this information would likely go public soon anyway, Xu Nian answered without hesitation. "Aside from today’s victim, the only other suspected case in Pingjiang District was an elderly man, 72 years old. He died near Changqing Square on Youth Road around 9 p.m. on Monday, June 6th."
"An old man?" This took them both by surprise. Pang Le pressed, "Was he married?"
Xu Nian nodded. "Yes."
Pang Le scratched his head, thinking. "Not a couple, but still a pair in love. So our theory might hold—he’s targeting one person from a loving relationship. This killer’s seriously messed up. Must be jealousy."
Without more information, Xu Nian couldn’t jump to conclusions like they had, so he stayed silent.
Guan Xia listened while sketching, and seeing Xu Nian’s silence, she knew this was all the intel he had from the precinct. After a moment, she asked, "Since you’re here at the scene, will you be involved in solving this case?"
Xu Nian, watching her sketch, replied absently, "I’m just helping secure the scene for now. Once you finish, I’ll hand the sketch to Captain Jian from the Third Unit, and then we can leave together."
Pang Le looked both surprised and disappointed. "You’re not joining the investigation? So we won’t get any updates on the case? I really want to know the killer’s motive—see if I guessed right."
Guan Xia also watched Xu Nian expectantly.
After all, she’d stumbled onto this, provided clues—she genuinely wanted to know how it all unfolded.
Meeting her gaze, Xu Nian said softly, "You’ve given us the suspect’s sketch—it’s like working backward from the answer. I’m sure Captain Jian will crack the case soon. Once it’s no longer confidential, I can share the details with you."
With that promise, Guan Xia worked even faster, finishing the sketch in record time.
Xu Nian acted just as swiftly, taking the sketch from her and immediately heading to where Captain Jian was directing the scene investigation. After a brief exchange, he returned, and the three left together.
As they walked away, Guan Xia could still hear the girl’s cries—no longer the earlier wails, but a relentless, heartbreaking whimper. It was a painful reminder of life’s unpredictability.
Whether in her past world or this one, tragedy and joy arrived without warning. Facing an unknown tomorrow, the only choice was to live today well.
