Though she had uncovered the suspect's motive for murder, Guan Xia still had lingering doubts.
No one kills without reason unless they’re born with antisocial tendencies. Jealousy was the motive, but there had to be something else driving the suspect beyond mere envy.
Guan Xia wanted to know, so she asked outright, "Why was he jealous? Was it because his own love life was a mess?"
This was her first thought. She still remembered the scene of the suspect walking away after committing the murder—so leisurely, completely unbothered, his hands busily typing away on his phone. Who had he been messaging?
Xu Nian nodded. "According to the suspect, he deeply loved his wife. He was willing to do anything for her, even turning a blind eye to her infidelity. But despite that, she insisted on divorcing him, and no amount of begging changed her mind."
Guan Xia: "…What kind of lovesick fool is this? Meek at home but violent outside?"
She couldn’t help but recall the young man lying in a pool of blood that day, shuddering at the memory. After a pause, she asked, "Did he only kill these two people?"
"Not just them," Xu Nian replied. "The third investigative unit found two more box cutters in his home. Forensic tests confirmed that, apart from the two victims in Pingjiang District, there were three others whose identities remain unknown. The database didn’t match any records, so we’ve issued a notice to other precincts, searching for related cases citywide."
Three more victims. Guan Xia wasn’t entirely surprised—she’d dealt with so many serial murder cases lately that it almost felt routine.
Still, she noticed a slight difference in this killer compared to previous ones. Though his motive was equally absurd, his crimes leaned more toward impulsive acts. The victims didn’t share many common traits. If Guan Xia hadn’t coincidentally wandered into the park that day, there might have been one or two more victims. After all, the time between the first two murders was just five days, and the killer was entirely driven by emotion. He might’ve gone home after one murder, fought with his wife, then stormed out and killed again.
Considering this possibility, Guan Xia turned to Xu Nian. "When the third unit arrested the suspect, was he at home?"
Xu Nian seemed slightly taken aback by the question. After a brief pause, he answered, "No. They caught him loitering near the apartment complex where his wife’s lover lived. He still had the weapon from the park in his pocket."
Guan Xia instinctively guessed, "Was he there to kill the lover?"
Xu Nian’s expression turned odd. After a moment, he said, "According to his confession, no. He claimed that after killing those people, he felt much calmer. He just wanted to pick his wife up and take her home. But she wouldn’t answer his calls, and he didn’t want to go home alone, so he waited outside her lover’s place—just to feel closer to her. He even hoped she might fight with the lover and storm back to him."
Guan Xia: "…"
Once again, she was left speechless. Was this just how things worked in the world of crime fiction? A killer’s logic was always beyond a normal person’s comprehension. He murdered strangers to vent his frustration, yet spared the very people who caused his misery. If he couldn’t bring himself to harm his beloved wife, fine—but why not the lover? Was he afraid of upsetting her?
Guan Xia felt that if she didn’t get an answer to this question, she wouldn’t sleep well tonight. This killer was the most bizarre one she’d encountered since binding with the system.
Faced with her question, Xu Nian’s lips twitched before he replied, "Pretty much what you guessed. He was afraid of making his wife angry. He’d thought about killing the lover several times but backed off each time, fearing the consequences."
Guan Xia: "…"
Even though she’d guessed right, the confirmation still left her stunned—and desperate to rant about it.
So after Xu Nian left, Guan Xia immediately called Pang Le, eagerly sharing every detail of the case and pouring out her own tumultuous emotions.
Pang Le was equally shocked. Unlike Guan Xia, she’d had plenty of romantic experience and had met her share of lovesick fools—but none compared to this suspect.
The two ended up chatting for hours, from afternoon until evening, only hanging up when their stomachs growled in protest and bedtime loomed.
Given the day’s disturbing revelations, Guan Xia barely slept that night, plagued by chaotic dreams. When she met Pang Le the next afternoon, she noticed the dark circles under her friend’s eyes.
They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
As she buckled her seatbelt, Guan Xia asked, "Nightmares too?" She couldn’t recall the exact details, but she vaguely remembered being chased all night by a shadowy figure wielding a bloody knife.
Pang Le shuddered and nodded, starting the car only after Guan Xia was secured. "I dreamed my ex-boyfriends were hunting me down, demanding to know why I didn’t love them. They tried to force me into some twisted romance, and I spent the whole night fighting them off. Exhausting."
Though their dreams differed slightly, the essence was the same.
Guan Xia said, "Mine was a faceless figure—like the shadowy killer from Detective Conan. I spent the whole night running."
Pang Le sighed. "After a dream like that, I don’t even want to think about dating. Lovesick fools aren’t scary—but the extreme, obsessive ones? Terrifying."
Guan Xia nodded emphatically. She’d never been interested in romance to begin with, and this case had only solidified her disinterest.
After a quick lunch, the two hurried to the meeting point, where Ji An was already waiting.
It had been days since they’d last seen her, and Ji An looked haggard—her dark circles far worse than Guan Xia’s, as if she hadn’t slept in ages.
Exchanging glances, Guan Xia and Pang Le couldn’t help but ask, "Ji An, are you dealing with something serious?"
Guan Xia assumed it was related to the case Ji An had been investigating, but Ji An shook her head. "A friend of ours has gone missing. Lu Tingfeng has been searching for nearly two weeks. I joined him for a few days, but we found nothing."
"Missing?" Guan Xia tensed, thinking of Ji An and Lu Tingfeng’s unique circumstances. "A friend like you two?"
Ji An’s expression darkened as she nodded.
Guan Xia opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing. She wanted to ask if there was anything she could do to help. Based on their previous interactions, she deeply admired Ji An's capabilities and character—they were no longer just collaborators. At the very least, from her perspective, they had become friends. Yet, the words stuck in her throat. Her system was powerful in certain aspects—it could capture even the subtlest flaws in a suspect if she confronted them directly. But that only worked when there were concrete, tangible clues, like in previous cases.
Ji An's missing friend was clearly different from the usual cases. Though she didn’t yet know the details, she could guess that their friend had likely stumbled upon something while investigating—perhaps even gotten too close to the killer’s trail—which led to their disappearance. But once the killer was alerted, they would undoubtedly burrow deeper into hiding or even flee. In that case, even if she wanted to help, she’d probably just end up being a liability.
As Guan Xia hesitated, Ji An noticed immediately. She forced a faint smile and said, "Don’t overthink it. You’re talented, but bluntly speaking, you’re still a rookie. Right now, you need to focus on gaining experience. Once you’ve handled more cases and leveled up, we’ll definitely ask for your help when necessary."
The words were blunt, but they were the truth. After all, Guan Xia had only been bound to her system for less than two months—she really was still a greenhorn.
Pang Le, who knew Guan Xia well, could guess what she was thinking. He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before taking his usual seat.
As soon as Guan Xia sat down, Ji An slid a stack of documents toward her and said briskly, "These are cold cases my contacts dug up based on your life history. Go through them and see if anything rings a bell."
Guan Xia reflexively took the files, clearing her muddled thoughts before focusing on the pages. Compared to the information she’d scrounged up online, Ji An’s documents were far more detailed—brief case summaries, basic victim profiles—nothing that breached confidentiality, but everything that could be legally accessed.
After a while, Ji An asked, "Well? Any familiar faces?"
The moment Ji An finished speaking, Guan Xia’s system interface popped up.
You are being questioned by the police. Suddenly, you recall: On June 7, 2022, at 3:29 PM, while chasing a thief with your friend Pang Le, you entered a narrow alley. There, you spotted a young woman acting strangely—her expression tense, gripping a metal rod as she repeatedly thrust it forward, muttering under her breath: "Between the third and fourth ribs." Sensing something off, you decide to inform the police.
The text lingered for a few seconds before the screen shifted, playing a short video.
A bright afternoon. Pang Le sprinted after a figure in high heels, Guan Xia instinctively following. They turned into an alley where two young people—a man and a woman—were crouched against the wall. In the video, both were outlined in red. The man appeared to be in his early twenties, disheveled but handsome, with thick brows and striking features. The woman, around twenty-five or twenty-six, had long black hair, large eyes, and an oval face—even with her furrowed brows and stern expression, her beauty was undeniable.
The young man watched Pang Le with excitement, while the woman, though also focused on Pang Le, kept thrusting the rod forward. Her voice was barely audible, but matching her lips with the words Guan Xia already knew, it was unmistakable: "Between the third and fourth ribs."
Guan Xia was so absorbed that even after the interface vanished, she murmured the phrase aloud.
The room had been silent since Guan Xia started reviewing the files, so her whisper cut through sharply. Pang Le looked puzzled, but Ji An reacted instantly, locking eyes with her. "Did you remember something?"
Guan Xia snapped back to attention, mumbling an affirmation before frantically flipping back through the documents. She stopped at the first few pages, staring at the photo of a young man listed as the victim’s family member. Her head jerked up. "Between the third and fourth ribs—which organ is that? The heart?"
Ji An nodded firmly.
Guan Xia immediately dove back into the case details. Sure enough, the victim had died from a sharp object piercing the heart. But aside from the young man, there was no mention of the young woman in the victim’s family records. Guan Xia had initially assumed they were siblings—now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
After finishing the report, Guan Xia looked up at Ji An, then turned to Pang Le. "I did recall something. Pang Le, do you remember that summer in ‘22 when we chased a thief into an alley?"
Pang Le thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, what about it?"
Guan Xia pushed the file toward Pang Le, tapping the young man’s photo. "I saw this person there."
Pang Le’s eyes widened. She grabbed the file, scrutinizing the picture before shaking her head. "I don’t remember him. Hell, I don’t even remember what the thief looked like—just that he was short but ran like hell."
Guan Xia continued, "This man was crouched by the wall. There was also a young woman with him—she was holding a metal rod, making stabbing motions, and kept repeating, ‘Between the third and fourth ribs.’"
Pang Le’s expression shifted from surprise to outright shock. "Wait—so that woman was the killer?"
Before Guan Xia could answer, Pang Le started flipping through the case details again.
Ji An didn’t ask questions. Instead, she slid a blank sheet and a pen toward Guan Xia.
Guan Xia immediately began sketching. With practice, her speed had improved—by the time Pang Le finished reading, she’d already completed a rough but strikingly accurate portrait of the woman.
The moment Guan Xia set the pen down, Ji An snatched up the drawing. Her expression darkened as she studied it, eyes burning with something like fury.
Guan Xia hadn’t known Ji An for long and had never seen her emotions so openly displayed before. She couldn’t help but feel surprised, instinctively exchanging a glance with Pang Le before asking, “Sister Ji, what’s wrong?”
Ji An stared for another moment before looking up, her expression tense, as if confirming something. “I’ve seen this woman before. She seems to be the friend of a friend’s daughter.”
The connection was a bit convoluted, and it took Guan Xia a moment to process it. “What about her?”
Ji An didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said, “Hold on, let me check with Lu Tingfeng.” With that, she picked up her phone and called Lu Tingfeng on video.
The call connected quickly. Though Guan Xia couldn’t see the person on the screen, she could hear Lu Tingfeng’s weary voice. “Sister Ji, what is it?”
Ji An replied, “I’m sending you a photo. Take a look—do you recognize her?”
After a few seconds, Lu Tingfeng said, “I do. Isn’t that Old Luo’s daughter’s close friend? The one who’s been taking care of them since his daughter passed away? What about her?”
Before Ji An could respond, Lu Tingfeng suddenly added, “Wait—where did this sketch come from?”
After another pause, Lu Tingfeng spoke with certainty, “Guan Xia drew this?”
Ji An confirmed, “Yes.”
Lu Tingfeng sucked in a breath. “So, Old Luo’s daughter’s death is connected to this girl?”
Ji An said, “It’s unclear right now, but based on the last case’s pattern, it’s highly likely.”
