"Hmm?"
Old Li was momentarily startled, then asked with a puzzled look, "Didn't you say earlier that you didn't clearly see the killer's face?"
Ye Xuan flicked his cigarette ash and smiled. "I really didn't see the killer's face, but his build and the strange posture he had while fleeing gave me a very familiar feeling."
At the time of the incident, he had been scared out of his wits—how could he have had the presence of mind to observe the other person?
But he was a person reborn!
He knew every single detail about the Rainy Night Fiend, including his name, age, height, and behavioral traits!
All he had to do was skillfully weave these details into his words,
persuading the detectives to go and investigate.
He would definitely find the evidence and bring the Rainy Night Fiend to justice!
Xiao Zhang slammed the table in anger and scolded, "Starting to make up stories now, are you? Trying to mislead our investigation? Let me tell you, resisting to the end will only hurt you!"
Based on his case-solving experience, he was more than eighty percent sure this high school senior was the Rainy Night Fiend!
Never mind the scene when Ye Xuan was arrested.
Just the calm and seasoned demeanor the kid showed during interrogation was suspicious enough!
Ye Xuan glanced at him. "Whether I'm misleading you or not, you can listen to the end and judge for yourselves."
On the other side of the one-way glass.
"Hmph, what a mouth full of lies!"
"Making up falsehoods without changing his expression—this young man is no ordinary person!"
The leaders sneered one after another.
Chen Wu, the bureau chief, shook his head instead. "The biggest taboo in investigating cases is jumping to conclusions.
Ye Xuan certainly bears heavy suspicion, but there is also the possibility that he is being wronged.
A suspect making up a story is still better than saying nothing at all.
So we might as well listen and see what he has to say."
The other leaders were stunned for a moment, and then chimed in:
"Chief Chen's analysis is penetrating and thought-provoking!"
"It takes countless lies to cover a single lie—Chief Chen's vision is truly far-reaching, you have to hand it to him!"
Amidst the praise, Chen Wu pressed the intercom button: "Let him continue!"
Xiao Zhang had wanted to press Ye Xuan a bit more.
Upon receiving the order, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
Old Li chuckled. "Go on, let's hear it."
Ye Xuan took a drag of his cigarette and recalled, "The Rainy Night Fiend had a very distinctive posture when he ran away."
"What kind of posture?"
"A limp, like he was lame."
Old Li signaled Xiao Zhang to take notes and asked, "Anything else?"
Although this characteristic was distinct, Ming City was a county with a population of four hundred thousand.
Searching based solely on a limp would be extremely difficult.
"His height is around 170 centimeters, and he has a thin build."
As soon as Ye Xuan finished speaking, Xiao Zhang questioned him: "You could tell whether someone was fat or thin even through a raincoat?"
"Fat people and thin people look different in raincoats, don't they?"
Ye Xuan asked with a smile.
Old Li smiled noncommittally. "Among the people you know, anyone fit these descriptions?"
Ye Xuan nodded. "Old Wang, the owner of Qingyuan Restaurant. I've eaten at his place a few times, and the food isn't bad."
Xiao Zhang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Are you painting the target first and then shooting the arrow?"
On the other side of the one-way glass.
"The situation was critical back then—would he have had the mind to observe all this?"
"Even if he saw it, why didn't he mention it from the start?"
"I think Xiao Zhang's suspicion makes some sense."
"To clear his own name, he deliberately picked someone he knows with distinct characteristics and framed him as the Rainy Night Fiend.
This high school student is too scheming!"
The branch bureau leaders voiced their opinions once again.
Inside the interrogation room.
Ignoring the detective's skepticism, Ye Xuan slowly continued, "Of course, a raincoat can obscure one's figure to a certain extent.
The limping while running could also be due to a sprained ankle.
I only glanced at him briefly at the time, and my judgment of his height could also be wrong.
Yet there is one thing that makes me believe Old Wang definitely has a problem!"
Old Li's eyes flashed. "What is it?"
"Once, while I was eating at Qingyuan Restaurant, I got thirsty halfway through and went to the back kitchen for a thermos.
After going in, I saw a large chest freezer in the corner, so I said to Old Wang who was cooking—
'Uncle Wang, do you have any ice cream here? Give me one~'
As I spoke, I opened the freezer door.
And guess what I found?"
"What?"
Not only Old Li grew interested,
even Xiao Zhang, who had harbored hostility toward Ye Xuan all along, pricked up his ears.
The branch bureau leaders outside also held their breath in unison.
Ye Xuan took the final drag of his cigarette and said with a solemn expression, "Old Wang rushed over instantly and slammed the freezer door shut with his hand!
Then he stared right at me, as if he wanted to eat me alive!"
Silence hung in the interrogation room for a few seconds.
After a moment, Xiao Zhang asked, "What does that prove?"
Before Ye Xuan could speak, Old Li frowned. "In 2001, Wang Shusheng's wife Liu Xiufen went missing, and she hasn't been found to this day!"
Xiao Zhang was startled at first, then said in horror, "Master, you don't mean..."
...
"What?!"
"Liu Xiufen wasn't missing—she was murdered by him?"
"Hiding a corpse in a freezer?!"
"Hiss!"
On the other side of the one-way glass.
The branch bureau leaders all made far-reaching connections based on the information provided by Ye Xuan!
...
Inside the interrogation room.
Old Li ignored his apprentice's remark and stared straight into Ye Xuan's eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
"At the time, I thought Old Wang was just afraid I'd steal something from the freezer. But now..."
Ye Xuan tossed away the cigarette butt, ground it out with his foot, and continued, "If the person I saw tonight really was Old Wang, then everything that happened before makes much more sense.
His wife's disappearance was a lie; her murder was the truth.
He hid his wife's corpse inside the freezer!
That day, he was terrified I would discover the body inside, which is why he reacted so violently!"
In his past life, the Rainy Night Fiend was caught only because a power outage caused the corpse in the freezer to rot, attracting the attention of diners.
Following that, the police discovered the personal belongings of serial murder victims inside Old Wang's home.
Thus, the serial murder case that shocked Ming City was solved!
In his past life, Ye Xuan had never been to Qingyuan Restaurant, let alone gone to the back kitchen for water.
Although the process was fabricated, his target was the real deal!
Next, it all depended on whether the police would take this seriously!
As his voice trailed off.
Xiao Zhang's mouth parted slightly.
Old Li furrowed his brow deeply.
On the other side of the one-way glass.
The branch bureau leaders were in an uproar!
"If what he says is true, this clue is crucial!"
"But we still can't rule out the possibility that he's deliberately trying to mislead our investigation!"
"Chief Chen, what do you think?"
The leaders all looked toward Chen Wu, waiting for him to make the call.
Chief Chen frowned in deep thought for a moment before making a decisive ruling: "Better to make a wasted trip than let a lead slip!
Old He, go apply for a search warrant.
Teams 1 and 2, immediately head to Qingyuan Restaurant to deploy and monitor the area.
As soon as the search warrant is secured, go in and search!"
"Yes!"
...
4:00 AM.
Inside the interrogation room.
Ye Xuan, fast asleep leaning against the interrogation chair, was suddenly startled awake by a synthetic electronic voice echoing in his mind!
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully altering the course of your life. You have been rewarded with karma points!"
"Ding! Congratulations, host, the Second Life System has been successfully activated!"