"Check if there were any special events before Han Xinyi became an adult. Han Zhiyong wants to use Liu Ping to kill Han Xinyi. There must be some unknown conflict between the two."

"Go and investigate the information about Han Xinyi's parents' deaths."

"You go and check Han Zhiyong's recent whereabouts, find out where he is now, and be ready to make an arrest at any time."

The interrogation room outside was chaotic and orderly at the same time. Yu Xing made several decisive orders to his team members. The detectives acted, although they were highly obedient, they all felt a sense of absurdity in their hearts.

How did this person inside... how did he know all this?

When they were investigating the case before, they looked into the relationships of the deceased, and Han Zhiyong's name did not appear. So they would never have thought that the uncle of the victim in the Liu Ping case, Han Xinyi, would be involved in the throat-slitting case!

It's still not certain that Han Zhiyong is the murderer, but from Liu Ping's reaction, Yu Xing's "guess" was not wrong. So Han Zhiyong is at least a major breakthrough. For their investigation, which had almost come to a standstill, this was simply a piece of great news that came out of the blue!

Quickly arranging the tasks, Yu Jiaming's throat was dry. He took the thermos cup from the table and the warm wolfberry tea slid down his throat. Finally, he had a moment to look at Gao Changan, who had not been assigned a task.

Yu Jiaming's deep gaze swept over Gao Changan. Seeing that Gao Changan also seemed to be in a dreamlike state, he finally asked, "Where did you find this person?"

"He... I saw that his skills and psychological qualities when saving people were good, so I let him try. I didn't expect..." Gao Changan's throat rolled, looking at the monitor inside. The young man's performance was strange, but it seemed natural. Chaos broke out outside, but the interrogation inside had not ended. He resisted the impulse to go in immediately and pull the person out to ask for a clear explanation, and explained to his captain.

Yu Jiaming rubbed the stubble that was gradually growing on his chin. He didn't doubt his longtime partner's words, but he still had an intuition that guided him, urging him to delve deeper into this issue. "Normally, in this kind of situation, you wouldn't be so hasty to involve someone in the investigation. Does he have something special? Think about it, has he been subtly influenced at some point, but didn't realize it?"

Gao Changan's pupils contracted, and for a moment, he thought of the possibility that he had been manipulated.

Yu Xing had only recorded Han Xinyi's testimony and handed it to him before, but he had never told him about today's speculations, catching him off guard.

If... Yu Xing was actually involved, using hints to involve him in the case, just to play some tricks? Or maybe there were people among the deceased that he knew, and he was seeking revenge for them?

As a detective, he shouldn't have such irresponsible and evidence-lacking suspicions, but Yu Xing had indeed exceeded his expectations.

Under Yu Jiaming's gaze, Gao Changan began to recall his brief encounters with Yu Xing in recent days.

However, he had to admit that during their interactions, Yu Xing had not exhibited any suggestive behavior or verbal inducement. With his experience from the police academy and years of criminal investigation, he could still discern this.

"No, he didn't," he said truthfully.

"Then what's the reason?" Yu Jiaming asked again.

Gao Changan gave a bitter smile and rubbed his head in frustration. This action indicated that he was also unsure about this matter.

"Maybe... it's just a kind of intuition. I just feel that this kid is a bit strange, but he won't stand against us. He can help us. So, I brought him here."

...

In the interrogation room, Yu Xing finished a long string of words and looked at Liu Ping with great interest.

The man who had been swaggering in front of women a few days ago, ready to kill, was now completely stunned.

Actually, Yu Xing's demeanor and aura at this moment were not intimidating, but in Liu Ping's mind, he felt as if he had been completely exposed, as if in the eyes of the young man in front of him, he was just a person with no privacy, no different from livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

"How about it, the story I told, isn't it full of imagination?" Yu Xing asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes... but the way you said it..." Liu Ping tried his best to keep his body from trembling, and struggled to speak more smoothly, but he couldn't hide his panic. He stuttered, "Do you have any evidence?"

Yu Xing raised an eyebrow, shrugged, as if very surprised, "Evidence? Of course not. What evidence do you need for a random guess?"

Good grief.

Even the deputy captains of the criminal investigation team, who were observing Yu Xing's interrogation process, felt that Yu Xing now resembled a little rascal asking for a beating.

You say he's wrong, but what he said is not wrong at all.

You say he's right, but you still feel a sense of suffocation in your heart.

Liu Ping clenched his teeth. Even if Yu Xing had no evidence, he knew that the police should go and find evidence now.Amidst the vast sea of people, it's not easy to find someone, but with a specific target, relying on the abilities of this group of criminal police, the result is almost a foregone conclusion.

Seeing that he was silent again, Yu Xing said softly, "Do you want me to continue telling the story? Or... you can confess on your own, fill in the details, maybe it will result in a lighter sentence. You stubbornly refuse to confess about Han Zhiyong. In my opinion, he must have used some means to threaten you, making you afraid to say a word. But now, it's a done deal, there's no point in holding out any longer..."

He pressed the earpiece, his expression unchanged, and whispered in a voice almost too faint to hear, "Confess, and then pray that the police will catch him before Han Zhiyong reacts. Otherwise, I'll give Han Zhiyong a hint that the police only promised you a little reduction in sentence, and you'll spill everything. Guess, will he find a way to harm you before being caught?"

Liu Ping now had a strong aversion to the word "guess," and he never wanted to hear that word again.

And, Han Zhiyong... if he really knew that he had been exposed... Liu Ping's breathing slowed, and a realistic dizziness rose in his eyes, almost making him unable to sit still.

In the unfounded fear that was rising, he heard Yu Xing laugh maliciously a few times.

"An ordinary person can't threaten you in the police station, but I think you should realize that he's not an ordinary person, right?"

Not an ordinary person!

In Liu Ping's mind, he suddenly remembered the many nights and nightmares, the malevolent ghost with a knife that started out standing outside his building, but came closer to him every day.

First, it was a stare under the dim streetlights, then it turned into footsteps in the hallway, and then the knife outside the peephole.

Before he laid a hand on Han Xinyi, the malevolent ghost in his dreams was already standing outside his bedroom.

Han Zhiyong said that if he revealed his existence, that malevolent ghost would definitely enter the bedroom.

...

Liu Ping confessed.

Completely breaking through Liu Ping's psychological defenses, Yu Xing straightened out the wrinkles on his clothes and walked out, leaving the rest to the criminal police. He had done what he wanted to do.

Yu Xing already had a good understanding of this series of throat-slashing cases, and he had already identified the culprit. The members of the Prism were cunning and cruel, and what he had to do next was only one thing—guide the police to the truth.

Of course, with the identity of a deductionist, the culprit would never sit back and wait for death. There were many ways to escape, and he only needed to get the police to acknowledge the fact that the culprit had committed murder. The rest, he would take care of.

Just as he walked out the door, Yu Xing didn't even have time to stretch, and a stranger appeared in front of him, with Gao Changan standing beside him.

Gao Changan introduced him, "This is Captain Yu Jiaming of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. You can just call him Captain Yu."

"Yu?" Hearing this pronunciation, Yu Xing repeated it, sounding thoughtful.

"Single-hook Yu. Although we're not related, it's still a fateful encounter. Nice to meet you." Yu Jiaming reached out his hand, and Yu Xing shook it in response.

"Nice to meet you, Captain Yu."

Leaving the interrogation room, Yu Jiaming asked Yu Xing to go to his office, and asked Gao Changan to go out and help record Liu Ping's new statement. Suddenly, there were only the two of them in the office.

Outside the window, the light rain had started again at some point. According to experience, this light rain would soon turn into a downpour and then stop in a very short time.

Because he had done some other things during the day, Yu Xing arrived at the police station very late today. It was already past the dinner time, the sky was dark, and the places a little further away were blurry in the rain.

Yu Jiaming ordered a takeout of braised beef rice for himself and Yu Xing. While waiting for the takeout to arrive, Yu Jiaming said, "Shall we chat?"

Yu Xing smiled and said, "Sure, since you're still providing the meal."

Yu Xing was waiting for the impending questioning, after all, he had said a few things in the interrogation room while pressing the earpiece, which Yu Jiaming and Gao Changan couldn't hear, so they would definitely be suspicious.

But Yu Jiaming didn't ask any suspicious-sounding questions. After chatting for a while, Yu Jiaming only asked one question.

"Why do you think Liu Ping won't confess about Han Zhiyong?"

This was truly an unexpected choice.

Yu Xing raised his eyelids and glanced at Yu Jiaming. It seemed that this person, who was much younger than Gao Changan but had still managed to become the captain of the detachment, had a unique way of doing things.

It was good, so he wouldn't have to lie again.

And as far as this question was concerned, Yu Xing didn't mislead Yu Jiaming either. He said truthfully, "I just said it earlier, I personally think it's because of a threat."

"What kind of threat did Han Zhiyong use on Liu Ping? Liu Ping has no wife or children, and no parents. He grew up in an orphanage and developed his current personality after being bullied. Besides his life, there's probably nothing else he cares about." Yu Jiaming's voice was not loud, as if he was questioning Yu Xing, but also as if he was talking to himself.

"Now that Liu Ping has been caught, theoretically his life is not in danger, and he won't be sentenced too long for attempted murder. He shouldn't stubbornly refuse to confess."Yu Xing, of course, knew that with the aid of Deductionist's offerings and props, one could perform many operations incomprehensible to ordinary people. But for now, he could only say, "Captain Yu, this is just my personal speculation. You don't have to follow my line of thought."

Yu Jiaming gave him a glance and slowly repeated, "Just speculation?"

Fortunately, he didn't ask anything further and bowed his head as if in thought.

Yu Xing took this opportunity to take a good look at him.

Yu Jiaming really was much younger than Gao Changan, appearing to be just over thirty, straddling the line between youth and middle age. Beneath the surface of his composed demeanor, there was a layer of youthful vigor that wasn't rigid.

Although the urgency of the case made him look a bit haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and a rather pale complexion, Yu Xing still felt a sense of awe-inspiring righteousness emanating from him.

Truly a fitting person to be a police officer... Yu Xing thought, and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Such pure people are truly enviable.

Yu Xing didn't disturb Yu Jiaming's contemplation and turned his head to appreciate the view of the sky outside the window.

Gray, chaotic.

The rain was indeed getting heavier.

The combination of a downpour and nightfall inevitably brought to mind the legend of the Flower Market serial killings. At this moment, it was yet another suitable environment for committing a crime.

After a while, the takeout arrived. Yu Xing and Yu Jiaming ate across the table from each other. During the meal, Yu Jiaming's phone kept ringing, no doubt the team members were continuously sending in results of the urgent investigation.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

"All of Han Zhiyong's movements match up with the previous cases. He was in the city when each incident occurred, off-duty, with no alibi. Also, in the surveillance footage we've reviewed countless times, we've found Han Zhiyong's figure, albeit only once. If nothing goes wrong, we can proceed with the arrest," Yu Jiaming took the initiative to share this result with Yu Xing. His tone carried a hint of relief long absent, as the more they investigated Han Zhiyong, the more it proved they were on the right track.

Swallowing his last bite, Yu Xing did not echo Yu Jiaming's sentiment. Instead, he looked out at the torrential rain and abruptly asked, "Do you think the throat-slitting killer will strike tonight?"

Yu Jiaming paused, his expression turning serious, and he decisively stood up to leave.

"You're right. I'm going to arrest Han Zhiyong now, to prevent anyone else from becoming a victim tonight."

"You misunderstood; I didn't say anything," Yu Xing smiled, also standing up and reaching out to stop Yu Jiaming, his voice gentle yet carrying a strangely reassuring power, "The truth is about to emerge. Don't rush, Captain Yu. Don't you think something is odd?"

Yu Jiaming admitted that the sudden surfacing of the truth had disturbed his composure. Hearing Yu Xing's question, he clenched his palm, forcing himself to calm down and think carefully.

"What's... odd?"

Yu Xing reminded him, "The surveillance."

Yu Jiaming's thoughts shifted to the surveillance. The footage had captured Han Zhiyong near the victims at the time of the incidents, which was particularly good news.

But then...

He suddenly awoke to a realization.

Han Zhiyong had managed to stay hidden for so long, even guiding Liu Ping to avoid unfamiliar surveillance areas. So, when committing the crimes himself, would he allow himself to be captured on camera, leaving behind evidence?

"Captain Yu, you and Deputy Captain Gao both heard what I said in the interrogation room earlier," Yu Xing lowered his hand and tucked it into the pocket of his jacket for warmth, leaning against the office door frame, "I've always said that Liu Ping deduced from Han Zhiyong's words that Han Zhiyong was the throat-slitting killer, and Han Zhiyong took the opportunity to consider collaborating with Liu Ping."

"But what if Liu Ping's deduction was wrong?"

Yu Jiaming stared intently at Yu Xing, his eyes shining with an irrepressible brilliance, "You mean..."

Yu Xing nodded, "I never said that Han Zhiyong was the throat-slitting killer."