Qi Qi had guessed correctly—the company really did have interns in the same situation as Li Ying.
As for why the killer chose interns, there was no need to think twice about it.
The requirements for getting into Xingyao were extremely strict. Infiltrating the company was obviously unrealistic, and hacking into their system was out of the question—Xingyao’s security system was like a damn spiderweb, dense and tangled, leaving you no way in.
The killer could only target the interns.
Compared to those seasoned veteran employees, it was obvious that interns fresh out of school were more naive.
“So this person is planning a long game, huh. First gain their trust, slowly wait until they become full-time employees, then wait for them to officially take over internal company data. But I’m curious… how does the killer have time to date three girlfriends at once without slipping up?”
Yang Ruiming rubbed his chin, looking at the two girls sitting side by side.
Counting it up, the victims were also three.
Ever since Yang Ruiming had called them over, the two girls sat on the sofa, each one more obedient than the last.
What could they do? It was that thing—the pressure of the uniform.
One of the girls had a fairly cute face, round and soft. After hearing the gist of things, she scrunched up her little face and looked up at Qi Qi, who was casually leaning against the desk.
She thought this older sister was really cool, and she seemed easy to get along with—unlike that cold, stiff officer with the hat.
“Sister, the guy I was chatting with isn’t actually some perverted psycho killer, is he?”
Hearing her call her “sister” in that soft, sticky voice, the corner of Qi Qi’s mouth lifted uncontrollably, and she let out a low chuckle.
Jian Yubai: “Forensic Doctor Qi, this is an interrogation scene. Please mind your professional attitude.”
“… …”
Qi Qi rubbed her neck, not looking at him, and simply asked the girl, “Has he replied to you?”
“He hasn’t contacted me for several days now. If nothing unexpected happened, I’m probably dumped,” the girl said quite calmly.
Just then, the other intern suddenly spoke up: “He messaged me!”
The group quickly gathered around.
The girl glanced over too, then pouted: “What’s this? I sent a message first, and he doesn’t reply to me but comes to you instead. Tsk! Scumbag.”
Qi Qi: “Just tell him you’ve become a full-time employee and ask him to meet up.”
The girl sent it as instructed.
The other side replied.
“He said okay, but he’ll pick the place.”
Yang Ruiming sneered: “Cautious, huh.”
Qi Qi: “Ask him if he can bring a friend along. Make sure to emphasize that she’s also an intern.”
The girl did as told, and within a moment, the other side agreed.
Yang Ruiming let out a relieved breath: “I’ll head back and prepare.”
Just as he was about to walk out, his phone rang in his pocket.
“Chief.”
“There’s no need for the Criminal Investigation Bureau to handle this case anymore.”
After learning the killer’s motive, Yang Ruiming had already reported it up the chain.
He thought the higher-ups were coming to take over, so he was about to acknowledge and hang up when the other side added another line.
“None of you should interfere. Leave everything entirely to Qi Qi.”
Yang Ruiming froze: “Chief, Forensic Doctor Qi is just a young woman. It’ll definitely be dangerous for her to handle this alone.”
“This is an order from above,” the voice on the other end said, then hung up directly.
Holding the dead phone, Yang Ruiming was puzzled. He turned his head, his gaze complicated as he looked at Qi Qi.
He glanced at Jian Yubai, then walked over.
“The chief won’t let the Criminal Investigation Bureau touch this case anymore, but… you can’t back out. He said to leave this entirely to you, for you to handle it.”
Jian Yubai, who had “accidentally” overheard the two’s whispered conversation, raised an eyebrow.
In response to their gazes, Qi Qi’s expression remained calm, as if she had long anticipated this outcome. She simply hummed in acknowledgment.
“You…”
Yang Ruiming stared at her for a moment, but ultimately asked nothing. He only said, “Be careful,” before leaving the company.
And so, under the scrutinizing gaze of a certain young master, Qi Qi finally received the address he sent over.
The two arrived at the café.
But who would have thought—before they even got through the door—
“Why did the location change?”
Qi Qi glanced at the new address that had just come through, then suddenly pulled the girl into her arms, guiding her toward the roadside.
“Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Don’t look around. Just follow the address and we’ll go.”
The girl’s heart was racing with panic, but she forced herself to stay composed, linking her arm through Qi Qi’s as they got into a taxi.
“Why did the address change again? Is your boyfriend even reliable?” Qi Qi complained as soon as they were seated.
As a college student who kept up with the trends and had consumed plenty of crime dramas and novels, the girl suddenly caught on: “He said he happened to have some business over there and figured it’d be on the way, so he switched to Chenghua Hotel. It’s fine, it’s fine—he’ll treat us to something good later.”
Qi Qi looked helplessly out the window.
The glass reflected the driver’s gaze glancing back at them.
Chenghua Hotel wasn’t close to their previous location either—it took about twenty minutes to get there.
The two got out of the car.
Qi Qi looked at the girl: “We’re here. Where’s your boyfriend?”
The girl was irritated: “What the hell? He changed the address again.”
Qi Qi: …This bastard is really too damn sneaky.
She cursed under her breath and dragged the girl back into another taxi.
The driver seemed curious and finally asked, “You two aren’t here for a meet-up with an online date, are you?”
Qi Qi gave a knowing smile: “Driver, you sure know your stuff.”
The driver waved his hand: “Pfft! Just from scrolling Douyin. There are plenty of people getting scammed meeting their online lovers on there. You two should be careful too.”
The girl said, “We’re not online dating. We’ve been together for over three months already.”
“Oh, not online dating, huh? Then your boyfriend’s pretty damn unreliable.”
The girl smiled but said nothing.
This address was even farther than the last one. Just as Qi Qi thought the car was about to drive out of the city, it finally pulled over at the roadside.
“This is the place. There aren’t many people around here, so you two better be careful.”
“Thanks,” Qi Qi said, leading the girl out of the car.
The driver watched the two’s retreating figures from afar, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. He picked up his phone and made a call.
“No problems here. This spot works. Don’t make them so annoyed they turn back.”
The person on the other end hung up, and the taxi turned around and drove away.
Qi Qi withdrew her gaze, pulled out her phone, and turned on the flashlight.
The sun was gradually setting, and the surroundings were growing dim. Combined with the lack of passersby, the girl’s mood was starting to sour.
“Sister…”
Seeing this, Qi Qi wrapped an arm around her shoulder in silent comfort.
From behind, the girl at 160 cm being held by Qi Qi at 170 cm looked just like a couple out for an evening stroll.
Somewhere behind them,
Those eyes withdrew their gaze and let out a low tsk.
Just as the girl was about to burrow into Qi Qi’s arms, Qi Qi finally spotted the person coming to meet them.
After receiving the girl’s nod of confirmation, she understood.
This was the killer.
No wonder those three young girls had been so easily deceived.
This guy was actually quite good-looking, with the look of a friendly older brother next door.
When the man saw the girl approaching, he even gently patted her head with particular tenderness.
In the past, this would have made the girl’s heart bloom with joy.
But now,
She only felt that hand seemed to be measuring her head, figuring out the best way to chop it off.
She forced a faint, hollow smile,