Rapid breathing…
Halfway there, Huo Yao received a phone call and made a detour to pick up Ji Lu.
Seeing Shi Xi, Ji Lu was somewhat surprised. “It’s you!”
“Hello, Officer Ji,” Shi Xi greeted him proactively.
“Hey, just call me Brother Lu.”
Shi Xi smiled obediently and followed his suggestion. “Hello, Brother Lu.”
Ji Lu beamed, feeling as if his tail were about to wag up to the sky. Compared to the last time, this kid seemed to have become more lively and genuine. He found it quite heartwarming!
Huo Yao tilted his head to glance at Ji Lu, who had leaned forward, and uttered two words: “Sit properly.”
Ji Lu chuckled sheepishly. “Alright, Captain! Your car is just so comfortable to ride in! Even if we take a step back, couldn’t you let me drive when you don’t feel like it?”
“I didn’t stop you.”
“Then it’s settled. Once this case is over, you’ll lend me your car.”
After Huo Yao agreed, Ji Lu grinned so widely his eyes nearly disappeared.
Shi Xi couldn’t help but smile along and, tilting her head to look at Huo Yao, said, “I want to drive too.”
“Pfft.” Ji Lu was amused. “Do you even have a driver’s license?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he met the captain’s death glare.
He suddenly remembered that the girl had leg problems and couldn’t take the driver’s test.
Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head and fell silent.
Shi Xi didn’t mind at all. She said, “Once my legs are healed, I’ll take the driver’s test.”
Ji Lu quickly added, “You’re so smart—you’ll definitely get your license in no time.”
Provided her legs were cured, of course.
He cleared his throat and smoothly changed the subject. “Captain, I’ve copied all the public surveillance footage back to the station. The equipment over there is too outdated, and the footage is too blurry to make out the man’s face. The tech team is still analyzing it, and it’s driving me crazy.”
Huo Yao nodded. “What about the personnel investigation?”
While the two were talking, Shi Xi remained quiet.
From the information they revealed, she recalled the recent news about the murder case in City A that she had been browsing.
It must be the one Huo Yao was currently handling.
System: “Main Storyline detected. Host, please receive.”
As soon as Shi Xi heard the System’s voice, a segment of the plot appeared in her mind.
This serial murder case was merely a plot device to advance the relationship between the male and female leads.
According to the original storyline, Lu Yan was currently recuperating at Huaying Hospital, and the perpetrator happened to be at the same hospital.
The perpetrator was Lan Yun, who suffered from pancreatic cancer and was already in the late stages.
She was a strong, independent woman, but due to her illness, she had exhausted the savings she had accumulated over half a lifetime. She had no relatives left.
On the eve of giving up treatment and leaving the hospital, out of jealousy, she attempted to kill Lu Yan.
Chi Yuan appeared just in time to stop her and was cut on his right hand during the struggle with the perpetrator.
While fleeing the hospital, the perpetrator indiscriminately attacked everyone, injuring over a dozen people and even taking a child hostage.
She managed to escape and was only apprehended about a week later.
After this incident, Lu Yan developed greater trust in Chi Yuan, and her fondness for him multiplied.
Chi Yuan also clearly realized that he liked Lu Yan, which was why he had protected her without regard for his own safety in that critical moment.
Shi Xi: “…”
Lan Yun was a 178 cm tall woman and worked as a model.
Most importantly, Shi Xi had seen her at Huaying Hospital earlier that day.
When the police arrived, Lan Yun had even been watching the commotion at the door of her hospital room and later came over to add Shi Xi on WeChat.
Shi Xi hadn’t originally intended to add her, but knowing she had only a few days left to live, she went ahead and added her.
Now it seemed Lan Yun’s mental fortitude was quite strong.
Staring at her phone screen, Shi Xi saw a message from her newly added friend “Lan Yun”: Saw the hospital’s apology notice. Have you resolved all your matters? Congratulations.
According to the System’s provided plot, Lan Yun had already run out of money for chemotherapy and was planning to kill one more person before she died.
And Shi Xi, conveniently replacing Lu Yan, had been chosen as her target.
Shi Xi’s eyelid twitched slightly, feeling like a small cake being eyed by a predator.
That person was holding a sharp utility knife, cackling as they stared at her.
Shi Xi replied politely with a few words.
The other party responded instantly, appearing extremely enthusiastic.
Fearing Lan Yun might impulsively target someone else, Shi Xi decided to string her along, pretending to be very eager to befriend her.
She turned to Ji Lu with a curious Bao Bao expression, “What kind of video is it? Can I take a look?”
This was absolutely a great opportunity to get closer to Huo Yao.
She couldn’t miss it.
But Huo Yao was extremely sharp—she needed to find a way to leak information to him.
To make him quickly arrest Lan Yun.
Shi Xi added, “I previously participated in an innovation competition researching AI portrait restoration and video quality enhancement. I even won an award.”
This was true, though the competition wasn’t national-level and didn’t carry much prestige.
Huo Yao raised an eyebrow: “Almost forgot you studied this field.”
Ji Lu enthusiastically showed her the video on his phone, “No harm in letting you see. The quality’s too poor—you can only make out a man’s silhouette. If you actually manage to improve it, I’d have to call you ‘sis’.”
He didn’t hold much hope for her.
After all, the tech department’s techniques were constantly updated and relatively advanced.
She was just a fresh graduate who could code a few programs—small-scale efforts that couldn’t compare to the bureau’s resources.
Shi Xi studied the videos seriously, her expression growing solemn.
Though from the two men’s perspective, they could only see the gauze on her face.
Shi Xi asked: “Is the person in the video the murderer?”
Ji Lu: “We can only say suspect for now.”
Both crime scenes were relatively remote, and their current investigation of surveillance footage had only identified this one individual.
Based on height, clothing, and walking posture, they temporarily determined it was a male around 1.8 meters tall.
Shi Xi nodded, pulling out her laptop, “I’d like to try reconstructing his facial image.”
Sensing their stares, she quickly assured them, “All my data comes from legal sources—absolutely no privacy violations.”
She now looked like a child eager to prove herself to adults.
Since Huo Yao didn’t stop her, Ji Lu naturally waited for her results.
Anyway, there were no other leads at the moment.
But time was running out for them—if there were no breakthroughs today, none of them would get any rest.
Shi Xi imported the videos and quietly worked on her computer.
The System occasionally reminded her, serving as a crash course.
Knowing she had no way out, Lan Yun had been committing impulsive murders, but during her crimes, she remained meticulous—deliberately disguising herself as a man and altering her walking posture.
This wasn’t particularly difficult for her.
In the surveillance footage, the baseball cap covered her eyes, mostly revealing only half her face.
However, Shi Xi knew who the killer was. The restored image only needed to be slightly recognizable enough for Huo Yao and the others to connect it with Lan Yun.
The car arrived at the entrance of Shi Xi’s apartment building.
Huo Yao parked the car, the sound of keyboard tapping still echoing in his ears.
Ji Lu leaned forward, his head almost reaching the front, staring at the computer screen in astonishment. He couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Huo Yao.
Why did her aura change the moment she touched the computer?
There was a confidence and calmness about her, as if she could control everything.
She seemed like a true expert.
“Done.”
The girl suddenly spoke, turning the screen toward the two of them. “This is the best I can restore it to.”
Her voice was soft and gentle, and the commanding aura she had unintentionally exuded earlier instantly vanished.
The contrast was striking…
Ji Lu was reminded of the new, feisty rookie at the station. During her free time, she’d hug a milk tea, binge-watch anime, and go all out with cosplay. She’d carry her “itabag” to and from work, occasionally showing it off. But when it came to catching criminals, she’d charge forward fearlessly, her skills truly formidable.
“This… this clear?!”
Ji Lu was so excited he nearly jumped up.
Under the baseball cap was a sharply defined jawline, slightly broad, with thin lips and a high nose bridge…
It was precisely because the image was so clear that he found it somewhat unbelievable.
After studying the androgynous face, Huo Yao said in a low voice, “Our previous direction was wrong. We can’t just focus on male suspects.”
Ji Lu nodded. “I’ll send this facial image back to the station and have them start the investigation right away.”
Shi Xi hesitated for a moment before saying, “I think I’ve seen this person before.”
Two pairs of eyes immediately locked onto her.
The Land Rover Defender hurriedly drove away.
Only after Shi Xi could no longer see the vehicle did she turn and enter the building.
She had already given them Lan Yun’s information. She believed the case would soon be resolved.
That way, Huo Yao would finally have some free time!
Shi Xi tidied up her room, which had been unoccupied for several days, before heading to take a bath.
After four exhausting days in the hospital, she felt as if her body still carried the smell of disinfectant.
She leaned close to the mirror and carefully removed the gauze from her face.
The areas where the scabs had fallen off showed no signs of scar tissue, though the skin was slightly redder than the surrounding areas. In a few more days, it should fully recover.
She filled the bathtub with water, rested her left foot on the edge, and sank into the water.
So comfortable~
Her phone was placed a bit too far away. When it vibrated, she struggled to reach it but gave up after a few attempts.
She’d finish her bath first.
According to the rules, the System was currently in a shielded state.
But Shi Xi suddenly heard its reminder: “Host, Lan Yun has entered. She’s in the living room.”
Shi Xi: “?”
She had just changed the locks!
How did Lan Yun manage to slip in so effortlessly?
It was still a bit creepy, honestly.
After delivering the reminder, the System vanished again.
Shi Xi stared at the slightly ajar door and stood up to grab her cane.
In the original plot, this killer served as a catalyst for the relationship between the male and female leads.
Now, she was about to become the catalyst for her and Huo Yao!
With that thought, Shi Xi was no longer afraid.
In fact, she felt an inexplicable excitement.
On the other side of the door, a gaunt woman dressed entirely in black, wearing a black baseball cap, paced around the small living room.
Compared to before, she was even more unrestrained this time.
After all, she was going to die anyway.
Dragging one more person down to hell with her—that made her happy.
Lin Shi Xi had stolen the spotlight today. The entire hospital now knew about her reporting the incident to the police.
The hospital had even issued a public apology to her over the matter.
Lan Yun had just noticed the online gossip—that Lin Shi Xi, a disabled and unattractive woman, was actually stringing along three men at once.
Her ability to stay at Huaying Hospital must also be thanks to their help.
How fortunate she was.
Even though she was nothing but a pile of foul, rotting mud, she was cherished and protected so dearly.
Disgusting.
I want to kill her.
She yanked the curtains open with a swift motion.
The sky had already deepened into ink-black, with not a single ray of light piercing through.
She pulled out a utility knife, and after a series of crisp clicks, the sharp blade reflected a cold, silvery gleam.
Shi Xi wrapped herself in a bath towel as her phone vibrated again.
It was indeed Huo Yao calling.
She answered without speaking, her gaze fixed intently on the bathroom door.
On the other end, Huo Yao remained silent as well.
But she could hear his hurried breaths, and soon the sounds from the phone seemed to overlap with those outside the bathroom.
A dull thud, as if something heavy had fallen.
After a rustling noise, Shi Xi heard a man’s slightly breathless voice: “Lin Shi Xi…”
But her attention was no longer on the phone.
She held her breath slightly, watching as a hand pushed the bathroom door open.
The creaking sound, in the eerie silence, felt utterly terrifying.
Shi Xi raised her cane, pointing the sharp end forward.