In April 1998, the Provincial City was rocked by the case of the notorious gangster Huang Jinbao, an incident that shocked the entire nation.
The highest authorities issued a direct order, demanding the mobilization of the entire provincial police force to immediately capture this extremely vicious gangster. If necessary, he could be killed on sight.
And on the very evening that Huang Jinbao fled to Hongcheng, he was spotted by Chen Yan.
As a result, Chen Yan was shot three times and died a hero’s death while protecting innocent civilians.
However, the single shot Chen Yan fired in retaliation before dying struck Huang Jinbao in the thigh. It proved to be the crucial factor that allowed the police to close in and capture the infamous gangster.
If it hadn’t been for that final shot from Chen Yan, there’s no telling how many more innocent people would have lost their lives.
Therefore, Zhou Yi clearly remembered the day Chen Yan’s obituary was circulated within the department. The mood among all his colleagues was incredibly somber.
On the day of Chen Yan’s funeral, nearly every police officer in the city went to pay their last respects. Everyone saluted the young hero.
Zhou Yi clearly remembered Chen Yan’s mother, her hair completely white, clutching her son’s funeral portrait with empty, lifeless eyes.
It was as if her heart had died along with her son.
’He never would have imagined that the young man standing before him was the very hero who had sacrificed his life.’
A hundred emotions surged through Zhou Yi, but he suppressed his excitement and calmly extended a hand to Chen Yan, saying, "Comrade Chen Yan, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope I’ll have the chance to learn a lot from you."
Chen Yan smiled gently, shook Zhou Yi’s hand, and they exchanged a few pleasantries.
Now that they knew they were comrades, their attitudes naturally changed.
Captain Wu said, "Alright, save the pleasantries for later. Zhou Yi, do you know why I called you here?"
Zhou Yi nodded. "I do."
"Then tell me."
’Zhou Yi knew he had successfully caught Captain Wu’s attention. This was his chance to prove himself.’
"Captain Wu, you want to hear my thoughts on the case, since I had a direct encounter with the killer. I assume you’ve already gathered plenty of conventional clues from the crime scene investigation. I’ll share some of my other deductions."
"Alright, let’s hear it."
"I’m almost certain the perpetrator knew the victim."
"Why?"
"First, there are the six stab wounds on Du Xiaolin. If this were a random crime committed by a stranger, like a robbery-homicide or rape-homicide, it’s unlikely there would be six separate wounds. Even if there were multiple stabs, the wounds would typically be more concentrated in one area."
"What if the victim resisted violently?" Chen Yan asked.
"That’s a possibility, but if the multiple wounds were the result of a violent struggle, it’s even less likely that the fatal blow would have been the one to her carotid artery."
"Why?"
"Because a victim’s violent resistance would easily enrage a perpetrator, leading to a more frenzied assault. In that scenario, the chest and abdomen, being larger targets, would be the most likely areas to be attacked, and probably repeatedly."
"The killer used a dagger-like weapon, which is consistent with a stabbing motion. Only a larger blade, like a machete, would result in a slashing or chopping motion. But a machete couldn’t have caused that specific wound to the carotid artery; it would have left a much deeper and longer gash."
Chen Yan glanced at Zhou Yi in surprise, while Captain Wu remained impassive.
"Continue," Captain Wu gestured.
Zhou Yi nodded. "So the killer deliberately inflicted six wounds to create the illusion that Du Xiaolin was killed while violently resisting a robbery. I even suspect the first wound was the one to the carotid artery, and the other five were added after she was already incapacitated."
Captain Wu’s eyes lit up. The crime scene investigation had indicated that the victim tried to run and struggle after being stabbed, but had collapsed due to her movements being restricted by rapid blood loss.
But he had never considered that the very first wound might have been the fatal one.
Unless there was a significant time difference between the infliction of the wounds, not even the medical examiner could determine their sequence—only which one was fatal.
This could easily lead investigators to a conventional assumption: the victim was stabbed repeatedly, struggled to escape, and the final blow struck her carotid artery, causing her to lose the ability to fight back, collapse, and ultimately bleed to death.
It was a very logical assumption, but one that could easily mislead the subsequent investigation.
When Zhou Yi had reviewed the case file for Case 316, he’d had the same question.
But it had only been a guess. What truly confirmed it for him now was a piece of information he possessed due to his rebirth—an unexpected variable that gave him knowledge he couldn’t possibly have had before.
"And there’s one more thing," Zhou Yi said. "It’s the most crucial piece of evidence, and it completely proves that the killer used this method to mislead the police."
"What is it?"
"The killer returned to the scene after the attack!"
"Captain Wu, if this was a random robbery-homicide, would the killer—after stabbing the victim six times and leaving her to bleed out—really return to the scene after fleeing?"
Chen Yan immediately shook his head. "Generally, there are only two reasons a killer would return to the scene after fleeing."
"First, they left behind crucial evidence that could expose their identity and had to risk coming back to destroy or retrieve it."
"Second, they weren’t sure if the victim was dead and had to return to make certain."
Zhou Yi nodded in agreement. "At the very least, the killer didn’t have an opportunity to retrieve anything at the time."
’That left only the second possibility: the killer returned simply to confirm whether the victim was dead.’
At this point, Captain Wu spoke up. "It’s also possible the killer was about to leave, discovered an uninvited guest—you—and had no choice but to turn back."
As he spoke, he clapped Zhou Yi on the shoulder. "You’ve got a lot of luck, kid. That’s a good thing. In our line of work, you need it to stay alive."
Zhou Yi gave a wry smile. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t terrified in hindsight, but in that moment, what he felt more was a long-dormant surge of adrenaline.
Before his rebirth, he had warmed the bench for so many years that nearly all of his passion, fire, and spirit had been worn away.
In that life-and-death struggle with the killer, he felt as if he had rediscovered something he had lost.
"Captain Wu, this killer is calm and meticulous. I don’t think this was just a crime committed by an acquaintance—it was a premeditated murder!"