Chapter 60: I Have Seen Him!

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[Ding! Detected host contact with a new side quest!]

[Side Quest: The Murder of Zhang Luoluo, initiated.]

[Quest Objective: Uncover the true culprit behind Zhang Luoluo's murder.]

[Quest Reward: 1,000 skill points.]

...

The cold, mechanical prompt rang out in his mind and then—nothing.

Nothing?

Chen Yu's hand hovered above the corpse, his entire being struck as if by lightning, left utterly dumbfounded on the spot.

He had imagined a thousand possibilities.

Perhaps he would see the killer's twisted face.

Perhaps he would hear Zhang Luoluo's desperate cries before her death.

Or, at the very least, he might sense a trace of the murderer's lingering, violent emotional residue.

But never had he considered the system would be so perfunctory.

Was that it?

A dry, uninspired quest notification, a thousand-point reward, not even a single image to go with it.

Was the system toying with him?

A surge of anger at being played with rose within Chen Yu.

No. He forced himself to calm down, his mind spinning rapidly.

The system was never random or meaningless.

The fact that touching the corpse failed to trigger a retrospection—could this itself be the most crucial clue?

Why?

Is a corpse not an "object" that holds information about the past?

That's it.

Chen Yu's pupils contracted sharply.

He recalled how, in the abandoned house, he could trace the black shadow on the bolt, relive the despair of the previous owner through a photo frame, yet could not directly trace Luo Xiangdong's death through the floor tiles.

The system traces "causality"!

It follows the "imprints" of specific "actions" left on "objects"!

A bolt being "locked," a photo being "gazed at with obsession"—these are concrete actions.

But a corpse... its death is a "result," the cessation of a state of life, not a single, traceable "action."

Or perhaps, a person's entire life information is simply too vast for his current pitiful system level to bear and parse!

The moment he understood this, Chen Yu's disappointment was instantly replaced by a surge of clarity and excitement.

Damn, he almost let this damned system lead him astray.

It seemed that if he wanted to see the murderer, he would have to honestly look for objects that the killer had handled, those bearing the "imprint of action."

And all these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

To outsiders, though, it looked as if Chen Yu had reached out and furtively touched the corpse, then suddenly froze, his face shifting between blue and pale, as if caught in some fierce inner struggle.

The live stream comments exploded instantly.

"Damn! Classic revival! The Zombie Guy's trademark daze mode has activated again!"

"Here we go! Every time he spaces out, it's the prelude to a dramatic reversal! I've already taken off my pants, waiting for the master to show off!"

"Show off, my ass! Are you all blind? He almost touched the corpse just now! Isn't he just a pervert, trying to molest a body on national television? Freak!"

"Idiot above, would a pervert really molest a corpse in front of his own girlfriend and two cops? Does your family's pervert need an audience? You're the one with issues!"

"Exactly! I trust Zombie Guy! He must have discovered something us mortals can't see!"

"Right! Go, Zombie Guy! Expose the killer!"

The live stream was in uproar, but inside the morgue, the atmosphere had frozen to an icy chill.

Su Qingzhu's brows were tightly knitted, her eyes brimming with both disgust and suspicion.

She stared intently at Chen Yu, one hand unconsciously resting on her holstered gun, ready to act at the slightest provocation.

This man, with his bizarre and lawless methods, was an affront to her years of criminal investigation training!

And yet... he always managed to find the crucial breakthrough.

This contradiction was driving Su Qingzhu mad.

Beside her, Yan Zheng regarded Chen Yu with an even more profound gaze.

He restrained the nearly outbursting Su Qingzhu with a hand, his eyes void of anger, replaced by a gravity even he failed to recognize.

Whenever this young man entered his "daze," it was as if he were communicating with another dimension.

Who was he, really?

By what means did he solve cases?

For the first time ever, Yan Zheng was utterly consumed by curiosity.

Nearly two minutes passed. As everyone watched, almost suffocating from tension, Chen Yu finally stirred as if awakening from a long dream.

He slowly withdrew his hand, removed his disposable gloves, and tossed them into the medical waste bin.

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Then, turning to the group, he offered a wry smile.

"Alright, I'm done here!"

The words left everyone momentarily stunned.

"What?" Su Qingzhu was the first to snap, her voice rising sharply. "Done? Chen Yu, you dragged us all into the morgue at the crack of dawn just to... touch Zhang Luoluo?"

Her tone was heavy with incredulous absurdity.

"Correction," Chen Yu shot her a glare, "to examine Zhang Luoluo's remains."

"Examine? You call that an examination?" Su Qingzhu clearly wasn't buying it, her cold, beautiful face turning fiery with indignation.

"Are you sure?"

Even the usually composed Yan Zheng couldn't help but ask.

This was highly unusual.

"Yes!" Chen Yu nodded emphatically.

Yan Zheng gave him a long, searching look, suppressing his doubts before saying, "Alright, then shall we move to the crime scene?"

"No."

Chen Yu shook his head.

"What's the point of going to the crime scene? That's just a stage the killer has already cleaned up. Nothing to see there."

"I assume you must have collected a lot of Zhang Luoluo's personal effects? I'd like to see those first!"

"Qingzhu, take him to the evidence room!" Yan Zheng commanded without hesitation.

"Wait!"

A crisp voice rang out.

Lin Bing, heels clicking, stepped forward. Her professional smile didn't touch her eyes.

"Captain Yan, as far as I know, the current top-ranked contestant, Goichiro Sanada, is already waiting at Zhang Luoluo's residence. According to the rules, this case should be handled by both contestants. Shouldn't we visit the crime scene first? That would be fairer to the show."

Her words were flawless, invoking both the rules and giving Yan Zheng face.

But everyone could tell—she was targeting Chen Yu.

Yan Zheng's face darkened at once. "Miss Lin, we're solving a case here, not filming a show. Time is precious!"

"Let him cool his heels for all I care!" Chen Yu didn't even bother to hide his contempt, meeting Lin Bing's icy stare with a sneer.

"The most important clues are probably among the evidence the police have collected, and that's right here. Why should I run off to an apartment dozens of kilometers away to play house with some little Japanese guy?"

"Miss Lin, you may have time to waste, but we don't!"

Chen Yu's sarcasm was sharp and unrestrained.

Want to play games with me?

Fine!

Since your favorability rating is already at rock bottom, I'll just let myself go! Let's see who blinks first!

He grumbled inwardly, wearing an expression that practically dared anyone to challenge him.

"You..."

Lin Bing's chest heaved with anger at his barbed words, her exquisite face clouding over with icy disdain.

She glared at Chen Yu, then at Li Qing, who stood by with arms crossed, clearly enjoying the show. Lin Bing felt her lungs were about to explode!

A few minutes later, at the evidence room.

The atmosphere remained tense.

Su Qingzhu, visibly displeased, took a sealed box from the shelf and slammed it onto the table.

She opened it and laid out the contents one by one.

A white dress, stained with large patches of dark, dried blood.

Several pieces of luxurious jewelry.

And a black, ordinary-looking digital recorder.

Chen Yu frowned as he looked at the meager collection.

"Is that all?"

"Weren't these things removed from Zhang Luoluo's corpse?"

"Yes. The scene was clean. The murderer left nothing behind!" Su Qingzhu replied coldly. "Zhang Luoluo's home wasn't too messy either, hardly any signs of struggle, so there wasn't much else to collect."

At these words, Chen Yu's simmering frustration finally boiled over.

His face darkened as he demanded, "Did you hear the preliminary coroner's report?"

"I'm no medical examiner, but didn't you notice the obvious cause of death?"

His tone grew commanding.

"Zhang Luoluo's corpse had clear ligature marks around the neck and subcutaneous bleeding, which means she died of mechanical asphyxia! And the cross-shaped incision on her abdomen—did you notice? The cut was straight, the edges smooth, the shape precise! What does that tell you?"

"It suggests the killer probably has medical knowledge, maybe even is a professional accustomed to using a scalpel!"

"Isn't that conclusion a bit extreme?" Su Qingzhu interjected, professionally skeptical.

"Fine! Even if he's not a doctor," Chen Yu retorted, "he's at least skilled with blades, and has nerves of steel. Surely you can't argue with that?"

"So do you think Zhang Luoluo was sliced open first, or strangled?" Yan Zheng, who had been silent, asked, his tone probing.

"Isn't it obvious? She was strangled first!" Chen Yu spread his hands. "Didn't your apprentice just say there wasn't much sign of struggle at the scene? That explains everything!"

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"Go on," urged Captain Yan, leaning in, clearly hooked.

"First, the killer must have had overwhelming physical advantage over Zhang Luoluo. Let me be frank—the killer is a man! A strong man! He attacked Zhang Luoluo from behind or the side, catching her completely off guard, and subdued or killed her by strangulation in under a minute! She had no chance for effective resistance, hence the lack of struggle!"

"Only after confirming her death did the killer calmly use a sharp blade to carve that ritualistic cross on her body!"

"Evidence?" Su Qingzhu countered coldly, still unconvinced.

"Evidence?" Chen Yu laughed in exasperation. "I'd like to ask the same! You brought me so little? I'm guessing this dress and these trinkets were just taken for procedure, right? The daughter of a top tycoon—would her home really be a mess? Where's her bag? Her phone? Her cosmetics? Her computer? The things most likely to hold fingerprints and information? You brought none of them?"

"You..." Su Qingzhu was rendered speechless, her face flushing red with indignation, but Yan Zheng raised a hand to stop her.

Yan Zheng sighed, a trace of helplessness on his face.

He frowned and said gravely, "Zhang Luoluo's situation is special. You know her father's status... You'll have to make do with these items for now. We'll check the scene later."

Chen Yu shrugged, catching the hint of difficulty in Yan Zheng's tone.

Clearly, Zhang Fu's influence was even greater than he'd imagined.

Without further complaint, he picked up the bloodied jewelry, closed his eyes, and activated the retrospection skill.

Buzz—

In an instant, fragmented images flashed in the depths of Chen Yu's eyes, lasting barely a second.

It was a lavishly decorated walk-in closet, where a gentle-looking man fastened a diamond necklace around Zhang Luoluo's ivory neck.

She smiled blissfully.

The vision vanished.

Chen Yu had already reviewed the case: that man was Zhang Luoluo's husband, Zheng Liangchen.

In other words, the jewelry only revealed a glimpse of marital intimacy—completely useless!

Suppressing his frustration, Chen Yu picked up the bloodstained dress.

Retrospect!

This time, the vision was a little more intimate.

Zhang Luoluo, alone in her bedroom, trying on the dress before a mirror, her exquisite curves softly illuminated.

Again, the vision was brief—and worthless.

"Sigh..."

Chen Yu shook his head and let out a long sigh, irritation gnawing at him.

The others watched as he examined the evidence, sighing and shaking his head, and their eyes widened in curiosity and suspense.

Especially in the live stream, where the comment section erupted again.

"Here we go! The master is doing his thing!"

"Shaking his head and sighing—must be a major discovery!"

But Chen Yu was in no mood for their antics. He pinned all his hopes on the small digital recorder.

He looked up at Su Qingzhu. "Anything on this recorder?"

"The contents were deleted—it's empty," Su Qingzhu replied truthfully.

"Deleted?" Chen Yu asked instinctively. "Can't the tech team recover it?"

"They can, but we don't have the time," Yan Zheng cut in.

The heaviness and resignation in his voice left Chen Yu with no doubts.

Zhang Fu's final ultimatum hung over everyone like the sword of Damocles.

"Sigh..." Chen Yu sighed again, as if resigned to fate. He reached out and slowly, hesitantly, touched the black recorder with his fingertip.

Might as well try—what's there to lose?

The moment his finger made contact with the recorder's cold surface—

Boom!

A torrent of information, wild and unlike anything before, surged violently into his mind!

The retrospection skill flared more intensely than ever!

A shadowy figure instantly appeared in the depths of his eyes!

A man!

His face was obscured, his form shrouded in distorted light and shadow.

But...

Chen Yu's heart skipped a beat.

That silhouette...

That man...

He looked so familiar!

I... I think I've seen him before!