3: Ten years have passed, and he is still admiring that artwork.

The Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Municipal Bureau was brightly lit.

The air seemed to have frozen.

Only the sound of hurried breathing and the rustling of flipping paper remained.

A kraft paper file folder marked "Top Secret" was heavily slammed onto the conference table.

The old seal at the mouth of the bag looked like a scar of time.

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Qingxue used her fingertip to neatly slice open the seal.

A musty smell, sealed for ten years, instantly surged out.

She flipped directly to the forensic identification report at the very back, scanning ten lines at a glance.

"Found it!"

A young police officer nearby whispered, pointing to an inconspicuous footnote.

"'Trace chemical odor remaining at the scene, suspected to be sodium hypochlorite, covered by a strong perfume scent; not pursued.'"

Sodium hypochlorite!

Industrial-grade disinfectant!

The sound of collective gasps echoed through the office.

The first detail mentioned by that mysterious person matched perfectly!

"Check it! Check the school's logistics procurement records from that year!" Su Qingxue's voice was calm, but it carried a hint of uncontrollable trembling.

Another officer in charge of technology tapped rapidly on his keyboard.

A few minutes later, he suddenly looked up, his face pale with shock.

"Captain Su! I found it! A month before the incident, the school's logistics department did indeed purchase a large batch of industrial-grade disinfectant! And... and there's also a loss report list for equipment in the music classroom!"

He turned the screen toward the group.

A record was clearly displayed on it:

[Third-year Class 2 piano practice: String G-5 broke accidentally; disposed of as scrap.]

The date was just three days before the incident!

String G-5!

The second detail was another precise hit!

If anyone had still harbored a glimmer of hope that this was just a prank...

Then now, a chill rose from everyone's spine, shooting straight to the top of their heads.

This wasn't a prank.

This was guidance from a... ghost from ten years ago!

"Immediately lock down the list of all male logistics personnel who had access to the disinfectant and the music classroom during the time of the incident!"

Su Qingxue gave the order decisively.

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

A burly middle-aged man with a resolute face walked in.

He was in police uniform, wearing the rank of a Level 2 Police Superintendent on his shoulders.

It was none other than the Captain of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment, Zhao Dahai.

"What are you all gathered here for? There are new leads on that dismemberment case in the west of the city, and we're short-handed. You guys..."

Zhao Dahai's words stopped abruptly.

He saw the open Case File 037 on the table, and his brow instantly furrowed into a deep frown.

"Who told you to touch this?" His voice was full of displeasure.

"Reporting to Captain Zhao, it was me."

Su Qingxue stood up straight and met Zhao Dahai's gaze.

"We received an anonymous call; the informant provided key leads regarding this case."

"An anonymous call?"

Zhao Dahai sneered and walked over to the water dispenser to get himself a cup of hot water.

"Qingxue, you're a top graduate of the Police Academy; how can you still make the kind of mistake a rookie makes?"

"Every year we receive hundreds or thousands of these 'mysterious calls' claiming to know world-shaking secrets. And the result? They're either mentally ill or just looking to cause trouble."

"Our police force is meant for dealing with living criminals, not for playing detective games with bored people!"

"But Captain!"

Su Qingxue took a step forward and handed over the two leads she had just verified.

"The disinfectant and the piano string model mentioned by the informant match the hidden information in the case file exactly! These details have never been released to the public!"

Zhao Dahai took the report, scanned it, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

But he quickly regained his composure and slapped the report onto the table.

"This only proves he might have had contact with the case file. Maybe some retired old fellow had too much to drink and blabbed about it. How is this evidence?"

"We are currently pursuing an ongoing serial murder case! Every minute and every second, there could be a new victim!"

"And now you want me to spare manpower to look for a needle in a haystack for a ten-year-old cold case, based on a phone call from who-knows-who?"

"Su Qingxue, tell me, if the investigation into the dismemberment case is delayed because of this, will you take the responsibility?"

Zhao Dahai's voice was powerful and resonant, every word striking at the core of practical logic.

The office was silent.

Everyone felt that immense pressure.

Yes, the lead was tempting.

But the reality was...

They had more urgent and important tasks.

Su Qingxue bit her lip hard, her fingernails almost sinking into her palms.

Reason told her the Captain was right.

But her intuition—a criminal investigator's intuition—was screaming wildly that the truth lay behind that phone call!

She took a deep breath, looked up, and stared at Zhao Dahai with burning eyes.

"Captain, I don't need the detachment's manpower."

"I'll investigate it myself."

"I promise I won't fall behind on the dismemberment case. I'll use my own rest time to work overtime and follow this lead!"

"If it turns out to be fake, I'm willing to accept any disciplinary action!"

Zhao Dahai looked at his most prized female subordinate.

He saw the stubbornness in her eyes, the kind that wouldn't turn back even if she hit a brick wall.

He was silent for a long time before finally waving his hand helplessly.

"Suit yourself."

"Remember, only tonight. If you don't find any substantial evidence before dawn, you must return to the team."

"Yes! Thank you, Captain!"

Su Qingxue snapped a salute, the light reigniting in her eyes.

She grabbed the list from the table and turned to leave.

"Captain Su, I'm coming with you!"

"Me too!"

Two young officers immediately followed her.

Watching the backs of the three as they left...

Zhao Dahai sighed and shook his head.

"Still too young..."

...

The night was as dark as ink.

In the cold case Archives Office, Chen Mo yawned.

He knew Su Qingxue and the others would definitely investigate.

But he also knew...

It would be very difficult to find someone in a short time based solely on a profile.

Ten years had passed.

Things had changed.

The school worker from back then had likely left Jiangcheng long ago.

He needed to add more fuel to the fire.

Chen Mo closed his eyes, entering that semi-meditative state again, carefully savoring every detail he had felt during the "Thought Synchronization."

The killer's voice...

Hoarse, suppressed, with a morbid excitement.

His movements...

Precise, calm, without a hint of hesitation; clearly, it wasn't his first time doing such a thing.

The most crucial part was his obsession with "art."

An artist would never easily abandon their work.

The body was just a medium; the real "work of art" was the satisfaction and memory brought by the killing itself.

He would definitely keep some "trophies."

To savor and admire repeatedly.

Where would these trophies be kept?

It had to be the place he felt was safest, most private, and most capable of bringing him satisfaction.

A vague thought flashed through Chen Mo's mind.

He picked up the internal directory on the table and found the files for that arts high school from ten years ago.

It recorded the address from back then, as well as...

An old layout map of the staff dormitory.

He took out his phone, bought an unregistered SIM card, and swapped it in.

...

An hour later.

Su Qingxue's car stopped in a pitch-black old alley.

The faces of both her and her two colleagues were written with exhaustion and disappointment.

They had found something.

There really was a janitor named Zhang Weiguo at the school back then; he was antisocial and had a germaphobia.

The area he was responsible for happened to include the backstage and the music classroom.

The day after the incident, he had hurriedly resigned on the pretext of "family matters" and vanished from the face of the earth.

All leads pointed to him!

But he was like a drop of water that had disappeared into the ocean.

Household registration information showed he had moved to another province long ago, and the address was fake.

The trail ended here.

"Captain Su, it looks like the Captain was right; there's no way to investigate this..."

One officer said dejectedly.

Su Qingxue gripped the steering wheel, her heart full of resentment.

They were clearly only one step away from the truth!

Just then.

Buzz, buzz.

Her phone vibrated.

It was a text message from an unknown number.

Su Qingxue opened it in confusion.

[An artist never abandons his work.]

[Go take a look at his old dormitory, especially that underground storage room that is kept locked year-round.]

[It's been ten years; I think he must still go back often to admire his... collectibles.]

The content of the text message made Su Qingxue's blood freeze instantly!

He knew!

That mysterious person was actually aware of their investigation progress down to the last detail!

He even knew they had already identified the suspect!

"Turn around!"

Su Qingxue suddenly started the car, the tires letting out a piercing screech against the ground.

"Go to the suspect Zhang Weiguo's old address! Apply for a search warrant immediately! Emergency situation, verbal authorization!"

"Fast!"

Reminder: The website will be revamped soon, which may cause loss of reading progress. Please save your [Bookshelf] and [Reading Record] in time (screenshots are recommended). Sorry for any inconvenience!