Chapter 156: A Second Framing – Cunning or Low IQ?

At the same time.

Over with Qian Lei and Nie Feng.

"I've discovered a clue on my end."

Nie Feng specialized in Criminal Psychology.

Although nothing had been found at the crime scene, he had still simulated the killer's actions during the crime.

"The killer was very calm during the crime. You can tell from how he pushed the person out the window and then cleaned the scene perfectly."

"Additionally, I've noticed that the killer's IQ doesn't seem very high."

As he spoke, he blinked.

Without more supporting evidence, everything he was saying was actually just speculation.

"Are you referring to the frame-up?"

Qian Lei had actually thought about this point as well.

He just hadn't voiced it yet.

If the elderly resident of Room 705 really wasn't the killer,

then the killer's actions were quite clearly a frame-up.

But using such a clumsy method to frame someone was obviously the worst choice.

The reason for saying this was that a frame-up actually required many elements.

There needed to be a motive for murder.

There needed to be a window of opportunity.

There needed to be the capability to commit the crime, and so on.

But none of these had been found yet.

What kind of frame-up was this supposed to be!

The entire scene could be described as illogical.

"What about your profile?"

Qian Lei gestured for them not to dwell on that point for now.

Both had heard of each other before, but this was their first time collaborating.

They were quite curious about each other's abilities.

"The killer's height is between 175 and 180 centimeters, and their weight is between 130 and 140 pounds."

"They have strong muscles and likely engage in fitness activities."

Nie Feng spoke casually.

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

Qian Lei was a bit bewildered.

In certain situations, he could also reach these conclusions.

For instance, if there were injuries on the victim, one could judge the killer's physical form based on the angle of the strikes, and further determine the killer's height and weight.

But the victim only had injuries from the fall.

He didn't understand how this had been derived.

"If I told you, would you even understand it?"

The two specialized in different fields; explaining would be no different from talking to a brick wall.

"I'm truly speechless at your attitude."

Having been rebuffed, Qian Lei shook his head.

He then signaled his subordinates to investigate the hotel's check-in records based on the killer's profile.

"I've heard that Xu Qingqing and Chen Mo are both quite capable. Did you know anything about them before?"

When mentioning those two, Qian Lei's expression turned serious.

People at their level didn't dare to underestimate their opponents.

Underestimating an opponent was being irresponsible to oneself.

Did he really think just any random person could make it into the national top eight?

"I don't really care about things outside of the case."

Nie Feng shook his head, his tone sounding dismissive.

He knew his own strength, which was the source of his confidence.

Seeing him like this, the corner of Qian Lei's mouth twitched.

Pretending again!

Yesterday, when he passed by Nie Feng's room, he had heard the people inside talking about Chen Mo and Xu Qingqing.

Nie Feng's voice was among them.

Now he was saying he didn't care about things outside the case, putting on the air of a master.

Wasn't that just posturing?

Complaints aside,

the cooperation still had to continue.

"In that case, our chances of winning are very high."

He casually boosted morale.

"Yes, they are indeed very high."

Nie Feng affirmed this.

As they spoke, the two of them looked together at the retreating backs of Chen Mo and the others.

There were complex emotions in their eyes.

Just then, urgent footsteps rang out.

"Captain, we found something!"

"A cleaner saw someone who matches the killer's physical characteristics!"

...

...

Time hurried by.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed.

Chen Mo and Xu Qingqing were investigating separately.

But their ultimate goal was to figure out the victim's purpose for coming to the hotel.

"Our people checked all the rooms occupied by men last night."

"This person is extremely suspicious."

As Xu Qingqing spoke, she took out a guest list.

Her index finger pointed at a name: 'Wen Guodong'.

The reason she said this person was extremely suspicious

was that his departure time was far too abnormal.

"Wen Guodong checked in three days ago, and he renewed his stay every day when it expired."

"That in itself isn't an issue, but what is problematic is that his room fee expired,"

"yet he didn't take his suitcase with him."

"And the time he left was exactly yesterday afternoon, while the victim fell to their death in the evening."

As Xu Qingqing spoke, she signaled a team member to bring out the suitcase.

"This is Wen Guodong's suitcase. I just sent someone to contact him, but the phone won't go through at all. I strongly suspect the killer is this person."

This was a reasonable deduction based on the current situation.

"You mean to say,"

"the time this person left and the time of the victim's death are a bit too coincidental?"

"True, the suitcase is still in the room. It's very likely he was afraid the police would find him, so in a panic, he fled in desperation!"

Hearing this, Xu Qingqing continued:

"Of course, this is just a conclusion based on the current circumstances."

"There's a high probability it's wrong, but this person must be found."

The reason she said it might be wrong was that the clues were actually contradictory.

Based on the situation in Room 705,

there were obvious signs that the room had been cleaned.

In other words, the killer wasn't in a panic before leaving.

Instead, they had methodically wiped down every place they had been.

The level of detail was hair-raising!

It was hard not to feel that the clues were at odds with each other.

Furthermore,

the killer's check-out time had arrived,

yet the suitcase was left behind in the room.

Those standing here were all top-tier criminal investigators in the country.

It was easy for them to perceive that there was another layer of meaning involved.

A frame-up!

Exactly!

A frame-up!

It was a simple logic: the killer was clearly very calm during the crime.

So why would they suddenly act in desperation and even forget to take their suitcase?

Obviously, if it was illogical, there was a problem.

"Two frame-ups?"

"The goal is to distract us?"

Chen Mo's index finger lightly tapped his arm as he fell into brief thought.

In many cases, in order to avoid being caught quickly by the police,

criminals would set up counter-reconnaissance measures to mislead the investigation.

The current situation was a classic example.

If they didn't investigate, there were no clues at all.

If they did, they were clearly falling into the killer's trap.

"Investigate!"

"Actually, there are two sides to this matter, with both pros and cons for us."

"The downside is that it's likely a trap; the upside is that he's likely to leave clues in the places he thinks are traps."

There's a common saying:

"Do less, make fewer mistakes!"

The meaning was literal.

The more one did, the easier it was to make a mistake.

If he hadn't left these frame-up traps,

then from the current perspective, their investigation would be at a standstill.

But with the traps he set,

it instead gave them a target for their subsequent investigation.

"You're right. When framing someone, the killer's mood should be relaxed."

"And being relaxed leads to mistakes."

Xu Qingqing pursed her lips.

Compared to the caution shown in Room 705, framing Wen Guodong was clearly something done on the fly.

"How should we find Wen Guodong?"

"Currently, his phone can't be reached."

"And according to the records found from his ID card, this person has no parents."

"It will be very difficult to get in touch with his friends in a short time."

Long Hao gave a simple summary of the current situation.

There was another layer he didn't voice.

If the killer was really using Wen Guodong as a shield,

then his friends wouldn't know any clues about Wen Guodong at all.

This loophole was too large.

"We shouldn't be thinking about where the killer is right now."

"But rather, how he was framed."

"What did the killer do to make us believe Wen Guodong is the murderer?"

Chen Mo pointed out the main point in a cold voice.

The points that made them mistakenly believe Wen Guodong was the killer

were the killer's handiwork.

From these points, they could find the traces left by the killer.

Whether Wen Guodong appeared or not wasn't important at this moment.

"Sigh, look at my brain."

Hearing this, Long Hao slapped his own forehead.

He'd gone off track.

He hadn't even grasped the key point.

"Obviously, there are two points that make us think Wen Guodong is the killer."

"First, it's abnormal that he didn't take his suitcase when he left."

"Second, this person suddenly became unreachable at this point in time."

These two points were already enough to arouse suspicion.

"Regarding not taking the suitcase when leaving, there are actually many ways the killer could achieve this."

"For example, Wen Guodong himself had no intention of checking out, but was asked out by someone and never returned."

"This would accomplish our suspicion of his behavior."

As Chen Mo spoke, he analyzed the clues within these words.

As was just said,

do less, make fewer mistakes.

Obviously, the killer hadn't considered this.

With just a bit of thought, the traces the killer had once exposed became apparent.

"Are there other methods?"

He looked around at the nine people.

"There are, for instance, the killer threatening the person to leave and so on, but none are foolproof."

"If I were the killer, I would just find an excuse to ask the person out; it's safe and reliable."

Xu Qingqing replied.

"In the afternoon, in what capacity did the killer ask Wen Guodong out?"

"A friend?"

Chen Mo murmured, a thoughtful expression on his face.

The possibility of it being a friend was actually quite small.

"No!"

"This is Wen Guodong's personal profile."

"If the killer and the victim were really friends,"

"then by framing Wen Guodong, wouldn't he also be exposing himself?"

"That would be penny-wise and pound-foolish."

Xu Qingqing expressed her view.

"I'm more inclined to think the two didn't know each other, or perhaps they had only met at the hotel a few times."

Chen Mo nodded.

The current clues were still a bit too disorganized.

"Has it been checked what Wen Guodong was doing staying at the hotel for three days?"

"A business trip?"

Xining wasn't exactly a tourist city; locals stayed in their own homes unless they had something going on.

This logic applied everywhere.

So what exactly was this 'something'?

Was staying at this hotel for a business trip just a coincidence?

"That hasn't been found out yet."

"But based on the items found in the suitcase,"

"this person is very likely a homosexual."

"See for yourself."

—Click.

The suitcase opened.