Chapter 91. The Stubborn Old Man Liu.

Chen Mo's calm voice reached the ears of the two people behind him.

The grandfather and granddaughter exchanged a glance, both wearing expressions of confusion.

"Chen Mo, you can take another careful look; you have plenty of time."

Liu Fengxia spoke up to remind him. She had done many similar tests, so she knew this was a trap; the real route was not nearly as simple as one might imagine.

And her grandfather was someone who loved setting traps for people; if you weren't careful, you'd fall right into one.

Liu Qingwu didn't mind his granddaughter's reminder at all; he just stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Chen Mo with a smile, waiting for an answer.

"No need to look again; no matter how I look at it, it's wrong."

"Because these footprints themselves are wrong."

It was like taking a test where the questions themselves were wrong; no matter how you tried to solve them, the answer would never be correct.

His answer instantly stunned Liu Fengxia.

Because Chen Mo's answer was correct.

These footprints were indeed wrong, so regardless of what answer Chen Mo might have given, it would basically be wrong—the only correct response was not to answer at all.

Back then, it had taken her a full week to finally see through the trap her grandfather had set.

How long had it taken Chen Mo?

Her reminder from just a moment ago seemed a bit redundant now.

"Wrong? Why do you say that?"

Liu Qingwu waved his hand, which was resting on his hip, to signal his granddaughter to calm down.

He had carefully crafted this problem, and he knew the difficulties involved better than anyone.

As a newcomer who hadn't been on the job for long, it was impossible for him to see it.

So, the answer must have been a guess.

"You said earlier that the courtyard hadn't been swept for three days, which is why the footprints in the courtyard were so chaotic."

As the words fell, Elder Liu nodded; he had indeed said that.

"But that doesn't add up. It's impossible for you to have only walked this path once a day for three days."

As Chen Mo spoke, he squatted down and pointed to several recent overlapping footprints.

It would be understandable if one only walked through the courtyard once a day, but walking through once a day for three days in three distinct sequences—that was problematic.

"And then?"

A look of anticipation appeared on Liu Fengxia's face. She glanced at her grandfather and continued to press for more.

"In many people's subconscious, everyone's stride length is basically consistent, but that is actually incorrect. People's stride length varies between steps due to factors like mood or poor rest."

"Setting aside the footprints in other parts of the courtyard, these overlapping footprints themselves have major issues."

"To put it in one word, the footprints were forged."

After finishing his explanation, he turned his head to look at Elder Liu, waiting for him to announce the answer.

Liu Qingwu was momentarily speechless. His expression remained calm, but deep down, he was surprised.

In his expectations, Chen Mo would either give him a wrong answer today or be unable to make up his mind.

If he gave a wrong answer, he could just tell him to leave.

And if he couldn't decide, it would mean the kid had some ability.

He saw the problem but couldn't be sure in a short time.

But he never expected this kid to provide the correct answer in just a few short minutes.

He actually had a standard in his heart.

And Chen Mo was the standard of excellence in his heart!

He had truly underestimated him before.

"Not bad, Chen Mo, to have seen it so quickly."

Liu Fengxia abandoned her previous indifference toward people she didn't know well and gave Chen Mo a thumbs-up.

Actually, people are like that; when meeting someone you don't know well, there's really nothing much to say, so being a bit indifferent is quite normal.

"Just good luck."

Chen Mo responded with a polite nod.

Just then, an ill-timed voice rang out.

Liu Qingwu, with his hands behind his back, spoke in a somewhat serious tone:

"Do you feel very proud of yourself for finding it so quickly?"

"But in fact, you committed a fatal error!"

Chen Mo looked puzzled, then glanced at Liu Fengxia. Seeing that she also shrugged to indicate she didn't know, he spoke up.

"Please enlighten me, Elder Liu."

"First, what was your first reaction after determining that the shoe prints were forged by me? It was to announce the answer, implying that there was no need to continue looking!"

Elder Liu's serious voice reached Chen Mo's ears.

"But what if a similar situation occurred at a crime scene? The shoe prints were forged by the murderer; would you stop investigating? Can't you find clues in forged shoe prints?"

After hearing this, Chen Mo couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Indeed, this was his oversight. After discovering the shoe prints were forged, he had no intention of continuing to look. Knowing the questions were wrong, why should he continue?

This mindset works on a test paper, but it won't work on a case.

The underlying purpose of coming to learn from Elder Liu was to fill the flaws in himself that he hadn't even noticed.

In the end, he was a newcomer to the field, having only been a criminal police officer for a week.

It's impossible to do everything perfectly right from the start.

That would be a god, not a human!

"I will reflect on this carefully."

Chen Mo looked serious. Elder Liu truly had experience; he spotted his problem at a glance.

And he had never noticed such small behaviors before.

"Hmm, your ability is a bit lacking, but I am very satisfied with your attitude toward learning."

Where the two couldn't see, Liu Qingwu's palms were already sweating.

It wasn't from the heat, but from nervousness!

The answer Chen Mo gave was completely correct; under normal circumstances, there would be no problem giving him a full score.

If it were his own granddaughter, he could praise her all day.

The reason he said Chen Mo's handling of the details was poor was entirely due to his status!

The position he stood in now was that of a senior, an experienced teacher, and an elder!

He couldn't just say, "Kid, you're good; you solved the problem I painstakingly created in just a few minutes, right?"

Where would that leave his dignity!

He had never encountered a situation like Chen Mo's before.

He was completely put on the spot.

Praising him directly didn't fit his status; it's like a teacher who can never spot a student's shortcomings—what use is such a teacher!

Therefore, he couldn't praise him; even if he did, it would have to wait until the kid left.

"Kid, the road you have to walk in the future is still very long."

Liu Qingwu patted Chen Mo on the shoulder and sighed.

But deep down, he was thinking that this kid had a bright future. To be able to see through the trap he set so quickly at such a young age—who knows what he would become in a few decades.

"Practical experience is the fastest shortcut to improving your skills."

"Tomorrow, come with me to the Luocheng Municipal Bureau. I will personally assist you in investigating a few cases, and by the way, see your true strength."

Chen Mo nodded to indicate he understood.

Great.

He had planned to wander around Luocheng, but now there was no chance for the time being.

"Feng Xia, help Chen Mo tidy up a room; he will be staying with me for the coming days."

After giving the instructions, he walked back into the house with small, hurried steps.

He walked into the bedroom and locked the door.

"Whew!"

"I haven't been this stubbornly serious in decades; it's really hard to get used to being so stubborn all of a sudden."

The main thing was that he was afraid of being exposed. Fortunately, his reaction was quick, and he found an unimportant flaw to gloss over it.

He placed one hand on his thumping heart, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He went to the desk, took out his phone, and called his student, Yang Jianguo.