Chapter 21: I Thought You Only Knew How to Threaten People + Bonus Scene After the Rainy Night Taxi Mission

On the gray cement floor, blood had trickled from the woman’s body, staining a third of the room. Outside, the sunlight was scorching and blinding, a stark contrast to the scene within.

What was equally unbearable was the stench of decay rising from the bloated corpse. On the mottled walls, flies swarmed around the blackened bloodstains.

[Whoa, starting off with something heavy!]
[I’m curious what identity card she drew for this instance.]
[Sister Sang has no heart; I haven’t even recovered from the last instance yet!]

Despite their chatter, the audience stayed glued to their screens, eager to see what Ye Sangsang would do.

Ye Sangsang stood motionless, staring at the virtual screen flickering in the air, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. The identity card was not what she had expected.

[Hello, Player. You have entered the game. Please abide by the rules and begin the "Brutal Carnival" instance.]
[Your identity card has been drawn.]
[Investigator]

It wasn't the criminal she had anticipated, but an investigator—the side of justice.

"Chirp, chirp." Insects and birds sounded outside the window. Shaking off her surprise, she began to test the triggers for the game’s objectives.

If she recalled correctly, as an investigator, her duty was to uncover the truth and bring the murderer to justice. She couldn't help but smile; in such a short time, she had become someone like Wei Qingzheng.

But... investigating a case? Ye Sangsang found it quite novel.

Just then, a hand patted her shoulder. "Come on, let’s take a look at the scene."

Ye Sangsang turned to see a middle-aged man. She looked down at herself; she was young, with smooth, delicate skin. At that moment, the game’s task arrived.

[Game Task: Within 30 days, uncover the truth behind the "Brutal Carnival" case.]
[Character relationships, personality traits, and background information have been issued. Please review them.]

Ye Sangsang scanned the information while observing the crime scene. She noted the contrast: if she had been a criminal, the game would have provided specific details for the tasks. The investigator’s task was relatively singular, with no set number of objectives, only a time limit. Or perhaps there were other types of tasks she hadn't triggered yet?

Regardless, the difficulty level seemed comparable.

Multitasking, Ye Sangsang watched the scene while reflexively taking the gloves handed to her by her mentor. In this instance, she was Shen Yu, a twenty-three-year-old rookie criminal investigator. The middle-aged man beside her was Qin Jiang, forty-two, assigned as her "mentor" at the bureau.

Ye Sangsang crouched down to examine the body. Shen Yu’s greatest strength was criminal behavioral analysis—psychological profiling. By using the crime scene, modus operandi, and the state of the victim, one could profile the perpetrator’s psychology, personality, upbringing, and physical characteristics to identify them.

However, judging by the expression on her mentor's face, he clearly didn't expect her to analyze anything. She chose to remain silent and focus on observation.

She lacked Shen Yu’s innate ability, so she had to rely on her own senses. The victim’s cause of death was a slit throat. There were ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, signs of whipping, and evidence of sexual assault. She lifted the clothing, silently committing these details to memory.

What puzzled her was that the perpetrator had dressed the woman neatly afterward. The clothes had fold marks, appearing brand new.

She stood up and surveyed the room. It was a two-bedroom apartment. The wall plaster was peeling, and the decor was dated; the simple furniture was decaying, yet there were clear signs of daily life. The victim had clearly lived in poverty, and this was her home. The door lock showed no signs of forced entry, suggesting the victim knew the perpetrator or had let them in willingly.

She pulled back the victim’s hair and checked her underarms, finding bruises and impact marks. It appeared the victim had been on the master bedroom bed when the attack occurred. After finishing her examination, she stood aside and watched Qin Jiang work.

The forensic team had already completed their sweep. They arrived with body bags and a stretcher to transport the remains to the bureau for an autopsy. With seven or eight people on-site, the scene was cleared quickly.

The year was 2005—an era that possessed technical means for solving crimes, yet lacked the sophisticated tools of the future.

Ye Sangsang followed Qin Jiang as they did another lap around the room. Since they were at the scene, they had to canvass the neighborhood. According to the preliminary forensic report, the estimated time of death was between 8:00 PM and 2:00 AM, four days prior. Their goal was to find witnesses or anyone who might have heard something.

Ye Sangsang pulled out a small notebook and followed Qin Jiang to knock on doors. The apartment complex was an old seven-story building with four units per floor. The cement floors had been worn smooth by years of foot traffic. The victim lived in a middle unit. They knocked on the neighbor’s door to the right, but no one answered.

*Click.*

"Who are you looking for?" A woman with reddish-dyed curly hair opened the door to the left of the victim's unit, looking at them with curiosity.

Qin Jiang flashed his police badge. "We’re police. We’d like to ask a few questions about this household."

The woman, wearing a bright yellow-green striped camisole and denim shorts, had an outgoing personality. "That family moved away a long time ago. They aren't home."

"Right, thanks," Qin Jiang said with a friendly smile. He turned to the woman’s door. "You live next door? May we ask you a few questions?"

The woman hesitated, then stepped aside to let them in. The room was simply furnished with vibrant colors. She had them sit and poured two glasses of water. "Asking about the woman who died next door?"

Ye Sangsang looked at her. "May I ask your name?"

"Zhao Yue," she replied.

Qin Jiang looked at her with curiosity. "Someone died right next door, yet you don't seem afraid."

Zhao Yue shrugged, sitting in a single-seat sofa and taking a sip of her drink. "I’m a journalist. I might even be able to get the scoop and write a front-page headline out of this."

Ye Sangsang stood up and walked toward the balcony while listening. Unlike the victim’s home, this place had steel security bars. She glanced out toward the adjacent apartment, then turned back toward the living room.

Qin Jiang asked, "Have you seen anyone suspicious hanging around the past few days? Or heard any disturbances?"

"No. I’ve been on a business trip and only got home yesterday afternoon," Zhao Yue said.

Ye Sangsang looked around. "Do you have a boyfriend? Or a male companion?"

"How did you know I have a boyfriend?" Zhao Yue asked, surprised.

Because the entire living room lacked any male items—no clothes, no shoes.

Ye Sangsang looked at her black coffee cup, her voice flat. "Just a guess. So, was your boyfriend here these past few days?"

"I have a cat. When I went on my trip, I gave my boyfriend the key to come over and feed it," Zhao Yue replied. Fearing the police might misunderstand, she added, "He’s a good man from a good family. He wouldn't do anything criminal!"

Qin Jiang glanced at Ye Sangsang, then back at the woman. "Do you have his number? We might need to call and ask a few follow-up questions."

Zhao Yue nodded and recited the number.

Once they finished, they prepared to visit the other neighbors. Before leaving, Ye Sangsang tore off a piece of paper with her phone number and handed it to Zhao Yue. "If you come across any clues, please contact me."

Zhao Yue nodded and saved the number. For a journalist like her, knowing someone in the Major Crimes Unit was a benefit; she might land an inside scoop.

Across from Zhao Yue lived an elderly woman who was hard of hearing; after a long struggle to communicate, they gained no leads. They went upstairs to the fourth floor. A couple with two children lived there. They were nervous, and only the husband spoke.

"Four days ago at night? I didn't hear anything. Our family sleeps early because we have to take the kids to school and go to work. We’re usually in bed by seven or eight..." The man rattled off the information like a machine gun.

The wife stood beside him, nodding stiffly, her eyes darting around. Ye Sangsang took note of this but said nothing.

Qin Jiang noticed it too. "You need to trust the police. Whatever you tell us will be kept confidential."

The man swallowed hard and rubbed his nose. "It’s nothing, really. It’s just that a few nights ago, we heard some... awkward noises. You know, old buildings don't have much soundproofing..."

Qin Jiang nodded, and he and Ye Sangsang left. The apartment downstairs had no answer. With no other options, they returned to the crime scene.

Since it was Ye Sangsang’s first time at a scene, Qin Jiang felt he should mentor her. He lifted the yellow caution tape and walked in. A chalk outline marked where the body had been.

Qin Jiang stared at it for a moment. He was a stern, upright man with a hint of roguish charm, clutching a black square briefcase. He looked at Ye Sangsang, who was observing the room.

Though he felt Shen Yu was too young and inexperienced, he remained dutiful. "The door lock wasn't tampered with, and there are signs of sexual assault. So, what do you think? Is this a crime of passion, a grudge, or a rape-murder?"

He offered her the choices, curious to see her answer. He wondered if this star student from the police academy could surprise him.

Ye Sangsang looked at the marks on the floor, then at the window sill. "I don't think it’s any of those."

They moved from one room to the other. Ye Sangsang pointed at the window. "The door wasn't forced, but it’s possible they entered through here."

Qin Jiang’s expression shifted, skeptical of her deduction. "The window sill?" He had already checked it; there were no footprints.

Ye Sangsang stepped forward and pointed at the edge of the window frame, which was covered in a thin layer of dust. "This faces the road. It’s true that a thin layer of dust gathers every couple of days, but the average person doesn't clean their window frames. Or, rather, the victim didn't have the habit of doing so."