Chapter 38: Danger Approaches, Su Chen's Strategy!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Danger Approaches, Su Chen's Strategy!

Su Chen, nerves taut, took a quick glance behind him the very next second.

Phew.

Bai Su was gone; she was no longer in the office.

Although he had restrained himself with all his might just moments ago, maintaining a calm and composed facade, it was impossible not to show some signs under the influence of his inner turmoil. Especially with micro-expressions that one usually fails to notice, he would inevitably have revealed a flaw. Since everyone has their areas of expertise, had he not just sent Bai Su away, he feared his slip-ups would have been laid bare before her eyes.

In the live broadcast room, the viewers also held their collective breath.

"Damn, that was close. Su Chen is practically dancing on the tip of a blade. One slip and the experts will latch onto him like a vice."

"You can't walk by the river without getting your shoes wet. There’s a famous law of material exchange in forensic science, which basically states that any action will inevitably leave a trace. This principle is the foundation of criminal investigation."

"If Su Chen commits a crime, it's impossible for him not to leave some trace!"

"So what now? It's hard for Su Chen to even run. He’s just become a consultant, and the experts are watching him like hawks. Once he shows anything unusual, he won't be able to escape!"

"This is all down to Su Chen now. I have no idea how he’ll pull this off."

Beside Su Chen, the elderly Mr. Cui Liwan was not a professional psychologist, so he remained oblivious to the tension Su Chen was masking.

Mr. Cui continued, "I have already found two witnesses: one is a female intern at the power distribution center, and the other is a security inspector from the checkpoint."

"With two eyewitnesses providing identification, once they both point to the same person, we can essentially confirm they are the killer! The rest is just a matter of gathering evidence."

Hearing this, Su Chen realized the severity of the situation. Only a few hours had passed since the explosion at the power distribution center; the witnesses' memories were likely still vivid. If they proceeded with the identification, his exposure was all but guaranteed. Yet, he could not obstruct the process without a valid reason. Moreover, as a newly appointed consultant, he lacked the trust of the expert team. It was already a stroke of luck that Mr. Cui had shared his plans with him. Trying to interfere with the identification process would be too suspicious and would only turn the experts' gaze toward him.

His brain raced, calculating every possible countermeasure.

"Mr. Cui, when do you plan to have the witnesses perform the identification?" Su Chen asked in a low voice.

Mr. Cui smiled. "Immediately. And I don't intend to bring the witnesses in for a face-to-face identification."

He pulled out a bulging document bag. "I think it’s necessary to consider that the simulated killer might have other tricks up his sleeve. Face-to-face identification might give the killer a chance to influence the witnesses. So, I’ve chosen a photo lineup. This bag contains photos of all police station personnel; I’ll hand them to the witnesses right away."

Su Chen’s heart sank further. He had indeed been considering using psychological techniques to disturb the witnesses' focus during the identification, steering them toward a wrong result. Now, that path had been firmly blocked by Mr. Cui.

Since the entire identification process seemed airtight, he would have to find a loophole elsewhere. Mr. Cui, a seasoned veteran, would surely arrange the process to be flawless. Therefore, his first priority was to make seemingly reasonable adjustments to certain parts of the workflow without raising suspicion, and then exploit the cracks that emerged from those changes.

Su Chen pondered for two seconds, then forced a look of joy onto his face—a performance for Mr. Cui, meant to show that he, too, was pleased the "simulated killer" was about to be caught.

"Mr. Cui, in that case, why don't we operate on two fronts? One team can focus on catching the perpetrator of the cold case, while the other handles the investigation of the live-streamed simulated killer," Su Chen suggested earnestly.

Mr. Cui nodded in agreement. "That’s feasible. I’ll go handle the identification myself; that should be enough."

At this moment, Su Chen put on a troubled expression, causing Mr. Cui to pause. Before he could ask, Su Chen spoke directly:

"Mr. Cui, this conflicts slightly with my plan."

"Go ahead and say it." Mr. Cui wasn't surprised; the situation was indeed complex, with a simulated killer, a real cold case killer, and three crime scenes overlapping. Conflicts in scheduling were to be expected.

Su Chen said, "My thought is that you and I should both be responsible for the cold case dismemberment murder, as it is a case of significant difficulty. Among those present, you have the most experience. In terms of specialized expertise, the other experts are not as suited for frontline arrests as you are; they are better suited for the other task."

This reasoning was sound, and even Mr. Cui couldn't help but nod. It was true—the "Chasing the Killer" show was, after all, just an entertainment program. The crimes were virtual, and while the killer was cunning, he wasn't a real criminal, just someone playing a role.

However, the reopened Jinling University dismemberment case was a real, verified cold case. The perpetrator was a genuine murderer and posed a significant threat. Faced with such a major case, it took priority over a virtual one, and the most experienced and capable personnel should be assigned to it. The expert team had their roles: Duan Yu for network tracking, Bai Su for psychological profiling, and Qin Ming for autopsy deduction. Apart from himself, no one was better suited to hunt down the real killer.

Seeing Mr. Cui’s thoughtful expression, Su Chen knew he had a chance, so he pressed on:

"Another reason is that the cold case is a real crime, while the live-streamed hunt is a virtual exercise. Whether the exercise takes longer or shorter doesn't matter much, but if we don't focus all our energy on the cold case, we give the killer more time to escape, which could lead to endless repercussions!"

Su Chen finished and watched the old expert quietly, waiting for a response. He was using the real cold case as a cover, playing a psychological game with Mr. Cui. He knew that Mr. Cui had lived through that cold case twenty years ago and would have a greater desire to solve it than anyone else.

Sure enough, after some consideration, Mr. Cui nodded.

"Very well. Let’s do as you suggest; I will handle the capture of the cold case killer with you. However, the identification task cannot be delayed; it must be carried out simultaneously, or the witnesses' memories may become blurred."

Su Chen immediately proposed, "Let Officer Duan handle it. The network tracking he’s doing overlaps with the identification task, and it’s not as demanding. As for Officer Qin and Officer Bai, I hope they can assist us with the cold case—you and I on the front lines, and them providing support from the second line."

Hearing this series of arrangements, Mr. Cui smiled. The kid had a clear head, barely falling short of experienced frontline investigators. He was a talent worth grooming. He secretly decided that once the "Chasing the Killer" show ended, he would ask Director Guo to let Su Chen work under him as his apprentice. Then, he could finally retire with peace of mind.

Mr. Cui nodded. "We’ll do as you say."