Chapter 41: Duan Yu Sets Out! Su Chen Exposes the True Culprit!

Chapter 41: Duan Yu Sets Out! Su Chen Deduces the True Culprit!

Meanwhile, the camera of the "Chasing the Killer" live stream shifted to the expert panel's office.

After all, broadcasting Su Chen's actions inside the restroom was hardly appropriate.

Cui Liwan, the veteran criminal investigator, pushed open the door and saw only Bai Su, Duan Yu, and Qin Ming in the room. He could not help but ask with a puzzled tone:

"Where is Su Chen? Where did he go?"

Inside the room.

Qin Ming was still engrossed in studying the deduction model used to pinpoint the skeletal remains.

Duan Yu was still fighting fiercely at his computer.

The two of them were so absorbed that they failed to hear Cui Liwan's words.

It was Bai Su who finally snapped out of her contemplation regarding Su Chen's description of the killer and replied:

"Su Chen went to the restroom. He probably drank too much coffee."

It was already the dead of night, and everyone in the expert panel's office had consumed at least two cups of coffee just to sustain such high-intensity thinking and labor.

Hearing this, Cui Liwan didn't think much of it and simply began exchanging information as he usually did within the special investigation team.

"Everything is ready now. I've mobilized all the reserve police forces, and we can launch the investigation immediately."

As he spoke, Cui Liwan walked over to Duan Yu's side and tapped him on the shoulder as a reminder.

Technical talents often possessed this specific trait: they became so focused on technology that they sometimes lost themselves entirely.

Duan Yu was like this, and so was Wang Yanxing, who still hadn't shown his face.

Startled by Cui Liwan's tap, Duan Yu, who was frantically clacking away at the keyboard, finally came to his senses. He turned his head to look at the old expert and replied:

"Elder Cui, were you looking for me?"

Cui Liwan glanced at Duan Yu's monitor and asked:

"How is this information wall of yours coming along?"

At this, Duan Yu let out a long sigh:

"I've breached four layers so far, and I can detect that the opponent has only one final barrier left."

"I'll be finished with this layer in just a moment."

Hearing this, the viewers in the live stream chat burst into amusement.

[You said the exact same thing when you started, and how much time has passed since then...]

[Officer Duan, please don't get bogged down in a protracted battle!]

[Although being able to breach a five-layer defensive wall in a matter of hours is already an incredible feat, I must say this approach might not be the most efficient.]

[I suddenly realize that having a senior like Elder Cui in a team is the true ultimate weapon.]

[Because he understands best how to run a team effectively.]

[This isn't just common sense. When it comes to calculation and technology, others might have their individual strengths, but in terms of organizing a case resolution, none of the experts present probably compare to Elder Cui.]

As an experienced veteran police officer, Elder Cui Liwan focused more on teamwork and multiple pathways to solving a case, rather than stubbornly walking down a single dead end like Duan Yu tended to do.

He said to Duan Yu:

"Xiao Duan, you have to put this matter aside for now. We need you to take my place and oversee the suspect identification."

"All preparations regarding the eyewitness are complete; only the identification phase remains."

"I will organize the police force and work on the front lines with Su Chen. As soon as you have results on your end, remember to report to me immediately!"

Cui Liwan's tone was slightly heavier in these few sentences.

His intention was to remind Duan Yu not to obsess over a personal contest, but to keep the overall situation in mind.

How could Duan Yu fail to understand? He sighed softly, realizing that he had indeed gone a bit overboard with the excitement of finally finding a match.

"Alright, I'll head to the headquarters interrogation room right away for the identification."

Duan Yu immediately rose from his seat.

He picked up his coat from the chair and threw it over his shoulders. His demeanor and energy shifted instantly; he temporarily pushed the matter of the firewall to the back of his mind and focused entirely on the task at hand.

"Good. He knows when to pick things up and when to put them down, transitions his thoughts quickly, and doesn't get trapped in a dead end. That's a talent with true team-player quality."

Watching Duan Yu, Cui Liwan's expression softened, and he gave a slight nod.

Then, changing the subject, he clapped his hands to catch the attention of everyone in the office.

Immediately, all the experts and other police officers stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Cui Liwan said:

"Everyone, I know the probability of solving this cold case is very slim."

"You can all imagine the heavy burden on young comrade Su Chen, who is participating in frontline investigation for the very first time and is the only person in the entire special investigation team familiar with the case files."

"Now that he has been forced to shoulder this task, the pressure on him must be immense."

"Therefore, we should understand and help Su Chen solve the case, rather than just focusing on our own tasks. Such a team would be exhausting for the coordinator."

"We must do our utmost to solve this case. Even if we ultimately fail, it is still a highly valuable and rewarding experiential process."

Hearing this, those present nodded inwardly.

Qin Ming also somewhat sheepishly put away his notepad of deductions. Indeed, what took precedence right now?

He could study his deductions at any time, but the current case needed to be resolved as quickly as humanly possible.

"Elder Cui, just tell us what to do."

The crowd spoke up in unison.

Cui Liwan chuckled:

"I will follow Su Chen's plan. Xiao Duan will handle the suspect identification."

Duan Yu nodded acknowledgment to the people in the office and then strode out the door.

Cui Liwan continued:

"Xiao Qin and Xiao Bai, you two will follow behind us and stand by ready to assist whenever needed."

"Su Chen, myself, and the remaining available police forces will conduct frontline investigations across the board."

Qin Ming and Bai Su nodded simultaneously.

The group of police officers also chored together:

"Understood, Elder Cui."

"...... Why has Su Chen been gone for so long? Did he get a stomachache?"

Cui Liwan muttered to himself after arranging everything.

......

While the experts were coordinating their efforts.

Inside the restroom, Su Chen kept his eyes slightly closed, completely immersed in the scene of his deduction.

Inside the small residential dwelling.

He looked at the perpetrator in the act of committing the crime and the victimized young girl.

"Rewind the time a bit further!"

Su Chen spoke.

This time, he had accumulated a sufficient number of clues, allowing the deduction to proceed smoothly.

Following Su Chen's will, every person and object in the entire scene began to reverse!

The raindrops outside the window stopped falling, hanging like crystalline beads suspended in the air before slowly rising back up into the sky.

The blood splattered by the girl flowed back into her body; her pupils slowly refocused, her body warmed up, and her heartbeat resumed.

The killer's sharp blade retracted back beneath his raincoat, and he backed away, stepping out of the girl's bedroom.

And Su Chen, closely following the killer's footsteps, stepped out right behind him.

At that moment, the scene underwent another earth-shattering transformation!

Su Chen raised his head and found that, following the killer, he had arrived at a residential community two blocks away from the girl's home.

This was a working-class neighborhood populated by ordinary citizens. As Su Chen walked over, many people stepped out of their homes and stood before him.

There were men, women, and children.

These were the individuals recorded in the case files whom the police had investigated at the time.

Over the span of twenty years, some of these people had passed away, while others had completely forgotten the painful memories.

And now, within the deductive world of the Divine Deduction Technique, they stood in silence, looking at Su Chen.

Waiting for a second round of questioning.

"This time, I've grasped enough information to successfully track down the killer's home."

Su Chen thought to himself while taking the psychological profiling analysis given to him by Bai Su out of his pocket.

This analysis contained a wealth of detailed information, recording several quite specific characteristics.

"Everyone, might I ask if there are any heavy metal music enthusiasts around this neighborhood?"

Su Chen spoke, addressing the people standing before him based on the profile Bai Su had compiled.

"There are indeed a couple of households above building number six that make a racket every day and keep me awake. I have no idea why young people like that kind of music......"

An elderly man replied.

Su Chen remembered this person; he was one of the key witnesses in the cold case and had already passed away in the real world.

"This heavy metal music enthusiast has a relatively paranoid personality, may exhibit chaotic behavior, and is not too young—around thirty years old."

Su Chen continued.

The witnesses exchanged glances, and a young woman spoke up:

"There aren't many people around that age who still like heavy metal."

Su Chen immediately added:

"He may work in the butchery industry, or at least possess knowledge related to it."

"Unit Two."

A man said thoughtfully:

"Almost everyone living in Unit Two consists of market vendors from the nearby bazaar, and there's no shortage of butchers among them."

"I live right there."

The old man curled his lip, seemingly still expressing his dissatisfaction.

Unit Two, Building Number Six...... Su Chen silently committed it to memory, and then spoke:

"The final piece of information."

"The person I am looking for is a solidly built man who may enjoy reading detective novels, watching movies, or has otherwise acquired some anti-surveillance methods through other means."

"Building Number Six, Unit Two, is there such a person?"

As his voice trailed off.

A child timidly raised a hand.

"It sounds a lot like the uncle in apartment 801 on the eighth floor. When I was playing in the hallway earlier, he was just about to go out, and through the gap in his door, I saw him reading a book about cases, like he was studying how the police solve crimes."

"Very good."

Su Chen smiled slightly and put away the paper containing the psychological profile.

Then, passing by the witnesses, he walked toward Unit Two of Building Number Six in the residential complex.

He quickly located apartment 801 and pushed the door open to step inside.

There, within the small room, he saw a solidly built man standing with his back to him, in the process of taking off the raincoat he was wearing.