Chapter 33: A Mind Turned Cold: The Perfect Crime Conundrum

In an instant, Xiao Yu slipped into a state of Simulating a Criminal Mindset!

“If I were the murderer, what steps would I take to plan this premeditated, perverse killing?”

“I’d draft an impeccable plan, gather all the necessary tools, familiarize myself with the victim’s territory, time the act perfectly, and design a scheme to frame He Xia… at least three days to a week would be needed. Recon is indispensable—and it’s the most time-consuming part!”

“Wait, then why did I get hold of suspect He Xia’s phone and mimic the female victim’s tone in that text?”

“It’s because I was too familiar with the victim’s family and He Xia… What exactly is my connection with them?”

“Classmates, friends… No, that clue is too blatant. I couldn’t have left such obvious evidence.”

“Then why send that text? Was it simply to bait the suspect, or was there another motive?”

“I see… the text not only incited He Xia to storm the victim’s home in a rage but also misdirected the police. Even if they suspected someone else, their doubts would fall on those close to the victim’s family and He Xia—a double-edged setup!”

“So, I cruelly—and perverse enough—to wipe out the entire victim family and frame He Xia. For what purpose?”

“According to police investigations, neither the family of three nor suspect He Xia had ever wronged anyone—not to mention a grudge capable of annihilating an entire family!”

“It isn’t merely a twisted psychological compulsion!”

“I managed to calmly orchestrate such an elaborate trap and then meticulously erase every trace. This level of calculated, perverse cold-bloodedness isn’t child’s play… Yet I did it. But why?”

“I just can’t fathom it—I’m not that kind of person… This path leads nowhere!”

“Since that avenue is closed off, let’s start with the tools…”

“Murder weapons, skinning tools, bone-breaking tools, drying tools, powder-grinding tools… While the victim’s household tools could manage, they couldn’t be disassembled within 33 hours. So there must be additional instruments!”

“So many tools would be incredibly heavy.”

“After I killed, dismembered, and staged the scene, I’d be utterly drained. How could I possibly haul all those tools away? If I left them behind, they’d become clues for the police…”

“No, I wouldn’t need to take them with me; I just had to hide them in a place where the police wouldn’t suspect—somewhere inconspicuous.”

“Where could that be?”

“A community septic tank? No—moving them outside would easily catch the eye of the neighborhood cameras!”

“Rent a room in a residential building? That would definitely leave a trace of my identity!”

“Or perhaps… no, those spots are too predictable. That can’t be it!”

“Then, where…?”

Suddenly, Xiao Yu’s eyes brightened with a sudden insight.

It was as if he’d caught a fleeting clue, though its full meaning still eluded him.

Abruptly, a strange smile crept across his face.

“Could the most dangerous place be the safest of all?”

“Eureka!”

Xiao Yu lifted his gaze to the ceiling of the main hall.

Members of the Special Investigation Team sprang into action. They turned over the victim’s suspended ceiling, scouring even the bathroom and attic ceilings…

“Nothing!”

“Nothing?”

Xiao Yu glanced at the floor, stamped his foot, and smirked.

One by one, the floorboards of the victim’s home were pried open.

Until finally… even the attic floor was dismantled.

Disassembled tools and knives emerged piece by piece before everyone’s eyes!

For those unversed in renovations, they might wonder: isn’t the floor just laid directly down?

“No!”

“Some flooring—like pure solid wood—requires an underlying wooden framework before installation.”

“Firstly, to shield against high underfloor heat and moisture.”

“Secondly, to secure the floor and prevent it from expanding and cracking.”

“Though space is limited and the height modest, there’s ample room to store the disassembled tool parts…”

“We’ve found the murder tools!”

As each weapon and tool was laid out, the forensic team arrived to test them for fingerprints.

The results made Xiao Yu’s expression shift ever so slightly.

The members of the Special Investigation Team were dumbfounded, hardly believing their eyes.

Not only did these items bear fingerprints…

They all carried those of suspect He Xia.

“Can you believe it?!”

“Why would they have He Xia’s fingerprints?”

Based on all the clues and deductions gathered…

He Xia couldn’t possibly be capable of committing the crime.

Just the time factor—33 hours made it utterly impossible to pull off such a case.

“Time was simply not enough!”

Could this be a setup planted by the murderer?

Or perhaps a cruel trick?

The killer must have anticipated the police finding these items.

They deliberately planted He Xia’s fingerprints to mock the investigators.

Were they really slapping our faces?

In an instant, anger erupted among the members of the Special Investigation Team.

They felt as if their intellect was being trampled upon.

Then, suddenly…

“No, it can’t be this way!”

With a cold, fierce expression, Xiao Yu glared at the weapons and tools. “It’s not that the killer is toying with us—it’s that we’ve overlooked a critical possibility.”

“What possibility?” The team stared at Xiao Yu in shock.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu began to speak slowly and coldly.

“Who’s to say that the least likely suspect can’t actually be the murderer?”