Chapter 434: Chapter 434: Whole? Painless?

Chapter 434: Whole? Painless? (Update 2)

Inside a speeding police car.

“Using ‘Bao Pengyi’s’ ID data, we found that two hours ago the suspect had taken a bath at an unknown bathhouse, leaving just half an hour later.”

Guo Qiang reported while driving, “Our team is retrieving Tianyan Surveillance Camera footage; if needed, we can track his movements.”

“That Liu Changcheng is way too cocky, isn’t he?”

Wang Cheng fumed, “Again with the bathhouse and hiring prostitutes! Does he really think murder is nothing? Doesn’t he feel any guilt?”

“Guilt?”

From the passenger seat, Xiao Yu scoffed, “What guilt would a twisted maniac—capable of killing, dismembering, and even using body parts like building blocks—feel?”

Either he degrades himself in debauchery or mutates in silence.

Clearly, this Liu Changcheng is the latter!

The police car halted outside the bathhouse.

Zhao Changshan and the others quickly arrived.

Da Ju from the City Bureau and Yun Xiangguo also showed up in person.

Two consecutive cases of murder and dismemberment are significant on their own.

Now it’s tied to two decades-old homicide cases—four lives lost.

If Yun Xiangguo hadn’t come, that would have been a real disgrace…

“Boss, long time no see.”

Xiao Yu greeted Yun Xiangguo with a smile and a handshake.

“You really are a busy man.”

Yun Xiangguo smirked teasingly, “You always skip the city meetings. Seems your side work is doing pretty well, huh?”

Xiao Yu: ……

Mocked again—don’t leaders have any decency?

Forget it. Let’s take the impressive route and let the fool do the talking.

“I’m just a small-time cop under immense pressure from your higher-ups,” Xiao Yu chuckled.

Yun Xiangguo: ……

Zhao Changshan: ……

Calling yourself a small cop—is that really acceptable?

Not just in Bincheng; even the Provincial Department would disagree.

Anyone who truly knows Xiao Yu wouldn’t dare label him as small-time.

Without further delay, everyone entered the bathhouse.

The surveillance footage was pulled up…

Xiao Yu calmly observed the monitor as a man appeared.

He looked ordinary, with short hair and a seemingly slender build, yet he stood about 1.8 meters tall.

His face was cold, and his small, single-lidded eyes glimmered with an icy light.

It was none other than the suspect, Liu Changcheng!

“The Tianyan Surveillance footage is up.”

A criminal police officer handed over a tablet.

The footage showed that after leaving the bathhouse, suspect Liu Changcheng hailed a taxi.

Tracking the taxi led them to a certain area.

Until he reached a day-rental apartment in an unknown commercial district.

(chdj) Continuing the search in the apartment, they found the rental details…

“Arrest him.”

Xiao Yu set down the tablet and turned to Yun Xiangguo and Zhao Changshan.

Twenty minutes later…

After Xiao Yu and his team arrived at the day-rental apartment where the suspect was staying,

a piece of news left everyone dumbfounded…

The arrest had failed!

Impossible… that thought flashed through all their minds.

Suspect Liu Changcheng is not only a murderer and a pervert, he’s also just an ordinary man.

Before they could reach him, a SWAT team had already launched an operation.

SWAT? How could they fail against an ordinary man?

What’s worse, one of the SWAT officers was injured.

Struck by a bizarre spike.

He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition—poisoned.

Cadaver toxin… left everyone stunned once again.

As voices murmured, “What the…?”, Xiao Yu took a long moment to regain his focus.

This isn’t a movie set or a novel.

“Cadaver toxin?”

Exactly, cadaver toxin.

It’s a bacterial toxin synthesized by adding certain chemicals to the liquefied fluids of a decayed corpse.

Seeing the spike that injured the SWAT officer, Xiao Yu thought of an animal.

A hedgehog!

He recalled something once said by the suspect Lai Jun.

According to him, his second senior brother, Liu Changcheng, could combine his nails with certain chemicals to create a spike.

He even called that spike a ‘magic weapon!’

“When we burst in to arrest him, one of our team members was ambushed by the suspect hiding behind the door… The suspect even lobbed a Molotov cocktail.”

“Inside the day-rental apartment, the smell of gasoline was strong, and there was a hostage near the suspect.”

“For the hostage’s safety, we couldn’t act rashly, which led to the failed arrest!”

The captain of the SWAT team from the sub-team explained.

Gasoline? A hostage?

Playing a dangerous game… Xiao Yu’s eyes flashed coldly, “Negotiations?”

The SWAT captain shook his head, “Not at the moment.”

Xiao Yu turned serious and looked at his apprentice, “Wanna go take a look?”

“Why wouldn’t I!” Wang Cheng replied excitedly.

“Let’s move.”

Xiao Yu headed toward the main entrance of the apartment building.

Wang Cheng quickly followed.

Everyone watching the duo couldn’t help but smirk.

Up there, it wasn’t just criminals—they had gasoline and Molotov cocktails too.

Are you guys really that brave?

…

Inside the apartment, on the fifth floor,

the fire ignited by the Molotov cocktail had long been put out.

Everyone was already evacuated, with SWAT officers guarding the corridors.

Xiao Yu and Wang Cheng stepped out of the elevator.

Under the watchful eyes of the SWAT team, they approached the day-rental apartment where the suspect was located.

The stairwell bore signs of intense flames and residues from extinguishing agents.

Stopping in front of one apartment door and staring at the charred entrance still emitting black smoke, Xiao Yu peered inside.

Inside, a man and a woman stood in a dimly lit room, the curtains drawn.

The woman appeared to be held hostage.

The man had a sharp knife pressed against her neck in one hand, while the other gripped a water bottle.

A towel was tied to the bottle’s opening, with gasoline droplets slowly seeping down the rag.

How was he planning to ignite it?

Next to this crude Molotov cocktail was a small tea table.

On the table, a candle burned steadily.

Once the man let the cocktail fall onto the flame, it would ignite instantly.

Xiao Yu’s gaze shifted from the cocktail and candle to the man’s face.

At last, he noticed another human habit.

If perversion can be called a habit…

“Liu Changcheng?” Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on the man.

“Police?” Liu Changcheng returned his stare.

“Could you follow the rules for once?”

Xiao Yu replied calmly, “Why make things harder for others?”

“Rules?”

Liu Changcheng sneered, “When you’re about to lose your life, you expect me to follow rules?”

“Who’s to blame?”

Xiao Yu coldly laughed, “Is it any wonder when someone forces you to kill and dismember—twisted enough to rip out a victim’s toenails and build houses with their remains?”

Liu Changcheng fell silent, staring coldly at Xiao Yu.

“I’m giving you one chance—surrender.”

Xiao Yu said seriously, “I can guarantee you a complete, painless trial!”

Complete? Painless?

Liu Changcheng was stunned.

What do you mean by that?