Chapter Index

    Chapter 162: Two Bodies, Two Lives

    Night, 10:00.

    Xiao Yu shifted his gaze from the computer, ready to mobilize his team.

    Arrest Jia Zhen!

    “Boss, there’s trouble!”

    Guo Qiang burst into the Criminal Investigation Team, standing before Xiao Yu.

    Xiao Yu: ……

    He said nothing, instead giving Guo Qiang a piercing, meaningful look.

    “No, I mean, ‘Boss, you’re in trouble!'”

    Guo Qiang forced a laugh before quickly adopting a serious expression. “They’ve found Jia Yanli’s body!”

    What? Xiao Yu was stunned.

    Immediately after, Guo Qiang revealed another shocking piece of news.

    “When they located the body, they discovered another corpse. The deceased is…”

    Guo Qiang’s expression grew complex. “Jia Zhen!”

    Xiao Yu fell silent, pondering for a moment. “How did he die?”

    “His neck was severed.”

    Guo Qiang explained, “It’s murder!”

    “Murder?” Xiao Yu was stunned once again.

    How could it be murder?

    Judging from Jia Zhen’s personal files,

    he’d already deduced the basics of the case.

    Jia Yanli’s body was stolen by Jia Zhen—its purpose surely wasn’t revenge.

    Do you expect a tomb raider to avenge a sister they barely knew?

    If not revenge, then what was it for?

    Perhaps Jia Zhen caught wind of something—learning that Che Feiting had killed his sister-in-law—or he deduced it himself.

    But he had no evidence to prove it.

    So he devised a rather unconventional plan.

    He used his sister’s corpse to scare people!

    Did that work?

    It worked brilliantly!

    People fear the unknown—ghosts and deities alike.

    There’s even a ridiculous statistic that’s hard to comprehend.

    Do you know how many people die from watching horror films each year?

    Globally, as many as twenty thousand!

    Ever wonder why horror films are rated and barred from certain audiences?

    Because they can literally terrify you!

    Xiao Yu even deduced that Jia Zhen had two motives for using his sister’s corpse to intimidate.

    First, he intended to scare Che Feiting to death.

    Could he really be scared to death?

    The likelihood is extremely high!

    And if he didn’t succeed?

    Second, if Che Feiting survived, he’d be forced to confess—the true murder—and would subsequently be arrested, tried, and face the death penalty.

    Both motives converge on a single goal.

    Once Che Feiting is dead, Jia Zhen would inherit his sister Jia Yanli’s fortune!

    Is it really possible to go to such lengths for money?

    Hmph!

    Yet… Xiao Yu was left puzzled.

    How could Jia Zhen be dead?

    Was he also murdered?

    Given everything he’d done, he’d hardly have had any partners in crime.

    Wouldn’t hoarding wealth be more enticing than sharing it?

    So it shouldn’t even be possible for him to be killed by others.

    Alright, let’s assume he did have an accomplice.

    But then, the accomplice would also be after the money.

    And here comes the absurdity.

    If Jia Zhen is dead, how could he inherit Jia Yanli’s fortune? His partner wouldn’t get any money either, right?

    Then, is there another possibility?

    Maybe Jia Zhen, caught in a vendetta, was simply unlucky and got killed at the worst possible time?

    Xiao Yu stood up and told Guo Qiang, “Let’s go check the scene!”

    It’s the same old argument.

    How could there be so many coincidences in the world?

    ……

    At a Cold Storage Facility in a certain district.

    The facility was enormous, housing a total of forty-five cold storage units.

    Its business was renting out cold storage spaces.

    Jia Zhen’s body was discovered by the night guard just after nine.

    He died right outside the unit he had rented.

    When the responding officers arrived and examined the scene, they opened the unit Jia Zhen had rented.

    And they found Jia Yanli’s body!

    While Jia Yanli’s corpse had been recovered, a major headache arose.

    One person was dead!

    Xiao Yu had already reported the situation that afternoon.

    It’s highly likely that Jia Yanli’s death wasn’t natural—it was murder.

    Two lives lost! Can you imagine how furious Captain Zhao Changshan and Instructor Zhou Tinghu must be?

    Frankly speaking,

    the entire Criminal Investigation Team was enraged!

    The case was immediately escalated to the City Bureau.

    Then, things took a strange turn.

    A superior order… No, it was Yun Xiangguo from the City Bureau.

    The Criminal Investigation Team was given full authority to investigate the case, with support from the entire city police system.

    At that moment, both Zhao Changshan and Zhou Tinghu, who received the order, were completely dumbfounded.

    Had the higher-ups been drinking bad liquor?

    A case involving two deaths, assigned to our Criminal Investigation Team?

    We can handle it!

    Then, they recalled that the team had one incredibly talented young investigator.

    Heh… So it was Xiao Yu who was to lead the investigation, huh?

    Didn’t you say so outright?

    ……

    Xiao Yu knelt beside a corpse. The floor was already stained red with fresh blood.

    The strong, iron-like scent of blood indicated the death was recent.

    The body lay on its back, its neck severed with only a thin layer of skin holding it together, and its head slumped to one side…

    It was unmistakably Jia Zhen… Xiao Yu’s eyes shifted to the severed neck as he listened to the forensic report.

    “From the cut on the victim’s neck, the weapon appears to be a cleaver-type tool, yet it doesn’t quite match—it seems more like damage inflicted by a shovel. The slight curvature of the wound reveals the truth…”

    “Not a shovel—it’s an Engineer’s Shovel.”

    Xiao Yu cut off the medic’s rambling to continue studying the body.

    How did he know?

    Because of his ‘Weapon Expert’ ability.

    That ability includes knowledge of combat styles, usage, and the potential damage of an Engineer’s Shovel, among other details.

    When Xiao Yu examined the neck wound, his mind instantly retrieved all the relevant information.

    “Aha!”

    The medic stared at Xiao Yu in disbelief.

    “Wait, are you a medic too?”

    Prompted by Xiao Yu’s remark, the medic re-examined the wound and suddenly understood.

    Turning to Xiao Yu, his face showed genuine admiration.

    Xiao Yu ignored him completely.

    He had intended his earlier remarks to keep the medic from interrupting his thought process.

    Why was the murder weapon an Engineer’s Shovel?

    An ordinary person would never even have the chance to use one.

    Unless… the murderer was a tomb raider?

    Was the Engineer’s Shovel originally Jia Zhen’s?

    Did he intend to commit murder, only to have it taken and turned against him?

    No…

    Activating his ‘Falcon’s Eye’, Xiao Yu scanned the area around the body.

    There were no signs of a struggle or fight.

    From the fatal wounds, it was clear that Jia Zhen had been attacked from behind—his neck viciously slashed with an Engineer’s Shovel.

    The final blow had been delivered in one swift, fatal strike!

    Taking a deep breath, electrical signals raced chaotically through Xiao Yu’s mind.

    Crack! A possible scenario flashed through his thoughts.

    “Jia Zhen must have known the killer. The Engineer’s Shovel was brought by the murderer. Could it be that, given his reputation as a tomb raider, one of his acquaintances also carries an Engineer’s Shovel?”

    Xiao Yu sneered coldly. “Then why murder Jia Zhen here? Why choose this location? Jia Zhen wouldn’t lure outsiders to hide a corpse here. What is the killer’s motive in staging the murder right at the cold storage door?”

    Suddenly,

    Looking up at the cold storage unit two meters away, Xiao Yu froze.

    Could it be…

    Are they trying to lure someone into discovering a female corpse inside the cold storage?

    Does this theory even hold any water?

    ……

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    Chapter Summary

    Xiao Yu and his team are called to investigate a series of brutal murders. Two bodies—Jia Yanli and Jia Zhen—raise perplexing questions about motive and method. With evidence hinting at a planned scheme involving the use of a corpse to instill terror, Xiao Yu deduces a link between the murders and a rare weapon, an Engineer’s Shovel. Amid mounting doubts and surprising twists, Xiao Yu activates his 'Falcon’s Eye' and 'Weapon Expert' skills to piece together the dark mystery, while tensions rise within the Criminal Investigation Team and the City Bureau.

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