Chapter 397: Shifting Identities

Chapter 397: Missing Someone, Gaining Someone

In the distance, the horizon still bore the subtle stains of autumn rain.

A thick, milky mist swirled around, enshrouding the sky.

The security officers retracted their umbrellas and stepped aside.

Corrupt… Xiao Yu’s gaze drifted back from afar.

Have you forgotten your mission?

If you keep sinking like this, you’ll never serve as a proper cop!

Yet he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

As his rank climbed, so did the privileges.

He was now the leader of National Security Team 10.

Traveling with special security means someone’s always holding an umbrella on a rainy day.

It’s not as simple as saying ‘give it a try’ and expecting others to step up.

For leaders like Wang Dong, their unique status demands it.

One or two guards are assigned 24/7.

Because their role now represents more than just themselves.

Any mishap with a team leader turns into a major crisis.

Xiao Yu should have enjoyed the same treatment.

But due to confidentiality, he remains just a regular cop in public.

That privilege was instead given to Mu Qingwu.

Did you really think that someone like Bai Ting’s special forces would protect a mere businessman?

Thanks to Big Boss’s backing, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but feel a tinge of inferiority…

“No clues found.”

Wang Dong, cigarette dangling from his lips, approached his junior. “We’ve checked the victim’s classmates, roommates, and all their contacts. The chance that any of them did it is negligible.”

Not everyone is capable of murder.

And certainly not everyone can kill six people in one go.

It takes both brute strength and refined technique, not to mention a steely resolve.

To wipe out six lives at once, the murderer’s cruelty and exceptional mental fortitude are truly terrifying.

“Not surprising,”

Xiao Yu nodded. “To use a Disc Spirit game to cover up a murder as a paranormal event – we nearly got fooled. This man’s intellect and methods far exceed those of an ordinary person. Finding him so easily? Now that’s eerie.”

But one thing was clear.

The killer was intimately familiar with all six victims.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so close to them.

It all stemmed from the filming of the ‘Disc Spirit’ video clip…

“After comparing the outfits from the video with those of the six victims,”

Wang Dong flicked his cigarette butt. “Just as you mentioned, one person had been swapped out.”

It was a classic case of a decoy maneuver – an easy lead to follow.

Originally, all six players in the Disc Spirit game appeared in the footage.

Even though two of them had their backs turned, making their faces indiscernible.

A person can be substituted, but their clothes can’t be identical.

Their build, hairstyles, everything differed.

Even if the video was a bit blurry and dim.

A careful analysis still revealed certain irregularities.

No one likes to engage in a battle of wits with thin air.

But sometimes the murderer is too cunning, with an extraordinary intellect.

To catch them, we had to rely on deduction, analysis, and even a touch of imaginative reconstruction.

Just like at yesterday’s mock crime scene set up by Xiao Yu.

It was as if we were playing with shadows – and the shadows won…

“Then let’s trace the substituted person.”

A trace of mockery curved Xiao Yu’s lips. “The murderer ran; the victim’s body can’t possibly run, can it?”

“What do you mean?”

Wang Dong felt his wits failing him again.

“Why would he let someone take his place?”

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes. “Planning a Disc Spirit killing spree that took six lives and executing a decoy maneuver wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.”

“So you’re saying…” Wang Dong’s expression hardened.

“The killer forgot one thing – filming a video isn’t instantaneous. It requires a whole process of preparation.”

Xiao Yu scoffed. “Judging by the video’s production, it looks like they were wrapping up the Disc Spirit recording.”

“That means the preliminary phase happened a long time ago… three days? a week? or even a month?”

“Back then, the six were always seen together; plenty of people would have noticed their outings.”

“Now a last-minute substitute appears, one that doesn’t quite match… Go find out who the original six were. Anyone who remembers seeing them together will have an impression.”

“If someone can name six people that don’t correspond to the current list of victims, the surplus and the deficit will be clear as day.”

“Amazing!” Wang Dong exclaimed, giving his junior a thumbs-up.

His understanding of ‘monsters’ had never been this profound.

Wang Dong was completely in awe of his junior’s mind.

“Even among brothers, accounts must be settled,”

“Flattery won’t help,” Xiao Yu retorted, glaring at Wang Dong. “This case is handled by Team Two. I’m just the errand runner. And for crying out loud, not a single special supply box should be missing.”

“What special supply?”

Wang Dong blinked in confusion. “Did I mention anything?”

“Trust between people is as fragile as paper,”

Xiao Yu chuckled. “From now on, let’s part ways. I’m heading home to be with my sister. How cheap!”

“Don’t say that.”

Wang Dong immediately backed off. His smile wasn’t just warm—it was the joy of reuniting with a long-lost brother, nearly bringing him to tears as he threw an arm around his junior. “I just remembered—we do have a special supply box. Middle age really dulls the memory, huh?”

Shameless doesn’t equal incompetence.

After all, when you’re so brazen, no one can outdo you!

“Incredible!”

Xiao Yu eyed the astonishing Wang Dong and asked, “Do you know what I admire most about you?”

Wang Dong replied with a teasing smile, “What?”

“Your shamelessness, Brother Wang, is absolutely unparalleled.”

Xiao Yu sighed with admiration, “Unmatched!”

“You’re too kind!”

Wang Dong burst into laughter, silently thinking that his junior still had youth on his side.

What era are we even living in?

Without any street smarts, how can you survive out there?

…

Team Two launched a new round of investigations.

They focused on tracing the past movements and details of the six victims.

This could be done not only through inquiries with their schools and roommates,

but also by checking campus security footage.

For instance, reviewing who left together and who shared meals.

Within a day, Team Two zeroed in on a target.

Xiong Shaoyan, male, 21, a senior at XX University from L City…

Strangely enough,

Investigations revealed that he hadn’t been particularly close to the six victims before.

Yet two months prior, he was seen coming and going with them.

They’d gone out together, even dined together at the school cafeteria.

In an empty classroom, while Xiao Yu was studying the blackboard,

Team Two escorted Xiong Shaoyan into the room and positioned him right in front of him.

When he turned around to face the young onlookers,

Xiao Yu only glanced briefly before furrowing his brow.

No, that’s not him!