Chapter 425: The Criminal’s Unconventional Tactics

Chapter 425: The Criminal’s Unconventional Tactics (Update 5)

Interrogation Room.

“It must have been five months ago when Second Brother appeared at my door,”

Hypnotized Lai Jun mumbled.

“And then?”

Xiao Yu felt he was closing in on his target.

“He said he knew I was lying and demanded that I hand this man over to him…”

Lai Jun’s face showed sheer terror. “He claimed he needed a magical artifact!”

“Couldn’t he find one himself?” Xiao Yu pressed.

“I don’t know. Second Brother is a lunatic, a demon—whatever twisted act he commits is considered perfectly normal…”

Lai Jun, as if recalling something dreadful, turned pale. “My siblings and I have always suspected that our Master’s death might have been caused by Second Brother…”

“You didn’t refuse him? You didn’t stand your ground?” Xiao Yu asked.

“I dared not. He would have killed me—and my family, too.”

Angrily, Lai Jun continued, “But I couldn’t let all my years of hard work go to waste.”

“Hard work?”

Xiao Yu sneered, “Deceiving Gan Xinlei out of his entire inheritance?”

“Yes… but Second Brother wouldn’t give me enough time.”

With resignation, Lai Jun admitted, “I had to coerce Shi Wangmei into using Gan Xinlei’s identity to take out online loans…”

“Then why did you deceive Gan Xinlei in the first place?”

Coldly staring at Lai Jun, Xiao Yu mocked, “What method did you use to control Shi Wangmei this time?”

“Once, I noticed a boutique thriving with business, selling luxury goods. I figured the owner must be rich.”

Under deep hypnosis, Lai Jun revealed all, “When I scoped out the place, I discovered that Shi Wangmei was the owner. I then followed her to a gym; from that point on, I deliberately went there to get close to her, deceived her, slept with her, and used both sweet talk and threats to force her into duping her husband, Gan Xinlei.”

“Why did you then seek out your senior sister, Lu Juan?” Xiao Yu needed to clarify this detail.

It was crucial for determining how to charge the suspect, Lu Juan.

“Third Sister is a master of deception—adept at brainwashing and scandalously unconstrained. By seducing Gan Xinlei, she gave Shi Wangmei the perfect opening to seize control of his fortune.”

Lai Jun went on, “But Gan Xinlei isn’t stupid; he only handed over his personal account to Shi Wangmei, while the boutique and property never made it to her hands. I intend to claim those assets—worth over four million—for myself.”

“What did your Second Brother say when he appeared?”

Xiao Yu needed to know the entire sequence of Liu Changcheng’s killing spree as ‘Second Brother.’

“He had been tailing me and Shi Wangmei. Even before coming to me, he had uncovered every detail about my scheme.”

Lai Jun murmured, “He knew Gan Xinlei’s home, that Shi Wangmei frequented both the gym and an escape room, and he even uncovered that underground chamber. With him around, I had no secrets.”

“That makes no sense.”

Frowning, Xiao Yu wondered, “Why is he so fixated on you?”

“I simply don’t know.”

Lai Jun shook his head, “All I know is that he was very close with Senior Brother. Apart from him, he barely interacts with any of us. Oh, and… our little junior died a few years back. That’s when I began to suspect that his death might also be connected to him.”

“Why would you say that?” Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.

“Just like back then…”

Lai Jun started shuddering uncontrollably, his voice high-pitched and frenzied, “When Master was cremated, I noticed his toenails were missing. The same was true for our little junior at his cremation. We all know Second Brother has a twisted fetish—he adores toenails so much that he fashions them into magical artifacts. While the rest of us see deception for what it is, Second Brother has gone off the deep end, convinced that his ‘White Immortal’ is real. He even chemically melts toenails to create something akin to hedgehog quills for his artifact!”

Xiao Yu: ???

To be honest, he was left dumbfounded.

Toenails? Hedgehog quills?

What on earth? They’re completely different substances—how could they possibly be linked?

But using chemical methods… Xiao Yu couldn’t make sense of it.

Still, his mind was filled with exasperated disbelief.

Such tactics?

Listening to Lai Jun, it all explained why the murderer had taken the toenails from two victims.

“So then…”

Xiao Yu finally asked the burning question, “Did your Second Brother go to Gan Xinlei’s house to commit the murder?”

He was the first to arrive at the scene.

He, along with Guo Qiang and Wang Cheng, discovered the victim’s body.

……… Seeking Flowers ……

Using Falcon’s Eye and Wangdie’s Nose, he meticulously searched the scene for any trace.

Yet aside from Gan Xinlei and Shi Wangmei, no other traces of anyone were found.

So… how did Second Brother Liu Changcheng manage to commit an in-home murder?

“Yes.”

Lai Jun nodded, “It was him. He even warned me that he didn’t want to be seen when he killed to take the artifact. But at that moment, he made a very bizarre demand.”

“What did he demand?” Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up.

“He told me…”

Lai Jun, looking genuinely confused, said, “To provide a set of Shi Wangmei’s underwear and clothes—ones that hadn’t been washed for three days…”

“Holy shit!”

Xiao Yu couldn’t hold back and blurted out an expletive.

…

Could Second Brother really be that depraved?

Stunned, Xiao Yu thought that even a pervert shouldn’t be this extreme.

No, this level of perversion seems… almost unreasonable.

His mind raced as he began to deduce the motive.

No—Liu Changcheng’s demand for Shi Wangmei’s underwear and clothes had a purpose.

There had to be a reason; otherwise, he wouldn’t have issued such a stern warning.

Suddenly, everything clicked in Xiao Yu’s mind.

He recalled a case from last year.

A flower shop owner who sought to seize the fortune of a wealthy employee’s boyfriend.

He remembered that his Wangdie’s Nose was initially deceived by the scent on the flower shop owner.

At the time, the cosmetically altered flower shop owner had been impersonating an employee.

So the scent she carried was actually that of the employee!

The realization hit, and Xiao Yu’s expression grew strange.

Liu Changcheng wanted Shi Wangmei’s underwear and clothes.

Could it be to mask his own scent?

Was he… protecting himself against police dogs?

Worried that his odor might give him away?

Amazing… Xiao Yu marveled, somewhat impressed.

Could this be the key as to why he never detected an outsider’s scent?

Who would have thought? I’ve been duped by a criminal’s unconventional tactic once again!

…

PS: Sorry, I dozed off at my desk at 6 AM. I promise I’ll catch up with the updates immediately!