Qin Jiang's home clearly hadn't been cleaned in a long time. It felt cold and lifeless, with only traces of someone living in the corners.
Ye Sangsang walked in and looked around.
It was a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. At a glance, she could see the neatly arranged towels, toothpaste, and toothbrush in the bathroom. They looked well-used, with the towels even having holes in them.
The coffee table in the living room was dusty, but there were few items on it. The sofa was a warm ginger color.
Books were scattered on the sofa, mostly about crime and investigation, with some novels mixed in.
She picked up a cup, and a thick layer of dust had settled at the bottom.
On the wooden shoe cabinet by the entrance, there was a yellow toy excavator, the kind boys love to play with. It seemed like it had just been played with and casually left there.
There was also a red scarf on the sofa, a woman's coat hanging on the entrance coat rack, and beautiful roses on the balcony.
If not for the dust, it would have felt as though a warm family of three still lived here.
She walked into the bedroom. Aside from the small area where Qin Jiang lived, the rest of the room was preserved exactly as it had been long ago.
Ye Sangsang didn’t touch anything. She closed the door and left.
By the time she returned to the team, it was already evening.
After some contemplation, Ye Sangsang decided to conduct a second behavioral analysis of the crime and a second psychological profile of Qin Jiang.
Gu Ling and Zheng He were lost and overwhelmed, being pushed to complete the case procedures. As long as they could find Qin Jiang’s motive for killing these people, the case would be closed.
Why Lin Xue had died was not only puzzling to Ye Sangsang but had also left them utterly confused.
They felt as though they were trapped in a web, struggling desperately but unable to break free.
In this situation, they could only wait for the identification of the deceased.
There were five sets of DNA comparisons for missing persons that matched the criteria. The fastest result would take two days.
This was an expedited process, given the significant impact of the case. The public had no answers yet, and the uncertainty was causing widespread unease.
Everyone was waiting—waiting for the results, waiting for the motive.
Meanwhile, Ye Sangsang completed her behavioral analysis and psychological profile.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Lin Xue was before her.
He was sitting there, talking to someone. He said, “I know where Zhao Tianman is. What does Brother Qin want with him?”
According to the records, Lin Xue was a mild-mannered person, so he slowly poured tea, took a few sips, and then spoke.
Qin Jiang was impatient. His obsession was to set those people on the right path. He was furious at the thought of them repeating their mistakes, furious that these criminals hadn’t reformed after being released from prison.
Zhao Tianman, a cruel murderer who disposed of bodies and had a dark, twisted personality, had caught Qin Jiang’s attention. Qin Jiang wanted to find him.
But he didn’t want Zhao Tianman to know he was already onto him, so he sought out a local thug, asking him to find Zhao Tianman’s current residence.
The thug didn’t know, but he knew Lin Xue had met Zhao Tianman in prison and that the two had stayed in touch after their release. So, Qin Jiang went to Lin Xue.
Lin Xue’s questioning made Qin Jiang grab his hair in frustration. “I just need to ask him something. Just give me the address.”
He had rushed over, parched, and gulped down a cup of water in one go.
“Why don’t I go with you?” Lin Xue suggested kindly.
Qin Jiang refused. “No, I’ll go alone. Just tell me the address.”
He lit a cigarette, his second since entering the room, as a fire of anxiety burned within him.
Lin Xue had no choice but to give him the address.
Qin Jiang didn’t even finish his cigarette. He crushed it on the floor and left.
Lin Xue saw him out.
He was a neat person, so after closing the door, he started tidying up.
But before he could begin, there was another knock at the door. Lin Xue looked around, thinking Qin Jiang had forgotten something.
But there was nothing of Qin Jiang’s in sight.
Perhaps he had more questions. Lin Xue walked to the door and opened it.
The moment the door opened, confusion flashed in Lin Xue’s eyes.
He saw the menacing expression on the visitor’s face and instinctively took two steps back.
But those two steps were his last. The next second, his neck was slashed, and blood sprayed onto the wall like a blooming plum tree.
The attacker turned and left. Lin Xue fell forward, his body slamming the door shut.
His vocal cords were severed, and he couldn’t make a sound. He stared wide-eyed, feeling his life slip away.
Three minutes later, blood seeped through the cracks of the iron door.
Qin Jiang arrived at Zhao Tianman’s home. This was the person he intended to help find a job, even though, from an ordinary person’s perspective, Zhao Tianman didn’t deserve saving.
But Qin Jiang still wanted to try. What if he could prevent another victim? What if he could preserve a perfect family?
With this thought, he found the scrapyard and entered Zhao Tianman’s home.
Zhao Tianman knew Qin Jiang. Over the past month since his release, his former prison mates had mentioned Qin Jiang during their gatherings.
Their meeting started amicably. Qin Jiang asked about Zhao Tianman’s life over the past month.
Zhao Tianman had faced many scornful and disdainful looks since his release, but Qin Jiang’s gentle demeanor eased some of his hostility.
The two sat on the sofa and chatted. Qin Jiang brought up the recent dismemberment murders.
Zhao Tianman, having been worn down in prison, immediately denied any involvement. The conversation grew heated, and eventually, Zhao Tianman told Qin Jiang to leave.
Just then, a noise came from the east room.
Both men froze. Zhao Tianman entered the room first, perhaps seeing something that led to a struggle.
As a police officer, Qin Jiang rushed in with his weapon drawn.
The intruder held a knife, ready to kill Zhao Tianman.
The three men stood in a tense standoff.
The intruder wore a full-face mask and used Zhao Tianman as a shield.
He tried to escape, and Qin Jiang instinctively fired, but Zhao Tianman stepped in front of the bullet.
The masked man, seeing Qin Jiang’s hesitation, charged forward and knocked him out.
He saw the police and quickly fled through the window at the back of the house.
When they went upstairs, they discovered the scene.
Ye Sangsang opened her eyes and wrote down the name: Zhao Tianqi.
As for Qin Jiang, Ye Sangsang’s previous profile of him was: no family, lost his wife and child early in life. During his younger years as an officer, he had experienced psychological trauma that left him with certain mental barriers. He was outwardly cold but inwardly passionate, a dedicated officer who was deeply committed to saving others and had a strong drive for solving cases.
Her current profile remained the same.
She was certain once again that he was that outwardly cold but inwardly passionate man, a good officer who, after losing his wife and child, was determined to save criminals and prevent them from repeating their mistakes.
Ye Sangsang wrote Qin Jiang’s name and marked it with a check.
“I hope I won’t let you lose your reputation in your later years,” she thought.
For the first time in a while, she smiled—a genuine smile, not one calculated or mimicking someone else’s expression.
[Why did she suddenly smile? But it looks nice.]
[I feel like Sister Sang has figured something out.]
[Sang Sang, I’m curious—is Qin Jiang really the final boss?]
Some viewers in the live stream noticed her smile and started asking questions. The enthusiasm in the chat was palpable.
Ye Sangsang glanced at the screen floating in the corner of her vision. As if anticipating their confusion, she said, “If we can’t find the truth, he’ll be labeled as the killer.”
She wasn’t one for overthinking. If they couldn’t uncover the truth, Qin Jiang would have to bear the blame.
[??? Sister Sang can read minds.]
[It’s not hard to guess what we’re thinking. By the way, Sister Sang actually talked to us! I usually like the interactive style of the internet detective streamer next door, but quietly watching her work is also great—it’s like watching a drama. The main reason I’m rambling is that I want to confess: I love you, wife!]
[Stop being crazy, person above. The stream next door is still investigating. The internet detective streamer is still working on identifying the deceased. Lin Xue and the death cabin haven’t been discovered yet, and Qin Jiang is still unconscious.]
[Update for the person above: they went offline yesterday, but when they came back online tonight, they found Lin Xue and the death cabin. It feels like they’re catching up to Sister Sang. I wonder who will be the first to clear this instance.]
The live stream viewers felt that watching Ye Sangsang’s stream was an adrenaline rush from start to finish.
Since they started a collaboration with the internet detective streamer next door, the audience was more than happy to discuss both streams together. StarRing Live doesn’t prohibit mentioning other streamers in a live chat, as long as there’s no offensive or abusive language.
Ye Sangsang didn’t watch the stream, nor did she even know about this person.
She was about to profile the real culprit. Unlike her unchanged profile of Qin Jiang, whom she had seen in person, Ye Sangsang felt there might be some adjustments to her profile of the actual killer.
She went to the crime scene—a place where the criminal had dismembered the victim, cooked the girl’s body, and even consumed her internal organs.
A wise person doesn’t stand under a dangerous wall. Before leaving, Ye Sangsang brought Zheng He along to avoid any mishaps.
Zheng He’s mood had clearly taken a downturn. If it weren’t for the fact that the DNA comparison results hadn’t come out yet, she felt she wouldn’t have been able to bring him along.
The two of them remained silent throughout the journey, soon arriving at a rental house three kilometers away from South Street, a place the live stream audience had dubbed the “House of Death.”
The place had been cleaned up by the forensic team, but as they stepped inside, the overwhelming stench of blood and lingering rot still filled the air.
Zheng He’s face turned pale, perhaps unable to fathom that Qin Jiang could be capable of such brutal and bloody acts.
He glanced around the room, noting the steel bars embedded in the walls to create security windows. After confirming it was safe, he stood with his back to the door.
Ye Sangsang stood in the center of the room and, without wasting any time, began, “The girl was drugged and brought here. She was slender, wearing a newly bought, pretty dress. She must have been waiting for someone, or perhaps someone lured her out with promises of something.”
She turned to Zheng He, “She was captured. The killer had planned this—he targeted her specifically. Late at night, he brought her to the scene and threw her onto an iron bed, waiting for her to wake up.”
“Late at night to avoid people? But why wait for her to wake up?” Zheng He asked.
Ye Sangsang nodded, “Torture. A kind of madness stemming from within.”
At that moment, Gu Ling walked in.
She knew the two were here and had called halfway to say she’d join them. Now she had arrived.
She listened to Ye Sangsang’s analysis and asked, “So, was the victim chosen deliberately? Was it premeditated?”
“The motive for murder,” Ye Sangsang hinted.
Zheng He, who knew Qin Jiang’s history, pondered for a moment. “The victim and Qin Jiang—there’s hatred between them, or perhaps a continuation of that hatred.”
“The kidnapper! He has family, right? Was this girl connected to him?” Gu Ling suddenly exclaimed.
Ye Sangsang nodded, then shook her head.
[Ahhh, please keep up with Sangsang’s pace! I’m more convinced than you guys that Qin Jiang is innocent! This is a frame-up! The motive is to frame him!]
[Exactly, if we follow Sangsang’s reasoning, the motive here is the killer’s motive to frame Qin Jiang. The real killer is incredibly meticulous, setting up an airtight case against Qin Jiang.]
[The earlier comment is right—there’s a motive, evidence at the scene, and even eyewitnesses. With all this, Qin Jiang, as they say nowadays, is left with no way to defend himself.]
[Especially since the person in question is still unconscious…]
Meanwhile, Gu Ling and Zheng He were puzzled by Ye Sangsang’s reaction.
What did nodding and then shaking her head mean?
Ye Sangsang looked at them, “Do you really believe Qin Jiang is capable of such cruelty? To the point of drinking blood and eating flesh?”
“No matter how much he hates, or how obsessed he is with his deceased wife and child, wishing they could come back to life, he wouldn’t do something like this.”
“This isn’t about emotions—it’s what my rational analysis tells me.”
She and Qin Jiang were strangers who had only spent two days together.
Zheng He lowered his gaze, wanting to pull out a cigarette but remembering they were at a crime scene. He gave up with a flick of his hand. “I don’t believe it, but the evidence is overwhelming.”
“And there’s the motive. If he’s truly innocent, it’ll be hard to find a breakthrough in this sea of clues,” Gu Ling said with a troubled expression.
While waiting, they had gone through every detail of the case, but the killer had left no trace behind.
If there was even the slightest clue, they would have pursued it further.
Ye Sangsang didn’t say anything but continued profiling the killer.
Her slender figure stood in the center of the bloodstained room. “The drug used to knock her out didn’t last long. She woke up in a dark environment. At the same time, she sensed the killer approaching. She tried to speak, but in the next second, a rope choked her unconscious.”
“She woke up from the pain—a sharp iron hook from the ceiling had pierced her leg, and she was hung upside down. Before she could even cry for help, a knife was plunged into her neck.”
“Blood splattered everywhere. In the remaining moments of her consciousness, she was disemboweled.”
Gu Ling shuddered, a chill running up her spine to her brain, as if she could see the girl’s lifeless body swaying under the iron hook, staring at her with unblinking eyes.
It was too horrifying.
She quickly shook her head, trying to stop herself from dwelling on the image.
Ye Sangsang took a deep breath and began the final suspect profile. She continued, “The killer suffered physical trauma in his childhood, was severely neglected, and had no formal education. His psyche grew wild and twisted. As a child, he likely exhibited behaviors like torturing and dissecting small animals. He has pica, is around 43 or 44 years old, about 176 cm tall, and has spent at least fifteen years in prison.”
“Finally, he’s observing us.”
Zheng He, who had been leaning against the wall, suddenly stood up and looked around.
Gu Ling’s eyes widened, her hand instinctively reaching for her waist, only to remember that as a civilian, she couldn’t carry a gun. She started scanning the room for anything she could use as a weapon.
Ye Sangsang remained silent, looking at them. “What I mean is, he wants to know our every move, not that he’s watching us at all times. He also wants to see his efforts pay off, doesn’t he?”
[I was scared too for a moment.]
[The killer wouldn’t expose himself—that would ruin everything.]
[The internet celebrity next door is already jumping ahead, waiting for the case to close. But I still have doubts—who’s telling the truth here?]
As the live chat continued, Gu Ling spoke up, “So, what should we do next?”
Zheng He also looked at Ye Sangsang curiously.
“Find Zhao Tianqi,” Ye Sangsang said slowly.
