Ye Sangsang's action left the live-stream audience wide-eyed and utterly stunned. It was a path they had never imagined, and no one had ever questioned whether the game's designated culprit might be wrong.
As they watched Ye Sangsang click to close the case, they initially thought she had given up on the investigation.
To their surprise, she had deduced that the game's setting identified Qin Jiang as the culprit and chose the "No" option to report an error in the case conclusion.
Zhao Tianqi's testimony, Feng Lian's deleted QQ chat records, phone card call logs, and finally, Ye Sangsang's own written reasoning and judgment.
She wrote: "This is enough to prove that there are doubts about Qin Jiang's case."
She chose to use the evidence to report an error in the game's case.
The super-intelligent system's judgment was that the report was successful—there were indeed doubts about the case, and it triggered a new round of deduction.
In other words, the super-intelligent system also believed that the real culprit was someone else.
[Oh my god, does this mean that in reality, Qin Jiang was wrongly accused?]
[If everything is real, then isn't this a case of a wrongful conviction?]
[Sang-jie, you're my only queen. I thought you gave up, wuwuwu.]
[Qin Jiang is so pitiful. He's such a good police officer. We must find the real culprit. Even if it's delayed justice, it must be served!]
Heartache, sadness, and shock filled the live-stream chat, with comments flooding the screen to the point of almost completely obscuring it. Only the smart adjustment feature allowed viewers to see Ye Sangsang on the screen.
Ye Sangsang looked at the reward of 1 attribute point, which she added to her stamina.
[Player ID: Ye Sangsang]
[Mental Strength: 8 (10)]
[Intelligence: 8 (10)]
[Stamina: 7 (10)]
Her original stamina of 3, plus the 3 points rewarded from the previous case, now increased by another point, bringing her stamina to an impressive 7.
She gazed at the glowing panel, quite satisfied with the data she saw. It was worth all the effort she had put in.
In real life, she couldn't make herself walk or have a strong body, but in the game, she aimed to be as strong as possible.
She wasn't overly joyful. Having confirmed her earlier suspicions, Ye Sangsang still felt sorry for Qin Jiang.
He was a good police officer, but unfortunately, he had been framed. She wondered what the real-world outcome was.
She hoped it wouldn't be too bad.
She didn't feel much emotion, but someone had taught her to carefully distinguish between good and bad.
She told herself that it was okay not to understand—she could just imitate it.
Ye Sangsang took a moment to feel the changes in her in-game body stats, then stopped the case-closing operation. She wanted to continue searching for clues.
For her, such challenges were what made the game fun.
But before she could continue, her pre-set logout time arrived. Unbeknownst to her, she had already been gaming for eight and a half hours.
Amidst the wails of her viewers, she logged off.
[Sang-jie, my independent queen!]
[I stayed up all night for this? Wuwuwu, come back!]
[Sang-jie needs rest. Her initial stamina was only 3, remember?]
Someone mentioned her initial stamina of 3, and the viewers realized they couldn't demand too much. They stopped lamenting and logged off one by one.
However, the ripples from this live stream turned into a tidal wave after the sun rose.
#First Bug Report and Fix in the Holographic Game "Criminal Files"!#
#Star Ring Games Issues Explanation at 7 AM.#
#Is the Prototype of the "Brutal Carnival" Case a Wrongfully Accused Police Officer?#
These three trending topics across major platforms left readers dumbfounded.
After reading, many netizens fell silent.
An unexpected way to overturn a case had arrived.
Many began searching for details about the case, but it had been too long, and the case was from a small city with no publicly available information.
However, to their delight, Chennan City issued a notice at 8 AM sharp, announcing the reopening of the investigation.
This reassured many, and they promptly @'d Ye Sangsang's live stream, urging her to stay updated.
Jiang Chengxin gasped as she opened the live stream and handed it to her superior's superior, her heart trembling.
When she had reviewed the case files the day before, she had been shocked and immediately called her superior. However, it was too late, and they agreed to discuss it the next day.
Jiang Chengxin thought this was reasonable and decided to wait until the next morning.
But before she could sleep until 7 AM, an urgent call jolted her awake like a death knell.
Her colleagues picked her up, and she found herself at the Chennan City Public Security Bureau. She was just a small-time detective, after all.
She recounted what she had seen and, through her colleagues, learned about Ye Sangsang submitting evidence to report the error.
She regretted not staying up all night to watch the live stream.
The leader quickly inquired about the live stream, and she had to pull out her phone to show the key information.
Leaders are busy, after all, and don't have time to watch everything.
Soon, the leader ordered the investigation to be reopened.
Jiang Chengxin was also promoted to the investigation team and instructed to contact the publicity department to @ Ye Sangsang, assuring netizens that the case would be thoroughly investigated.
Nowadays, detectives have relatively little work. Since 2025, the internet has made a qualitative leap in development.
Previously, fraud cases were common, but now they are rare. The intelligent network is so advanced that fraudsters can't operate within Zhongzhou Country's network.
So, this meant Jiang Chengxin finally had some real work to do.
For her, this was a good thing—better than being transferred to the economic crime division.
At last, she had her proper job back.
Jiang Chengxin quickly contacted the relevant people and began waiting for the investigation team to be formed.
She just hoped everything would go smoothly!
…
While Ye Sangsang quietly went about her business, the internet detective streamer went mad.
He was mocked.
After logging back in, he had frantically pushed through the case, only to be ridiculed by viewers for copying Ye Sangsang's homework.
His fans and the critics went back and forth, and he arrogantly declared that he had figured it all out himself, that Qin Jiang was definitely the culprit, and that he would finish the game case before Ye Sangsang.
He felt confident, especially since he had gathered many clues from Ye Sangsang's stream.
He was smug, boasting that he would make those mocking him eat their words.
The moment he clicked to close the case, he thought he had won.
Then, he realized he was the clown.
Ye Sangsang had reported an error! She had reported an error!
Seeing this, his face turned dark.
His fans fell silent, allowing the casual viewers to mock him.
As fans, their silence was the greatest kindness they could offer.
The internet detective forced a smile, praised Ye Sangsang a couple of times, and logged off. Off-stream, he grabbed his hair and went crazy.
Seeing the trending topics, he went even crazier.
Damn it! This case was impossible for him to solve.
He had dug his own grave!
Still, he couldn't help but admire Ye Sangsang for resisting the temptation to close the case perfectly and instead choosing to report the error.
Ye Sangsang sat by the window, continuing to read, ignoring the storm outside. She turned off her phone, blocking 99% of the notifications.
The remaining 1% came from the nurses' gossip. They had learned about Ye Sangsang's beta-testing qualification and had seen her on yesterday's trending topics.
Their eyes often lingered on her, but due to lingering reasons, no one dared to strike up a conversation.
This saved Ye Sangsang from some annoyance.
She continued with her daily life.
With the door and caregiver issues resolved, Ye Sangsang was in a good mood and decided to log in for two or three hours during her lunch break.
Upon logging back in, she checked the live-stream status, glanced at the chat, replied briefly, and entered the game.
Ye Sangsang looked at the frantic Zheng He, who felt like he had wasted his efforts. "I said before that the culprit is watching us. If we finish the investigation without closing the case, they'll become wary."
The delay in closing the case made Ye Sangsang suspect that, given the person's hatred for Qin Jiang, they might take desperate measures, like pulling the plug.
Gu Ling agreed, "Yes."
"If we can't find anything, does that mean the case will default to..." Zheng He couldn't finish the sentence, lowering his head to hide his frustration.
Ye Sangsang said calmly, "So, we need to work harder to avoid that outcome."
"I thought you would comfort everyone," Zheng He said, his expression relaxing slightly.
Ye Sangsang didn’t respond, preparing instead to report Captain Chen’s thoughts.
Captain Chen hadn’t expected that what he believed to be true was actually part of someone else’s scheme.
After some thought, he narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped the desk. "Since the other side is waiting for the outcome, let’s give them one. I’ll contact a reporter from the Chennan Evening News and subtly leak the news that the case has been closed, with some vague details about the process. Don’t worry, I won’t let them report who the 'culprit' is."
"If they want to play games, we’ll play along!"
This would also help prevent them from making further moves and avoid putting ordinary people’s lives and property at risk.
Not only that, Captain Chen reassigned someone to join the investigation.
They needed to get results as soon as possible.
What Ye Sangsang didn’t expect was that the reporter coming to cover the story was Zhao Yue, the woman who had once cried her heart out after being deceived by her boyfriend and nearly falling into an abyss.
Zhao Yue had now regained her cheerful, outgoing, and enthusiastic demeanor. Ye Sangsang observed her, confirming that she hadn’t contracted HIV.
Dressed in a rainbow-colored tank top and long skirt, Zhao Yue sat down beside Ye Sangsang and began asking questions with great professionalism.
Ye Sangsang answered, while Zheng He brought Zhao Yue a glass of water.
The interview concluded quickly, and Zhao Yue said, "I thought we wouldn’t meet again, but here we are!"
"Quite a coincidence. Congratulations," Ye Sangsang replied, her mind still preoccupied with figuring out who Qin Jiang’s archenemy was.
Zhao Yue asked, "Why isn’t Team Leader Qin here?"
"He’s on vacation," Ye Sangsang replied naturally.
Zhao Yue nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "I haven’t thanked you for last time. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be in the dark."
Having a murderer and a drug user around was no different from living with a ticking time bomb.
Ye Sangsang shook her head. "It’s what the police are supposed to do."
Zhao Yue smiled, stood up, and prepared to leave.
As Ye Sangsang continued to ponder, Zheng He went to see Zhao Yue out.
Just then, Ye Sangsang turned back and called out, "Wait, could I trouble you with something?"
Zhao Yue turned around, curious, and looked at Ye Sangsang with a puzzled expression.
Ye Sangsang smiled and explained what she needed.
"You’re saying you want to be portrayed as the main person who solved the case, and that the killer was so sloppy that it was effortless to crack?" Zhao Yue looked at Ye Sangsang, feeling a bit surprised, as Ye Sangsang didn’t seem like someone who craved glory.
Ye Sangsang smiled at Zhao Yue. "I think someone like you, with your way with words, could draw attention to me. Make it seem like I’m an incredibly capable police officer."
"No," Zheng He stepped forward, looking at Zhao Yue. "Write about me."
Gu Ling chimed in, "Write about me instead!"
Zhao Yue felt her perception of the police profession crumbling. Was the competition for newspaper coverage really this blatant now?
They were asking her to write articles praising them, all while maintaining an air of righteousness. She couldn’t help but show a look of disbelief on her face.
[Hahaha, this is hilarious. Zhao Yue misunderstood.]
[These two teammates are great, willing to take the risk themselves.]
[I get it now. The killer is someone who craves recognition. The case he framed Qin Jiang for was one he thought was perfect. If someone belittles it, he’ll probably go mad.]
Ye Sangsang also realized the misunderstanding, but before she could explain, Zheng He spoke up again. "I’m a man. The other side might be more cautious around someone like me. I’ll do it."
Gu Ling frowned and said, "I’m more suitable. You two are the brawn and the brains, but I have strong intuition and a good sense of danger. I’ll do it."
"Stop arguing. He knows everything about you, probably inside and out. I’ll do it," Ye Sangsang said, leaving the other two speechless. They had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
Seeing that the two had stopped arguing, Ye Sangsang turned to Zhao Yue. "I want the tone to be a bit arrogant, like I’m full of myself and overly confident."
Zhao Yue wasn’t stupid. Seeing the situation, she began to sense that things weren’t as simple as they seemed.
She looked at Ye Sangsang intently, then nodded in agreement.
After seeing Zhao Yue off, Ye Sangsang welcomed the new team member Captain Chen had assigned—a sharpshooter named Yang Wen. In extreme situations, he was authorized to shoot to kill.
They couldn’t just sit around waiting for the killer to make a move. Based on their profile, they began visiting potential suspects in Chennan City.
Everything was done discreetly, with daily phone calls and plainclothes officers patrolling the area.
They also investigated where Feng Lian had gone missing, looking for eyewitnesses and any possible surveillance footage.
They had plenty to do, and much more to uncover.
Amidst all this, Ye Sangsang chose another angle: Qin Jiang’s relatives.
In this day and age, disguising oneself to look exactly like someone else wasn’t easy. While makeup techniques could rival plastic surgery, in real life, it was easy to spot flaws. The makeup would be noticeable upon closer inspection.
Even if they asked Zhao Tianqi now, he would say that the person he saw gave off an odd vibe. But if it were makeup, he should have been able to tell.
So, it was more likely that the two people already shared some resemblance, and the killer had enhanced it with a disguise.
Starting with relatives was a good approach.
After discussing, they decided to split into two teams. Ye Sangsang and Yang Wen would investigate Qin Jiang’s relatives, while Zheng He and Gu Ling would look for eyewitnesses and any remaining surveillance footage.
Once the division of labor was clear, both teams got to work.
To maintain secrecy, Ye Sangsang and Yang Wen disguised themselves as census officers, investigating the residents in Qin Jiang’s relatives’ neighborhood.
To avoid tipping off their target, they actually took over the census work for that area.
Ye Sangsang skipped some of the preliminary steps and went straight to investigating Qin Jiang’s relatives and their neighbors.
Their first stop was Qin Jiang’s uncle’s house.
After knocking and entering, they began filling out forms, mainly asking about family members, who lived there, and where other members resided—essentially conducting a census.
Qin Jiang’s uncle didn’t seem to have a favorable impression of the police, answering curtly. His aunt was more cooperative, answering quietly before hurriedly seeing them out.
Next, they visited the neighbors across the hall. Ye Sangsang smiled at the middle-aged couple and said, "You’re so welcoming. It makes our job much easier."
She didn’t outright badmouth anyone, as that would be too obvious. Instead, she complimented them while subtly venting, which often yielded useful information.
For example, the woman now said, "It’s not easy for young girls like you. The family next door is hard to deal with, right? I heard their nephew ended up in the hospital. Tsk tsk, they didn’t even bother to visit."
"Don’t say too much. If they hear, it’ll just cause trouble," the man frowned, trying to stop her.
But Ye Sangsang, with an innocent and naive expression, asked, "As his uncle, he didn’t go? Are they not close? Or do they have some kind of feud?"
Yang Wen pretended to pull her back, but Ye Sangsang dodged him.
"Honestly, this place has good soundproofing, and they’re the police. What’s there to be afraid of?" The woman glared at her husband, then turned to Ye Sangsang. "They’re blood-related uncles! But they had a falling out years ago. Apparently, his nephew was too strict and didn’t show any leniency, which caused some trouble for the uncle’s side. That’s why they drifted apart."
"Still, in my opinion, family is family. Nothing should come between them."
Ye Sangsang nodded in agreement, her face showing a hint of disdain.
After getting the information they needed, Yang Wen tugged at Ye Sangsang again, and they bid the couple farewell.
Once downstairs, Ye Sangsang thought about the household registration records.
The two headed straight to the census office to pull up the records for Qin Jiang’s uncle’s family.
One detail caught their attention: ten years ago, Qin Jiang’s uncle’s family had lost a son.
Ye Sangsang looked further back, her expression growing serious.
The son who had died ten years ago had committed multiple crimes and was sentenced to death.
Some of the information matched Ye Sangsang’s profile of the killer.
Could he still be alive?
But that was unlikely. Before execution, identities were thoroughly verified.
Moreover, given the uncle’s hatred, it seemed the son was indeed dead.
She looked at the photo. The man bore a striking resemblance to Qin Jiang—seven parts similar. Qin Jiang took after his uncle.
Afterward, the two of them visited other relatives but came up empty-handed.
A few days passed, during which they investigated and interviewed witnesses, only uncovering faint traces of evidence.
It confirmed that such a person existed, but there were no details about their face or physical characteristics.
They could only pin their hopes on the Chennan Evening News. Ye Sangsang felt a hint of anticipation, wondering how the other party would prove themselves.
She had made an estimation: there was an 80% chance this person wouldn’t be able to resist taking the bait, as the other party was a psychologically twisted lunatic.
Moreover, they were an extremely insecure individual, desperate to prove their strength and gain recognition.
An ordinary person wouldn’t resort to such methods, but Ye Sangsang was different.
She, too, was an emotionless lunatic, unbothered by any psychological barriers.
On the third day, Ye Sangsang received a provocative "gift" from the other party.
Staring at the "gift" before her, Ye Sangsang revealed a faint, eerie smile.
