Ye Sangsang stopped in her tracks.
Even though she stopped quickly, she still felt a sharp pain at the base of her delicate, fair neck.
【Isn't it not time yet? So early to kill?】
Sang Jie was caught off guard and taken hostage.
【Logically speaking, it should be in four days, right? Why the unexpected move?】
"Are you here for money?"
She reached into her bag, ready to take out some cash.
As soon as she said this, Ye Sangsang could feel the person behind her stiffen, and the hand holding the knife trembled even more noticeably. The pain at the base of her neck intensified with the trembling.
"I don't want money. I just came to ask you a question."
Ye Sangsang raised her eyebrows, genuinely curious about what secret he wanted to uncover.
It was another test, another approach to get information.
From his behavior, it was clear that he was a threatening presence, someone whose emotions were highly unstable.
For someone like this, calming them down was the best approach.
She paused, "Your knife is cutting me. I won't call the police. You can let me go first, and we can talk face to face about what answer you want."
"You don't know what I want?"
Could Ye Sangsang honestly say she didn't know?
If she admitted she truly didn't know, the outcome would be anger leading to murder, and the mission would end with a restart.
But based on the previous clues, she had a general idea of the truth, though she wasn't entirely certain.
She lowered her gaze, her eyes falling on his pale hands.
The man's hand gripping the knife was taut with veins, indicating extreme tension.
She let out an almost imperceptible sigh; it was supposed to be her who was nervous, after all.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "I don't know if you're looking for an answer or just venting. If it's the latter, then go ahead and do it. Maybe it will ease your emotions."
In other words, if it doesn't work, just kill her, and she'll restart.
The first time she died in a dungeon, she wasn't used to it, but now she's gotten used to it.
Having the fresh experience of restarting wasn't so unbearable for Ye Sangsang.
"Hmph, you can't feel our pain, so of course, you say it so casually..."
The man retracted his knife.
It was clear that he still had a shred of sanity left.
Ye Sangsang turned around, "I'm sorry."
When encountering someone emotionally charged, the first thing is to apologize.
She didn't turn her head to look at him; instead, she glanced around.
Li Li's building was located in the southwest corner of the community, at the edge where two communities met. Having been built for about six or seven years, the greenery was dense, and the position they were in was unlikely to be noticed by anyone other than residents of that building.
"A simple 'sorry' is enough? What about our explanation?"
The man's voice was weak, his tone filled with sorrow.
Ye Sangsang didn't know the truth about anything.
She clutched her phone, almost wishing she could wait until she had read the answers she searched for.
But that would undoubtedly anger the assailant.
The scene fell into a deathly silence. After pondering, Ye Sangsang said softly, "I'll do my best. You can try waiting? Also, regarding today's incident, I won't take any action."
"I'll come back to you, and I hope by then, you'll have the courage to tell me everything you know."
"By then, I won't hold back."
The deep and shallow footsteps gradually faded away until they were completely inaudible.
Ye Sangsang clutched her phone and quickly left the community, heading towards her own neighborhood.
Only after returning to her room did Ye Sangsang take a deep breath and sit down.
After locking the door, she took out a tissue, wiped the blood, and then took out a Band-Aid and a mirror, carefully placing it on her wound.
She didn't call the police, not just because it aligned with Zhao Xinxin's personality, but also because she was curious about what lay behind this incident.
There were still four days left, and everything was still within reach.
Calling the police and having the man detained, Ye Sangsang wasn't sure what that would lead to.
After putting on the Band-Aid, she picked up her phone to read news reports.
【Curious, what case is this?】
【What exactly is Zhao Xinxin's role in this!】
【They won't let it go, even coming all this way, what do they want?】
The audience followed Ye Sangsang's perspective, starting with a simple description of a case.
After reading, Ye Sangsang frowned.
Just as Li Li and Jiang Feng had said, this was a series of random serial home invasions, rapes, and murders.
In 2000, 15 years before the current time of this copy, three serial murders occurred in the Jingxi District of Yun City.
The killer followed one of the victims, entered their home, and killed them.
In just seven days, three crimes were committed, killing six people—two adult women, a child, two adults, and an elderly person.
This person was extremely vicious, swiftly stabbing the victims to death upon entering their homes. The two adult women were threatened with knives, raped, and then murdered, with all the household's belongings being taken away.
Due to the extremely heinous nature of the crimes, the local police invested a large amount of manpower in the investigation at the time.
Based on traces left at the scene, the police identified the suspect Zhao XX.
But when the police went to look for him, they found that Zhao XX had already made a getaway.
After that, the police continued to search for Zhao XX, but he completely disappeared from their sight.
For fifteen years, there was no further clue.
More detailed information, however, was entirely lacking.
Zhao XX and Zhao Xinxin shared the same surname, making it hard not to connect them.
Ye Sangsang gave a wry smile.
So, she was now Zhao XX's daughter?
Was the person looking for her a family member of the victims?
Did they believe that Zhao Xinxin knew the whereabouts of the killer? So they tracked and investigated, trying to capture the killer?
If this explanation holds, then all the previous probes and surveillance moves make sense.
As the daughter of a suspected serial murderer, in their hometown, they would have been universally condemned.
No wonder they had to leave their hometown and travel thousands of miles away. If they had stayed in their local area, everyone would have pointed at them.
A bit unexpected, no wonder they didn't set a victim; perhaps "Criminal Files" thinks it's inappropriate?
Criminal family, it feels like Li Li and the others aren't that extreme anymore. Li Li wants to know why Zhao XX wasn't caught, and why they haven't received justice?
【The tracker wants to force Zhao Xinxin to reveal where her father is, doesn't he!】
Li Li's probing, questioning, and crying suddenly made sense at this moment.
The tracker wasn't just acting out of anger but was unable to endure any longer, choosing to directly avenge themselves on Zhao XX's daughter, Zhao Xinxin.
Ye Sangsang put down her phone; she didn't have any particular feelings about Zhao Xinxin's identity.
The only thing she was curious about was why everyone was so certain that Zhao Xinxin knew where her father was hiding.
Did Zhao Xinxin really have any hidden behavior?
Or did she know something?
After Ye Sangsang solved the mystery of why these people were tracking and probing her, a new question arose.
She picked up her phone, and there were call logs. In addition to numbers from Yun City, there were no other communication numbers listed.
In her contacts, those numbers had been verified one by one after she later went to the company, confirming they were indeed from clients.
After pondering, she took out her phone to search for some software, looking for bloggers or streamers who might explain this unsolved case.
With 15 years of internet development already quite advanced, she thought she could leverage the power of the internet.
However, this phone had very poor signal, was slow to respond, and was running out of memory.
Ye Sangsang began to skip time, and the next day, during lunch and the midday break, she bought a new phone.
She continued with Zhao Xinxin's habits, maintaining her routine.
Regarding yesterday's incident, Li Li explained that she wasn't intentionally asking but genuinely curious about the matter.
Ye Sangsang avoided Li Li's questioning and returned to her seat.
Li Li watched her for a long time before finally turning away.
At that moment, Ye Sangsang looked down and saw a message.
You ran away from your hometown to here, and that's it? I saw you, you're living well, but do you remember those six living, breathing lives in the dead of night? Those are all your family's sins!
Ye Sangsang tossed her phone aside, her expression inscrutable.
At that moment, the screen lit up again.
【If there's no answer, I'll reveal your identity to your company.】
Ye Sangsang lowered her eyes and fell into silence.
"Are you okay?"
At that moment, a colleague patted Ye Sangsang on the shoulder.
Ye Sangsang pressed the power button on her phone to turn it off, forcing a weak smile at her colleague before shaking her head, her eyes filled with fatigue.
At this moment, Zhao Xinxin was probably already panicking beyond control.
Thinking about Zhao Xinxin's character.
Ye Sangsang squinted slightly, confident that Zhao Xinxin wouldn't shield her father.
In fact, she probably hated him.
Because he made her bear the stigma of being the relative of a criminal, forcing her to live as an outcast, never able to hold her head high.
Zhao Xinxin felt that her father was a fugitive criminal, and consequently, her existence was tainted by sin. That's why she helped Li Li, who had been followed, and the girl in their neighborhood who was stalked.
Such an act of kindness was not typical of an ordinary person; it seemed more like an act of penance.
Therefore, Ye Sangsang was sure that it wasn't about shielding him.
But those people believed that the reason he had never been found was because Zhao Xinxin and her mother were harboring him?
That's why they were chasing answers.
Zhao Xinxin had no answers, so out of resentment, she chose to kill?
It was a dead end.
Wait until the day of the murder to witness it and then find a way to catch the killer?
She believed that the game duplicate would simulate the killer, and even show that the police had probably found the murderer, but she still felt something strange about it.
"The real killer..."
Ye Sangsang murmured in her heart.
Even Ye Sangsang began to doubt who the real killer of Zhao Xinxin was.
She thought the victim's family seemed emotionally agitated, even harming her, but they didn't seem like the type to gather the courage to kill.
And there was a fifteen-year gap; she didn't believe the victim's family hadn't had the chance to act earlier.
Waiting until now was a bit odd.
Of course, it couldn't be completely ruled out if the victim's family finally couldn't hold back.
That answer remained tentative; Ye Sangsang wouldn't confirm her suspicions until the last moment.
Her fingers tapped on the desk, her eyes flickering with thought.
Actually, it wasn't unsolvable.
The root of the matter was Zhao XX, who had escaped, and because of him, everything else followed.
So, where did he disappear to?
Could a single person really vanish without a trace for more than a decade?
There were still three days left; Ye Sangsang felt there was still hope.
She called Zhao Xinxin's Mother again, knowing she was a key figure.
The phone rang but no one answered.
It wasn't until the afternoon when Zhao Xinxin's Mother finally called back.
Before she could speak, Ye Sangsang took the lead, "Mom, they're here again. They threatened to tell the company, and I'm probably going to get fired. I want to know what really happened back then, do you know the details? Please, I want a peaceful life, I don't want to live in constant fear like this."
This was Ye Sangsang's attempt to probe. As a key figure in the police investigation, Zhao Xinxin's Mother likely knew some details.
Zhao Xinxin might not know.
Because many adults wouldn't pass on such matters to the younger generation.
Asking Zhao Xinxin's Mother would yield more authentic information than searching online. If only time allowed, she even wanted to go back to their hometown to investigate.
On the other end of the line, there was a long silence.
It was clear that Ye Sangsang's probing was effective; she hadn't told her daughter many details about the incident over the years.
In the spring of 1989, Zhao Qing, who was then a failure at life, was introduced to Zhao Xinxin's Mother.
She had a slight physical disability, and Zhao Qing was older and unmarried.
After meeting, they found they were compatible and quickly got married.
Their life together was modest but manageable, and a year later, Zhao Xinxin was born.
The one-child policy wasn't strictly enforced in their area, so having one daughter didn't prevent them from having a second child.
"He thought a family of three was fine, so he got a vasectomy," Zhao Xinxin's Mother said, her voice tangled with emotions.
The couple lived this way for ten years, and in the year Zhao Xinxin turned nine, the economy began to pick up. Zhao Qing then took out a loan to buy a tricycle, using it to transport goods and passengers.
"Just before the incident, he said he wouldn't come home for a few days. I was pregnant with your brother at the time, and after asking a couple of questions, I let it go. Unexpectedly, a few nights later, he came home in a rush, handed me a few hundred yuan, and left again."
"Later, the police came to our door, saying he might be the notorious robber and murderer that everyone was talking about. Only then did I realize what he had done outside. I was shocked at the time, and because of the stress, your brother was prematurely born, and he didn't survive..."
Zhao Xinxin's Mother cried bitterly, clearly suppressing her emotions for a long time. After a few minutes, she managed to calm down and continue.
"The police said that later, someone had seen him in the city next door, but when the police went there, they couldn't find him."
"After that, I never heard anything more, and it’s been fifteen years."
As she recounted these events, her voice was hoarse.
Even now, she couldn't accept that her once husband could commit such a horrific crime.
"The people around us gossiped and pointed fingers, and I had no choice but to move. I raised you by doing odd jobs."
"I remember when your father came and went unnoticed, you followed him once. But after returning, you fainted, and that night you had a high fever, mumbling 'no, daddy.' When you woke up, I asked you what happened, but you couldn't remember anything."
Her mother spoke at length, her tone carrying sorrow and pain.
Ye Sangsang knew how hard it must have been for a woman to endure scandal while raising a child alone.
If she could, she probably would have preferred not to have married Zhao Qing and spared herself a lifetime of suffering.
But Ye Sangsang was curious—what exactly did Zhao Xinxin see when she followed her father?
"Did the police ever mention the details of the crime?" Ye Sangsang asked.
"No, the police wouldn't tell us that. They just took some of your blood back, probably for some kind of identification." She paused, "After the identification, they confirmed he was the murderer and started searching everywhere."
Ye Sangsang didn't give up, asking more details and taking notes.
Perhaps understanding how much pain her daughter was in, Zhao Xinxin's Mother didn't refuse, recounting the police's statements from those years.
Even after fifteen years, she remembered clearly, as the pain was so intense that every detail seared into her memory.
"He left at around 7:00 AM on the 12th. He said someone had given him a job, transporting goods to rural stores. He said he had to deliver to stores in the surrounding areas, and he'd be paid per trip."
"He said if the boss liked him, he might not have to do odd jobs anymore and could work directly for the boss. He also said this boss was introduced by your Aunt's boyfriend, and he was already a wealthy person back then."
On the other end of the line, she drank some water and continued.
"At the time, the place we lived was about eleven or twelve kilometers from the city, so when he said he wouldn't come home, I believed him."
"Seven days later, in the early hours of the morning, your father came back. I was about to warm up some food for him when he suddenly knelt down, apologized, and said he had done wrong. After packing a couple of clothes, he left."
"He was gone for only two or three hours when the police came. It was laughable that after identification, the money your father gave me was found to be the stolen funds from the victims' families."
Ye Sangsang thought for a moment and asked, "Didn't the police investigate your Aunt's boyfriend?"
"They did. He said he never told your father to take the job."
"So it was just a lie your father made up."
Her tone was full of resentment, resenting him for committing such a thing and then refusing to face the consequences, forcing their family to live with the shame forever.
Ye Sangsang jotted down the details and comforted Zhao Xinxin's Mother.
Then, Ye Sangsang suddenly thought of a key piece of information, "What about the tricycle?"
"He left the tricycle at home at the time, and later I sold it to pay off the remaining loan."
Zhao Xinxin's Mother paused for a moment, but since she remembered, she could give a definite answer.
After a nod from Ye Sangsang, a few more words of comfort were exchanged.
Ending the call, she took out her phone and started searching for any coordinated investigations or bounties issued back then in Yun City.
A case from more than a decade ago—Ye Sangsang didn't hold much hope.
As expected, there was nothing found, so Ye Sangsang continued searching for case explanations.
On video platforms and in case analysis content, Ye Sangsang kept searching.
The main focus is on the case in Yuncity.
The secondary focus is the serial killer.
After listening, her intuition told her that the person who killed Zhao Xinxin might not be a family member of the victim.
Li Li and Jiang Feng definitely weren't the ones; both of them seemed to be taking things slow, cautiously probing for answers.
Following that person was tough, but surprisingly, he was somewhat open to advice.
She hadn’t even said much, just apologized, and he left.
Zhao Xinxin would undoubtedly have behaved similarly to Ye Sangsang, never confronting or provoking the family members of the victim.
If the perpetrator claimed to be a family member of the victim, she would probably have begged on her knees for forgiveness.
Under such circumstances, the motive for the family member to act violently wouldn’t be very strong.
Ye Sangsang inquired about the tricycle, but the real key point was that the location where Zhao’s family resided at the time was about 11 or 12 kilometers away from the city.
The police arrived within two to three hours, and if they had walked the 11 or 12 kilometers, they might have crossed paths with them, unless they didn’t take the main road.
Ye Sangsang searched the terrain around Jingxi in Yuncity, which consisted of relatively flat hills. Although the land wasn’t perfectly flat and had undulating curves, the trees were relatively short and not very suitable for hiding.
Unlike the mountainous areas in the southwest, where the terrain is complex and the trees are tall, making it hard to find someone if they hid properly.
If the police questioned the suspect and knew he hadn’t been gone for long, they would definitely conduct a search in the surrounding area.
They might even mobilize local armed police for an encirclement-style search of the mountains.
Under such circumstances, could Zhao Qing really have escaped?
If he had taken the main road, 11 or 12 kilometers would take about two hours to walk.
If she were the criminal, she absolutely wouldn’t take the main road, as getting caught by the police would mean failure.
And if he intended to take the main road, he certainly wouldn’t have left the tricycle behind.
Having killed six people, even the most benevolent person would be driven to extreme violence by now, and the likelihood of considering the plight of widows and orphans would be minimal.
Under such circumstances, if the person who killed Zhao Xinxin wasn’t a family member of the victim,
combined with the suspicious aspects of Zhao Qing’s case, the truth indeed becomes quite intriguing.
Figuring out the identity of the real killer.
This actually isn’t that difficult; just block and confront the killer directly.
But here, it’s the real killer, not just a killer.
Ye Sangsang rubbed her forehead, pondering another possibility.
However, the first step is to verify her conjecture.
The information available about the case is still too sparse.
As Ye Sangsang thought about these things, she browsed online information.
Netizens are very keen on discussing unsolved cases.
Ye Sangsang clicked into an explanation video that combined four cases into one.
At this point, the explanatory industry was just starting to gain traction, so many video creators were essentially working for passion.
Working for passion often results in rougher content.
Ye Sangsang skipped a few times and finally managed to drag the progress bar to see the Yuncity murder case.
Unfortunately, the case wasn’t the one Ye Sangsang was looking for.
Ye Sangsang pondered whether to exit, but ultimately decided to listen anyway.
The video played.
The video narrated a case from 2009, which was six years prior to the current time point. It was a case of an home invasion murder.
The murderer had some financial disputes and believed that the man of the house had wronged him, harboring resentment and deciding to take revenge.
He took advantage of the fact that the couple was at work during the day and knocked on their door.
The elderly couple at home didn't know about the conflict, as the murderer was an acquaintance of their son and considered a good friend, so they let him in.
Once inside, the murderer quickly shut the door, killed the elderly couple, and also killed the child who was watching TV.
After checking that all three were dead, the murderer searched the house for money and fabricated it as a robbery, then quickly fled to another city.
The entire murder process took only five or six minutes, showing extreme cruelty.
Later, the police, through investigation, quickly identified the suspect.
The murderer was very cunning, fleeing to three cities in a very short time.
Despite various efforts, the police missed him several times.
But eventually, the murderer couldn’t outwit the police and was caught in a hotel.
"The murderer even thoughtfully wore clear gloves, thinking he could deceive everyone, only to realize his flaws were abound."
"He thought Yuncity was still like it was nine years ago, convinced his elaborate escape plan was perfect, that the police couldn’t catch him..."
"I believe that the person who committed three crimes in seven days nine years ago will be caught. With the rapid development of technology, the hiding range of these criminals will only become smaller, and they will be caught sooner or later."
Ye Sangsang raised her eyebrows after hearing this, confirming that the video maker was indeed talking about Zhao Qing’s case.
However, what the video maker said was indeed factual. With the widespread use of fingerprint and DNA records, no matter how well the murderer tries to hide, it’s only a matter of time before they’re found.
She searched again, confirming there was no more information.
Looking at the time, it was almost time to log off.
Ye Sangsang informed the audience and logged off the game directly.
Opening her eyes, it was 9:30 AM.
The butler seemed to be well-prepared, providing Ye Sangsang with a single-sided cane.
The black cane, adorned with gems, exuded a sense of understated luxury, and she had no idea where the butler had procured it.
Ye Sangsang tried it out; the height, just below the hip, was sufficient to provide support.
"Why not use an underarm crutch?" she wondered.
The butler smiled and calmly explained, "Because this is both practical and stylish. It can also be used to conveniently lash out against rude individuals, teaching them to shut their mouths and curb their prying eyes."
This reason was flawless, and Ye Sangsang thought it was acceptable, though it made her walk a bit slower.
The butler quietly followed behind, always ready to assist.
Although Ye Sangsang probably didn’t need it, it was still necessary to be prepared.
"I think your butler chose this purely because it looks good," the AI commented, offering a different perspective to Ye Sangsang.
Ye Sangsang didn’t respond. Regardless of the reason, it was functional, and that was enough.
In a few days, she probably wouldn’t need any assistance to walk.
It was an ordinary day, with a small interlude before bedtime when Ye Sangsang had a small sip of red wine.
The AI shared some news at the same time.
The one-month internal testing period was coming to an end.
The game was about to enter the public beta phase.
The multiplayer team mode would also be activated, and if tests showed good stability, the public beta would be virtually assured.
At the same time, the expansion of large-scale multiplayer interactive modes would be developed. As the number of participants increased, later, the company would develop a multi-player full-immersion game world.
With the rise in numbers, the stability of the full-immersion game would be tested.
The AI, clearly a bit proud of itself, remarked that it was becoming more mature, and accommodating hundreds of thousands or even millions of users wasn’t far off.
Ye Sangsang smiled, witnessing the AI and full-immersion games grow from infancy to maturity. Becoming the mainstream of gaming and witnessing such a significant shift in the gaming industry was like witnessing a historical event.
With a "May you have a pleasant gaming experience," Ye Sangsang returned to the game.
The channels for obtaining case information were almost exhausted, both online and in reality, and the available information was still insufficient.
Therefore, Ye Sangsang decided to officially meet with Li Li and Jiang Feng.
As for the person she had been following, he seemed emotionally unstable, and without tracking him, he had probably hidden away for some unknown purpose.
Ye Sangsang decided to leave him out for now.
She checked the time and decided to pay a visit.
Suspecting that the real killer of Zhao Xinxin was someone else, Ye Sangsang went out with some disguise, borrowing her roommate's hat and putting on a wide, sun-protective jacket before heading out.
Avoiding her usual route, she took the back entrance and maneuvered through the adjacent community, carefully surveying her surroundings to ensure there was no issue before pressing the elevator button and entering.
Arriving at Li Li’s doorstep, she knocked.
Accompanied by a response of "Coming," Li Li opened the door.
Seeing Ye Sangsang, she was startled and instinctively took a step back.
Realizing she had frightened Li Li, Ye Sangsang quickly removed her hat and said softly, "It’s me, Zhao Xinxin."
Li Li steadied herself, her expression complex as she looked at Ye Sangsang, ultimately forcing a smile and inviting her in.
Ye Sangsang observed and entered, holding the hat.
"I know you don’t welcome me, as I am Zhao Qing’s daughter," she said directly, standing in the living room, looking at Li Li’s back.
Li Li had deliberately approached her, likely intending for her to return, probably planning something.
Ye Sangsang hadn’t taken the bait and had left instead, so it was understandable that Li Li’s emotions were complicated. If not for the fact that the situation hadn’t escalated to a confrontation, Li Li might not have even let her in.
Li Li froze, slowly turning around.
Her eyes, void of emotion, locked onto Ye Sangsang, her face expressionless as she said, "What did you say?"
At that moment, Jiang Feng emerged from the room, clearly having overheard the conversation in the living room.
"Don't misunderstand us—we don't intend to do anything to you. We only found out from the village you previously lived in that Zhao Qing spoke to you before he left. We thought you might know where he ran off to, so we came to you in hopes of finding the truth."
Jiang Feng stood beside Li Li, his expression restrained.
No one could be entirely indifferent upon meeting the daughter of the person who murdered their loved ones.
They had lost their closest family members to the murderer, casting a shadow over their lives forever.
Meanwhile, the daughter of the victim had grown up unscathed, even graduating from university and landing a good job.
Anyone would find it hard to accept such a disparity.
The fact that they hadn't acted against Ye Sangsang yet was already their limit.
Ye Sangsang looked at the two of them and said, "I had a high fever after returning and don't remember what happened back then."
"That's why we want you to revisit the place—perhaps it will help you recall what Zhao Qing said to you," Jiang Feng said coldly.
While he said it was to help her remember, in truth, they didn't believe Zhao Xinxin had truly lost that memory.
Ye Sangsang recalled what Zhao Xinxin's Mother had said: when Zhao Xinxin returned, she had been terribly shocked and collapsed.
Later, she fell into a high fever and lost that portion of her memory.
In general, selective amnesia only occurs after extreme trauma.
It seemed Zhao Xinxin must have seen something.
She looked at the two of them and said, "I've truly lost that memory. If I had it, I wouldn't hesitate to reveal it, because I hate him too. Today, I came to seek some documents. I believe you must have collected them."
The two exchanged glances, and after a long pause, they nodded in agreement.
Seated around the coffee table, Li Li took several deep breaths before speaking to Ye Sangsang, "What do you want?"
"All the information you've gathered on the case," Ye Sangsang replied without hesitation.
Li Li hesitated for a moment, then curled her lips into a sarcastic smile. "You're not trying to whitewash Zhao Qing, are you?"
Ye Sangsang couldn't say that someone was going to kill her in a few days. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I suspect those documents might trigger my memories of that day."
Hearing this, the couple agreed without further question.
Watching them go to retrieve the documents, Ye Sangsang thought again about the name of the scenario:
"Dark River." Was it referring to their actions, or was there truly a hidden mastermind pulling the strings behind the scenes?
Soon, they brought back piles of documents.
"I'm curious," Jiang Feng said, "how did you figure out we were family members of the victims?"
Ye Sangsang looked up and pointed toward the balcony.
"From here, you can see my balcony. Neither of you are from Sichuan, and you spoke Yunnan dialect earlier."
Previously, when Ye Sangsang spoke with Zhao Xinxin's Mother, she felt the tone and pronunciation were familiar.
It turned out that the dialect Li Li spoke that drunken night was indeed Yunnan dialect.
With that said, Ye Sangsang began to carefully examine the documents.
To her surprise, they were incredibly detailed.
It seemed they had never given up over these past ten-plus years.
The three cases all occurred in Jingxi District. The three families were neither too close nor too far apart.
The first involved a mother and son. The incident happened around 9:00 AM on the 12th. The mother was returning home with groceries, bringing her child along.
The suspect followed them and forced his way into the house when the door was opened. He killed the child before chasing after the mother, and after a brutal assault, he murdered her as well. He then took the money from the house.
The second took place at 2:00 AM on the 14th. A man and woman returned home, and the suspect immediately took the man hostage. The three entered, and the suspect carried out robbery, rape, and murder with the same modus operandi as the first case.
The third case occurred at 7:00 PM on the 19th. An older man and a younger man were the victims that afternoon. Fortunately, on that morning, the woman had taken her child to her parents' home, narrowly escaping the tragedy.
The elderly man was already quite old, so the perpetrator first killed the younger, stronger man before moving on to the older one.
This was a clear case of robbery murder.
Due to the intense police investigation, the suspect took a five-day break.
The killer acted boldly, randomly selecting victims and leaving with whatever money was in the home.
Traces of the suspect's semen, blood droplets from struggle, and hair found at the scene all matched Zhao Qing's DNA, as did the footprints, which matched his shoes.
This was confirmed through comparison with Zhao Xinxin.
After the incident, the police swiftly launched an investigation.
They worked through the night, ultimately identifying Zhao Qing based on eyewitness accounts and minor footage from surveillance cameras. Early the next morning at 7:00 AM, they rushed to his residence.
Unfortunately, Zhao Qing was too cunning and had already fled.
A mere two and a half hours too late, even with villagers and armed police searching the mountains, they couldn't find him.
From then on, Zhao Qing disappeared without a trace.
The case was then left unresolved for years.
The investigating officers continued to monitor whether he might return and occasionally questioned Zhao Xinxin and her mother, but to no avail.
And just like that, a dozen years passed.
After going through all this,Ye Sangsang had studied every detail for two hours.
She also looked over Zhao Qing’s general information. Was this man really just an ordinary person who could hide so effectively?
Suddenly, her pupils constricted.
There had been a struggle at the scene, yet no fingerprints were found, and the victims hadn’t scratched Zhao Qing?
Women might argue that their strength was inferior to men, so no other DNA traces could be left behind. But there were also strong men among the victims, not just one—none of them were able to leave even a scratch on Zhao Qing?
If the scene was so meticulously cleaned that not even fingerprints were left behind, how did semen, blood droplets, hair, and footprints remain as evidence?
The semen was also external, not inside the private parts.
If one assumed Zhao Qing was dead, this case would truly be deadlocked without any definitive proof...
Could this mean that Zhao Xinxin had chased after Zhao Qing and seen his death?
Only if he was dead could he have escaped the police’s net so quickly and completely.
Now, the most crucial thing Ye Sangsang needed to do was find a breakthrough point.
A breakthrough that would earn Li Li and Jiang Feng's trust.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She looked at the two and asked, "You said you heard from the villagers that I spoke with my father fifteen years ago. My mother wouldn't have spread that around. So, who exactly did you hear it from?"
