Chapter 43: The Person Who Wants to Become a God (1)

  The case was closed, and Xia Zhu also let out a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart, as if a heavy stone had fallen to the ground with a loud crash.

  She never thought that one day she would encounter a case involving her own family member and how she would feel about it. But now that she has experienced it, she doesn't want to go through it again.

  Lin Yuan's confession was like a fleeting cloud in the air, they still looked the same as before, when there were no cases, Lin Yuan still had that lazy and languid appearance, as if he wanted to be an enemy of the world.

  Xia Zhu looked at him with a mixture of anger and amusement. This person... when no one was around, he became like a sulky child, arming himself like a porcupine, not saying a word.

  Zou Mingyuan also rarely took a break for a while. This period of time the serious crime unit didn't have any cases, everyone was like they were on vacation.

  "Are you going to see Shengyuan today?" Xia Zhu peeled an orange, and Lin Yuanxi took it from her hand very naturally, breaking it into small pieces and feeding one to Xia Zhu. Xia Zhu was almost frightened, looking at Lin Yuanxi as if she were a stranger. Lin Yuanxi stared at the orange for a while, then looked up in surprise: "What?"

  His voice was a little cold, but also had a magnetic charm that made Xia Zhu couldn't help herself.

  Xia Zhu nodded and shook his head: "Hmm, nothing, just feel... like something is still different."

  That inexplicable tacit understanding, with a warm and lingering feeling that penetrates to the bone, spreads out between the two people.

  Before long, Zou Mu-yuan's phone call came in. Obviously, Xia Zhu saw Lin Yuan-ke's spirit shake.

  "What's up?" His voice was filled with a suppressed excitement, and Xia Zhu listened with amusement.

  "Here comes a newcomer," Lin Yuanxiao listened impatiently for a while, frowning: "What's the point of telling me this?"

  Xia Zhu picked up Lin Yuan's phone: "Captain."

  "Oh, Xiaxia," he continued with a sigh, "an old predecessor has arrived, I think you might be interested."

  Xia Zhu looked at Lin Yuanbai with some surprise, the man had already furrowed his brow and started reading a book as if it was none of his business. She thought for a moment before asking: "Who came?"

  "Remember that case before, the person you went to prison to find? Lu Yin," Zou Mianyuan continued in a light tone: "At that time, wasn't it an undercover agent who caught him? The senior who sent out the undercover agent has arrived."

  Xia Zhu almost jumped up suddenly and bounced back in Lin Yuanbai's gaze, her tone slightly rising: "You mean..."

  "That's right, it's Officer Mu Bai." Zou Mingyuan nodded in affirmation.

  Xia Zhu's eyes were almost shining as she looked at Lin Yuanqie with a gaze like a hungry little animal.

  This piercing gaze finally made Lin Yuanxi sit still no longer, he moved the book in his hand down a bit and looked at Xia Zhu: "You know I won't let you go alone."

  "Ah, I hope you'll go with me!" Xia Zhu immediately nodded in agreement.

  Lin Yuanxi: ...Why do I have a feeling of being eaten alive?

  "Alright," Lin Yuanxi put down the book: "Tonight, let's do something interesting."

  Xia Zhu was stunned, she looked at Lin Yuanqiao in disbelief for a long time, her eyes meeting Lin Yuanqiao's smiling gaze... Xia Zhu blushed and shook her head: "I think... that... it's not the right time yet."

  Lin Yuanxi's expression was calm and collected as he put on his coat, giving Xia Zhu a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling glance.

  This made Xia Zhu even more embarrassed, she felt her tongue was going to tie a knot: "That thing, we've only been dating for less than a week now."

  "So?" Lin Yuan asked casually.

  Xia Zhu felt her face had absolutely turned bright red: "This is not good..."

  "What's wrong with reading a case file? You didn't used to be so evasive." Lin Yuanxi said with a hint of a smile, but his tone was completely serious.

  Xia Zhu looked at Lin Yuan for a long time, then huffed and walked away from him to get her windbreaker.

  It's better to know! When talking to Lin Yuanqi, don't think too much about it at all!

  When the two arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department, Mu Bai was sitting in a swivel chair. He was already very old, with his back straight and proud, looking like an experienced veteran police officer. Lin Yuan had naturally heard of him, a legendary figure in the police station who had been fighting against dark forces all along, and it was rare that A City was always black and white, Mu Bai's contributions were indispensable.

  At that time, Mu Bai sent the undercover agent to Lu Yin's location, which led to Lu Yin being captured alive.

  At this moment, Xia Zhu almost grasped Lin Yuan's hand with all her might, just to make her expression not look so ferocious at Mu Bai. Obviously, Zou Mianyuan had already seen the arrival of the two, and he smiled and nodded at them, introducing: "Officer Mu, this is Lin Yuan, a psychological expert from the Major Crimes Unit."

  Mu Bai turned around and saw Lin Yuanxi, a faint glimmer flashed in his eyes, but he stood up straight and shook hands with Lin Yuanxi: "Nice to meet you."

  "Officer Mu." Lin Yuanxi also rarely politely greeted him.

  "This is Dr. Lin's assistant," Zou Mianyuan introduced: "Xia Zhu, also a reserve soldier in criminal psychology."

  "A hero emerges in youth." Mu Bai nodded, his expression solemn.

  Xia Zhu thought about the age difference between herself and Lin Yuanbai, and inexplicably felt a bit suffocated.

  "Let's cut to the chase, let's talk about this recent case." Mu Bai spread out the case files on the table, his every gesture exuding an air of a seasoned chief, inspiring trust in those around him: "Take a seat."

  Zou Muyuan responded and sat down, only to find that the seat on his right side was always empty. That was where Shengyuan usually sat. His heart stirred slightly, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.

  Xia Zhuo sat beside Lin Yuanli and leaned over to take a look, only to see that it was a set of photos, more than ten in total, all showing fires, seemingly from three different locations.

  "Arsonist?" Zou Muyuan was somewhat surprised.

  Mu Bai nodded slightly, his expression still not looking good: "This time's case is a bit strange," he said, taking out another set of photos in his hand: "The victim."

  Several people watched, but also couldn't say anything.

  The victims' faces were not twisted in agony, but instead they all had their hands clasped together on their chests, with no signs of burns on their bodies. Their expressions were serene and peaceful, as if they were having a sweet dream.

  "These people were already unconscious or dead before the fire...," Xia Zhu muttered.

  "I need you to analyze the psychology of the arsonist." Mu Bai looked up at Lin Yuanxi.

  Lin Yuan furrowed his brow, stretched out his hand and took all the photos in his hand. The ten photos were all taken in the villa area, with luxurious decorations inside, but they were all burned to ashes in the end.

  "Do you have information on the victim?" Lin Yuan asked, stretching out his hand without lifting his head.

  Xia Zhu searched through the papers on the table and finally handed over a stack: "It should be this one."

  "There's only one person without an ID, because she was burned beyond recognition," Mu Bai's expression wasn't great as he handed out the last stacked photo: "We're trying to analyze the DNA, but this technology is a bit difficult, it'll probably take several days."

  "This person is the key." Lin Yuanbo said suddenly, looking at that eerie photo that made one's hair stand on end.

  He finished speaking and didn't say another word, continuing to quickly flip through the materials in his hand. Fortunately, everyone present was very used to it, so Xia Zhu took over and continued: "Hmm, because the expressions of the others were also very calm, the cause of death is likely to be asphyxiation rather than burns. In fact, asphyxiation is also difficult to have such a perfect appearance after death, so it can be said that the murderer was quite good, with no margin for error. However, this one is an exception. If there is such an exception, then there are only two possibilities: first, the murderer only wanted this person to die, and felt guilty about the deaths of the others; second, this person's death... wasn't caused by the same murderer."

  "A death without beauty." Lin Yuanxi murmured.

  His simple seven words made Mu Bai's gaze drift over, his eyes slightly sharp. Lin Yuan was completely unaware, but Xia Zhu looked at Mu Bai with some discomfort for an instant. However, in just that moment, Mu Bai had already shifted his gaze away, and the brief, piercing stare seemed like just a figment of Xia Zhu's imagination.

  Zou Mianyuan stretched out his hand and gently touched Xia Zhu below. Xia Zhu understood that it was not an illusion.

  She had seen such a gaze before, it was an expression that police officers easily produced when interrogating criminals, called suspicion.

  Mu Bai suspects Lin Yuanxi.

  A long time ago, someone once said that if a crime psychology expert commits a crime, they might never be caught because no one is more skilled at counter-surveillance than them, and no one can read their mind.

  They can play with people's hearts in the midst of applause, but what they truly choose is a path that saves lives.

  Thinking of this, Xia Zhu couldn't help but stretch out her hand and gently wave it in front of Lin Yuan's eyes.

  Lin Yuanxu slightly paused and looked over: "What?"

  His tone was still cold, but it had lost the focus and stubbornness of before, looking much more ordinary. Xia Zhu put down his guard and said, "I always thought that arsonists were weak."

  Lin Yuan's eyes flashed with a hint of amusement: "Continue."

  "They don't dare to face their victims directly, but instead want to use natural forces to fulfill their wishes, so they say...". Xia Zhu furrowed her brow and suddenly said: "Actually, there's another way of saying it."

  "Purification." Lin Yuan said calmly.

  Xia Zhu didn't feel surprised, she seemed to have gotten used to being in sync with Lin Yuanke, no need for any expression, they had a tacit understanding.

  "That's right, purification." Xia Zhu furrowed her brow as she gazed at the photo of the person with their hands clasped in front of their chest, looking serene. Her expression grew increasingly solemn: "This person is trying to purify others."

  "Anyone who tries to turn themselves into a god is suffering from an IQ deficiency."

  Xia Zhu cried and laughed at the same time.

  One by one!