Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

The incandescent light in the interrogation room was blinding.

Li Rui sat opposite him, his eyes burning with anger and contempt, like two red-hot knives, determined to nail him to the pillar of shame.

"You scum," Li Rui said, "don't deserve to live in the light."

Reporters surrounded the courthouse.

When he was about to be sent to a mental hospital for compulsory treatment, he saw Li Rui in the crowd, based on the diagnosis of "intermittent violent disorder" and did not file a lawsuit.

The young detective stood outside the police line, motionless, just watching him.

That look... it was as if it wanted to devour him alive.

Then, Zhang Ziqian smiled.

Through the car window, he gave Li Rui a smug smile.

Look, you cops are working yourselves to death, what can you do to me?

I have money, I'm sick, and I can kill without paying for it.

Looking back now, that smile was... absolutely wonderful.

Ahead, Su Xiao had finished her conversation with the familiar boss and continued walking forward.

She crossed the road and walked towards the brightly colored kindergarten building.

Zhang Ziqian stopped on the street opposite the kindergarten and did not follow them.

He watched Su Xiao greet the teacher who was welcoming the children at the door, watched her bend down and pat the head of a crying little girl, and watched the gentle, patient, and all-encompassing smile on her face.

Then, he recalled the scene he had secretly witnessed that morning—

At the apartment entrance, Su Xiao watched Li Rui leave.

The morning light shone on her face, and her eyes were filled with adoration, so bright and warm.

Her fingers gently touched Li Rui's chest, and her lips moved slightly.

It seems to be referring to "burning through the darkness"?

Zhang Ziqian silently grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Isn't your fire burning very brightly, officer...?"

He muttered to himself, his voice as soft as a viper's hiss.

"Let me help you change the fuel."

He wanted to tear apart this light, defile this worship, and slowly roast what Li Rui cherished most over the fire.

He wanted to see those eyes, burning with the flames of justice, gradually dim, extinguish, and turn to ashes.

That would be a hundred times more "fun" than torturing and killing any stranger.

------

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the Criminal Investigation Department office, casting diamond-shaped patches of light on the floor.

More than ten criminal police officers, some sitting and some standing, gathered around the whiteboard in the center of the office area.

Standing beside the whiteboard, Li Ming, the head of the Criminal Investigation Section, relayed the instructions from above: "Recently, the province and city have repeatedly emphasized maintaining public order and stability. All teams must expedite the handling of their cases and close those that should be closed."

"In addition, cross-regional crime cooperation is a recent priority. We must respond immediately and fully cooperate with any requests for assistance from other units."

After Li Ming finished speaking, his gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Liao Zhengfeng: "Team Leader Liao, first assign the key investigation tasks sent by Guangyang."

Liao Zhengfeng, captain of the first team of the Criminal Investigation Department, nodded and picked up a newly printed document.

"This is an urgent request for assistance from the Guangyang City Public Security Bureau, a neighboring city, yesterday afternoon," Liao Zhengfeng explained briefly. "It's a serious case. The deceased was Sun Guangcheng, male, 46 years old, public relations manager of Guangyang Longteng Power Engineering Co., Ltd."

"The death occurred at a public event held by their company," Liao Zhengfeng continued. "They were demonstrating a new charging device, and Sun Guangcheng, as the host, went on stage to operate it. The device had been tampered with; the moment it was powered on, he was instantly killed by a voltage dozens of times higher than the safety standard. According to Guangyang's preliminary investigation, the modification was highly professional."

Several veteran detectives exchanged glances.

This method is less a murder and more an execution.

"The suspect has been identified as Liu Zhen." Liao Zhengfeng pinned Liu Zhen's ID photo to the whiteboard. He was a middle-aged man with a rough face. "He is forty-two years old and his registered residence is in the seventh district of our Chenxi City."

"He was a former senior electrician at Longteng Power, where he worked for fifteen years. He had a falling out with the company six months ago and was fired. Guangyang police investigated his whereabouts and communication records after his departure, and he is a prime suspect. After the incident, he disappeared, and there were no records of his vehicle, ID card, or bank cards being used."

Liao Zhengfeng put down the documents and looked at Li Rui: "Li Rui, you'll be handling this case."

Li Rui immediately straightened up: "Yes, Captain Liao."

Liao Zhengfeng paused, then emphasized, "The modus operandi shows this person is no pushover. They are highly skilled and ruthless. The Guangyang City Public Security Bureau is under a lot of pressure, demanding we investigate as quickly as possible and coordinate an arrest immediately upon discovering any leads. Every day this kind of person is on the run is a potential threat."

The morning meeting ended, and the office returned to its noisy state.

Li Rui sat back down at his workstation and spread out the investigation materials on the table.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the chaotic images in his mind about Zhang Ziqian's case.

The case file before us is clear, the suspect is identified, and the task is specific.

This is good.

What he needs now is something clear, specific, and concrete; he needs to focus his energy on a goal that he can pursue.

He opened the internal system and began retrieving the security records, migrant population registrations, and information on former electricians of similar age and background to Liu Zhen from the seventh district of Chenxi City over the past six months.

The cold light from the screen reflected on his face, and a flame of focused concentration on the sinner rekindled in his eyes.

Burning through the darkness.

Let's start with Liu Zhen.

------

The midday sun was fixed on the road, emitting visible, distorted waves of heat.

For most people, this is the time of day when yang energy is at its peak and evil spirits retreat.

But for Zhang Ziqian, the brighter the light, the more suitable it is to hide the deepest shadows.

He sat in a black Volkswagen sedan, patiently watching the kindergarten entrance through the dark-tinted privacy window.

There, Su Xiao was holding the hand of the little girl who had been crying that morning, gently comforting her.

She turned her face to the side, the hot sunlight evaporating a fine layer of sweat on her face, but her expression remained focused and gentle.

Zhang Ziqian's gaze locked onto the little girl.

He knew her name was "Duoduo".

Four years old, from a single-parent family, consisting of only her mother and elderly grandmother.

My mother works as a merchandiser at an ordinary clothing trading company, from nine to five.

My grandmother has difficulty walking and usually only appears when picking me up or dropping me off in the morning or evening.

Simple social connections perfectly suited his needs—easy to impersonate and not easy to verify quickly.

The time has come.

Zhang Ziqian pushed open the car door, his face instantly changing to an extremely anxious expression.

He quickly crossed the road, a thin layer of sweat even appearing on his forehead.

"Teacher Su! Teacher Su!" he called out, waving his hand.

Su Xiao looked up at the sound and saw a strange man walking quickly towards her.

Almost instinctively, she pulled Duoduo behind her, a natural act of caution.

But the genuine anxiety on the other person's face and the fine beads of sweat on their forehead made her shoulders relax slightly.

"Who are you?"