A perfect crime? To me, it's full of flaws!

Outside the villa of Wang Linlin, the fourth victim, in the suburbs of City A.

The cordon remained high, and two police officers from the local police station were diligently guarding the area to prevent any unauthorized personnel from entering.

A black Mercedes-Benz G-Class was parked on the side of the road. Qi Feng and Lin Haitang got out of the car and walked straight towards the villa.

After showing his identification, the police officer on guard immediately saluted and let him pass.

The two did not linger in the front yard and went directly to the back yard on the north side of the villa.

On the lawn in the backyard, the outlines of several footprints marked with fluorescent powder were still clearly visible. These were the footprints that Qi Feng had pointed out to the trace evidence department based on the clues in the "field of vision".

"This is it." Qi Feng pointed to an inconspicuous corner of the backyard wall.

Following the direction of the footprints, the two squeezed through a gap in the wall cleverly concealed by bushes and officially stepped into the woods behind the villa.

There were clear signs that the forest had been searched by humans. Some tree trunks were marked with red tape, and there were many worn paths on the ground, all pointing to the deep mountains to the north.

Clearly, Fan Liang's men had already conducted a thorough search of the area.

"Be careful, don't disturb the scene," Lin Haitang whispered a reminder.

Qi Feng nodded, and the two of them tried to step on the stones and hard, dry ground, following the path left by the previous surveyors.

Qi Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, and faint red arrows and squares flashed in his field of vision from time to time, indicating the direction.

Some of these signs overlapped with police markings, while others pointed to more hidden and illogical locations.

After walking for about an hour, the traces left by the forensic department gradually thinned out and eventually disappeared completely in front of a rocky beach.

"It seems their trail went cold here." Lin Haitang frowned slightly as she looked at the jumbled rocks in front of her. It's extremely difficult to leave footprints on a rocky ground, so it's reasonable that the pursuit ended here.

"It's not over yet," Qi Feng said calmly.

But in his field of vision, the path marked by pale red arrows continued to stretch stubbornly forward, crossing the rocky beach and pointing into the dense forest deeper into the woods.

Lin Haitang didn't ask any more questions, but simply followed silently behind him.

She had grown accustomed to Qi Feng's occasional displays of almost beast-like intuition.

After walking for another half hour, the two passed through a dense pine forest, where the sound of rushing water reached their ears.

A stream about seven or eight meters wide lay before us, its current quite rapid, crashing against the pebbles in the water and making a series of booming sounds.

The red arrow in Qi Feng's field of vision disappeared completely after extending to the riverbank.

He stood by the river, his brow furrowed.

The trail ends here, leaving only two possibilities: either the killer used the river to erase the traces, or the search went in the wrong direction.

He was unwilling to give up. The mountains and forests on the other side of the river had not yet been searched, and perhaps the murderer had crossed the river from here.

He looked at Lin Haitang beside him, somewhat hesitant.

The river doesn't look deep, but the current is very strong. It would be dangerous for a girl to cross it.

Lin Haitang was incredibly intelligent and instantly saw through his concerns. Meeting Qi Feng's gaze, she said firmly, "It's okay, I can do it."

Qi Feng looked at her, suddenly grinned, then turned around and half-squatted down in front of her.

"Okay, come on up."

Lin Haitang was slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but smile. Without any affectation, she jumped onto Qi Feng's back and naturally wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hiss..." Qi Feng's body suddenly sank, and he staggered a couple of steps before regaining his balance. He couldn't help but complain, "You're so heavy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a warm, slightly stinging sensation on his neck.

Lin Haitang took a light bite out of his neck.

"Say it again?" she whispered in his ear, her warm breath tickling his ear.

"I said... my Begonia is as light as a swallow, carrying her is like carrying a feather, no pressure at all!" Qi Feng's survival instinct kicked in instantly, and he immediately changed his words.

Lin Haitang then gave a satisfied "humph," rested her chin on his shoulder, and fell silent.

Qi Feng steadied himself, took a step, and stepped into the icy, bone-chilling river.

The river was knee-deep in its deepest part, and the rushing water constantly battered his legs, making each step extremely difficult.

After finally reaching the other side, Qi Feng put Lin Haitang down, took off his soaked police boots, emptied the water from them, and put them back on without even wringing out his socks.

"Let's go, keep looking."

However, reality dealt them a heavy blow.

Whether the river had truly washed away all traces or not, the two searched the mountains and forests on the opposite bank for nearly two more hours until the sky darkened at a visible speed, and Qi Feng could no longer see any red markers.

Physical strength was rapidly depleting, and hope was gradually fading away.

"Let's go back." Qi Feng glanced at the mountains and forests gradually being shrouded in night and said decisively, "It's getting dark, and the mountain roads are dangerous."

"Okay." Although Lin Haitang was disappointed, she understood the principle of safety first.

But it seemed that fate was conspiring against them.

Just as the two returned to the stream, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, followed by large raindrops that began to fall without warning.

In just a few minutes, the light rain turned into a downpour.

The two watched helplessly as the stream before them, once clear, now became murky and turbid, its water level swelled, and its roaring sound created an insurmountable natural barrier.

"Damn it!" Qi Feng cursed under his breath and quickly pulled Lin Haitang to hide under a large, leafy tree, but it was no use. The cold rain soon soaked them both to the bone.

We must find a place to shelter from the rain, otherwise we risk hypothermia.

Just then, another pale bolt of lightning tore through the sky, instantly illuminating the entire mountain forest as bright as day.

"Qi Feng, look over there!" Lin Haitang suddenly pointed to the northwest, her voice filled with surprise.

Qi Feng looked in the direction she pointed, and in the fleeting light of the lightning, he could vaguely see a dark outline on a hillside in the northwest, which looked like a house.

"Walk!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Qi Feng took Lin Haitang's hand, and the two of them trudged along in that direction, their steps uneven.

The muddy mountain path was slippery, and every step required a great deal of effort.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps half an hour, perhaps longer—the outline of the house finally became clear before their eyes.

This is a lonely little house with peeling paint, looking quite old.

Finally, we have somewhere to take shelter from the rain!

Lin Haitang perked up and was about to shout to ask if anyone was home.

A cold hand suddenly reached out from behind and tightly covered her mouth.

Lin Haitang's pupils contracted, and she turned around in surprise to look at Qi Feng behind her. She saw that his expression was more solemn than ever before, and he made a shushing gesture to her.

"Shh..." Qi Feng's voice was extremely low, almost drowned out by the sound of wind and rain, but every word clearly reached Lin Haitang's ears.

"Smell closely, there's a bloody smell!"