Roses in Flames

Ye Yuntang drove to the Provincial Training Department.

She had just parked her car when a gentle, clear voice sounded from behind her, "Junior."

Ye Yuntang turned around and saw Shen Yan, who looked refreshing and handsome in a white shirt and black trousers.

A smile curved her lips. "Senior brother."

Shen Yan strode up to Ye Yuntang and asked, "Junior, are you here on business?"

Ye Yuntang nodded. "I'm here to see Captain Xiao from my unit."

Shen Yan nodded thoughtfully. "Our meeting is over. Captain Xiao should be coming out soon."

Before Ye Yuntang could say anything, Shen Yan added, "Are you going to the alumni reunion next weekend?"

Ye Yuntang nodded, "Sure."

Shen Yan took out his phone. "I'll add you to the group chat."

"it is good."

Shen Yan had just added Ye Yuntang to the group chat when Xiao Lin came over.

He was wearing the black shirt that Ye Yuntang had worn the night before, with the top two buttons of his shirt undone. His brows and eyes were deep, and he exuded a cold and sharp aura.

Ye Yuntang saw the stern-faced man and greeted him with a smile, "Captain Xiao."

Shen Yan turned to look at Xiao Lin, her gaze unconsciously falling on his left shoulder.

During the previous meeting, Xiao Lin sat next to him, and when he turned his head, he could see Xiao Lin's left shoulder.

A single strand of long, slightly wavy, brown hair fell there, impossible to ignore.

When Xiao Lin saw Shen Yan's gaze sweep over that long hair again, he glanced at it as well.

Ye Yuntang keenly sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

She followed their gaze and saw the long hair; her brow suddenly twitched.

She recognized her own hair at a glance.

Why doesn't Xiao Lin remove his hair?

"Captain Xiao, you have a girlfriend?" Shen Yan asked with a gentle smile.

Xiao Lin twirled a strand of long hair between his fingers, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Still pursuing her, but she wore this shirt of mine last night, so she probably likes me, right?"

For a moment, Ye Yuntang didn't know where to look.

This guy is clearly showing off on purpose.

Before Shen Yan could say anything, Xiao Lin suddenly looked at Ye Yuntang, raising an eyebrow slightly, "Forensic Doctor Ye, don't you think so?"

When Ye Yuntang met the man's deep, burning eyes, her heart skipped a beat. If Shen Yan hadn't been there, she really would have kicked him.

"Captain Xiao, I'm here to talk to you about something important. Luo Zilin is in trouble."

Xiao Lin's brows furrowed. "That Luo Zilin who's on good terms with Zhao Jiashu?"

Ye Yuntang nodded, "That's right, he was slit in the throat in an alley in the west of the city."

Just then, Xiao Lin's phone rang.

It was a call from Director Shao.

After saying goodbye to Shen Yan, Ye Yuntang and Xiao Lin rushed to the police station.

"Luo Zilin was killed instantly with a sharp knife. Not only that, his private parts were also cut off."

Xiao Lin frowned, his eyes cold and deep. "To kill someone with a single blow, the murderer must be skilled. They must have either received professional combat or knife handling training, or they must have been in contact with sharp weapons for many years and have a thorough understanding of the human body's vital points and the angles of force application."

Ye Yuntang nodded, "Yes."

Xiao Lin pursed his thin lips and continued, "Not only is he skilled, but he also knows Luo Zilin's whereabouts like the back of his hand and can accurately avoid blind spots in the alley's surveillance cameras. He must either be someone he knows well or someone who has been observing and figuring out his routine for a long time."

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang analyzed the case as they drove back to the police station.

In the conference room.

Director Zheng and Director Shao both came over.

In just a few days, two students were murdered, Luo Zilin was subjected to cruel treatment, the school was closed, parents blocked the police station demanding answers, and public opinion on the Internet exploded, putting the police station under unprecedented pressure.

News notifications kept popping up on the screen of the phone that Director Zheng was holding.

—Two murders in just a few days: Where is campus safety?

—The police are not doing their job, the murderer is committing crimes and getting away with it, and we dare not let our children go to school anymore.

—A serial killer has appeared in Yecheng.

Panic is spreading online.

The phone calls from provincial leaders kept coming in.

Director Zheng glared at Qin Feng with a grim expression. "Didn't you say Zhao Mingyuan was the murderer of Zhao Jiashu? Why is someone else dead? And Zhao Jiashu's classmate at that?"

Qin Feng lowered his head, never expecting that a second student would be killed in such a short time.

Ye Mo, who had conflicts with Zhao Jiashu and Luo Zilin, has been staying at home obediently lately, not venturing out of the house, and has nothing to do with Luo Zilin's death.

He investigated the interpersonal relationships around Zhao Jiashu and found that, apart from Ye Mo, only Zhao Mingyuan had ever had a conflict with him.

"Zhao Mingyuan touched the shelf where the daggers were kept backstage, and there were his fingerprints on the shelf."

Xiao Lin's dark eyes swept sharply over Qin Feng, and he suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "Does the dagger have Zhao Mingyuan's fingerprints on it?"

Qin Feng shook his head. "No, but Zhao Mingyuan admitted in the interrogation room that he did indeed intend to kill Zhao Jiashu. I think he's just making excuses. If he had the intention to kill, then he might have committed the crime."

Xiao Lin's dark eyes narrowed coldly. "Having the intention to kill is the same as actually doing it? Where's the chain of evidence? If Zhao Mingyuan is the murderer of Zhao Jiashu, then who killed Luo Zilin?"

Qin Feng's Adam's apple bobbed, and he forced a rebuttal, "It might not be a serial murder case! It could be the work of different people. Serial murder cases always have similar signatures, but these two cases don't have any consistent signatures. Maybe the two people offended different people and just happened to run into each other."

"Coincidence?" Xiao Lin stepped forward, his aura cold and sharp, forcing Qin Feng to unconsciously take a few steps back. "That's just your guess! In such a short period of time, two students from the same school, the same class, were murdered one after another. What kind of coincidence could allow two different murderers to accurately avoid surveillance cameras, track down the victims' whereabouts, and then kill them with a single blow?"

Before Qin Feng could say anything, Xiao Lin continued, "The connection between these two cases is that the victims were in the same class and got along very well, so the perpetrator was able to contact both of them at the same time."

Director Shao, who had been silent until now, glanced at Director Zheng, whose face was ashen, and said in a deep voice, "No. 1 High School is a key high school. Now that something like this has happened, not only are the parents devastated, but the students and the people of the whole country are watching us. If we can't catch the murderer or if more students are victimized, it will affect the credibility of our police station and may even cause greater social unrest."

After saying that, Director Shao abruptly changed the subject, his gaze turning cold as he looked at Qin Feng. "Director Zheng trusted your abilities and entrusted you with this case, yet you have absolutely no clue whatsoever. Do you think you've lived up to Director Zheng's trust?"

Qin Feng and Director Zheng both looked very grim.

Director Shao continued, "I have already reported to the provincial department leaders and asked Xiao Lin to come back and take over the case."

Director Shao's words not only questioned Qin Feng's abilities but also directly slapped Director Zheng in the face.