Chapter 278: The Impulse of Hormones

At 7 a.m., Xiao Yu returned to the scene where the body was dumped. Details that were difficult to spot at night became more apparent in the daylight.

However, after reexamining the area, Xiao Yu’s face turned grim.

There was no trace of evidence.

Aside from the corpse and the strange oversized footprints from the previous night, nothing else could be found.

Was this even possible?

In modern criminal investigations, three essential pillars are critical: crime scene investigation, surveillance, and forensic examination.

The victim’s body? Aside from showcasing an impeccable mastery of knife skills, there was nothing.

Surveillance? The area around the dumping site was thoroughly checked, but no footage of a suspect had been discovered.

The scene itself? Completely devoid of any traceable clues.

The three main pillars of investigation had turned up nothing.

The word resurfaced in Xiao Yu’s mind: Perfect.

‘No, this couldn’t be.’ Xiao Yu shook his head.

Locard’s Exchange Principle—unless disproven—remained a cornerstone of forensics. Every criminal act leaves behind some trace, whether direct or indirect.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yu calmed himself, clearing his mind and re-establishing logical order in his thoughts. He slowly lifted his head.

‘If I were the killer…’

A cold and detached expression surfaced in Xiao Yu’s eyes as his mind entered a state of extraordinary clarity.

“What kind of person would I be?

“Perfect? Yes, I’m a perfectionist.

“Everything I do would need to be flawless.

“Suppose I planned to kill someone…

“No, I’ve already committed the murder, and now I’m disposing of the body.

“The dumping ground must be somewhere safe, a location where I wouldn’t be discovered.

“So why did I choose this place?”

Staring coldly at the site, Xiao Yu began walking, step by step, toward the alley’s exit.

“How did I find this location?

“And how could I be certain that dumping the body here wouldn’t get me caught?

“Observation. I would have observed various locations around the city.

“But such observation takes time.

“Which means I must have planned everything in advance, before committing the murder.

“I planned every step of the crime.

“I also chose the murder site in advance.

“I planned where to dump the body.

“All the plans were prepared beforehand—flawless plans, weren’t they?

“Once the planning was complete, I began searching for a target.

“Jiang Xiuran… a man with what’s essentially a terminal condition, someone born unable to feel pain, someone tormented by illness?

“So I chose him as the target, intending to execute a perfect crime.

“Even during the process of killing him, I wanted everything to be perfect.

“During this process, Jiang Xiuran even cooperated with me, allowing me to kill him?

“Yes. The expression on his face after death—joy, relief, satisfaction—proves it.

“I succeeded. I made someone watch as I took his life.

“I even made the victim thoroughly satisfied with how they died.

“This entire process… it wouldn’t have been quick, would it?

“Convincing someone to willingly die is not something that can be done in a short amount of time, even with hypnosis.

“Wait, hypnosis? No, not hypnosis. It’s psychological manipulation, psychological comfort, even psychological reassurance, that made the victim willingly die?

“I understand psychology, don’t I?

“Yes, I understand psychology. Only someone proficient in it could predict the thoughts of others and use those thoughts to achieve their goals.

“Then, wouldn’t this require a process? A process of getting close to Jiang Xiuran?

“Only through that process could I directly or indirectly approach him.”

Xiao Yu stopped walking and raised his head. The cold detachment in his eyes dissipated.

“No matter how perfectly you hide yourself, you still had to make contact. And as long as there’s contact, you’ll leave behind traces. Isn’t that right?”

‘Thank you, Locard’s Exchange Principle.’

***

At the Criminal Investigation Unit, in the Conference Room

Standing before the team, Xiao Yu issued his orders, “Investigate everyone who had contact with Jiang Xiuran in the past month, whether through in-person interactions, social media, or communication apps. Focus on suspects who are perfectionists. They’re likely knowledgeable in psychology but lack the ability to hypnotize others. Additionally, the suspect should have regular contact with tools like bone-cutting knives. To cut a person into ten pieces with nine strokes, it’s impossible without extensive experience. And most importantly, cross-check the dates when Jiang Xiuran returned home with that strange, excited expression. I suspect he may have had contact with the suspect on those days.”

Looking around at the team of officers, Xiao Yu’s voice turned firm, “Investigate.”

“Yes!”

The officers responded in unison and exited the room.

Only Zhao Changshan and Zhou Tinghu remained.

“This case…” Zhao Changshan began.

“Yeah.” Xiao Yu nodded, his expression grave. “It’ll be tough. Not like any of the cases we’ve solved before. If we’re not careful, it could even become a cold case.”

The weight of his words sank in, and both Zhao and Zhou’s faces grew serious.

In all the time Xiao Yu had been with the Criminal Investigation Unit, they had never seen him treat a case with such gravity—not even the major serial cases of the past.

Why now?

Because in his previous life, Xiao Yu had pursued a perfectionist killer. It had taken six months to catch them.

This time, the system had only given him fifteen days.

Would he succeed?

‘Stop worrying,’ Xiao Yu thought as he adjusted his mindset, cracking a smile.

A long-forgotten feeling stirred within him. This was the thrill of a man’s adrenaline-fueled drive.

‘Bring it on. Let’s see who breaks first.’