Chapter 401: The Eighth Person 

Six victims, plus a suspected seventh perpetrator. All dead.

The trail had, indeed, gone cold.

The body of the suspect, Che Yu, was discovered in the basement of a residential complex. Judging by the traces left behind, it was clear Che Yu had been hiding there for the past few days.

Can someone live in a basement?

No matter the city, there are always basements, garages, and similar spaces for rent. Many people from difficult circumstances or with limited income live in places like these.

When Xiao Yu saw the body, he was slightly surprised.

Beside the corpse was a small liquefied gas canister connected to a rubber tube. The other end of the tube was inserted into a garbage bag, which had been pulled over the victim’s head. Duct tape had been tightly wrapped around his neck, sealing the bag shut. The gas valve was open.

There were no signs of struggle at the scene.

Apparent cause of death: suicide.

Xiao Yu crouched in front of the body, narrowing his eyes.

Through the sharp vision of Falcon’s Eye, he began to examine the scene carefully, all while listening to the police officers’ report.

“Two hours ago, we received a call. Someone in the basement hallway reported smelling gas. After we responded, we traced the source of the gas to this basement unit. Upon entry… we found the body. Following the forensic sweep, no signs of foul play were discovered. Preliminary conclusion: suicide.”

Xiao Yu scanned the body—no obvious abnormalities.

He shifted his gaze to the surrounding room.

Roughly two meters wide, four meters long. There was a wooden cot, bedding, and a smartphone placed by the bedside. No other footprints on the floor except the victim’s. No signs of covering them up either. Fingerprint analysis—nothing suspicious.

Eventually, Xiao Yu’s eyes landed on the phone.

A mid-range smartphone, priced around two thousand yuan.

What was strange was that the phone had no SIM card.

Its internet connection was piggybacking off a nearby Wi-Fi using a hotspot-hacking app.

Che Yu had planned for a long-term hideout here. This was evident from the stockpiled food inside.

If it weren’t for the gas leak drifting outside and someone noticing the smell, he could’ve remained hidden here for weeks without being found.

With gloves on, Xiao Yu picked up the phone. Inside were a ton of offline games, over a hundred downloaded novels, and forty-plus films.

With preparations this thorough, it was obvious he intended to survive, not die.

So why suicide?

Wasn’t that a contradiction?

Based on the physical evidence, no one else had entered this space. Che Yu had committed suicide.

Then what could have driven him to the point where death was his only option?

Xiao Yu fell into thought.

You have to understand—99% of people fear death. Very few can truly face it calmly. Even fewer have the courage to take their own life.

The human instinct to survive will drive someone to do almost anything to stay alive. Unless they are facing absolute despair. Unless they have nothing left to live for. Unless… death is the lesser of two evils.

What could have forced Che Yu into such a corner?

Xiao Yu kept scrolling through the phone.

There were no messaging apps. No QQ, no WeChat—they had all been uninstalled. Short video apps were logged out.

No SIM card. No communication software. Even the internet was borrowed from a neighbor. All clearly intended to prevent traceability. A very strong counter-surveillance mindset.

“This doesn’t add up,” Xiao Yu murmured, putting down the phone. “With all this preparation for long-term hiding, why commit suicide? He had no communication with the outside. It’s impossible someone could’ve threatened him. And yet… he still chose to die. What kind of logic is that?”

‘Let’s suppose I’m Che Yu. Why would I kill myself?’

Unconsciously, Xiao Yu’s mind entered a heightened analytical state.

Wang Dong, who had been silently watching from the side, suddenly noticed something. He looked into Xiao Yu’s eyes—his pupils had dilated and contracted sharply.

He recognized this state.

He’d only seen it twice before.

Wang Dong waved off the others. Once the basement was cleared, he quietly shut the door and watched Xiao Yu carefully from the side.

“Why suicide?”

“Unless I had no choice but to die.”

“What kind of situation would make me accept death?”

“Despair? But despair from what?”

“Family? Friends? Or… someone?”

“Did someone know my secret? A secret that, if exposed, would destroy me?”

“No… Even then, I wouldn’t kill myself.”

“Unless that person was unimaginably cruel.”

“If I fell into his hands, I’d be tortured in ways worse than death.”

“Exactly. Only under the threat of worse-than-death suffering would I choose suicide.”

“That means I knew how cruel his methods were. I knew he was coming for me. And I knew he’d make me wish I was dead before he actually killed me.”

“So to escape that, I chose to die.”

“But why would he want me dead?”

“Because of the Plate Spirit murders?”

“Did he realize the case might get exposed? That someone needed to take the fall?”

“So I… was the scapegoat?”

“I’m the seventh person in the Plate Spirit case. And he… is the eighth?”

“That means I killed myself because—he’s already come.”

Suddenly, Xiao Yu snapped out of it. His eyes cleared of their cold, hollow glaze, returning to full clarity.

He turned to Wang Dong beside him.

“Check all external surveillance around this basement. Include all Skynet footage.”

“Phew!”

Seeing his little brother back to normal, Wang Dong exhaled hard and rushed out of the basement.

Once he was gone, Xiao Yu sank back into deep thought.

What kind of method… could make someone prefer death over torture?

Then, like lightning in the dark, an idea struck him.

Xiao Yu remembered the gruesome case from five years ago. He remembered two of the victims… Hung from the ceiling. Their bellies slit open.

Wouldn’t death come slowly in such a state?

They wouldn’t die instantly. They’d have to watch in horror as their own organs spilled out of their bodies. Dangling there. Suspended in the air before their eyes.

Dying bit by bit, in excruciating, soul-breaking agony.