The physical evidence has long been collected at Chen Xuexian’s home, and a series of evidence has been taken back to the headquarters for research.

Lu Junchi organized all the photos and on-site investigation materials, and handed the footage to the Voice Laboratory of the Forensic Identification Center.

Currently, voiceprint recognition is internationally recognized as a method of identity identification.

A person’s voice is associated with the soft palate, tongue, lip shape, and teeth.

Voiceprints are like fingerprints; even if someone intentionally imitates another person’s speech or lowers their voice, the voiceprints still exhibit inherent characteristics.

The Major Crimes Unit finally received the comparison results during the lunch break. Through voiceprint analysis, it was determined that the voice in the video belonged to Qiu Jiarong.

While several people in the office were working overtime, Su Hui was the only one lying on the sofa.

The office was filled with the aroma of food during lunchtime, but Su Hui only ate a little before expressing his fatigue. He lay down for a while and eventually fell silent. Lu Junchi walked over to take a look, and at that moment, Su Hui was sound asleep.

Curled up, he used a cushion as a pillow, and Lu Junchi covered him with a piece of clothing. Su Hui seemed to have sensed something, as his body moved and he buried his face in the clothes, revealing only his long eyelashes and a small mole at the corner of his eye.

Lu Junchi made a hushing gesture to the others, and in order not to disturb him, they continued discussing the case online.

Zheng Bai frowned as he looked at the results and typed, “Qiu Jiarong, the somewhat introverted programmer? He doesn’t seem like a killer at all.”

Qiao Ze typed, “Killers don’t have the words ‘killer’ written on their faces. Just look at his fighting style; he’s definitely not afraid.”

“But this recording didn’t capture the entire process, the fight that followed. It doesn’t prove that he is the killer,” Qu Ming turned to Lu Junchi and said, “Should we call him in for questioning?”

Lu Junchi pressed a line of text, “Let’s call him in for questioning first.”

Just as they were discussing this, the phone on the table suddenly rang. In the quiet office, the ringing of the phone was somewhat abrupt.

Trying not to wake up Su Hui, Xia Mingxi hurriedly went over to answer it. After listening for a few sentences, she looked up and whispered to Lu Junchi, “Captain Lu, the police hotline received a report from a middle-aged woman. She said she has information about the case. She claims to be Qiu Jiarong’s mother.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Ze jumped up from his chair but kept his hand on the keyboard as he typed, “I didn’t expect that. Does she have any clues?”

Qu Ming typed, “It’s hard to say. Could it be that this mother is sacrificing her own child for the greater good?”

In that case, it seemed they needed to hear what this mother had to say before calling Qiu Jiarong in.

Lu Junchi closed the file in his hand and typed, “Qiao Ze, bring her to the interrogation room. I’ll be there shortly.”

Qiao Ze immediately got up and made an OK gesture towards Lu Junchi.

Lu Junchi walked over to the sofa and called Su Hui softly, “Professor Su, it’s time to wake up.”

Su Hui had already been awakened by the phone ringing earlier, and now he opened his eyes and squinted like a cat.

Lu Junchi had a strange feeling. He didn’t feel like he had two cats; he felt like he had three. And the one in front of him was the most beautiful, precious, and difficult to handle.

Su Hui curled up his body slightly, and after a moment, he rubbed his eyes and let go of the cushion he was leaning on. He asked, “What was that phone call just now? Is there progress in the case?”

Lu Junchi obediently reported to him, “Qiu Jiarong’s mother has arrived. We’re going to ask her some questions.”

Su Hui nodded, and then he got up after taking a short rest. Lu Junchi poured him a cup of hot water and went to the interrogation room himself.

When Su Hui arrived, Lu Junchi had already brought Qiao Ze inside for questioning.

Qu Ming called out, “Professor Su.”

Su Hui nodded and sat down beside Qu Ming.

Inside the interrogation room, Lu Junchi looked at the middle-aged woman in her fifties. Her complexion was somewhat pale, her eyelids were swollen, and her permed hair was slightly messy. The woman had heavy dark circles under her eyes, indicating that she hadn’t been sleeping well lately.

It was her first time coming to the police station, and facing two police officers, her hands were trembling, and her expression was not natural. She kept clutching a bag tightly in her arms, showing signs of extreme nervousness.

Lu Junchi glanced at the registration form. This woman’s name was Qin Yiyun, fifty-six years old, residing in Huadu, and currently retired.

Qiao Ze finished verifying the information and asked her, “Auntie, can you tell us why you came to the headquarters today?”

Qin Yiyun sobbed, tears streaming down her face, and she covered her face with her hands. “It took me a lot of courage to come here… I… I really didn’t expect that my own son would end up like this because of a woman…”

Qiao Ze comforted her, “Auntie, please take your time and tell us.”

Qin Yiyun wiped the corner of her eyes and began to speak, “I suspect that my son has killed someone…”

Then she explained, “You see, my son Qiu Jiarong… he has always been shy and didn’t find a partner even as he grew older. When he turned twenty-five, my husband and I started to worry. We arranged various blind dates for him. Then, a few months ago, my son suddenly told me that he was in a relationship.”

Qin Yiyun’s words were a bit scattered, and she wiped away her tears before continuing, “At first, I was very happy, and both my husband and I were very supportive. We even thought about when he would bring the girl home to meet us. But I didn’t expect that it would be the beginning of a nightmare. Since then, he started acting strangely… Always mentioning that girl, praising her cooking and how virtuous she is. At the beginning, we thought it was just because he was deeply in love, so it seemed normal.”

“But as time went on, I felt more and more like he was obsessed. He became careless at work, often skipped meals at home, and when he did come back, he would just stare at his phone. If the other person sent him a message, he would be as happy as a child. But once the other person ignored him, he would become restless. Then one day, he came back with bruises all over his face, saying he got into a fight outside…”

That was probably the incident captured by the surveillance cameras, the fight between Qiu Jiarong and Shao Changqing.

“At first, I didn’t know the reason behind it, but after a while, he admitted to me that he got into a fight because of that woman. Since then, he became even more restless and often didn’t come home.”

Then Qin Yiyun continued, “At that time, I advised him that there are many women in the world, and if he couldn’t get along with that one, he could find another. But he said he wanted that woman. One time, after drinking a little, he cried and said to me, ‘Mom, if she doesn’t want me anymore, I don’t want to live.’ I was terrified when I heard that and quickly tried to console him.”

Lu Junchi frowned as he listened. He recalled what Chen Xuexian had said earlier. He felt that this man had been firmly controlled by Chen Xuexian, and perhaps he had been manipulated without realizing it.

“Then…,” Qin Yiyun said, clenching her teeth before continuing, “I have two properties at home. I live in one, and the other one is prepared as a marital home for my son. He lives there alone, and every now and then, I go to clean up the house for him. Just recently, during one of my visits, I discovered some bloodstains on his clothes and shoes… They were very small, and he probably didn’t notice… I… I felt extremely anxious when I saw them.”

At this point, she tightened her grip on the cloth bundle in her arms. “I hesitated for a long time about whether to discuss this with my husband. In the end, I decided to come alone…”

Lu Junchi and Qiao Ze were both shocked when they heard this. “Auntie, did you bring the clothes with you?” Lu Junchi asked.

“I brought them,” Qin Yiyun replied, and she took out a checked shirt for men from her bag and handed it to Lu Junchi.

Lu Junchi examined it and indeed found some inconspicuous bloodstains on the cuffs of the shirt. He thanked

 her, “Thank you, Auntie. We will conduct a comparative analysis through forensic testing.”

If the bloodstains on this shirt belonged to Guo Chengfeng, it would be important evidence.

It was not easy for a mother to expose her own flesh and blood. Qin Yiyun’s actions were commendable.

Qiao Ze asked, “Auntie, does Qiu Jiarong know that you came here today?”

Qin Yiyun nodded, “He shouldn’t know. I came here without telling him…”

Lu Junchi said, “Auntie, what you did is right. We will take these clues you mentioned seriously and monitor his behavior.”

Upon hearing this, Su Hui, who was observing from the observation room, furrowed his brow slightly.

Qiu Jiarong is still preparing to commit a crime. Will this slaughter continue?

Who will be his target?

Last night’s light rain swept away the gloom of the city. As it was almost time to finish work, the office became quiet.

This is a high-end office building located in the center of Huadu City. Shao Changqing sat at his desk on the twenty-second floor, occupying the largest workspace in the office, which befit his position as the financial director.

It was already past nine in the evening when Shao Changqing finally took out his dinner.

It was a plate of pork dumplings, beautifully made with thin skin, generous filling, and a tempting aroma.

Shao Changqing calmly went to the pantry and used the microwave to heat up the dumplings. He brought his own vinegar and poured it into a plastic plate, then picked up a dumpling and took a bite.

The delicious aroma of the meat filled his mouth as he chewed satisfactorily, unable to help but squint his eyes.

The Human Resources Department was next door, and the HR director was also working late. At this hour, everyone was hungry. He walked over and said, “Hey, Shao, what are you eating?”

“Dumplings,” Shao Changqing replied.

The HR director said, “It smells so good.”

Shao Changqing proudly said, “Naturally, my wife made them.”

The HR director laughed, “You’ve only been dating for a short while, and your wife already makes them. My red envelope hasn’t been given yet, but my wife already got on board.” He swallowed and asked, “What’s the filling?”

“Pork and mushrooms.”

The delicious combination of juicy meat and the unique aroma of mushrooms made them especially tasty.

Usually, when it reached this point in the conversation, the other person would offer a taste, but Shao Changqing showed no intention of sharing. The HR director hadn’t had breakfast yet and couldn’t resist the smell, so he reluctantly said, “Can I have one?”

Upon hearing this, Shao Changqing shook his head, covered the plate of dumplings with the lid, and appeared reluctant, “You can eat anything else, but my wife’s dumplings are off-limits.”

The HR director exclaimed, “Stingy!” and returned to his own desk.

Shao Changqing was enjoying his dumplings when suddenly the phone on his desk rang. These days, the office landline was basically just for show, and he didn’t expect anyone to call, especially at this late hour while working overtime.

Shao Changqing picked up the phone, made a few affirmative sounds, and the more he listened, the more serious his expression became. “Alright, I understand.” He didn’t bother to continue working, starting to pack up his things.

After packing up, Shao Changqing looked at the dumplings in front of him, still reluctant. He hurriedly finished eating them, then quickly got up to leave.

In Huadu at night, it was already past ten o’clock. The weather had turned cold, and it was a bit stuffy today, with an excessive amount of water vapor, as if an autumn rain was brewing.

After finishing overtime, Shao Changqing took the last bus from the subway station. As he walked on the road, when he passed a slightly secluded alley, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. A figure caught up to him.

“Who?” Shao Changqing turned back, a bit cautious. The person behind him was about 1.78 meters tall, dressed in black with a hood and a mask covering their face.

The person lowered their mask, revealing a man’s face—it was Qiu Jiarong.

Now, the man’s face was pale, completely devoid of his usual refined and reserved demeanor, replaced by a sinister and ferocious expression.

Shao Changqing looked at him, full of vigilance and caution. “You’re the one who fought with me last time… Qiu, what do you want?”

“I want to ask about her,” Qiu Jiarong’s eyes glanced around. The surroundings were pitch black, and his face became grim. “I know you must have hidden her! Give her back to me!”

The place fell into an eerie silence, with only occasional meows of stray cats heard by the roadside. The air felt thick, as if it was about to solidify.

Shao Changqing shook his head. “I don’t know where she is. She hasn’t contacted me for a long time. The last time she was with you!”

Qiu Jiarong paused for a moment. “Nonsense! You’re talking nonsense! It’s clearly you who took her away!”

“The police are also looking for her,” Shao Changqing replied, touching his nose. “I guess it’s because you did something bad that caused her to run away, right?” His expression revealed a hint of mockery. “Didn’t you always claim that she loved you more? Why are you asking me where she is now? If you came to me today just for this, I really have no idea.”

“I don’t believe your nonsense! Where did you take her?” Qiu Jiarong’s face became hysterical, and he pulled out a knife from another pocket.

Shao Changqing looked at him, a smirk forming on his lips. “Madman, she wouldn’t want to be with a madman like you.”

Those words stung Qiu Jiarong, and he held the knife, stabbing towards Shao Changqing.

It was only at this moment that Shao Changqing became frightened, and he quickly dodged, shouting, “Help!”

He tried to escape, but his legs gave way, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Qiu Jiarong swung the knife towards Shao Changqing.

As Shao Changqing fell, the knife missed its target, making a swooshing sound as it sliced through the air.