Deadly Chain

He sliced a piece and put it in his mouth. The delicate texture lingered between his lips and teeth, giving his taste buds immense satisfaction. Only when the aroma of the beef fully dispersed did he finally swallow.

“Delicious.”

Just three simple words of praise, but for Gu Yuan, it was already a rarity.

Mo Lin said, “I only make food that’s edible when I’m in a good mood.”

Which meant he was in a pretty good mood today.

Gu Yuan thought about it and agreed. Solving a case today, it’s normal to be in a good mood.

“What happens when you’re not in a good mood?”

This was probably the first time Gu Yuan actively asked Mo Lin a question.

“You’re talking about losing control of emotions, right? I’ve never lost control of my emotions, so it’s hard to answer.”

Gu Yuan frowned. According to him, aside from losing control, he was always in a good mood.

Thinking of this, he looked up again at the person across from him. The person was meticulously cutting steak, his long fingers pressing elegantly on the silver cutlery, his mouth always curved upwards. From the moment Gu Yuan met Mo Lin until now, he always had this expression, except for some subtle changes when interrogating criminals in the interrogation room.

“So you don’t have to worry about offending me.”

Speaking of offending people, Gu Yuan’s experiences were countless. He didn’t care about offending one more person, but the person sitting across didn’t make him feel uncomfortable.

The meal was quite pleasant. Gu Yuan wiped his mouth with a napkin, preparing to take his dishes to the kitchen.

Mo Lin had also finished eating and followed him with his dishes.

The originally spacious kitchen became crowded with two men. When Gu Yuan turned around, his shoulder brushed against Mo Lin’s arm, causing the cutlery in his hand to make a crisp clinking sound.

“Careful… it’s okay to bump into me, but it’s not good if your clothes get dirty.”

Gu Yuan lowered his head. He was not used to physical contact with others, even a simple bump could unsettle him.

“Can you not touch me?”

“You bumped into me first…”

Gu Yuan: ……

He didn’t want to stay in the kitchen any longer and walked around Mo Lin to leave.

Just as he reached the living room, he heard the person in the kitchen drawling, “Can you help me feed the cat… the cat food and cans are in the cabinet by the TV…”

Followed by the sound of running water from the faucet.

Gu Yuan helplessly squatted by the TV, took out a can from the cabinet, and “Fat Orange” came trotting over, sitting obediently in front of him.

“Meow~”

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but reach out to pet it. “Where’s your bowl?”

Fat Orange seemed to understand and led him to the balcony.

On the balcony, there was a climbing tree nest specially made for Fat Orange, wrapped with rope in circles. It was clear it was handmade. Unexpectedly, Mo Lin had the patience for such things.

Under the tree nest were Fat Orange’s bowl and water dispenser, looking clean and hygienic.

He placed the opened can on the ground, and the cat immediately started licking it, its whiskers brushing against the can, trembling cautiously.

Worried the can might cut its tongue, Gu Yuan poured the contents into the bowl.

Seeing it eat happily, Gu Yuan returned to the living room to continue reviewing the case files.

The bodies of the three women were intact. Although they were stripped naked, none had been sexually assaulted, and the killer left no DNA.

There were no signs of forced restraint on the victims, except for the kindergarten teacher who was strangled. The other two died peacefully.

Flipping further, there were a bunch of test reports.

The victims’ blood tested positive for sleeping pills. The flight attendant’s blood had a lethal dose, while the other two had lower concentrations, only causing unconsciousness.

Typically, murderers leave emotional traces on the victims’ bodies, like rape, dismemberment, or collecting a body part to satisfy a fetish.

But in this serial murder case, the killer left no emotional traces.

This undoubtedly made criminal profiling much more difficult.

Gu Yuan was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Mo Lin had already tidied up the kitchen and sat beside him. This time, Mo Lin sat at a moderate distance, smiling as he looked at Gu Yuan’s profile.

“Two days ago, the police arrested that blogger for intentionally spreading harmful information, causing serious impact. He has a perfect alibi and has been ruled out as a suspect. The blogger’s ID is now under police control. Have you heard this saying?”

“What saying?”

“There are three types of women a man shouldn’t marry: flight attendants, kindergarten teachers, and nurses.”

“I’ve heard it, but it’s nonsense.”

“Do you think it’s a coincidence? If it is, it’s too much of a coincidence!”

“So the killer might be male?”

“Exactly, the killer is likely male and harbors resentment towards women in these three professions… Do you want something to drink?”

“Just plain water is fine.”

Mo Lin took out a disposable cup, filling it with water as he spoke, “We tried to find a connection between the victims and the wax blocks, but there wasn’t much. I can only boldly speculate that the killer is an idealist, trying to tell us stories, possibly related to a lie.”

Mo Lin placed the perfectly tempered water on the table in front of Gu Yuan. “So to learn more, we need to find the next wax block.”

“Will the killer strike again?”

“This is just the beginning…”

A fleeting, unreadable emotion crossed Mo Lin’s face, but it was gone in an instant. The next second, he was smiling again. “We need to catch him quickly. I’m worried Li Zheng’s mimicry will provoke him, causing him to commit more crimes soon!”

“If, according to previous speculation, the killer determines the method of death based on the order of posts on the forum, what will he do if Li Zheng disrupts his plan?”

“A perfectionist like him might start over… of course, that’s just my guess…”

“If he starts over… then his next target would be…”

“A flight attendant,” Mo Lin said softly.

“Lianchi City is taking this case very seriously and has already notified all airport staff.”

At this moment, the phone on the sofa suddenly vibrated. Mo Lin glanced at it; it was a call from Xiao Ze.

He answered and walked towards the balcony.

Gu Yuan watched his back as he made the call, feeling inexplicably tense.

Would the killer really start over?

Mo Lin slowly turned to look at him, then moved his lips and hung up the phone.

Standing against the light on the balcony, the sunlight was a bit glaring, obscuring his expression. Gu Yuan only heard him say three words, “He’s here.”

“What?”

“The killer has already acted. A female corpse was found in an apartment near Yan Hai City airport. The victim is a flight attendant.”

Gu Yuan: !

The two exited the elevator one after the other. Mo Lin tossed his suit onto the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. “Do we need to go back for the investigation kit?”

“Yes.”

They first returned to the police station, where Gu Yuan grabbed the investigation kit and got into the car.

The two drove towards the airport. Along the way, the navigation voice made the atmosphere even more tense.

At the scene, the police line had already cordoned off the area, keeping bystanders away. Gu Yuan’s police uniform served as a pass, allowing him to reach the crime scene without hindrance.

Arriving at the scene, Gu Yuan was shocked. On the bed lay a female corpse, naked, lying on the white sheets. Her hair was neatly arranged, spread evenly on the bed, her fingers interlocked, resting on her chest, as if she were just asleep, ready to wake up at any moment.

Rose petals were scattered around the body, the air filled with the scent of roses, sending chills down one’s spine.

It was almost identical to the previous crime scenes!

The killer’s pursuit of perfection was pathological!

In the living room, Mo Lin was communicating with the higher-ups, reporting the incident immediately.

There were no signs of disturbance at the scene. On the coffee table was half a bottle of soda water, with a small amount of white sediment at the bottom.

A blue trench coat and a black Gucci handbag lay on the sofa.

The balcony window was open, the blue curtains gently swaying.

Li Meng stuck his head out the window, looking down from the balcony. Below was the air conditioning unit. Although the units were neatly aligned, the gaps were large, and being on the 18th floor, climbing was nearly impossible.

Gu Yuan, fully equipped in forensic gear, meticulously examined the body from head to toe. Indeed, like the previous cases, there were no fatal wounds or signs of struggle.

The body still had warmth. He inserted a digital thermometer into the victim’s rectum. By measuring the internal temperature, he could calculate the time of death.

“Time of death was 5 hours ago, around 9 a.m.”

The body had already gone into rigor mortis. Gu Yuan used a mouth opener to check the victim’s mouth and, as expected, found a wax block under the tongue.

He collected the victim’s secretions for immediate testing, leaving the rest of the work to the trace detection team.

As Gu Yuan carried the investigation toolbox downstairs, Mo Lin happened to drive up to him.

He didn’t get in the car, continuing to walk forward.

Mo Lin honked twice, signaling him to get in.

Gu Yuan had to stop. “You go ahead. I’ll take the police car back.”

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you fine sitting earlier?”

“I haven’t showered,” he added after a few steps, “I just examined the body.”

Forensic doctors who had contact with corpses were generally avoided by others, except colleagues. Even though he was fully equipped during the autopsy, most people still minded, though they wouldn’t say it outright. So Gu Yuan always kept his distance from others after examining a body.

Mo Lin simply parked the car, opened the door, and walked over to him. “I don’t mind. Get in.”

He opened the car door next to Gu Yuan. “Aren’t we in a hurry?”

“I mind. It’s a matter of principle.”

Mo Lin thought: What kind of principle is that?

Just then, Li Meng drove up in a police car. Seeing Gu Yuan with the investigation kit, he stopped and lowered the window. “Mr. Gu, get in… Mr. Mo, are you waiting for someone?”

Gu Yuan turned and got into Li Meng’s car.

“The person I was waiting for has been picked up by you.” It sounded like a tease.

Li Meng realized, “You mean Mr. Gu?”

“In that case…” Mo Lin walked over to Li Meng, tapping on the car window. “Could you drive my car back to the station?”

Li Meng glanced at the luxury car parked by the road. “Mr. Mo, do you have urgent business?”

“Not very urgent.”

Li Meng didn’t think much of it and got out of the car.

“Thanks!” Mo Lin patted his shoulder, then bent down to sit in the police car’s driver’s seat.

“Now we can go…” Mo Lin looked at Gu Yuan in the rearview mirror, showing a satisfied smile.

Leaving Li Meng standing there, bewildered.