[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-chasing-the-criminal-case":3,"chapter-chasing-the-criminal-case-chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Chasing the Criminal Case",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2328778,4554,"Chapter 10: Perfect Crime?","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>Luo Fei finished speaking, and Gu Changzheng leaned out from the balcony to look down: “If I were the killer, since I’d already prepared rubber gloves, to avoid leaving footprints, I’d naturally have brought shoe covers too. If the victim’s door could be pried open by Shu Jiaqing, why couldn’t I have pried it open? Or better yet, why go through the trouble—I might have found out or known she had a spare key, making it easy for me to come and go. Why risk falling, breaking bones, or getting caught on the spot by jumping out the window?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, when I noticed someone else in the living room, I quickly flipped over the window, crossed through the bedroom’s balcony, and arrived here,” he pointed to the row of wardrobes in the bedroom. “I hid inside temporarily. Since the wardrobe doors opened outward, in my panic I pulled too hard—the door disturbed the air flow inside and actually pushed the slightly ajar bedroom door open. I immediately ducked inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Gu Changzheng gestured for Luo Fei to slightly close the bedroom door, then stood before the wardrobe and yanked the door open with force. Luo Fei indeed felt a rush of air—the slightly closed door swung wide open!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go to the living room and stand at the entrance to the bathroom, where Ge Manli took off her clothes!” Gu Changzheng pointed outside. Luo Fei paused, then suddenly understood his meaning. He sprinted out and left the door slightly ajar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood at the spot where Ge Manli’s dress lay, directly opposite the bathroom door and facing the bedroom door. Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open—he quickly glanced inside. Since the door opened toward the wardrobe, part of his view was blocked, but he caught a fleeting shadow!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain Gu, it’s really hard to see clearly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think again—Shu Jiaqing saw it in a panic, so he’d have seen even less. And he was desperate to flee the scene; not seeing clearly is normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you think Shu Jiaqing is telling the truth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At this point, he remains the prime suspect. But I keep feeling the killer is someone else—someone extremely cunning. We’re reconstructing the crime scene precisely to uncover the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What weapon could the killer have used to leave no trace at all? And how did he subdue the victim within minutes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng walked to the bathtub and fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splash! Suddenly, Gu Changzheng leapt into the bathtub. Standing inside, he shouted: “Luo Fei!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei rushed in and asked, staring at Gu Changzheng in the tub: “What’s wrong, Captain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fill this with water—quickly!” He began stripping off his clothes. “Captain, you’re…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No nonsense—fill it! Hot water!” He frowned. “What happens when a person, completely relaxed, is suddenly pushed backward into a bathtub full of hot water? I think I now know exactly how to drown someone here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei watched as Gu Changzheng undressed. Gu Changzheng said: “If I don’t take these off, how am I supposed to go back? Walk around in wet clothes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei chuckled. He hadn’t expected Captain Gu, who usually didn’t care about appearances, to suddenly be so particular.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the water was filling, Gu Changzheng explained to Luo Fei: “This tub is 1.7 meters long and holds about 300 liters. Ge Manli is 170 cm tall and weighs only 50 kg. I’m 175 cm and weigh 70 kg, so to reach the same water level she used, I’ll need less time…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei understood his intent and rubbed his chin: “Given this rate, it’ll take at least half an hour to fill. Would Ge Manli have stayed beside the tub the whole time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The white coffee table still has a glass of red wine. During that time, she’d have prepared wine, a face mask, things like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the wine glass: “It seems Ge Manli did enjoy drinking—especially red wine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. If someone drinks wine they dislike at an event they dislike, when they return to a place where they feel truly relaxed, they’ll treat themselves to their favorite drink—even if they only sip a little. Psychologically, it’s comforting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei continued Gu Changzheng’s thought: “Could the killer have been waiting inside Ge Manli’s home, waiting for her to return, then caused an accident while she bathed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a bold idea! If so, this person must know Ge Manli and her husband intimately—understand their habits, routines. Most terrifying of all—they even knew about her impromptu movements…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei felt a chill run down his spine. He shook off his thoughts, returned to the scene, and followed Gu Changzheng’s habit: he imagined himself as the killer, simulating the crime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Outside this tub was a frosted glass partition—no one outside could see in. With the steam from the hot water—even in June—it was thick with fog. I’d hide first in the bedroom wardrobe. I checked: Ge Manli loved baths, so her robe and towels were stored in the small cabinet beside the tub. Knowing her habits, she wouldn’t come to the bedroom. So hiding in the wardrobe was safe. Once she entered the tub, I had two ways in: one, climb in through the bathroom window; two, walk straight through the bathroom door. I chose the door. As expected, at home, she was completely relaxed—the bathroom door wasn’t locked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d drunk a lot at lunch—my head was already foggy. After twenty minutes, the tub was full. The steam-filled bathroom was hazy. Gu Changzheng squinted, his head resting on the headrest. He’d drunk half a glass of wine at home, applied a face mask, and now felt drowsy. To sleep more comfortably and avoid slipping into the tub, he placed a towel under his head…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Luo Fei!” Gu Changzheng suddenly opened his eyes. “Check how many towels are left in her house!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei immediately opened the bathroom cabinet. Inside, neatly arranged, were two white bathrobes and one white towel. “Yes! Quickly, take the towel and put it under my head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei did as instructed. After placing the towel, Gu Changzheng said: “Come in from outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Fei stepped out of the bathroom, closed the door, then quietly turned the lock. The door opened silently. He tiptoed to the partition. Seeing no reaction inside, he crept through. A person’s head came into view immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Luo Fei placed both hands on Gu Changzheng’s shoulders and pushed gently. Gu Changzheng’s body slid forward—he gasped in shock, about to shout, when a mouthful of warm water flooded in. Luo Fei grabbed the towel from the headrest, spread it wide, and wrapped it tightly over Gu Changzheng’s entire face.\u003C\u002Fp>",1109,"2026-06-20T19:35:30.807Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a8f0fae8736fe50886f161e792ae05fdb3b70afa53207a406c752d32a07452b0","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-11","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-9",276,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchasing-the-criminal-case-cover.jpg"]