Chapter 522: Why does my neck feel a little sore…

Clearing a level once could be chalked up to lucky coincidence, but clearing two in a row?

The key is that the speed of clearing keeps getting faster each time, which is unlikely to be just luck.

The second level, which had stumped the four of them for an entire afternoon, Xu Mo breezed through, and he didn't cheat at all; while he cleared it, the four were watching from the side.

"How did you clear it?"

"Is there any trick to clearing it?"

"Xu Mo... could you help me get past the second level? I'm still stuck on it."

"And me, I haven't gotten past the second level either."

"I can't do it for you, but I can teach you how to clear it—it's simple," Xu Mo said while collapsing onto the sofa: "Ow, why does my neck feel a bit sore…"

Yang Jingxuan immediately understood Xu Mo's hint.

"Then, shall I give you a squeeze? Is this amount of pressure okay?"

"Just this pressure, a little higher… yes, yes, that's it, feels good!"

Xu Mo, with a look of enjoyment, closed his eyes and continued: "My neck feels better, but my arms and legs are starting to ache."

Xu Mo's hint was already very obvious—more a direct indication than a hint—so the remaining three, including Zhou Qiaoqiao, immediately took corresponding actions.

One squeezed an arm, another pounded a leg, and the third brought over a plate of sliced fruit to feed Xu Mo.

After a few minutes of enjoyment, Xu Mo also taught them the Clearance Technique for this little game.

Immediately afterward, the four used the newly learned Clearance Technique to bring glory to their own provinces.

…

Today, Han Fei finally witnessed just how strong Xu Mo's deductive ability is.

Relying solely on deduction, Xu Mo caught the murderer in a Headless Unsolved Case from over twenty years ago; this ability is astonishing, and even this veteran of many years feels a bit impressed by Xu Mo's deduction.

It should be noted that Xu Mo solved that case when the police had not grasped any usable clue at all.

In all his years on the job, Han Fei has never seen anyone solve a case without any clues.

After work, when Han Fei got home, he recalled something: the Police Station still had two old cases pending.

These two cases, like the one they just solved, were also Headless Unsolved Cases, with the police lacking any usable clues.

Because they had no clues at all, they had long been temporarily sealed.

Han Fei had even almost forgotten about those two cases.

However, just as Xu Mo, with his outstanding deduction, solved a Headless Unsolved Case from over twenty years ago without any clues, Han Fei suddenly remembered those two long‑sealed cases.

They truly hadn't managed those two before, but now Han Fei thinks it's worth a try; after all, Xu Mo is now at the Police Station—maybe he can crack those old cases.

"I don't know if Xu Mo can handle those two cases... never mind, I'll see him tomorrow, a dead horse is worth trying to revive!" Han Fei thought, sitting on the sofa and smoking.

The next day.

Police Station.

Because the plan was already set last night, Han Fei arrived at the Police Station early.

Xu Mo, as usual, slipped through the police gate almost unnoticed.

The moment he saw Xu Mo, Han Fei waved him over.

"Team Leader Xu, come over a moment, I have something to discuss with you."

The colleagues in the bureau had no idea what Han Fei was up to, each wearing a puzzled expression.

Xu Mo naturally didn't know what Han Fei wanted, but he didn't ask; he just followed, thinking it didn't matter—he'd find out soon enough.

After the two entered Han Fei's office one after another, the officers in the adjacent work area instantly erupted into a frenzy.

"What's going on? I feel Han Team is acting oddly today."

"Indeed, Han Team arrived earlier than I did, and he keeps popping out of his office every now and then, as if waiting for Team Leader Xu."

"Waiting for Team Leader Xu? What does Han Team want with him?"

"Who am I to ask?"

"…"

In the office.

"Sit down, have you had breakfast?" Han Fei gestured toward the sofa in the office.

"I have," Xu Mo replied honestly. "What's the hurry, Han Team?"

The next second, Han Fei pointed at two aged file folders on the desk.

"Here's the thing: the bureau has two unsolved cases piled up—one has been pending for five years, the other for three. Neither has been solved; want to take a look?"

Upon hearing it was about cases, Xu Mo finally got it—Han Team wanted him to see if he could also crack these long‑pending cases, which explained the urgency of calling him early.

"Let me take a look first," Xu Mo said, reaching for the two aged file folders Han Fei had placed on the desk.

He untangled the loops of rope and pulled the dossiers out of the folders.

The dossiers contained detailed illustrated descriptions of the cases.

Xu Mo studied them intently, while Han Fei said nothing, fearing to disturb him, and sat quietly nearby waiting for Xu Mo to finish.

"A series of suicides?" For the first case dossier, Xu Mo frowned after just one page.

Suicides alone wouldn't attract such attention from the Police Station; after all, a small fraction of people take their own lives each year for various reasons.

This case was taken seriously and investigated because the number of suicides at that time was unusually high.

In just one day, nine people committed suicide, and crucially, all nine deaths occurred within the same district, the farthest being only about ten kilometers apart—highly suspicious.

Suicides happen yearly, but nine in one district on a single day is impossible—the frequency is abnormally high, and the locations are so close that one can't help but suspect a connection.

Back then, after receiving multiple reports, Han Fei immediately sensed something amiss, classifying all the cases as homicides and merging the nine into a single investigation.

However, even though Han Fei saw the irregularity, he still couldn't find any evidence to prove those nine deaths were murders rather than suicides.

It seemed illogical, yet the more he investigated, the more it made sense; from the circumstances, the nine were indeed suicides... which was a real headache.

He simply put the case on temporary hold.

It stayed sealed until now.

After finishing the files, Xu Mo stroked his chin; this case really is a bit difficult.

"So, what do you think?" Seeing that Xu Mo had finished the files, Han Fei immediately asked.