Chapter 124 - 123 "Straight Ball", Back to the Scene

Hearing Su Siliu describe it this way, Li Jing furrowed his eyebrows slightly.

He had felt that the expressions of Xu Jie’s group were off after they had asked him about the situation. Now he understood that this case was tied to other cases.

No wonder Chen Jing’s message had indicated that the case was tricky...

The Major Crime Unit would be taking over next; this explained a lot.

Ordinary murder cases wouldn’t warrant the involvement of the Major Crime Unit.

Not presuming, Li Jing nodded.

"I understand, I’ll hurry back."

Whilst speaking, he summoned the Linglong Tower with a wave of his hand.

Just as he was about to take off with Liu Sisi, a soft delicate hand fell into his palm.

?

Li Jing was taken aback for a moment and looked at her confusedly.

In his sight, Liu Sisi was looking at the ground absentmindedly.

With her acting this way, Li Jing was somewhat dumbfounded.

Before he could figure it out, Liu Sisi glanced at him.

"Why are you spacing out? Don’t you have to come back later to help with the case?"

"..."

Li Jing opened his mouth in silence, took a look at the soft hand held in his own, and with a nod, he ascended the tower with Liu Sisi.

Su Siliu stood still, watching the two of them fade away into the distance like a golden light, slightly stunned.

As a working patrol, Su Siliu was good at observation.

As a woman, she was more sensitive to certain things.

She discovered, she seemed to have misunderstood their relationship.

Just now based on the situation, it was obvious that Liu Sisi took the initiative, leaving Li Jing confused.

If they were really in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship as she thought, would Li Jing be stunned?

Watching the golden light from the Linglong Tower disappear in the blink of an eye, Su Siliu shook her head, took her gaze back, then looked up in surprise thinking something was amiss.

Wasn’t that tower she saw earlier a spirit weapon?

...

The return journey of Li Jing and Liu Sisi was quiet and brief.

The Linglong Tower was a spirit weapon, and Li Jing’s Zhenshi Skill had reached the peak of Great Perfection.

Without intentionally slowing down, the speed of the Linglong Tower was far beyond the Treasure Flying Sword Qingfeng.

But in normal times, Li Jing would not easily reveal the Linglong Tower.

For one, it was too ostentatious, and for another, the Linglong Tower was his biggest trump card at this stage; it was foolish to show it in front of people at will.

They were silent for the entire journey.

It probably only took two or three minutes for them to land in the residential area.

After landing and putting away the Linglong Tower, Li Jing turned to look at Liu Sisi, who appeared to be at a loss for words.

He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know what to say.

The warmth in his hand from earlier was still there.

Suddenly facing this, it had to be said that he was somewhat flustered.

There were some things that he had considered.

Liu Sisi, to him, was special.

The two of them were very close.

To say that he didn’t have thoughts would definitely be a lie.

They were all adults, there was nothing wrong with that.

However, Liu Sisi’s direct approach had completely left him dumbfounded.

Li Jing had no experience in this field.

He had been solo since birth, it wasn’t just a saying.

But he knew the difference between fun and serious.

Things happened so suddenly that he was caught off guard, let alone being mentally prepared.

He didn’t expect Liu Sisi to suddenly throw a "curveball" considering their usual teasing and playful behavior.

Seeing Li Jing’s hesitant expression, Liu Sisi blushing, remained silent.

She was more flustered than him.

Yes, she did make a move, but she didn’t know why she did it.

She just did it subconsciously...

Now, if she said she regretted it, it was definitely too late.

Liu Sisi was conflicted.

Li Jing was also special to her.

He was a brother and a close friend.

But she had somehow taken a step that she shouldn’t have in the heat of the moment.

Once she took this step, there was no turning back.

The only thing left for them was to continue down this path...

To say they wanted to go back to how they were before, it was probably only possible through a reverse of time, before she had made her move.

Time quietly passed, minute by minute.

The two of them just held hands, standing outside the apartment building.

In the end, it was Liu Sisi who couldn’t keep up the silence any longer.

Raising her gaze towards Li Jing, Liu Sisi hesitated for a moment before she spoke quietly.

"Um, did I... cause you any trouble?"

Li Jing was taken aback, shaking his head unconsciously.

"No, it’s just that..."

Before he could finish, Liu Sisi interrupted him.

"If there’s nothing, that’s good. You’ve got work to do, how about we leave it at this for today?"

"Huh?"

Li Jing was confused.

It wasn’t any of that.

The main point was, he didn’t know what Liu Sisi meant by "leave it at this for today".

Subconsciously, he tightened his grip on the soft hand in his.

Feeling his grip, Liu Sisi seemed uncomfortable, avoided his gaze, biting her lower lip.

"There are things waiting for you to deal with. We can talk at least after you’re done working. There’s a big murder case waiting for you. If you delay too long here with me, others will start to have opinions about it later."

With that, she spoke in a soft mosquito-like buzz.

"Don’t worry, I won’t run away."

"..."

Li Jing fell silent.

Liu Sisi was obviously out of things to say.

He didn’t mind it, though.

After a brief silence, Li Jing gave a hum, pulled Liu Sisi closer, and pecked her forehead lightly.

Liu Sisi didn’t expect that she would be attacked all of a sudden?

This counterattack was unexpected and caught her off guard.

Before she could recover, Li Jing had already summoned the Flying Sword Blue Edge and took off like a streak of sword light.

Looking up at the disappearing sword light, Liu Sisi was a bit frustrated.

He kissed her and then ran off immediately!

Who does that?

Touching her forehead, which still carried traces of warmth, she covered her burning cheeks with her hand, let out a big sigh, and walked into the apartment.

...

Under the cover of night, Li Jing flew atop the sword, his mind in turmoil.

But to say he was in a complete mess wouldn’t be accurate either.

He just didn’t know how to get along with Liu Sisi after coming this far.

The two were too close.

As a man, he had more to consider.

He was rootless in this world, and he just managed to build a little foundation which was not enough for him to squander.

He did not know what he could offer to Liu Sisi.

Facing the night breeze, Li Jing returned to Yun Dian Paradise without wasting much time.

Navigating the sword light to touch down smoothly, the phone in his pocket vibrated slightly.

Puzzled, Li Jing took out his small hindrance and found a message from Liu Sisi.

"Remember to let me know when you’re done. The job ad I posted online has gotten some responses, so I’ll need to go to the Chicken Shop tomorrow for some interviews."

The message was quite mundane and lacked Liu Sisi’s usual vibrant style.

After reading the message, Li Jing replied with "got it".

Driven by his thoughts, he arrived at Yun Dian Paradise, much calmer now.

He decided to put aside his emotional entanglements for now.

Regardless, he must get down to business.

Gathering his thoughts, Li Jing looked towards the murder scene not far off.

Apart from Xu Jie and others, there were several officers dressed in the distinctive uniforms of the Major Crime Unit patrolling the scene.

Without further thought, he went over.

As he moved closer, the people at the scene naturally noticed him.

Seeing him approach, Su Siliu took the initiative to greet him and joked,

"Officer Li, you are indeed fast. It hasn’t even been ten minutes and you’re already done?"

"..."

Li Jing.

She started joking upon meeting him, which was unexpected.

However, he could understand that Su Siliu was only trying to break the ice, anticipating their upcoming collaborative investigation.

"Officer Su, don’t joke around. We should focus on the case."

Li Jing said with a bitter smile, asking,

"Regarding this case, is there anything that I need to know?"

Su Siliu found Li Jing’s greenness amusing.

When it came to official matters, she didn’t bring up anything else and handed over a tablet.

"I’ve compiled the information that you need about the case. Take a look and if you have any questions, you can ask me."

"Okay."

Li Jing took the tablet.

Lowering his eyes to examine the contents on the screen, he slightly furrowed his brows.

Instead of displaying information related to the current case, the tablet showed one murder case file after another, totaling thirty-nine.

Sifting through each file, Li Jing discovered that each victim’s gruesome demise was similar to the "Princess" who was blown up in the parade float—exploding for no apparent reason with their bodies left beyond recognition.

The earliest recorded murder case occurred over a decade ago.

Moreover, the murders had a regular pattern.

Every year as winter approached, two to four similar murder cases would occur in the Shangcheng District.

The crime scenes were all within various entertainment venues of the Shangcheng District, including amusement parks, casinos, bars, dance clubs, ice rinks, and so forth.

The victims were ordinary people with a One Realm or at most Two Realm cultivation level.

Apart from inexplicably exploding, it seemed that the victims in these cases had two common traits.

One, they were all female.

Two, they were all high-ranking employees at their respective entertainment venues, with some degree of popularity and rather chaotic personal lives.

After reviewing all the case files, Li Jing was troubled.

The breadth of the crimes was somewhat overwhelming.

The earliest one occurred more than a decade ago.

Over the years, thirty-nine similar cases have occurred and the North City Branch has not managed to find a single clue.

It wasn’t that the North City Branch was incompetent, but the criminal was too cunning.

The chosen location and timing of the crimes were all chaotic entertainment venues. Panic ensued as soon as a crime occurred, leading to the destruction of the crime scene.

For example, at the current scene, Li Jing managed to maintain some order.

At other places, what was left for the officers to investigate was only devastation and civilians injured in the push-and-shove to escape.

Even now, the crime scene had been thoroughly destroyed. Whether useful traces were left behind was a matter of luck.

After all, the witnesses were all in a state of chaos.

In the midst of pushing and fleeing, who knows what might have been left behind.

Massaging his temples, Li Jing handed back the tablet to Su Siliu.

"Has the victim’s identity been confirmed?"

"It has been confirmed."

Su Siliu replied, fiddled with the tablet for a while, and handed it back.

"This is the information we currently have on the deceased and we’re still investigating her personal relationships."

"Hmm."

Li Jing took the tablet to view the details.

The victim’s name was Zhang Suya, 25 years old, with a One Realm cultivation level.

She was a local from Jianghai, graduated from Shangcheng Performing Arts College.

A month ago, when Yun Dian Paradise opened, she was selected as an employee due to her beautiful looks and outstanding acting talent.

Upon joining, she immediately became the designated performer for the popular character Princess Cang Lan from Yun Dian Film Industry, staging daily street shows and theatre performances.

Due to her excellent performance, she was highly valued by Yun Dian Paradise’s top management, often being invited to accompany them for social events.

The known information ends here, far from valuable.

The only thing visible is that just like the other suspected victims, Zhang Suya’s personal life was somewhat messy.

Just a month after joining, she became the designated performer for a popular character, and she was frequently taken to social functions by Yun Dian Paradise’s top management.

Her situation was quite clear.

Behind the glitz and glamour, ugliness often lurks.

It was the same before Li Jing’s encounter with the Second Realm, and it’s been no different in this world.

Physical beauty isn’t highly valued in this world.

Look at any young passerby, who doesn’t have an attractive face and a slim waist?

Unless you have connections, everyone involved in showbiz has a bit of a dark side.

Having read the victim Zhang Suya’s profile, Li Jing looked up.

"I’ve roughly understood the situation, but I don’t have any strong opinions on this case. What does the Major Crime Unit think?"

"They aren’t ruling out copycat crimes but it’s likely the same culprit."

Su Siliu spoke up, saying,

"We don’t have much time according to old records, the criminal typically acts during the beginning of winter, with crimes not more than three days apart. If we don’t find him in time, there may be another victim within three days."

As the two were speaking, Xu Jie walked over with a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the Major Crime Unit.

"Police Officer Li, let me introduce to you, this is Shen Quan, the team leader of Major Crime Unit Two from our Shangcheng Branch."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing turned his head, extended his hand with a smile, and said,

"Nice to meet you, Captain Shen. I am Li Jing."

"Pleased to meet you."

Shen Quan lightly shook hands with him and chuckled,

"The tales of your extraordinary investigative skills have reached me through our Chief. With your addition to our investigation, our Major Crime Unit Two can be said to have grown wings."

Being praised so lavishly, Li Jing couldn’t help but laugh.

"Captain Shen, you flatter me. I’m just a rookie officer, hardly a god at solving cases."

"Ah, Officer Li, there’s no need for you to be modest with me."

Shen Quan waved his hand and said,

"If it weren’t for the fact that you’re part of the North City Branch, just knowing the information the Chief has given us, I would have wanted to have you on my team."

Then, he shifted the conversation,

"I won’t waste your time with idle chatter. This case is difficult to solve, so there’s no need for you to feel pressured. Do what you can. Even our Major Crime Unit Two from the Shangcheng Branch doesn’t have any leads yet. We can only rely on a painstaking search starting from various entertainment venues."

"Alright, I’ll follow your arrangement, Captain Shen."

Li Jing nodded.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Quan said,

"Just leave the undercover search to our Major Crime Unit Two. You don’t need to be involved in that. The Chief instructed me beforehand to grant you the freedom to act independently and not to tie you down with our unit, to avoid restricting your performance."

"Ah, well... "

Li Jing was a bit taken aback.

Without any clues, where was he supposed to perform?

Just as he was about to suggest that he stick with the Major Crime Unit instead, Shen Quan said,

"Anyway, Officer Li, just follow your own investigative approach for now. If you need anything or find something, you can contact me. I will cooperate as much as possible."

As he finished speaking, Shen Quan glanced at Su Siliu, who was standing nearby.

"Siliu, from now on, you’ll temporarily follow Officer Li. Take him as your lead and cooperate with him."

"Understood."

Su Siliu complied. She turned to look at Li Jing, her expression a mixture of a smile and seriousness.

"Officer Li, you heard what Captain Shen said. From now on, I would be appreciative of your guidance."