Wang Jian really regretted not getting a monocle. He could only straighten his tie and said profoundly:
"Officer Li, have you seen magic tricks before? Such as a dove appearing in the hand after a piece of paper burns, and many similar tricks.
In fact, these magic tricks rely on chemically treated paper. This specially made paper creates special effects when burned, some disappear without a trace, without even leaving ashes behind.
The oil painting used by the murderer was made with this kind of chemically treated paper. It burns in an instant, just a fleeting moment, too fast to even see. The white flames leave no ashes behind.
Thus, the oil painting surrounding the corpse disappeared instantly.
Then a corpse suddenly appeared on stage - this explains the appearance of the corpse. It was very ingenious, but still rather mediocre in front of an outstanding detective like me."
Li Kui's eyes grew brighter. He realized that this ordinary-looking fat man was apparently very capable. No, he was truly remarkable.
He thought carefully and asked the final question: "But how did the murderer ignite the oil painting? At that time, apart from the performers, there was no one else on stage.
Could the murderer be among the performers?"
Wang Jian appropriately revealed a scornful look and scoffed lightly:
"Officer Li, of course not. I forgot to tell you, this kind of chemically treated paper has a low ignition point.
The reason why it burns quickly without leaving a trace is because of this low ignition point.
So the murderer only needed to blend into the crowd and focus sunlight through a magnifying glass to a single point. The June sunlight was enough, so it only took about a minute to ignite the oil painting."
Li Kui applauded with admiration. He was truly impressed by the fat man across from him, whose insights had broadened the experienced old policeman's horizons.
After explaining, Wang Jian calmly sat down on the sofa. Facing Li Kui’s praise, he remained aloof and indifferent.
But in his heart he thought: “Hahaha, I’m so awesome. As expected of myself, thrilling!”
The two sides then exchanged information about the case and agreed that the police would share any new investigative developments with Wang Jian. Together they would investigate and crack the case as soon as possible.
Of course, the official reward for finding the murderer would all go to Wang Jian. Even if the murderer was not found, just based on the information he provided so far, he would still get half the reward – 500,000 yuan.
Half an hour later, Wang Jian walked out of the police station with an arrogant look on his face, causing quite a stir. Su Mo was careful to avoid attention and had little presence.
On the way back to the hotel, Su Mo pretended to be puzzled and asked, “Brother, what should we do next?”
“We don’t need to do anything. We’ll just wait quietly for the results of the police investigation. After all, great detectives like me don’t need to do everything themselves. Deducing the case and overseeing the big picture is my job,” Wang Jian shamelessly replied. He didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty, as if his deductions were truly brilliant.
The two men stayed cooped up in the hotel room all afternoon. Su Mo contemplated their next move, while Wang Jian purely relaxed, jumping left and right online.
It must be said, he had skills. Every time he was able to interpret away the negative voices online with logical and persuasive explanations.
For example, one netizen doubted the fat man’s abilities, saying the Dragon Lake case had little to do with him and was mainly the Judge’s contribution.
He replied: “It’s true that I contributed very little to this case. I only found a few key figures and drew the Judge’s attention. Alas, I’m just a private detective after all, my abilities are limited.”
When asked which key figures he found, the fat man started equivocating and dodging like a true expert.
Getting back on track, around evening time, Li Kui sent over a document containing over 100 personal profiles.
Since the most crucial link in this case had been uncovered, the rest was step-by-step progression.
The police weren’t stupid. They knew that being able to set up the scene and evade risks meant only one thing – the murderer was a member of the venue decoration company hired by the event organizers.
For large events like these, professional companies were usually hired to decorate the venues. Some venues decorated themselves, but that was rare. Slightly bigger events still hired professionals.
As it turned out, the same company had decorated all four venues. The murderer must be one of the company’s employees.
It was a large, well-known company in Yunhu with an excellent reputation. That’s why they had been chosen by all the events.
But with so many employees, each would have to be investigated one-by-one to find the murderer. It wouldn’t be as easy as imagined, because evidence was key.
This case wasn’t just about the bizarre methodology, but had another major issue – lack of evidence. Even if the murderer was identified, the police still needed evidence to prosecute, otherwise conviction would be impossible.
But Su Mo didn’t need to worry about evidence. He only needed to know the murderer’s identity to take matters into his own hands. He couldn’t care less about anything else.
Regarding the issue of evidence, I personally agree with this approach. If the police only cared about catching people without considering evidence, that would be very dangerous and lead to countless miscarriages of justice.
So the standard procedures serve to protect the people. Su Mo wasn’t worried at all about being caught by the police, because no matter how flawed his methods, without evidence nothing could touch him.
Upon receiving the documents, they obviously had to review them. But just Wang Jian alone would be exhausted. So he decided to have Su Mo help out.
“Brother, help me review the documents. Look for anyone skilled in oil paintings and let me know if you find them.”
This was exactly what Su Mo had been waiting for. He readily agreed: “No problem, brother.”
The two sat in the hotel suite reviewing the files of suspicious persons. There were many, but few specialized in art. Soon, Su Mo found his target.
“Fang Shuhua, male, 40 years old, single, parents deceased.
Job: Aesthetic assistant and construction supervisor for the company. Majored in Fine Arts in college with particular expertise in oil paintings.
Disappeared for 3 years due to an accident 5 years ago. Joined the company 2 years ago...”
Looking at Fang Shuhua’s profile, Su Mo smiled knowingly, thinking to himself: “Participant No.7, are you the one?”
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
