When Xu Mo first met the victim, her emotions seemed relatively stable.
However, the moment Xu Mo took out his phone and showed her a surveillance video, her demeanor instantly became agitated.
The woman lying on the hospital bed began gasping for breath, overwhelmed by her emotions.
From her expression, Xu Mo could tell that she was filled with anger.
Did she know this person? Xu Mo had a thought: "You know the person in the video, don't you? Who is she?"
Hearing this, the woman opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.
After a moment, her emotions gradually calmed, and her face turned cold.
"I don't know her."
She was lying. Xu Mo could see through her deception immediately. Even without any knowledge of psychology, it was obvious.
Before Xu Mo could continue his questioning, the woman began feigning illness: "I suddenly feel a bit unwell. Could you call Doctor Liang for me?"
It was clear she didn't want to answer Xu Mo's questions.
She knew the person in the video, but she refused to say who it was.
This was strange. It was the first time Xu Mo had encountered a victim who was unwilling to cooperate, someone who was actually protecting the person who had set the fire that burned her… It didn't make sense.
For a moment, Xu Mo couldn't figure out why the woman would act this way.
"Are you sure you don't know her?" he couldn't help but ask again.
This time, the woman shook her head with unwavering determination.
"I don't know her."
After saying this, she casually pressed the bedside call button.
The next moment, Doctor Liang walked in: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Yes, my wound hurts a bit," the woman replied.
Doctor Liang glanced at Xu Mo.
"Officer Xu, perhaps we should end the questioning here. The patient…"
Xu Mo nodded in understanding and then turned to leave the sterile ward.
When the police are investigating a case and need to question a patient, they must take care to consider the patient's emotional state and physical condition. Even if the patient might be faking, they have to stop the interrogation.
Xu Mo believed that the woman clearly knew the arsonist, but she wasn't willing to tell him. He couldn't force her, especially since she was the victim and had just escaped a life-threatening situation.
As soon as Xu Mo left the sterile ward, Han Fei and the others immediately gathered around, their faces filled with anticipation.
"How did it go? Did you get anything out of her?"
Xu Mo shook his head.
"No. She said she doesn't know the woman in the video who set the fire, but she's lying. She doesn't want to reveal the other person's identity."
"She doesn't want to reveal the other person's identity?" Han Fei was slightly stunned, then furrowed his brow in deep thought.
A victim protecting the arsonist?
That didn't make sense.
Her livelihood—her piano shop—had been burned down, and she herself had been severely injured in the fire. Logically, she should hate the arsonist. Why would she protect them?
This was completely illogical.
Han Fei had witnessed Xu Mo's interrogation skills before, and he didn't think Xu Mo was mistaken. The problem must lie with the victim.
According to Xu Mo, she clearly knew the arsonist but refused to reveal their identity, which was utterly baffling.
Han Fei's brow furrowed into a deep crease as he pondered, feeling more and more that something was off.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was wrong.
"Should we go to the next ward and ask the other victim?" Li Chen suggested.
A wry smile appeared on Xu Mo's face.
He pointed to the ward behind him.
"I barely got a few questions in before the victim claimed she wasn't feeling well and called for Doctor Liang. I doubt Doctor Liang will let me into the other ward now."
After a pause, Xu Mo added,
"Besides, I suspect the other victim might not say anything either. It would be a waste of time."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Indeed, as soon as Xu Mo started questioning, the victim claimed to feel unwell. Even if it was an act, Doctor Liang wouldn't risk letting Xu Mo question another patient.
The fact that they had been allowed in once was already a favor, likely due to the help Xu Mo and Han Fei had provided to Doctor Liang not long ago.
Just then, a familiar conversation echoed down the hallway.
"Sir, I really can't let you in. I've told you many times, it's hospital policy."
"Can you at least take these fruits to my daughter? She loves them."
"No, the patient is very weak right now. Even if I brought them, she wouldn't be able to eat them. You should keep the fruits for yourself. She can't have them at the moment."
"Nurse Yang… could you make an exception?"
"…"
The voices were familiar, especially one—it was the nurse who had stopped Xu Mo and the others from entering the ward earlier.
Following the sound, they saw a middle-aged man holding a bag of fruits, trying to persuade Nurse Yang.
The man bore a resemblance to the woman in the ward, as the officers had seen her photo in the case file.
Combined with their conversation, it wasn't hard to guess that this man was likely the father of the woman in the ward.
He wanted to visit his injured daughter, but his request had been denied by the nurse.
Watching the man, Xu Mo furrowed his brow. It seemed like he had just thought of something, but the idea slipped away before he could fully grasp it.
Han Fei also noticed the man.
He took a few steps forward and approached him.
"Hello, are you Ms. Gao's father?"
"I am. And you are?" The man looked confused.
The officers weren't in uniform, so their identities weren't immediately obvious.
"We're police officers," Han Fei replied. "We're here to investigate the case."
Han Fei thought that since the victim wasn't cooperating, they might be able to get some information from her father.
However, as soon as Han Fei revealed their identity, the man's expression changed drastically.
Without saying a word, he turned and walked away.
Something was wrong!
"Stop!" Xu Mo shouted.
At that, the man broke into a run, as if he had something to hide.

ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!

shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”