Lin Fan bumped into Xu Zhou at the school gate, and Xu Zhou was surprised. "Where are you going? We have a test this afternoon."

"Do you know Dong Miao is dead?" Lin Fan looked at him, and Xu Zhou's eyes flickered before nodding. "Yes, I know. It's been spreading around. The police came to school to investigate Dong Miao's death."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, then looked at Xu Zhou's hand. "What happened to your hand?"

Xu Zhou tugged at his sleeve, trying to cover up the scratch. "Accidentally scratched it."

"Can I come to school tomorrow?"

"Why?"

"Dong Miao is dead, and I need to cooperate with the police investigation. I'm the prime suspect." Lin Fan smiled. Xu Zhou's gaze shifted, and he let go of his hand. "Then, be careful."

"Xu Zhou."

Xu Zhou turned back. He was wearing a black jacket over a white shirt, looking very neat. "What?"

"Bad people will be punished by the law. That's the rule."

"What are you talking about?"

She walked quickly towards a police car not far away. Regardless of whether she was the murderer or not, being taken away from school by the police would leave an indelible mark on her.

Lin Fan opened the car door and got in, holding her backpack close to her chest.

"Can I see the body?"

"Feeling guilty?"

Lin Fan glanced at Qin Feng. "I want to know how she died. It's not about guilt; it's about society having its rules, and no one should break those rules."

An hour later, in the interrogation room.

"Tell me the details again."

"I really disliked her." Lin Fan frowned. "I didn't harm her, but she made things difficult for me everywhere."

The forensic examiner came over to check Lin Fan's nails and took fingerprints and DNA samples.

"Where were you on the night of April 6th?"

"I went home."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment. "There's surveillance on the bus."

"The surveillance can only show when you got off."

"I went home and went to sleep."

"Can anyone testify for you?"

Lin Fan shook her head; there was only a ghost at home.

A long silence ensued. The phone rang, and Qin Feng stared at Lin Fan as she answered the call. It was from the forensic examiner, Liu.

"The scratch marks on her neck match her nails."

Qin Feng hung up the phone, his gaze deepening. "Where did you commit the murder? Where was the first crime scene?"

"I didn't kill anyone."

Is there any evidence?

Lin Fan lowered her head, covering her face with her hands. "I want to go back. She's at my place. She should know everything."

"Who?"

"Dong Miao."

Everyone looked at Qin Feng; the girl was talking nonsense.

After a while, Qin Feng stood up. "Alright, I'll take you."

It was already dark when Qin Feng's car stopped in the residential area. He took Lin Fan upstairs.

"There's no other exit upstairs. Can you wait downstairs?"

"Why?"

"They disappear when you show up."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Lin Fan shook her head. "Can you handcuff me? I won't run."

Qin Feng's dark eyes fell on her, and he took out the handcuffs.

Lin Fan went upstairs, and the motion-sensing lights lit up with her footsteps. On the fourth floor, Lin Fan saw Dong Mai, who had already revealed her demonic nature, and rushed towards her.

Lin Fan grabbed the broomstick from the corner, "Don't come near! I have something to ask you."

Dong Mai's hair was dripping with water as she stared at Lin Fan menacingly. "You bitch!" She swiftly moved to the corner, but Lin Fan's attack was hindered by the handcuffs, and she lost the initiative. Dong Mai choked her neck, tightening her grip. Lin Fan couldn't breathe, desperately trying to stay calm and squeezed out a voice from her throat, "Who killed you? Was it Xu Zhou?"

Her hand paused, the oppressive chill dissipating. Lin Fan gasped for air, "Was it him?"

Dong Mai stared at Lin Fan, her eyes cold. "Xu Zhou? Xu Zhou." She repeated the name, then suddenly laughed, "You're all bitches. I'll kill you first—"

"Where did you die? How did you end up in the water?" Lin Fan's heart was racing.

"Me? Where did I die?" Her grip weakened, "Where did I die? I died." Her gaze unfocused, the red marks on her raised neck. "Where did I die? He asked me to meet him, he asked me to go to Triangle Park, and I went—" Her voice stopped abruptly, then she raised her head abruptly, "It's all because of you! I was killed because of you!"

With all her strength, she choked Lin Fan's neck. Lin Fan kicked out with her legs, shouting, "Qin Feng! Qin Feng, save me!"

Lin Fan's strength dwindled, her struggles becoming weaker as her brain went blank from lack of oxygen.

"Help—"

Her laughter was piercing, and Lin Fan's feet left the ground; she was being lifted high. With no strength left to kick, she felt like she might die.

A gunshot, and Dong Mai screamed. Lin Fan fell to the ground, suddenly gasping for fresh air, coughing violently.

In a daze, she saw Qin Feng; he picked her up and ran downstairs.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

It wasn't until she was in the car that Lin Fan fully recovered, clutching her neck and coughing.

"How are you feeling?" Qin Feng handed her a bottle of water.

"Thank you." Lin Fan took a sip of water, closing her eyes and breathing heavily. After a moment, she spoke, "She died in Triangle Park."

"Which one—" Qin Feng snapped back to attention, "I know."

There was only one Triangle Park along the river upstream, near a construction site where the body could have been disposed of without tools.

Qin Feng took out the keys and unlocked Lin Fan's handcuffs, then called the detective team.

"Was that Dong Mai?" He gripped the steering wheel, his eyes on the road ahead. He had seen Lin Fan trapped in mid-air, in that state, Lin Fan couldn't be faking.

"Yes."

"Why did she want to kill you?"

"Do you believe in women's intuition?"

Qin Feng glanced at her, "You? A woman?"

Lin Fan: "..."

"Go on."

"The murderer, she didn't say. She hated me because of emotional reasons. She liked a boy in our class, who happens to be my friend."

"Xu Zhou?"

Lin Fan didn't say anything.

Qin Feng's dark eyes sank. "What did you see? Or smell?"

Lin Fan shook her head, then said, "Finding the culprit at the crime scene won't be difficult."

Outside the window was an endless expanse of darkness, like a monster devouring the city.

Finally, they arrived. Several police cars were parked at Triangle Park, their lights flashing. Qin Feng got out of the car, giving Lin Fan a glance. "Stay put. I hope you're not the murderer."

The first crime scene was quickly located. It wasn't actually in the park but through the construction site within the park. There were no cameras here, making it a blind spot for surveillance. A large advertisement paper covered the ground, with brown bloodstains spreading under the light.

"Put on gloves, don't walk around recklessly, and try to preserve the scene as much as possible."

Qin Feng quickly found blood fingerprints on the advertisement paper and collected them. There was a large dried bloodstain on the ground. Not far from here, close to the river, were drag marks.

"Collect the blood samples."

With a flashlight in hand, he walked towards the riverbank along the crime scene and indeed found half of a blood footprint, which he photographed and made a cast of.

On the night of Dong Mai's murder, her mother didn't come home, and the report was made the next day, indicating that she died around eleven o'clock, after evening self-study.

Until now, Lin Fan was still the prime suspect.

The evidence search didn't end until eleven at night, and Qin Feng went straight to the police station.

Lin Fan was taken away by her colleagues, while Qin Feng had to work overtime. Apart from the stabs, Dong Mai didn't have any other wounds. This indicated that she willingly went with someone to Triangle Park. There were no surveillance cameras at the crime scene, but there were elsewhere.

At half past ten in the evening, Dong Mai rode her bike out of the school.

She took Ping'an Road, which didn't pass through Triangle Park, where she ultimately met her demise.

Suddenly, Qin Feng called out, "Stop."

"What's wrong?"

"Go back. Wasn't there someone riding a bike alongside Dong Mai?"

At ten fifty, a boy approached Dong Mai on a bike, and they separated after a brief moment.

After that, Dong Mai changed her direction and headed towards Triangle Park alone, never to come out again.

"Who's that boy?" Qin Feng stared at the screen. "Go back and take another look."

The boy was the last one to leave the school, riding his bike.

After watching the surveillance footage all night, it was already dawn, and Qin Feng's colleagues were sprawled around the room in a mess, asleep.

The phone rang, and Qin Feng answered.

"Captain Qin, we found new footprints. They match the ones on the body of the 412 case. The murderer might be the same person."

Qin Feng rubbed his face. "The same person? Can you be sure?"

"The shoe patterns are the same, and so is the force used, the only difference is the wear and tear."

Soon, Xiao Wang returned as well. After testing, they found DNA from two people at the scene.

One of them was the murderer.

Qin Feng lit a cigarette, took a deep breath, "Go to the school and check the surveillance. The guard should know who the last person to leave was. He's highly suspicious."

Xiao Wang drove, while Qin Feng sat in the back, flipping through the files of various cases. The same person committing multiple crimes?

A news push notification popped up on his phone.

"A murder occurred at Jiangcheng No.1 High School, and the suspect is suspected classmate Lin Fan. The victim's mother mourns in tears. Campus violence..."

Qin Feng's face changed instantly. "The case hasn't been closed yet. How did this leak?"

"These media outlets jump the gun. There's nothing we can do."

Qin Feng felt somewhat helpless. Dealing with these situations was the worst part of the job.

"Ruthless. If Lin Fan isn't the culprit, she'll be ruined."

But the media doesn't care, all they want is attention.

An hour later, they arrived at the school. Qin Feng entered the guard room, where the school authorities were also present. Qin Feng took out the surveillance screenshots. "Do you recognize this person?"

The guard put on his glasses and looked. "Looks like a senior high school student."

The dean took a glance. "Xu Zhou, what's going on?"

Xu Zhou? Qin Feng's gaze darkened. "Can I see him?"

"Wasn't Dong Mai's case closed? Why are you still investigating?"

"Closed?" Qin Feng's sharp black eyes shot over.

"You took Lin Fan away. That kid—"

"Please bring Lin over to investigate, and I'll talk to your school." Qin Feng interrupted him. "Please respect the child."

"Huh?"

The seniors were in their first class of the day. Qin Feng glanced through the glass at Xu Zhou in the second row and turned to Xiao Wang. "Check Xu Zhou's records, all of them."

Xiao Wang nodded and hurried off.

"Can you ask the teacher to call him out?"

"Sure."

The teacher approached Xu Zhou and whispered something. Xu Zhou looked up and locked eyes with Qin Feng.

After a brief silence, he stood up and walked out.

It was a foggy morning, cold and crisp. Xu Zhou, feeling restless, rubbed his pants and walked towards Qin Feng.

"This is my ID. I need your cooperation for Dong Mai's case," Qin Feng said, looking at Xu Zhou, who took a step back.

The teacher said, "Just ask him a few questions, say whatever you have to—"

Xu Zhou turned and ran. Qin Feng quickly caught up and pinned him against the wall, leaving a clear scratch on the back of his hand.

The students in the classroom rushed to the window, and even the dean was perplexed.

With his face against the wall, Xu Zhou looked at the white ceiling above, his expression indifferent.

"Why are you running?"

Xu Zhou pressed his lips together.

"Captain Qin?"

"Take him back first."

Xu Zhou, seventeen years old, his father owned a private hospital. He lost his mother at the age of ten and had transferred schools before.

In the afternoon, the DNA comparison came out. The blood found at the scene of Dong Mai's murder matched Xu Zhou's.

Qin Feng led a search of Xu Zhou's home and found ether and bloodstained shoes in his bedroom.

His room was neat, with a photo frame on the bookshelf showing a family of four. Xu Zhou had a younger sister? She must have been eight or nine at the time, smiling brightly in her navy uniform.

With the case clear, Qin Feng pushed open the interrogation room door. Xu Zhou glanced at him, then leaned back in his seat, showing no sign of cooperation.

Qin Feng opened the case file. "Your name is Xu Zhou?"

He still didn't say anything.

"Speak up. Why did you commit murder?"

Xu Zhou looked at Qin Feng but remained silent.

"Fingerprint comparisons and blood sample comparisons have been made. Why resist?" Qin Feng slammed the pile of files in his hand on the table. "Four people! Four lives lost, and you think you can avoid legal responsibility by keeping quiet?"

"They deserved to die. I was just delivering justice," Xu Zhou spoke in a low voice.

Qin Feng looked at him sternly.

Xu Zhou remained calm. "They deserved to die, especially that kid. His parents deserved to die too, but unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to kill them."

All Qin Feng saw in him was indifference. Changing his posture, he asked, "What about your sister?"

In an instant, Xu Zhou's expression changed, and he fell into a dark, gloomy mood, staring at Qin Feng.

"I saw her photo on your desk. How did she die?" His throat rolled, his fist clenched tightly, glaring at Qin Feng.

"They're all bastards! They're not human, and neither are the police!" Xu Zhou wanted to rush over, but the handcuffs limited his movement. He fell back onto the chair, leaning against it, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "You're all bad people! The worst kind of bad people!"

Qin Feng flipped through the photos in his hand, his gaze sinking.

He choked up. "That demon killed my sister, destroyed my family, and he got away with it! Why? Why? Why didn't the police shoot him?"

That year, Xu Zhou was ten, and his sister was five. She was pushed onto the subway tracks by a mischievous child while waiting for the train. The subway was approaching, and it was too late.

The child was eight years old, legally incapable of civil responsibility, not subject to criminal liability.

"My mom went crazy. Everyone mocked her, insulted her. Then she died. They bullied me. What did we do wrong?"

"I hate those people. I especially hate them." Xu Zhou covered his face with his hands, took a deep breath. "If it weren't for these evil people, the world would be beautiful. They've dirtied this world."

The young man leaned back in his chair, his pale face illuminated by the light. "They've dirtied this world. They deserve to die. They're sinful. They shouldn't exist."

He first saw Lin Fan on the bus. A girl's wallet was stolen, and so many people just watched, but Lin Fan was the only one brave enough to speak up. The second time, still on the bus, she looked pale and tired. That scoundrel pushed her to the ground, his laughter grating. He decided to kill her, to deliver justice.

Lin Fan rushed out of the classroom, and Dong Mai was hurling the most offensive insults at her. What did Lin Fan do wrong? She did nothing wrong. Just like he did when he was bullied in the past, what did he do wrong?

That day, Xu Zhou rode his bike to catch up with Dong Mai. He pretended to reconcile with him, arranged to meet at the triangle park. It was under construction, and there would be no one there after ten o'clock at night, perfect for taking action.

Dong Mai was unplanned. She didn't have to die.