### Translation to English:

Lin Fan ran to the village entrance where Qin Feng had already turned the car around and rolled down the window. "Get in."

Panting heavily, Lin Fan asked, "Are we leaving now?"

Qin Feng’s expression was grim, "Liu Juan is dead."

"Sister Liu?" Lin Fan was shocked and quickly got in the car. The old man and old lady chased after them, "Girl, are you leaving already? Let me pack some food for the road."

"No need, you two go back."

The car left the village and got onto the highway. Lin Fan could no longer see them. She turned to look at Qin Feng, his face was tense and looked terrible.

"What happened?"

"Heart extraction, same method as the previous three cases." Qin Feng gritted his teeth, his eyes dark as he looked at the road ahead. They didn't stop along the way. Qin Feng found a box of milk in the car and handed it to Lin Fan, and there was no further conversation. They arrived in Jiangcheng at three in the afternoon.

"Wait here."

Qin Feng headed straight for the forensic center, encountering many colleagues on the way, all silent. At the entrance to the autopsy room, he met Xiao Wang, whose eyes were red and puffy. He bumped into Qin Feng and looked up, "Captain Qin."

"Where's the scene? Any useful information?"

Xiao Wang wiped his eyes hard, "If I catch that bastard, I'll kill him. I'm about to check the surveillance. Sister Liu—she died on the rooftop of her building, same as before, no signs of struggle."

Qin Feng nodded and pushed the door open.

The autopsy was over. Besides Liu, the coroner, there was another forensic doctor from the sub-bureau. Qin Feng saw Liu Juan's body and clenched his fists, his Adam's apple moving as he swallowed hard. "Old Liu."

His voice was hoarse. Qin Feng coughed to regain his composure, "What’s the situation?"

"Time of death was one o'clock last night. Liu Juan worked overtime until half past eleven, she lived in a remote area, so it was about that time when she got home." Liu, the coroner, frowned deeply, looking very upset. "Here's the autopsy report, take a look."

The sharp scalpel had cut open her chest cavity, and the heart was removed. There were no other wounds. The only fatal injury was here; she died from excessive blood loss, and her heart was taken away, making it impossible to determine if it was damaged. Qin Feng furrowed his brows in frustration and gritted his teeth, "Liu Juan was a criminal police officer, she couldn't have not resisted. Was there any anesthetic detected in her blood?"

"I’m puzzled about that too. The blood test report is also out, nothing." Liu, the coroner, said, "If it were a weak woman, like the actress Su Ran, it might make sense that there was no resistance, but Liu Juan not having any defensive wounds is perplexing."

"Let's talk somewhere else." Seeing that Qin Feng was about to lose his temper and punch someone, Liu suggested, "Come to my office."

In the forensic office, Qin Feng lit a cigarette and took a harsh drag. "Is there a possibility that some anesthetic isn't detectable? In other words, our current technology can't extract it."

"I thought of that for Su Ran's case too. We sent the blood samples to B City for expert analysis, but no abnormalities were found." Liu also lit a cigarette, frowning. "What does this killer want with the hearts?"

"Possibly some kind of psychological disorder. The body disposal is clean, the method is skilled, and the anti-investigation ability is strong. The killer is likely well-educated, not of low social status, skilled with a scalpel, and has an appearance that wouldn't arouse suspicion." Qin Feng extinguished the cigarette butt. "I'm going to the scene. Are you coming?"

"Yes." Liu put out his cigarette, took off his lab coat, put on a police jacket, and followed Qin Feng out. They ran into Lin Fan at the door. Lin Fan quickly stood up, "Qin—Brother, Uncle Liu."

"Xiao Lin," said Liu, "Come with us to check the scene."

Qin Feng met Lin Fan's eyes, "Let’s go."

Lin Fan followed Qin Feng's pace. Qin Feng opened the driver’s door, and Lin Fan said, "Uncle Liu, do you have a driver's license? Brother Qin has been driving for several hours."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Understanding, Liu quickly pushed Qin Feng to the back seat. "You sit in the back."

Qin Feng got into the back seat, massaged his temples, and flipped through the crime scene photos sent by Xiao Wang. Liu Juan lay face-up on the ground, unclothed, her body discovered at 8:30 in the morning. The rising sun cast a pale hue over her skin.

Lin Fan touched his arm, and Qin Feng looked back. Lin Fan handed him a bag of bread and milk, saying softly, "I just bought these at a nearby bakery. You haven't eaten lunch."

Qin Feng looked at Lin Fan for a moment before accepting the bread. He ate while examining the photos, much to Lin Fan's amazement that he could eat. She took the milk from his hand, inserted a straw, and handed it back. When Qin Feng took it, their hands brushed, and Lin Fan quickly withdrew hers. Qin Feng gave her a glance.

Liu Juan's residence was very remote. As a criminal police officer, her salary wasn't high, and she couldn’t afford a house after just a few years on the job. She lived with her parents in an old, unit-distributed apartment with only one surveillance camera at the entrance.

Lin Fan observed the surroundings. The residential buildings were old, weathered, and the exterior walls were peeling. The buildings were six stories high, with no elevators.

Liu Juan's electric bike was parked on the first floor; she rode it home.

"Which floor did Liu Juan live on?"

"Fifth floor."

Lin Fan followed behind up the stairs, which smelled musty and damp.

The door on the west side of the fifth floor was open, and crying could be heard from inside, with many people standing at the entrance. Xiao Wang came out of the room and saw Qin Feng, "Captain Qin, you’re here."

This was Liu Juan’s home. Qin Feng stood at the door for a few seconds before turning and striding upstairs.

"Are there residents on the sixth floor?"

"Yes."

"Did they hear anything?"

"An old person in the living room of 604 heard footsteps outside at half-past twelve. They thought it was someone from the opposite side going to hang clothes and didn’t pay attention."

Qin Feng put on gloves. The roof door was half open. He reached to push the other half open when Lin Fan grabbed his arm, "What's on your hand?"

Qin Feng raised his hand, revealing black powder on his glove. It was very minimal. Lin Fan held his sleeve and frowned, looking up, "It’s like what we saw at your sister’s crime scene, the smell of decay."

Qin Feng paused, "No one has touched this door?"

"No fingerprints were collected, no special marks found. Our people opened and closed it this morning, no one has touched it since."

He took off the glove and put it in an evidence bag, replaced it with a new glove, and went up to the rooftop. In old neighborhoods like this, open rooftops were a safety hazard and should be closed off.

The blood on the ground had dried, turning a dark red. "Any footprints?"

"No, the rough floor makes it difficult to leave prints."

The smell of blood was strong. Lin Fan rubbed her nose and observed the surroundings. The wind was strong, blowing away any residual smells, leaving little information. She saw no souls. A gust of wind brought a burnt smell, and Lin Fan quickly covered her face, finding black powder on her hand. She sniffed it—paper.

The rooftops of several buildings were connected. Lin Fan walked to another side and quickly found burn marks. She crouched down and smelled the foul odor and a chilling aura, shivering involuntarily.

"What’s this?"

Lin Fan looked up at Qin Feng, "It’s similar to the burnt residue found in the stairwell on Zhongming Road."

"Are you sure?"

The ashes had been blown away, leaving only a small mark. Qin Feng called for evidence collection. Based on the scene, Liu Juan should have been knocked out in the stairwell and carried to the rooftop. Her clothes were removed and placed aside. The killer leisurely cut open her chest and took out her heart.

How strong must the psychological capacity be?

The killer’s speed must be very fast. Cutting open the chest and taking out the heart is not something everyone can do smoothly. The killer left no bloody footprints, indicating that he completed the heart extraction when the blood gushed out.

Around one o'clock, most of the people in the neighborhood were asleep, and no one noticed the murder taking place on the rooftop.

"Did anyone leave the neighborhood around one o'clock, or were there any vehicles?"

"No."

"What about until six in the morning?"

"There was one, actually. A man was seen carrying something out of the neighborhood at one-thirty. We're investigating his identity. After six-thirty, more people started coming and going, like elderly people exercising and people going to work."

Qin Feng's eyes narrowed, "Investigate this man. He is very likely the killer."

He went back to the station to review the surveillance footage. At one-thirty, a short man was seen carrying a black bag, looking around at the entrance before leaving. The man was about 1.7 meters tall. Qin Feng leaned back in his chair, squinting as he lit a cigarette and shook his head. "Doesn't look like it."

They started investigating everyone who entered and exited from midnight until the police arrived at the crime scene.

At nine in the evening, Qin Feng received the results, but there wasn't a single suspicious person. The man with the black plastic bag had not been found yet. Qin Feng came out of the task force office, feeling a bit weary. He leaned against the wall, covering his face with his hand.

"Old Qin."

Qin Feng lowered his hand and looked up. The coroner, Liu, said, "Your girl Xiao Lin is asleep in my office. Pick her up later."

Qin Feng nodded and exhaled deeply.

Liu patted Qin Feng's arm but didn't say anything more. "I'm leaving."

"Okay."

There was a long bench in the forensic office. Lin Fan was curled up and sleeping soundly, her hair falling over half of her face. Qin Feng brushed her hair aside and pulled up a chair to sit next to her.

Lin Fan opened her eyes, dazed for a few seconds before recognizing Qin Feng, "Brother Qin."

"Did you have dinner?"

"Yes, Uncle Liu bought food." Lin Fan quickly sat up, "How's the case going? Have you found the killer?"

Qin Feng shook his head. He smelled strongly of tobacco, making Lin Fan's nostrils twitch slightly before she rubbed them. "I have something to tell you."

"Go ahead." Qin Feng moved the chair half a meter away and lit a cigarette.

Qin Yu's death, Liu Juan's death, Su Ran's death, so many lives taken. Where was the killer hiding? What kind of person was he? Why was he killing so crazily?

This chess game, he was using people's lives as pawns, advancing step by step.

"I want to move out."

Qin Feng paused, looking up, "Reason?"