Chapter 25: Burn, Soul of the Eighth-Grader

Entering the conference room, the group took their seats and turned their attention to Yu Dazhang, who was standing at the head of the conference table.

They no longer cared that Yu Dazhang was merely an intern officer. What they were more curious about was what new leads this chubby fellow could possibly offer. Could he have actually discovered something at the crime scene earlier? They had all reviewed the crime scene investigation report; if so many experienced veteran detectives hadn't found anything amiss, how could he have stumbled upon a new lead just by walking through? Were they joking? Did that mean they and their colleagues in the technical division were all incompetent?

Before entering the room, they had already decided that if the chubby guy tried to fool them with nonsense, they would give him a stern dressing-down. A young man who didn't know his place needed to be taught what his actual duties were.

"Go ahead," Lu Zhongxin said first. "Keep it brief and stick to what's useful."

Yu Dazhang thought for a moment, quickly organized his thoughts, and began slowly. "The autopsy report indicates that the victim, Zhang Yan, put up a fierce struggle before her death. However, I didn't find any signs of a struggle at the crime scene. The bed was neat; there wasn't even a single wrinkle. I considered the possibility that Kong Lingjie might have replaced the sheets and tidied the room after killing Zhang Yan, but that seems highly unlikely. If Kong Lingjie possessed that level of psychological composure, he wouldn't have fled to a cheap motel to hide."

Yu Dazhang paused here, observing the reactions in the room. It was just as he had anticipated: everyone, including Lu Zhongxin, had been drawn into his line of reasoning. Qian Cheng, in particular, looked at him with a changed expression—the initial contempt had turned to awe, and his demeanor was no longer as casual as before. He finally understood what that phrase "it should have been there, but it wasn't" really meant. Indeed, after a violent struggle, there would inevitably be marks left at the scene, yet those marks were conspicuously absent.

"What does that prove?" another team member asked.

*You people really don't want to use your brains at all...* Yu Dazhang thought to himself. "I'm not finished yet. Let me tell you about another lead."

This statement nearly caused the CPUs of everyone present to overheat. He had found *other* leads? During that short trip, excluding travel time, he hadn't spent much time at the scene at all. How did he manage that? Was he working with the suspect? The people in the room had different thoughts, but they all shared the same expectation: they wanted to hear what else this chubby guy could come up with.

Yu Dazhang was very satisfied with their expressions. That was what gave a person a sense of accomplishment.

Under the gaze of the group, Yu Dazhang looked at Qian Cheng. "This next lead was discovered by Brother Qian and me."

"I was involved in this too?" Qian Cheng was bewildered by Yu Dazhang's remark. *Wait, the black spot!* Just as he was about to stand up, Yu Dazhang interjected.

"The footprint collection at the scene was handled by Brother Qian and his technical team."

"Oh, right, right, right." Qian Cheng realized he wasn't talking about the black spot. *Just how many leads has this guy found?* Since Yu Dazhang had brought it up, he had no choice but to continue. "According to the previous investigation, the footprints at the scene were all left by one person, preliminarily suspected to be the suspect, Kong Lingjie. The definitive comparison results will be available tomorrow. Additionally, there is one set of prints by the door that has been confirmed to belong to the landlord."

After Qian Cheng finished, he turned his attention back to Yu Dazhang. He could only report the results of the investigation; he didn't know what Yu Dazhang's objective was in bringing this up.

"Now everyone understands, right?" Yu Dazhang looked at the group confidently.

*Understands what?* The group looked at each other, and the same confusion was evident on everyone's face. What did the technical team's footprint collection have to do with you? You didn't even discover it. Why bring it up? And besides, what does this prove? What are we supposed to understand?

"The kidnapping!" Yu Dazhang, seeing their expressions, shouted in frustration.

Even Lu Zhongxin couldn't hold back this time. "Just say it! Why are you playing games with us?"

Seeing his mentor speak up, Yu Dazhang could only explain sheepishly, "Zhang Yan's body had only one external injury... the strangulation marks on her neck. Since we have determined she was strangled to death in the rented room, it means she had not suffered any injuries before entering the room. In other words, the victim was conscious and mobile before her death. So, I ask you all: why were there no footprints belonging to Zhang Yan inside the room? Did she float in?!"

After these words, the conference room fell into a heavy silence. Everyone wore a contemplative expression.

"It's possible she was carried in on the killer's back, or perhaps carried in his arms," Lu Zhongxin finally said, his reaction faster than the others.

"Master..." Yu Dazhang made a face as if he had a toothache. "Why would the killer do that? If he had already kidnapped her and Zhang Yan had submitted, why would he insist on carrying her? If it were us, how could we possibly let a captive out of our sight? Especially when the person is perfectly capable of walking on their own?"

Lu Zhongxin's face flushed, but he continued to ask, "Then what about carrying her in his arms?"

"Even less likely!" Yu Dazhang nearly flipped the table. He realized his mentor was becoming impatient and desperate, asking such brainless questions. "Young people nowadays don't even do the 'bridal carry' when they're dating, let alone during a kidnapping. Can you even imagine that scene?"

Everyone shook their heads in response, casting skeptical looks toward Lu Zhongxin.

"Just give us the conclusion," Lu Zhongxin said, feeling uncomfortable under their gaze.

It wasn't that Yu Dazhang was intentionally being cryptic; he had to lay out the situation and get everyone into the right mindset. Otherwise, stating the conclusion directly would lack persuasive power.

Seeing that his goal was achieved, he grabbed a chair from the side and placed one foot on it. "Officer Yu, a man who may have grown a bit chubby but possesses a brilliant mind capable of solving any mystery!" Yu Dazhang pointed at the group. "The truth is always hidden in plain sight!"

*What kind of nonsense is this...* Lu Zhongxin slammed the table in anger. "Yu Dazhang! Be serious! Get your foot down!"

Lu Zhongxin had been focused entirely on his apprentice, expecting to hear the answer immediately, only to be met with this. His apprentice was good at everything, but his personality was just too erratic.

Yu Dazhang felt a bit depressed. *Don't you all watch Detective Conan? A case presentation without an opening catchphrase lacks soul.* Because he had found a new lead, his mood had lightened, which indirectly awakened his inner "chuunibyou" spirit.

Being scolded by his mentor in front of everyone, Yu Dazhang didn't dare to play around anymore. He put his foot down but maintained his pose, holding up a finger.

"There are no signs of a struggle, and there are no footprints from the victim at the scene. Why is that?"

"There is only one truth..."

"The rented room is not the primary crime scene!"