I Sent You to Take the College Entrance Exam, and You Ended Up Solving a Murder Case?! - Chapter 58

“From now on, all patrol officers of the Shucheng City Public Security Bureau will have their vacations canceled and will work in three shifts.”

“We will conduct 24-hour, high-density patrols on all streets in the city.”

“Especially at night, particularly in old urban areas, peri-urban areas, and all complex areas lacking surveillance.”

“Get everyone to turn on their police lights!”

Wu Xiubing was taken aback.

“Director Liu, wouldn’t this… alert the murderer and allow him to go into hiding? That would make our investigation even more difficult.”

“Even if it’s difficult, we have to do it.”

Liu Degang slammed his hand heavily on the table.

“Investigating the murderer is our duty. But protecting the citizens is our sacred responsibility!”

“Given a choice between duty and calling, I choose the latter.”

“I’d rather he be scared into hiding for the rest of his life than see the thirty-sixth name on the whiteboard again!”

“Did you all understand?”

“yes!”

All squad leaders stood up, their voices echoing throughout the conference room.

The meeting has ended.

Everyone immediately sprang into action, donning bulletproof vests, checking their sidearms, and collecting their equipment.

An unprecedented large-scale patrol began in the dead of night in Shucheng.

Chen Mo drove a civilian-licensed car alone, merging into the city’s traffic.

He drove past those dark corners and deserted streets again and again.

Nothing was gained.

That demon seemed to have vanished completely from the air of the city.

Chen Mo dragged his exhausted body home and slept for less than four hours.

The next morning, he appeared in the task force’s office on time.

He stood in front of the huge whiteboard for a very long time.

Thirty-five victims, thirty-five young faces.

The time span was too long, there were zero clues at the scene, and the murderer was as cunning as a fox.

The case seems to have reached a stalemate once again.

The team members arrived one after another, and everyone’s face was etched with exhaustion.

…

A week has passed.

The entire city of Shu seemed to be shrouded in an invisible net.

The unprecedented large-scale patrols brought the city’s crime rate to a historic low.

However, the serial killer seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace whatsoever.

The atmosphere within the task force was extremely oppressive.

Liu Degang’s order was a double-edged sword.

It protected the citizens, but it may have also severed the only clue.

Everyone was under immense pressure, and their faces were etched with exhaustion.

The case has once again reached a stalemate.

Two o’clock in the morning.

Chen Mo sat in the car, his eyes scanning the crowd of people coming and going like a hawk.

He has already dismissed Guan Yuexing, Yan Guangxiu, Jiang Weiyi, and Su Chun.

They patrolled in pairs in the nearby streets.

He himself chose to personally survey the most dangerous areas.

That dimly lit passageway that runs through the CBD buildings.

“Attention all units, I am about to enter the target area. Keep communication open.”

Chen Mo whispered something into the walkie-talkie, opened the car door, and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Chen Mo slowed his pace, raising his senses to their peak.

He had walked less than twenty meters into the passageway.

A cry for help, mixed with a woman’s sobs, suddenly came from deep within the passage!

“Help…! No…”

The sound stopped abruptly.

Chen Mo’s heart clenched.

It’s here!

He drew his sidearm from his waist with lightning speed with his right hand and took a high-powered flashlight from his tactical vest with his left.

“Guan Yuexing! Su Chun! Situation detected inside the target passage, provide immediate support! Repeat, provide immediate support!”

The flashlight’s powerful beam tore through the darkness, casting a blinding beam of light ahead.

Turn a corner.

The scene before him caused Chen Mo’s pupils to suddenly contract.

A man wearing a black hood is raising a hammer high, ready to smash it down on a woman curled up on the ground!

At his feet lay another woman, her head covered in blood, her fate unknown.

“Bang!”

A sharp gunshot rang out in the narrow passage, deafeningly loud.

The masked man, who was about to commit the crime, suddenly trembled and let out a scream.

A burst of blood erupted from his right shoulder, and the iron hammer in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

“ah–!”

The man clutched his shoulder and collapsed to his knees in pain.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from behind.

“team leader!”

Guan Yuexing and Su Chun arrived one after the other, and upon seeing the scene before them, they instantly understood the situation.

“Control him!” Chen Mo’s voice was calm and decisive.

“yes!”

Guan Yuexing and Su Chun immediately stepped forward, and one of them twisted the masked man’s arm behind his back.

Another person pressed his knee firmly against his back and handcuffed him tightly.

“Call an ambulance!” Chen Mo shouted to Guan Yuexing, and rushed to the two injured people.

He crouched down and first examined the woman whose head was bleeding.

He was still breathing, but his pulse was very weak, and he had fallen into a semi-comatose state.

He then turned to another woman, the one who had just been nearly hit by the hammer.

She was curled up on the ground, her chest heaving violently, clearly suffering severe trauma and extreme shock.

“Don’t be afraid, police officer, you’re safe now.” Chen Mu’s voice was as gentle as possible.

The woman’s eyes were wide with terror, and her whole body was trembling like a leaf.

Thankfully, both of them are still alive.

Chen Mo felt somewhat relieved.

Soon, more footsteps sounded, and Wang Feng arrived with his team.

“Old Chen! What’s going on?” Wang Feng immediately noticed the bloodstains on the ground and the subdued murderer.

“I just happened to be there during a vicious assault case.”

Chen Mo spoke succinctly, taking the first-aid kit from Wang Feng and quickly applying simple hemostasis and bandaging to the woman with the head injury.

Wang Feng then tore open another first-aid kit and used it to bandage the gunshot wound on the shoulder of the still screaming assailant.

“Damn it, you’re lucky, kid. If Old Chen’s shot had been just a little off, you’d be left with your left hand for the rest of your life.”

Wang Feng cursed as he bandaged the wound.

Chen Mo’s gaze met Wang Feng’s briefly in mid-air.

Both of them had doubts in their eyes.

This murderer…something’s not right.

What a coincidence!

A city-wide manhunt was launched, and the serial killer vanished without a trace.

It just so happens that at this time and in this place.

Chen Mo happened to be patrolling this area when such a brutal attack occurred?

Moreover, the weapon used in the crime was a hammer.

This is completely different from the methods that the murderer usually used.

That’s not their goal.

The sound of the ambulance siren grew louder as it approached.

Medical staff quickly lifted the two injured women onto stretchers.

“Guan Yuexing, Yan Guangxiu, you two will go to the hospital with the injured person to ensure their safety and report back to me at any time.”

“yes!”

The perpetrator was also lifted off the ground by two police officers.

“Team Leader Wang, I’m leaving this situation to you.” Chen Mo said to Wang Feng.

“Don’t worry.” Wang Feng nodded. “Shall we take this kid back?”

Chen Mo looked at the masked man being escorted and nodded.

The case appears to have taken a new turn.

Inside the police car, Chen Mo and Wang Feng flanked the murderer, one on each side.

The mask had been removed, revealing a young, distorted face.

He didn’t say a word, just kept his head down, the wound on his shoulder still throbbing.

The atmosphere inside the car was eerily quiet.

Neither Chen Mo nor Wang Feng spoke, but both keenly sensed that the matter was far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

This is more like a… staged performance.