Chapter 244 158: Perspective! Prepare... for the Arrest!!

They were dead...

As it stood, all five were dead. Bluish-purple ligature marks were visible on their necks—clear signs of strangulation and asphyxiation.

The killer hadn't dismembered the bodies.

They hadn't tried to hide the corpses. Instead, they had put them on display!

What did that mean?

'It was a way of saying "enough is enough"...'

Of course, it could also be a plea for mercy, using five lives to bring the case to a close.

But the problem was... who wanted the case closed?

And since it wasn't about closing the case, for the deaths of these five people to be exposed like this... it was a blatant provocation!

All the information the police had managed to find was currently centered on the five deceased.

Now, the other party had killed all five of them, leaving no one alive.

How were the police supposed to investigate now?

Of course, they could still investigate. After all...

"There's someone else!"

"There's still one more person!"

Xu Huo's sudden declaration drew everyone's gaze.

"A person?"

"What person?!"

Li Jianye froze, a look of astonishment on his face.

Was there still someone in the Capital City connected to the case, someone with clues?

How did they not know about this?!

Right now, the only people connected to the case were Lin Miao, the Baihan Clubhouse, and the johns.

But Lin Miao had gone insane; they couldn't possibly waste time waiting for her to recover.

The Baihan Clubhouse was high-end but not exactly legitimate. Besides, even if it were a proper establishment that kept records, it would be useless. All the information pointed directly to the five deceased, and now all five were dead...

And don't even mention the clients. They had no information at all, making them even less helpful than the Baihan Clubhouse.

So who was this person?!

"Don't worry. The killer made a bad move!"

"And their blunder is our opportunity!"

"They made one wrong step, and that's given us a chance!"

"If we investigate according to my predicted method, we'll have more than enough time. We don't need to follow this dead-end trail. We can definitely catch them before the new year!"

Xu Huo smiled. He took a deep breath of the frigid air, gazing at the churning river around them.

The river was turbulent, wave cresting upon wave. The cold clung to the air, and the splashing water was like iron spears.

Xu Huo wrapped his down jacket tighter around himself.

"There's enough time. No need to be anxious."

"Captain Li, why do you think the killer made this move?"

"Because they panicked," Li Jianye replied.

Killing five people was a sign of panic.

Why the panic?

Because the police were on the right track!

And that brought up another point. If the culprit panicked because the police were on the right track, it meant the clues the police held were correct!

"Currently, our clues indicate that the killer themself was involved in the creation of items like the Sister Drum, Gabala, or Human Skin Thangka."

"Afterward, we conducted a detailed search based on the characteristics of people who could create such objects."

Xu Huo explained slowly.

Human Skin Thangkas and Sister Drums weren't things an ordinary person could make.

Even with the skill, it would be completely impossible to mass-produce, collect, or sell them on a large scale.

One would need a certain status!

As for whether these modern creations were still considered antiques...

Let's put it this way: these items were never really antiques. Even modern ones fetch an extremely high price on the antiquities market!

It's considered a type of 'Celestial Bureau' scheme.

And if it's connected to the Celestial Bureau, it's hard to imagine the people involved not having status.

As for what the Celestial Bureau is... let's say an ordinary person wants to buy a painting of the Mona Lisa. The only things they can use to judge its authenticity are the certificate, the seller, the guarantor, and the quality of the painting itself.

In such a situation, if someone could guarantee it and produce a perfect replica!

And at the same time, use their connections to forge certificates and find guarantors to jointly deceive the buyer—if the buyer is already willing, there's no reason they wouldn't purchase it.

That is a rough understanding of the Celestial Bureau!

You can't prove it's fake, because the certificate is real. If you take that certificate elsewhere, other people will also tell you it's authentic.

It's a nearly unsolvable method, and the people who can orchestrate such a scheme...

...are, without exception, rich and powerful!

And the items involved in this case would inevitably be used in some kind of 'Celestial Bureau' scheme.

That's why the police, National Security, and other departments investigated those businessmen. And the facts proved they were on the right track.

But...

"All of that is a facade. They are superficial clues!"

Xu Huo's tone suddenly shifted.

"Superficial?!" Li Jianye paused, his face a mask of bewilderment.

But these were the products of the police's in-depth analysis!

And yet, they were still...

"That's right, superficial clues!"

"Captain Li, you should know the rules for setting up a stall in a wet market, right?"

Xu Huo nodded, then posed another question.

"Of course."

Li Jianye nodded. After the 'Inherent Crime' case in Linlan City, he had learned the rules of the wet market well.

Just paying the fee isn't enough.

"Territory. People are extremely sensitive to the concept of dividing up territory."

"Whether it's a vegetable vendor, or a farmer whose fields or house have been encroached upon by even a single inch, they know it with absolute clarity."

"Now, look at the Capital City as the killer's domain."

"Treat the direct information the police have found as indirect confirmation—information that proves the other party has the ability to operate within this domain!"

"Add a macro-level perspective!"

Xu Huo spoke slowly. In his eyes, there was plenty of time, so he wasn't in a rush to give the answer, instead beginning to explain his thought process.

Zhang Liang paused for a moment; he, for one, understood the idea quickly.

If direct information becomes indirect validation, then from this perspective, the killer is...

"A group?"

Li Jianye paused, speaking tentatively.

"Exactly. The killer is a group. Their territory is the Capital City. Now, put that into a macro perspective, looking at it from the viewpoint of the entire Eastern Country..."