How come the celestial technique I stole is so powerful?!-Chapter 200: Is the Real Killer a Human or a Beast?

"Although I dare not claim the title of Jiangcheng’s first detective, I have yet to misjudge a case." He Jiang said, "The footprints of the exotic beast are clear before us, indicating without a doubt that the exotic beast entered this crevice. But on what basis does Detective Lin say that the beast is not in the cave?"

"Indeed! I agree with the first part of your statement. The real murderer did enter this crevice. But does entering mean it’s still inside?"

"What do you mean?" He Jiang’s smile vanished from his face.

"It means it went in, but it also came out!"

"In and out... impossible!" He Jiang said, "There are only footprints going in at the cave entrance, no footprints coming out!"

Only he had the right to make such a statement because of his extraordinary "Footprint Ephemeral Technique".

"The entrance indeed has none!" Lin Xiaosu said, "But what about the cave top? Is it possible... it climbed out through the top stone wall?"

The crowd looked up together, staring at the top of the cave.

Director Li snorted, "Nonsense, absurd to the extreme! The so-called fierce beast has its habits. Why would it not walk on the ground but climb out through the cave top?"

Lin Xiaosu said calmly, "If it didn’t climb out through the top, how would it lead you off track?"

Chief Zhang was taken aback, "Do you mean to say... this fierce beast still has anti-detection awareness?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "Are you so sure, Chief Zhang, that the real murderer must be an exotic beast and not a human?"

Everyone’s faces changed color upon hearing this...

Zhou Mei’s heart pounded, she stared at Lin Xiaosu, almost forgetting to breathe...

Lin Xiaosu was someone she brought.

Chief Zhang stood up for her.

But even she questioned whether bringing him over was necessary.

Now, his remarks were a direct challenge to He Jiang’s conclusion.

He Jiang had already determined that the real murderer was an exotic beast, and all the evidence supported this theory.

But now, Lin Xiaosu claimed that the real murderer was human!

If it was an exotic beast, Lin Xiaosu’s idea that it climbed out through the top would not stand, for beasts usually do not possess strong anti-detection instincts, nor would they lead detectives astray.

But if the real killer were human, his statement would be highly credible.

"The real murderer... is not an exotic beast, but a human!" He Jiang laughed, "What a sensational statement, Detective Lin. Solving a case demands evidence, not wild imaginings."

"Doesn’t Detective He have a knack for using spray for evidence collection?" Lin Xiaosu said, "Why not take out your sprayer, let me point to some places, and you spray them."

He lifted his hand gently, pointing to a spot.

Chief Zhang followed his gaze, slightly shaken. If it were earlier, he might not have understood the significance of this stone wall. But now, with his genetically enhanced vision, he noted falling pebbles on the wall.

He Jiang stared at the spot, his expression subtly changing.

Everyone was watching him.

"Detective He, would you like to give it a try?" Chief Zhang said.

He Jiang took out the sprayer and sprayed the spot; something astonishing took place.

A footprint glowing green appeared distinctly.

Director Li’s face turned pale.

Zhou Mei’s eyes lit up.

"Here, continue!" Lin Xiaosu said.

Another green footprint appeared with the next spray...

Soon, with Lin Xiaosu’s guidance, the clear footprints on the cave wall formed a line, leading from the cave to the stone on top, down the slope, till a small stream appeared in front, where the green footprints vanished by the water.

At this point, even the most stubborn person had to acknowledge the truth.

The real murderer did not actually enter the cave.

It merely gave the appearance of entering before it retreated through the top.

"Detective Lin, impressive!" He Jiang laughed heartily, "It seems the ancient saying is true, heroes truly emerge from youth!" novelbuddy-cσ๓

His words were both hearty and magnanimous.

Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly, "You flatter me, it’s mere luck! Going forward, does Detective He have a way to continue tracking?"

"There are certainly ways!" He Jiang said, "My He family has seven tracking techniques. It will surely land on its target."

"Then I shall not disturb Detective He!" Lin Xiaosu sat down by the stream.

He Jiang inspected the area up and down, crossed the river, and checked the other side, expanding his search area until he was about a mile or two away.

Lin Xiaosu did not follow; he seemed to have no intention of further involvement. But his eyes shimmered with a strange light...

A sigh came from behind him, soft and lingering, "I invited you here today, you made quite an impression, but I’m afraid I angered the provincial leaders."

"So what? I’ll solve this case perfectly, using solid achievements to compensate for the damage you’ve suffered?"

"What do you mean?" Zhou Mei asked, "Did you find a breakthrough?"

"Maybe!" Lin Xiaosu answered, his two words were somewhat vague, but Zhou Mei’s entire body seemed to suddenly receive the greatest stimulation.

"Where?"

"Across the river!" Lin Xiaosu reached out, grabbed her shoulder, and gently led them both over the eight-meter-wide creek to the other side.

He gazed at the ground on the other side where He Jiang had sprayed earlier. The "Footprint Ephemeral Technique" was excellent at revealing any footprints left by living beings. Indeed, everyone could see multiple footprints across the riverbank, but none matched the familiar prints on this side.

So, the common speculation was that the fierce beast either went downstream or upstream before landing again somewhere else.

The search covered several miles.

"He Jiang has already sprayed this area, there are no special footprints here," Zhou Mei said.

"This footprint is a bit special," Lin Xiaosu pointed to a human footprint in the mud.

Zhou Mei’s gaze fell upon it; it was a standard human footprint, barefoot, very clear.

"It’s a human footprint, not..." Zhou Mei’s voice abruptly stopped, staring at Lin Xiaosu.

"I already hinted that the real murderer might be human, not a fierce beast! They are still stubborn..."

"You suspect he removed his disguise in the creek, returning to human form to sever the tracking link?" Zhou Mei asked.

"Yes!"

"But that’s only speculation! One human footprint doesn’t definitively prove whether it’s a person or a fierce beast. There are villages nearby where human footprints are common." Zhou Mei said.

"It’s common to have footprints, but barefoot prints?" Lin Xiaosu pointed out.

Zhou Mei’s heart slightly stirred, he had a point!

It was late autumn now, and the creek was narrow, easy to jump across. Why would anyone remove their shoes?

Removing shoes to cross the creek didn’t make sense logically.

Walking barefoot on the grassy ground would be unusual too because the grass, known as cogon grass, was very hard this season, piercing the feet like needles.

Could it be this person had no shoes?

Perhaps during chaotic times, but in modern society, even the poorest homes have several pairs of shoes. Altogether, this footprint seemed very odd.

Walking a few more steps, Lin Xiaosu’s eyes gleamed, "Look at this!"

Zhou Mei leaned in, focusing on a thorn under the footprint.

This thorn was from a dog thorn plant, known for its toughness, and three small thorns were broken from being stepped on by a barefoot person.

"To step on thorns without injury, that’s conclusive evidence!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Only someone with special genetic makeup would have such thick skin."

Zhou Mei’s heart raced, she took out a plastic bag and placed the thorn inside.

Although this person didn’t leave blood on the thorn, genetic material is intricate, and any tactile contact would leave some residue behind. This genetic evidence could be part of the case’s chain of evidence.

In front of an ancient tree, Lin Xiaosu completed a logical closure...

This barefoot person put on shoes before the old tree.

What did this signify?

It signified they pre-positioned the shoes in the tree hole.

He could see everything clearly through Reverse Time...

Zhou Mei also wrapped up her logical deductions. Although she didn’t have Lin Xiaosu’s skills, she was an experienced officer with numerous cases under her belt...

The tree hole hid shoes, the barefoot crossed thorns, transitioned to human form across the creek, devised a deceptive scheme after murder, and returned to put on shoes again, blending into the crowd on the mountain road.

Could this be the killer’s entire modus operandi?

From this shore up, they reached a main road, traveling down a makeshift pathway to an agri-tourism spot.

This agri-tourism spot was named "Chunshui Villa".

About ten miles ahead, there was Bishui Villa, now this place was Chunshui Villa.

Though it followed the trend, Chunshui Villa’s business was quite good.

The key lay in its prime location, backed by Tashan, facing Tashan Lake Tail, blending into the mountain and water scenery that city dwellers adored.

Lin Xiaosu entered Chunshui Villa, which was bustling with people. The outer platform had numerous parked cars, and the pavilions were filled with patrons.

Smoking, eating sunflower seeds, drinking tea, swinging on swings...

Several children ran about...

As Lin Xiaosu and Zhou Mei approached, a middle-aged waiter greeted them, "Are you here to dine or stay?"

"Dine!" Lin Xiaosu replied.

It was almost lunchtime, they ordered two dishes, then sat waiting at their table.

Zhou Mei poured herself a cup of tea, bringing it close to her lips, her voice lowering, "Have you found anything?"

"Yes," replied Lin Xiaosu.

Zhou Mei lightly swirled the teacup in her hand...

"Don’t be excited, let’s enjoy our meal first, then plan our actions post-lunch."

The meal was tasteless to Zhou Mei.

She quickly finished her food, while watching Lin Xiaosu leisurely count his rice grains.

Lin Xiaosu smiled, "I’m not intentionally keeping you in suspense."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I want to wait for Detective He..."

"Wait for him? Do you think he’ll find his way here too?"

"Logically, the doubts we discovered should be evident to the first detective," Lin Xiaosu said.

"But maybe not," Zhou Mei said, "A person’s thinking follows habits. If he initially decides the killer is an exotic beast, he might unconsciously veer off, naturally overlooking clues of a human..."

"True as well," Lin Xiaosu mused, "We won’t wait then! I’ll outline the action plan..."

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢