The system was destroying evidence on the first floor, while Yu Ling was cosplaying as a little painter on the second floor. The two were having a great time, but Chen Yang, far away at the police station, was in a dilemma. If it weren't for Wen Shiyan, the murderer, this clue would have gone cold yet again.

Such a large police station cannot just deal with this one case and not let it go. Too much time has passed. The higher-ups have given them one last week. If they cannot catch the person, they must suppress this serial murder case and prioritize mobilizing police resources to solve other backlog cases.

A week? They investigated for almost a month, working tirelessly to find evidence and clues, before finally pinpointing the suspect to the original owner of the body, Wen Shiyan. Solve the case in a week? How could that be possible? This stumped Chen Yang, and he had to accept the fact that everyone's efforts over the past month had gone down the drain.

"Alright, don't be discouraged! There's nothing we can do about it, but... there's always a way around things. If all else fails, I'll stay with you and continue the investigation secretly, how about that?"

Wang Zhenghong, the veteran police officer who mentored Chen Yang at the police station, saw his apprentice's worried expression and knew he was stuck in a rut. He pulled Chen Yang aside to his workstation and offered some words of comfort.

“When it comes to solving cases, there’s no such thing as a perfect investigation. There are countless cases that have been sitting for eight or ten years before being solved. We can’t just leave the other cases unsolved just because we haven’t solved this serial murder case, can we?”

Wang Zhenghong is a seasoned veteran with decades of experience, and he takes things easy. Even though Chen Yang was upset because a month's hard work had been in vain, he wasn't angry. He was young once too, and everyone has their moments of impetuousness.

"I'm sorry, Master, it seems my skills aren't up to par. I can't handle this little setback." Chen Yang lowered his head sheepishly, but his tone remained firm. "Although the leadership wants us to wrap things up and abandon the investigation, I don't want to waste these last seven days. Could you...?"

"Alright, alright, you've been with me for quite a while now, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Go ahead, I'll give you seven days of fieldwork. But, report your itinerary at all times, and be careful, understand?" Wang Zhenghong said leisurely, sipping his tea from his thermos.

"Yes! Thank you, Master!" Chen Yang felt less tense after receiving confirmation.

I barely managed to endure it at the police station until the end of my shift, then packed my things and rushed out.

Wang Zhenghong only approved, and had the authority to approve, fieldwork for him alone. This meant that he had to fight alone and couldn't even ask his colleagues at the police station for help. The difficulty was simply out of control. Therefore, the upright but not pedantic young policeman Chen Yang had no choice but to come up with the idea of ​​off-site assistance.

Perhaps because every Sherlock Holmes is equipped with a Watson, Chen Yang, ever since his debut—or rather, since joining the company—has been using his position to find a compatible friend.

Ultimately, Chen Yang met Guan Xiujie, a well-known young detective in the city and a powerful assistant to the police, through a murder case. They became close friends who could talk about anything because of their shared interests and compatible personalities.

In this world, licensed detectives can work with the police to solve cases, but unlike detectives who frequently appear on the news and television and receive awards, they are just ordinary people who simply enjoy reasoning, appreciate reasoning, and quietly contribute to the community at the grassroots level.

The outside help Chen Yang needs to find now is this detective Guan Xiujie.

Police officers don't have a fixed closing time. Chen Yang left home late, and now it was even darker. Fortunately, detectives also work irregular hours, so it wasn't considered impolite to visit them now.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Who is it?" A tired, hoarse voice rang out. "We're not taking any cases right now. If it's urgent, please find another detective... Chen Yang?"

Guan Xiujie, still sporting dark circles under his eyes and holding a spatula, opened the door to find Chen Yang, still in his police uniform, standing stiffly at his doorstep. Guan Xiujie was instantly jolted awake from his half-asleep daze.

Why would this guy, who's always so busy he disappears without a trace, suddenly show up at my door in the middle of the night?

Guan Xiujie thought and thought, but when facing his friend, his brain still wouldn't turn on. After a long pause, he finally blurted out, "Uh... what crime did I commit?"

Chen Yang: "......."

This foreign player doesn't seem very reliable.

"What are you thinking? I came here to ask you for help!"

Pushing past Xiu Jie and squeezing into the house, Chen Yang skillfully changed into slippers and closed the door. He sat down on the sofa, just as he caught a whiff of food. He casually remarked...

"Hmm? What delicious food are you making? It smells so good!"

Guan Xiujie was stunned for a moment, then immediately ran towards the kitchen, saying as he did so:

"Oh no, my food!!!"

........

Guan Xiujie, covered in the smell of cooking oil, brought out the prepared food from the kitchen. Chen Yang followed him into the kitchen and brought out the remaining soup as well.

The two sat down facing each other at the dining table. Chen Yang hadn't eaten either, so he shamelessly ate a bite. Guan Xiujie's cooking skills were quite good; even ordinary home-style dishes were delicious and visually appealing. They ate and chatted together.

"What do you want me to help you with? You have so much free time to talk to me, have you solved that serial murder case you've been working on lately?"

Guan Xiujie knew that Chen Yang wasn't the type to only visit when he needed something, but he couldn't resist the power of the clothes and couldn't help but want to 'work overtime' to do something.

"No, not yet. That's why I came to find you." Chen Yang slurped up some soup and said, "The most suspicious person, although his movements are a bit coincidental, seems really innocent. We questioned him for a long time and he didn't give us any clues."

The "he" in this context refers to Yu Ling.

"So you're out of ideas and want to start all over again? I can't help you with that. You know, my specialty is making multiple-choice questions from a large number of suspects. It's too difficult for me to search for the enemy in a random murder case."

Guan Xiujie waved his hand as he spoke. It wasn't that he didn't want to help; it was just that this was too difficult for a lone detective.

After quickly shoveling the rice into his bowl, Chen Yang put it down, sighed deeply, and said:

“I know that, which is why I didn’t call you when I first took over this case. But it’s not like we were told to give up the investigation. I guess in the end, it will either be shelved or transferred to another police team. I… I’m really not willing to accept that.”