On a rainy night, the school beauty knocked on my door and asked for shelter

Chen Mo was indifferent to the commendation from his superiors; his only goal was to join the criminal investigation team.

Only there could he be qualified and capable of touching that long-forgotten, the only "major case" in his heart—the Su Yuqing case.

His work ability is beyond doubt, and his efficiency is astonishing, but his burning passion makes the veteran police officers shake their heads and sigh in secret.

Finally...

a year later, Chen Mo entered the criminal investigation team as he had wished.

After successfully joining the criminal investigation team, he continued his workaholic style from his time at the police station, achieving another successful career.

Through his relentless efforts, he finally obtained access to all the case files of Su Yuqing.

He immediately requested access to all the case files related to Su Yuqing's case.

That thick stack of papers, covered in the dust of time, became his new prison.

Every day, he would find a secluded corner and immerse himself in photocopies of the case files related to Su Yuqing's case.

He meticulously examined every word and every picture, trying to extract any overlooked clues.

The photos included: the coldness of the alleyway in the rainy night and her pale face; the forensic report (a detailed description of the fatal wound on her neck); the witness statements (vague and fragmented statements); the list of physical evidence (the victim's remaining clothing); and the expert analysis report.

The lights often stayed on until dawn, the ashtrays were overflowing with cigarette butts, and the coffee cups were long since cold.

He was like a tireless machine, inputting "case files" and outputting "questions" and "frustrations".

He returned countless times to that old alleyway that had changed everything.

Daytime, nighttime, sunny days, rainy days.

He measured every inch of the land with his footsteps, trying to reconstruct that stormy night in his mind.

He held the crime scene diagrams in the case file, comparing them to every possible eyewitness angle, and patiently questioned the long-time residents still living nearby, even though the answers he received were exactly the same as those recorded in the statements from several years ago.

His persistence made him known to the residents of the area, who also looked at him with sympathy or incomprehension.

Regardless of what others thought, he continued to dedicate himself to investigating the case with unwavering focus.

He worked tirelessly, neglecting sleep and meals, to investigate this case.

Try to obtain all available clues.

However, the most difficult cases to solve in this world are often those where the murder weapon was carried by the victim, the murder was purely accidental, and then, by sheer bad luck, all the clues that could be obtained were swept away.

If you try to judge and investigate this kind of case using all the normal criminal investigation logic, you will only end up confused and feel that there are inconsistencies everywhere.

Chen Mo questioned almost everyone in the old neighborhood and organized all the clues.

Ultimately, no logical clues were found.

Based on the investigation and deductions of experts from the provincial department, it was basically determined to be an accidental murder case, with the perpetrator likely committing crimes while on the move.

The real culprit probably left the city that very night.

In addition, the torrential rain's ability to wash away evidence and obscure surveillance cameras made the case virtually impossible to investigate...

They didn't make this decision arbitrarily; they gave sufficient reasons.

According to their investigation.

The time of the incident (late at night), the location (a secluded alley on the edge of an abandoned old neighborhood), and the environment (a rainy night) all indicate that this is a high-risk area that normal people (whether local residents or potential victims) would rarely venture into.

The appearance of the deceased Su Yuqing at this time and place was highly accidental (experts speculate that it may be related to her mental state and specific purpose at the time, but this cannot be confirmed).

All local individuals with prior criminal records, similar modus operandi, and motives were thoroughly investigated (including supplementary interviews conducted by Chen Mo later) and were ruled out as suspects.

The deceased had extremely simple social relationships, and no grudges that could have led to premeditated murder were found.

The most compelling evidence is the criminal psychological profile—if the perpetrator is a local, there would usually be actions to dispose of or hide the body, but in this case, the perpetrator allowed the body to be exposed, indicating that he was unfamiliar with and did not care about the scene or the rapid exposure of the body.

Since it was someone from the neighborhood who committed the crime, they should have tried their best to cover it up; otherwise, the investigation would have immediately turned to them.

Meanwhile, no unsolved cases with highly similar methods, targets, or murder weapons were found in the city and surrounding areas for a considerable period before and after the incident, which also suggests that the perpetrator was not someone who had been staying in the city for a long time.

After integrating and deducing all the clues, they naturally concluded that it was possible that a transient criminal had committed the crime by chance.

However, Chen Mo intuitively felt that things were not like that.

He always felt that Su Yuqing's death was not so simple.

He relentlessly pursued the truth, almost obsessively.

This kind of almost self-torturing investigation can last for months or even years.

Chen Mo visibly lost weight, his eye sockets became sunken, his cheekbones became prominent, and his already cold and stern features became even sharper.

Sleep is a luxury; I often only manage a brief nap in my office chair or on my files after I'm exhausted.

Food is only for maintaining the body's basic functions.

He became even more silent, radiating a deep-seated weariness and an inescapable gloom.

He lived his life as an obsession solely for the "Su Yuqing case," a prisoner walking in the sunlight.

Watching Chen Mo become hopelessly trapped in the nightmare of this case.

Su Yuqing stood beside him, watching him trudge along this endless, dark road.

His pain, his struggles, his self-torture—all of it tore at her heart like a knife.

Su Yuqing wished she could tell him the truth about the case directly.

But she had no way to solve it.

“Chen Mo… that’s enough… that’s really enough…” she cried out silently in the void, her tears long since dried, leaving only boundless bitterness and helplessness.

“This isn’t your fault… you haven’t wronged anyone… on that rainy night, you clearly gave the best choice a high school student could think of…”Regardless of whether Chen Mo agreed to take him in after opening that door.

As far as Su Yuqing was concerned, Chen Mo had already done everything he was supposed to do.

Even if he didn't take me in, he offered to escort me home, which was already the best possible solution.

Even so, he was still so harsh on himself, blaming his death on his failure to take her in, which made Su Yuqing feel very guilty.

From the moment I approached him, I inexplicably burdened him with responsibilities he shouldn't have had to bear.

Even if the "she" who got into trouble in the story is not the one who is watching from the sidelines now.

In reality, Su Yuqing also came to Chen Mo during her most desperate moments, without deeply considering the responsibility and pressure her presence would bring him.

(End of Chapter)