Chapter 51: Criminal Investigation World (1)

When Lin Yuetian opened his eyes this time, the scene before him was so normal it was almost unbelievable. He found himself lying on the sofa of a studio, covered with a trench coat. Suspicious, he got up and discovered that his wrist was still bleeding. Remaining calm, he shook his wrist a few times, then began familiarizing himself with the layout of the studio. Finally, he found a medical kit in the bathroom cabinet and skillfully bandaged himself up.

“This time, everything seems so normal.” As he wrapped his wrist, Lin Yuetian casually chatted with the system. “Looks like I’ve actually made a decent career for myself.”

“Just accept the memories first.” The system withheld any comments and directly dumped the original host’s memories into Lin Yuetian’s mind.

In this world, Lin Yuetian was a consulting detective—yes, that’s right! In this world, detectives were a highly significant and legally recognized profession, even considered an indispensable part of the criminal investigation system. They could participate in solving cases and were categorized under strict professional detective rankings. The original host was quite well-known, a reputable regional detective in his city. However, after taking on a highly publicized serial murder case, his performance had suddenly plummeted—because he was going through a breakup.

The original host was attracted to men, and his boyfriend’s name was Huo Chengye. They had been university classmates, developed feelings for each other during their studies, and had been in a relationship for nearly ten years. However, ever since the original host became a detective after graduation, Huo Chengye’s behavior in the relationship had grown increasingly toxic.

Huo Chengye was ambitious but lacked the ability to match. He repeatedly attempted to start businesses, only to fail and lose money each time, constantly borrowing from the original host. Out of love, the original host always agreed and never once brought up repayment. But as the original host’s career flourished, Huo Chengye’s attitude worsened—he frequently blamed the original host for being too busy with work and accused him of being emotionally distant. Eventually, their fights escalated to the point of physical altercations.

Yet, the original host truly loved Huo Chengye. After nearly ten years together, how could he simply let go? Despite his intelligence, he was deeply attached emotionally, which prevented him from breaking things off. Then, just as he took on this case and was fully immersed in his work, Huo Chengye suddenly announced he wanted to break up. He claimed he was getting older and that staying with a man had no real future. He planned to start dating women and get married.

The original host was devastated—he couldn’t believe that Huo Chengye would abandon him so easily, nor could he accept that the man he had loved for so many years would stoop to something as low as a fraudulent marriage. In this state, he struggled to focus on the case, performed poorly under public scrutiny, and eventually succumbed to overwhelming stress, guilt, and regret. In the end, he slit his wrists in his detective office, ending his own life.

He left his burdens behind.

So now, Lin Yuetian was here.

“The original host’s wishes are as follows: First, to solve the case and bring the true culprit to justice. Second, to make Huo Chengye confess to him and prevent him from marrying a woman.” The system dutifully listed the tasks, then commented, “Honestly, the first task is the more difficult one. This case is a real headache. Once you go through the case files and review the memories carefully, you’ll understand.”

“I’ll do my best,” Lin Yuetian said without hesitation. “And I’m confident.”

The system was stunned. “…? You think you can do it now? Come on, bro, you’ve probably never played the hero in ten lifetimes combined. Where’s this confidence coming from?”

Lin Yuetian replied confidently, “There’s an old saying—’A long illness makes the patient a good doctor.’ I trust that my professional instincts will help me track down this killer. With my operations, I’ll have them surrender their weapons and kneel in submission. In short, just trust me.”

“Trust you my ass. Where the hell am I supposed to find that kind of faith?” The system politely expressed its doubts.

Lin Yuetian returned to the sofa, grabbed a dozen napkins to wipe his own blood off the floor, and worked from 3 AM to 4:30 AM cleaning up the scene. Finally, he sat at his desk and began reading the case files.

This series of serial murders had started a month and a half ago.

The first victim was bludgeoned to death in an alley near his home in the early morning. The second victim, a fisherman, was killed with a blunt object at a reservoir on a rainy day. The next three victims were all murdered in remote locations without surveillance, with the same cause of death—blunt force trauma. Since the killer always struck on rainy days, the media dubbed them the “Rainy Night Striker.”

Due to the heavy rain, forensic evidence from the last four crime scenes had been severely compromised. No usable DNA, fingerprints, or footprints had been retrieved. Additionally, none of the crime scenes had surveillance, and the victims had no known connections to each other. These factors made the investigation extremely challenging.

Now, after a month and a half, the case remained unsolved, and the entire city was gripped with fear, with people avoiding going outside whenever it rained.

“Lack of evidence and leads… yeah, this is tough,” the system agreed. “Based on the preliminary investigation, it seems like the killer chooses unmonitored locations at random. If there’s no link between the victims, then there’s no clear suspect. This type of case is the hardest to crack.”

“I actually think there are clues,” Lin Yuetian said, disagreeing.

“…? Seriously? I don’t see anything.” The system hesitated, unsure if it was too normal to follow the logic of a lunatic—or if it simply wasn’t smart enough.

“How should I put this…? You’re a system, and specifically a pure romance system, so maybe you understand relationships better. But I’m an assassin—an elite in my field. Not only do I have extensive personal experience, but I’ve also encountered many peers, including those thrill-seeking lunatics who take payment for one kill and end up slaughtering a dozen just to drive competition in the industry. So, I understand these kinds of people very well, and my perspective is different from yours.”

Lin Yuetian stuffed the case files, phone, and wallet into the original host’s briefcase, grabbed the coat draped over the chair, and put it on. He adjusted his tie in front of the mirror.

“I don’t think you lack experience dealing with lunatics,” the system said coolly. “Every morning when you look in the mirror, don’t you see a prime example of a cold-blooded psychopath?”

“Sigh, after everything we’ve been through together, you still misunderstand me like this. Truly heartbreaking. I can only take it as your way of joking around and trying to bond with me—anyway, let’s head to the police station first.” Lin Yuetian meticulously adjusted his appearance. “According to the original host’s memories, there’s a task force meeting this morning. Maybe there’ll be more clues… Speaking of which, the original host in this world looks even more like me. It’s quite an interesting experience seeing myself in the mirror.”

The system was skeptical. “Was your original face really that good-looking?”

“Of course,” Lin Yuetian replied decisively. “I’m incredibly handsome—otherwise, my approval rating wouldn’t be so high.”

System: …

System: “Forget it, I won’t argue. But what are you doing with your phone—wait, hold up, are you seriously applying what you learned from that tragic gay drama in the last world already?!”

While they were talking, Lin Yuetian had already pulled out the original host’s phone, quickly logged into all his social media accounts, and posted numerous photos of the original host and Huo Chengye together. Without even blinking, he captioned them with a series of melodramatic lines like ‘Why does love fade away?’

“This is foreshadowing,” Lin Yuetian said solemnly.