Chapter 958: Speculating Motives

After finishing their meal, Chen Shi said, “Yueyue, let’s go to the Traffic Bureau to review the surveillance footage. You can also get familiar with the process.”

The three of them drove to the Traffic Bureau. Seeing the split-screen surveillance monitors, Tao Yueyue was amazed, “The surveillance system is so advanced!”

“Yeah, ninety percent of cases are solved with the help of surveillance. With the police’s Skynet system, every corner of the city is under watch, so never do anything bad!” Chen Shi teased.

“Was that last sentence necessary?” Tao Yueyue laughed, finally recovering from her earlier scare.

Chen Shi requested to see the footage from the incident location. They watched it on a computer. The footage clearly showed Tao Yueyue and a girl holding hands, crossing the non-motorized lane. As they reached the bus stop, a man in black, leaning against a pillar reading a newspaper, folded it, and silently walked up behind Tao Yueyue.

Revisiting the scene made Tao Yueyue’s palms sweat. She clung tightly to Lin Dongxue’s hand.

The man in black wore sunglasses, obscuring his face. He said something to Tao Yueyue and then forcefully pushed her into the street before running away, holding his hat.

“That hat-holding motion!” Tao Yueyue exclaimed. “It’s exactly like the person who pushed Liang Zuoming. They’re the same person!”

“Should we go to the scene? Are there shops around?” Chen Shi asked.

“Yes, it’s a commercial street near our school, very busy. When I was pushed, I heard people shouting, so there must be witnesses,” Tao Yueyue replied.

Lin Dongxue suggested, “It looks like the killer wanted to make it look like a traffic accident. You go find witnesses with Yueyue. I’ll go to the traffic police and check if there have been similar cases.”

“OK!”

Chen Shi accompanied Tao Yueyue back to the police school. On the way, she speculated, “That person moved skillfully and escaped calmly. I think he’s done this more than once or twice.”

“Professional killers use such tactics too. Tell me, have you had any recent conflicts with someone capable of hiring a hitman?”

Tao Yueyue thought hard, “No…”

“Think carefully.”

“My ex-boyfriend… the one you made me break up with. He’s a rich businessman’s son.”

“Was the breakup amicable?”

“I dumped him. He was furious.”

“What’s his name?”

“Uncle Chen, if I tell you, you’ll investigate him, and it’ll be a waste of time. I don’t think it’s him. If he were the type to hire a killer over a breakup, I would have sensed his extremism. It’s impossible to hide such a crazy side completely.”

“People can be deceptive. Many killers seem like good people until you know they’re killers.”

“I don’t think it’s personal revenge. The killer has some self-righteous mission to eliminate us ‘bad kids’ from the world!”

“Do you realize what you’re saying? If true, it means Long’an has an undiscovered serial killer who kills not for money or revenge but to rid the world of those he sees as unworthy!”

“Isn’t that how Zhou Tiannan died?” Tao Yueyue raised her voice. “His case is still unsolved, right?”

Chen Shi fell silent. Yes, Zhou Tiannan’s mysterious death.

During their confrontation with Zhou Tiannan, Chen Shi had wished fervently for his sudden death. Then it happened.

Chen Shi asked slowly, “I need to verify something.”

“Go ahead.”

“Without me telling you, how did you know Zhou Tiannan’s name?”

Tao Yueyue fiddled with her fingers, “I overheard your conversation with Sister Gu. I found out he was the mastermind. When he transferred to my school, I recognized him.”

“I see.”

“Uncle Chen, did you ever suspect me?”

Chen Shi’s expression betrayed him.

“You did suspect me!” Tao Yueyue laughed.

“I also suspected Miss Gu and myself…”

“Yourself?”

“I’ve suppressed my identity as Song Lang for so long, playing the role of Chen Shi. Over time, Chen Shi became my dominant personality. I only become Song Lang in my dreams. I wished Zhou Tiannan dead and feared… I might have done it myself!”

Tao Yueyue was silent for a while, then said, “I suspected you too. With your intelligence, you could’ve devised a way to kill Zhou Tiannan.”

Chen Shi laughed, “So we all suspected each other and none of us were the killer.”

“I think this killer did it! He’s like a superhero, secretly eliminating threats to the city!”

“What superhero? A killer hero? That’s a bit exaggerated. Zhou Tiannan had many enemies. And how can you compare him to Liang Zuoming? Liang was just a school bully who killed a cat. Is this killer so bored he kills troublesome kids?”

“You don’t know how bad Liang Zuoming was! He was the class bully, knew petty thugs, even hit a teacher. The teacher didn’t dare punish him because his father was no good either.”

“Let’s not discuss Liang Zuoming. Objectively, how bad was Tao Yueyue?”

Tao Yueyue lowered her head in shame, “They called me the little witch in class. I framed a guy who hurt my friend for cheating on an exam, getting his scores canceled. I humiliated a girl who badmouthed me in front of the whole class…”

“Sigh!” Chen Shi sighed. “I told you to behave at school. So, do you think you deserve to die, like Liang Zuoming?”

“Maybe some people hated me like I hated Liang Zuoming. But I swear I never bullied the weak.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not lecturing you. No one can be liked by everyone. Just be yourself.”

“Thank you, Uncle Chen,” Tao Yueyue said gratefully.

Chen Shi smiled and ruffled her hair, looking out the window. Being a weekend, many people were shopping. He thought about Tao Yueyue’s theory. If the killer had a so-called noble mission, he would be the most terrifying criminal. With no guilt and a sense of righteous duty, he’d repeat his actions, fueled by his perceived mission.

The most ordinary criminals kill for profit, the next for pleasure—Zhou Xiao fell between these levels. But the last level, driven by a noble goal, is the level of a terrorist!