Chapter 383: The Fire from Ten Years Ago

Chen Shi said, “Let’s call this murder and arson incident ‘Event X’. From the frequency of its appearance in dreams, Event X has had a deeper impact on Wang Sunxu than Teacher Xu. I’ll check the police archives in the next few days.”

KK said, “I don’t quite understand. It’s just three dreams, and you’re all here explaining it mystically. Can you really dig up the past event from this?”

Sun Zhen, adjusting his glasses, said, “Although I don’t interpret dreams, I’ve seen documentaries on the subject. Dreams are formed from stimuli, like if you need to pee, you dream of going to the bathroom. Sometimes these stimuli come from within, like anxiety, fear, or desire, so dreams inevitably correspond to reality.”

Gu You said, “When someone tells me about their dreams, it’s as if they’re showing me their innermost self. Dreams are more truthful than words.”

KK, a bit lost for words, said, “What if he lied?”

Chen Shi replied, “I believe he won’t. Wang Sunxu isn’t well-educated enough to be aware of this and guard against it. Speaking of which, Gu You, could you talk about your past with Zhou Xiao?”

Gu You laughed, “Let’s skip that in this relaxed setting. Actually, I have something else I want to try. Xiao Chong was brainwashed; I want to see if I can unlock the locks in his consciousness.”

Sun Zhen was thrilled, “I’ll definitely cooperate!”

“Look at your excitement,” KK said with disdain.

“Let’s meet at the office in a couple of days. By the way, KK, did the office print business cards? Give me one!” Chen Shi added.

“Why do you need a business card?” KK asked.

“I need to investigate this case on my own. My consultant ID might not work well. If someone catches on that I’m not a police officer, I’ll claim to be a private detective.”

“Alright, I’ll get it for you later.”

The next morning, Chen Shi arrived early at the station. Lin Qiupu said, “You’re just in time. We found the body of a young boy yesterday. Come to the conference room, and I’ll brief you on the case.”

“Sorry, I’ve got some personal matters today; you guys handle it!”

“You this guy…” Lin Qiupu muttered.

Chen Shi went to the archive room. Although he wasn’t a policeman, the officer managing the archives recognized him, and he gained access by facial recognition.

He pulled out several cold cases from the years in question, looking for matches. Of course, he couldn’t take the archives with him; he had to memorize the key details.

In a 2007 fire at a bicycle factory dormitory, a baby girl died. The cause was an electrical short circuit. The babysitter, also the mother, claimed she had gone out to shop, leaving the baby asleep at home, only to return to find the house on fire and her daughter dead.

The couple were high school sweethearts, happily married with their love’s fruition in their third year.

Chen Shi noticed in the deposition the wife repeatedly mentioned how good her husband was to her but only mentioned their daughter’s death once. Also, the wife came from a divorced family.

Unable to ignore it, Chen Shi scribbled a note in the file: “Investigate the fire origin. Suspect the wife of infanticide.”

The 2007 South Sea Road body-burning incident involved a paint warehouse fire where two charred bodies were found. One was a security guard from a nearby complex; the other’s identity remained undetermined despite DNA tests.

Chen Shi wrote a note, “The security guard is the killer. The fire was too great, cutting off his escape. He tried to use the body as a stepping stone to escape the flames.”

Then the 2008 fire at 19th Middle School where a couple died surrounded by copper wires. Some homeless children were arrested, claiming they were collecting copper wires to sell and had accidentally started the fire.

Chen Shi thought about it and wrote, “Suspect the homeless children’s coordinated confession. The wires were likely used to bind the victims. This was a murder.”

Lastly, the 2008 affluent Southern Sun Road house fire, where a solitary 38-year-old woman, previously a rich man’s mistress, died. It was Christmas, and she had given her servants the day off. Unleaded gasoline was used, sourced from the garage. Interestingly, the victim was adorned with jewelry which melted and fused with her skeleton.

Her autopsy showed signs of beating and live burns.

Chen Shi felt this was the case he was looking for. As he walked out with the file, the archive head stopped him: “Without the chief’s signature, you can’t take these.”

“Sorry!” Chen Shiwas overly excited. He called Lin Qiupu.

Lin Qiupu rushed over, asking, “What’s up?”

Chen Shi, tapping the dossier he was carrying, declared, “I need to review this case!”

“You’re joking, right? I’ve got a child murder case on my hands and you’re ignoring it to reopen some old case?”

“This case might be linked to Zhou Xiao.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sixty percent sure.”

Lin Qiupu pondered for a moment, skeptical, “I don’t buy your sudden epiphany, stumbling upon a secret when flipping through old cases.”

Chen Shi gave a wry smile, “How about this? I’ll solve the child murder case, and you authorize me to investigate this one.”

Lin Qiupu raised a finger, “If you can solve it within a day, I’ll agree!”

“Just one day?”

“You think I have all day to play with you?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll take a look… keep this file for me.”

Seeing other files on the table, Lin Qiupu remarked, “At least put things back where you found them after you’re done!”

“In those three files, I’ve left some thoughts on how to solve the cases. Take a look; it might help boost your clearance rates,” Chen Shi suggested with a wink.

Lin Qiupu chuckled, feeling more burdened than assisted.