Hey! The Criminal Assistance System Can Even Be Used Like This? 12

Xu Zhizhi stared silently at the other person. “If you wanted to act, why didn’t you do it earlier?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” A leisurely, slow tone finally broke the silence, confirming Xu Zhizhi’s suspicions.

The voice was low; perhaps both of them were deliberately lowering their voices. The purpose, however, wasn’t to conceal but to continue the current atmosphere.

Xu Zhizhi gazed intently at the other person, her hidden fingers trembling almost uncontrollably, her whole body tightly wound. Forcing her expression to maintain an air of absolute confidence, she said, “No, you admire me. You know I can help you accomplish your ideas.”

She understood that if she flinched, the other person would know her weaknesses, and she would easily become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

Staring was an act that was highly offensive and aggressive. Her gaze communicated to the other person that she was just like them.

She had studied that a psychological profiling of a highly resilient murderer can be incredibly challenging during interrogations. This was simple; they felt no respect or fear towards the police — they often toyed with them on purpose.

They felt that killing was a good deed, so they wouldn’t experience guilt, sorrow, or fear.

To break through to such a person, one must find their weaknesses, to obtain truly valuable clues.

Sometimes, police would play along with the criminals, being understanding and forgiving towards them. That is to say, they would intentionally suggest that the other person couldn’t possibly commit such acts, baiting them to reveal information, and so on.

What Xu Zhizhi was doing was somewhat similar; her breakthrough point lay in the crime she was currently addressing. She knew He Wen pursued perfection and could not understand the crime from the viewpoint of a psychopathic killer.

Previously, she hadn’t understood why the other person stayed here. Usually, after committing a murder, killers would immediately leave the scene. They often remained in a fugitive state, terrified of being discovered and captured by the police.

However, He Wen was different; she lingered, quietly observing.

She reveled in her twisted malice, allowing it to grow and envelop her, finding pleasure in the pain it brought her.

She would not leave; on the contrary, she constantly pondered how to distort this world and create a hell that would plunge the victims into endless suffering.

This was Xu Zhizhi’s understanding, the source of her intuition.

Combined with the scars that had deliberately not been removed, which the other person treated as a badge of honor, she was certain that the other person was the murderer from sixteen years ago.

In the subsequent moments, both gazed at each other in silence, yet everything seemed to have been said.

Soon, Bai Sheng and Qin Su emerged with the dishes, and everyone took their seats at the dining table.

It was evident that Bai Sheng had a very fond affection for He Wen; from the plating to the dishes, they were all tailored to her preferences.

For example, the lobster was arranged in an extremely precise manner, with the lobster meat evenly distributed on either side. The sweet and sour ribs were stacked perfectly, and the vegetables were neatly lined up, while the steak had no sauce spilling over, its garnish harmoniously placed.

Such arrangements were not rare at restaurants, or even standard in five-star hotels.

Yet in a household, this was quite an unusual operation.

Xu Zhizhi looked at Bai Sheng, who showed not the slightest unwillingness, even enjoying it without a hint of discomfort.

This was the key to her success; she made the other party develop a strong affection and dependence on her. If discovered one day, everyone would fall into a trap of self-doubt and pain.

Even Bai Sheng would defend her, perhaps at the cost of his life.

Qin Su and his father had been pursuing the murderer for sixteen years, only to find that the person had always been right next to him, smiling as he looked for her.

Like a cat teasing a mouse it could kill at any moment, relishing the other’s ignorance.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhizhi lowered her gaze to conceal all her emotions, then looked up at Qin Su, adding a piece of food to his plate. “Qin Su, let’s start dating!”

“Pfft!” A startled cough erupted from Bai Sheng, who covered his mouth, looking at the two incredulously.

Qin Su was momentarily stunned, soon realizing what Xu Zhizhi had just said.

“Isn’t it a bit early?” Hadn’t they agreed before to maintain a little ambiguity between them? How had it suddenly turned into dating?

At that moment, Bai Sheng kicked Qin Su under the table and smiled at Xu Zhizhi. “Not early, not early! You’re both adults; taking it slow is perfectly fine.”

“Great! I think you and Qin Su are a good match. It gives me peace of mind to see you both together. But Qin Su, you have to work on your temper in the future. It’s too foul and harsh — be careful, or she might change her mind!” He Wen teased with a laugh.

Xu Zhizhi shot him a look encouraging him to agree.

Qin Su paused with his chopsticks, though he was unsure why Xu Zhizhi would say that. He also knew that Xu Zhizhi didn’t harbor any good feelings for him. However, he understood she was not the type to act irrationally. Her understanding and imitation of criminals were quite profound; she wouldn’t do this without a reason.

With a resigned yet somewhat indulgent smile breaking through his cold expression, he said, “Alright, let’s be together.”

Bai Sheng beamed immediately, heartily patting Qin Su on the back.

“You finally got off the singles list! Uncle Qin and Aunt Wei won’t have to worry anymore. Zhizhi is a good girl; cherish her! Aim for a relationship like your Aunt He and me!” Bai Sheng exclaimed cheerfully.

When not on set, Bai Sheng appeared to be a mature yet simple person, his eyes filled with naive purity, creating a striking contrast with his hefty build.

Qin Su felt almost unbalanced from the pat, nodding shyly. “Don’t worry, Uncle Bai. I will do my best.”

Xu Zhizhi smiled slightly, her gaze shifting to He Wen.

The other seemed pleased, indicating that her strategy was working — He Wen craved a deeper control over Qin Su.

Qin Su sharply sensed Xu Zhizhi’s intentions yet couldn’t understand why she was inclined to do so. However, since Xu Zhizhi had done him a favor, it was reasonable that he would cooperate a bit.

The dinner proceeded with mutual enjoyment, with Bai Sheng being the happiest, for once the meal ended, they didn’t chat much before preparing to leave. After reminding Qin Su to take her home, he could finally enjoy a world of two with his wife.

After cleaning up and washing dishes, Bai Sheng hastily went to the sofa, wrapping his arms around He Wen, resting his chin on her shoulder, expressing contentment in his voice. “I truly hope Qin Su finds happiness like I did! In case the case can’t be resolved, at least he could have some happiness; it wouldn’t be in vain for his uncle’s protection of him.”

“He’s suffered so much, carrying that hatred since he was twelve until now at twenty-eight. In a lifetime, how many sixteen years do we really get?”

Bai Sheng’s eyes lowered; he genuinely felt for Qin Su and his father.

What happened back then left an indelible shadow on those families, particularly the Qin family.

A soft, jade-like hand laid on his face, her gentle voice saying, “I hope they can truly let go and step into a new life.”

Bai Sheng rubbed He Wen’s hand, contentedly murmuring an “Mm.”

From his angle, he couldn’t see the slight upward curve of He Wen’s lips or the icy glint in her eyes filled with malicious anticipation.

Thus, the two sat on the beige sofa, each with their own thoughts as they watched the scenes unfolding on the television.

Xu Zhizhi quietly followed Qin Su into the car, biting her lip and struggling to control herself until they were away from the neighborhood. A few minutes later, she extended her trembling hand to open the car window. The night’s breeze blew in, the stark temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car caused her to shiver involuntarily.

The shiver awakened the deep-seated fear she had just suppressed, surging wildly to the forefront of her thoughts and brain, her heart racing painfully.

Her hands continued to shake, having previously been overly restrained, her heart tightly pulled as she exerted all her effort to maintain control. Now that she could relax, she felt overwhelmed with tremors.

For a regular person to face a brutal and ruthless serial killer, especially under the conditions of having witnessed all the grisly details firsthand, it was impossible to maintain composure, even if her acting had covered most of her panic and fear on the outside.

The vehicle stopped, and Xu Zhizhi curled her body, opening the door, her entire being wracked with stomach cramps as she leaned against the car and began to retch.

After a round of dry heaves, she crouched down; her teeth chattered uncontrollably from fear, making a clattering sound as cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

This release of fear was because she knew she was now safe.

Qin Su, who had stopped the car, finally sensed something was amiss. He unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly got out, reaching out to grab Xu Zhizhi’s arm. “What’s wrong? Why?”

Initially, he hadn’t noticed that something was off with Xu Zhizhi. They hadn’t spoken at all before arriving at the apartment where the studio was located.

Qin Su was a reserved person; he didn’t enjoy prying into others’ secrets unrelated to suspects, thus out of respect, he had not asked Xu Zhizhi why she had said what she did at Bai Sheng’s house.

After she got out of the car, he intended to watch her enter the apartment.

There was security at the entrance of the apartment, and the inside was bustling with people, making it secure; therefore, he had no intention of leaving the car.

Until he witnessed Xu Zhizhi supporting herself against the car, trembling violently, exhibiting extreme reactions rooted in fear. Suddenly, it struck him that something was wrong, and he reached out to support her arm.

Xu Zhizhi bit her lip, having no intention to respond, striving to contain her emotions.

Qin Su squeezed her hand tightly. “You know you can trust me, right? Please tell me what’s going on.”

“Can you really accept it?” Xu Zhizhi turned her head, her body still trembling from fear, her gaze remarkably steady.

She knew he would care for her; she knew he was absolutely reliable. Her response was an unmistakable hint, a hope that he could understand her.

Qin Su bit his lip, looking into her eyes. At first, he felt confused, as this remark was so disjointed that it was puzzling.

“Could you…” elaborate a bit more?

But before he could fully express his thoughts, his pupils dilated, and he froze in place.

Everything about her reaction began to connect in his mind. He suddenly recalled how during her first case, she had added a specific wound — a crescent-shaped scar on her pinky. He remembered her request not to mention the case to Aunt He and the characteristics of the killer’s psychotic enjoyment of the crimes they created.

Coupled with her reaction at Bai Sheng and He Wen’s house today, he recalled that Aunt He had similar scars, and he stumbled upon an impossible possibility.

He released her arm and took two steps back, his confusion transforming into a dazed stare at the distance, a collapsing sensation of faith breaking down for the first time.

Xu Zhizhi struggled to stand, her eyes filled with indifference as she tightened her fists, forcing her emotions to stabilize before turning to leave. No explanation was needed; he would certainly dig deeper.

As the captain of the criminal investigation team in the city, Qin Su’s capabilities were beyond question.

Some things are better left unspoken; only by verifying the truth himself would he find a result he could accept.

After saying goodbye to Lin Yu, Xu Zhizhi returned to her room. She stared blankly at the Criminal Assistance System, noting the Malice Value that had skyrocketed to 324 points. Her confrontation with the killer had yielded a significantly higher Malice Value than she had anticipated.

After she washed up and relaxed her body, she sat on the edge of her bed, gazing at the blue-light-emitting screen of the crime simulator.

Today, she had suggested to He Wen that something was off, and after Qin Su investigated, it remained uncertain whether the production of this drama could continue.

What would Bai Sheng’s reaction be like, knowing that the person he cared for deeply was a heinous criminal?

As Xu Zhizhi pondered these questions, her phone beside her began to buzz incessantly.

A stream of photos and text data flooded her phone, ringing for more than ten minutes before finally stopping.

Xu Zhizhi picked it up, scrolling from top to bottom, even though she had prepared herself for He Wen’s brutality; at that moment, she still felt an overwhelming shock, involuntarily taking a sharp breath.

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