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    After that, everyone performed quite normally, but the mood had been spoiled, and in the evening, Li Fengqing suggested going back. The reasoning was simple: the wind in the mountains was too cold and uncomfortable.

    Xu Zhizhi noticed that Murong Yue’s expression had become even more sinister, desperately trying to retain Li Fengqing. When that failed, he chose dinner time to invite Xu Zhizhi to the riverside before leaving. Xu Zhizhi refused and deleted his contact information right in front of him. Her actions were intentional; she was curious about how he would respond next. To Xu Zhizhi’s surprise, he actually held back. He looked at Xu Zhizhi and then at Qin Su, saying, “I didn’t expect you to value appearances so much, preferring to like a small police officer.”

    “No, I simply don’t like you,” Xu Zhizhi explained淡淡 (lightly, calmly). Murong Yue tightened his fists, gritting his teeth, and replied, “…Fine.”

    Xu Zhizhi looked at his restrained expression, somewhat puzzled by his mindset; was it necessary to react like this when rejected? Then, she thought of his mental state and recalled how she always encountered people with abnormal mental conditions, feeling a bit more at ease in her heart.

    Qin Su, having finished his conversation on the phone, stepped up and pulled Xu Zhizhi away from the scene to prevent her from being hurt. Xu Zhizhi smiled at him; although Qin Su had not played a significant role today, his vigilance was commendable.

    Once they returned home smoothly, Xu Zhizhi felt satisfied, having completed her main task for today: rejection and deletion of contact information. Behind her, Qin Su appeared nonchalant, occasionally making phone calls until they arrived at her community. Instead of going home, Qin Su walked alongside Xu Zhizhi to her house.

    While Xu Zhizhi was still puzzled, Qin Su said, “We found it; Murong Yue is suspected of poisoning others. The parties involved have already reported it, and the Capital City Police Department has received the report.”

    Xu Zhizhi was taken aback. She looked at Qin Su, “What did I miss!” She began to understand Feng Jie’s earlier words that many of the critical messages could be missed in a moment of inattention. By the time she comprehended, the case had already reached its concluding stage.

    Qin Su sat beside Xu Zhizhi and recounted everything in detail. “Someone like Murong Yue is accustomed to climbing the social ladder and exploiting others.” He continued, “Previously, your father received information suggesting that he had a wife and children back in his hometown, while also seducing a wealthy girl. From what we’ve gathered, it seems he enjoys scheming to achieve his goals.”

    “I suspect the talk of adopting a godson earlier also involved him. Of course, this is just a guess; it largely depends on who benefits from such claims.” Qin Su paused, “People like him will stop at nothing to achieve their ends; after one act, there will surely be a second or a third. There aren’t that many coincidences in this world. When your father was choosing students back then, his opponent suddenly fell ill and withdrew, allowing him to stand out as the winner, which is quite unusual.”

    “Of course, we can’t judge someone solely based on this. I was just thinking of casually checking things out, hoping for a surprise. After grilling the fish, I asked your father about that student and inquired about his situation.”

    Xu Zhizhi’s eyes widened slightly, “And then uncovered a problem?”

    “Yes, the symptoms of the illness he reported were quite unusual. After investigating, I had him file a report.” Qin Su stated directly.

    Xu Zhizhi rested her chin on her hands, “Just like that? It doesn’t feel right! Murong Yue has been studying for quite a while; things like these don’t become harder to uncover the longer they exist?”

    Not only had the poison been digested, but evidence would have also long been removed.

    “Of course, we can’t proceed without evidence. I wanted to give up too but didn’t expect that the student recalled that some classmates he was close to recently started showing similar symptoms. He took his classmate to get checked out, and upon discovering something was off, they tested his classmate’s cup, revealing a type of psychotropic drug. Taking too much could cause feelings of weakness and disorientation; the body might also have strong reactions to it.”

    “They reported it and checked the school’s surveillance, confirming the suspect was Murong Yue.”

    “If everything went according to the timeline, he should have been caught by now.”

    Xu Zhizhi looked at Qin Su in amazement, “You’re incredibly dedicated! As an exchange condition, you really aren’t losing out!”

    “Just some minor tasks; I was only making a couple of phone calls,” Qin Su shook his head; he merely didn’t mind the trouble, being observant and attentive.

    In contrast, Xu Zhizhi’s sensitivity towards criminals was remarkably high; she could almost identify something amiss with Murong Yue in just a few encounters. Qin Su sighed, “Zhizhi, you’re wasting your talent not being a police officer.”

    He’d said this two years ago, and still believed it now.

    “I prefer to chill and not fly around in storms!” Xu Zhizhi nestled on the sofa, opening snacks and handing some to Qin Su while emphasizing, “I definitely want to eat!”

    That night, seeing that Murong Yue didn’t succeed, she filled her stomach with a little snack. Qin Su didn’t take any snacks; instead, he surveyed Xu Zhizhi’s kitchen, “I’m a bit hungry; I have no ingredients at home. Can I cook something here? Want to have some?”

    “Yes, please!” Xu Zhizhi raised her hand enthusiastically signaling her acceptance.

    In the end, Xu Zhizhi enjoyed a hearty dinner, and all her troubles vanished like smoke. Qin Su placed the dishes in the dishwasher, tidied up, and left. Xu Zhizhi washed up and went to sleep.

    As she fell into a peaceful slumber, on the opposite side of the city, a person sitting on a regretful chair ultimately could not withstand the interrogation and revealed his crimes. Within the purchase records, he admitted to committing crimes two years ago.

    At that time, feeling disadvantaged and extremely envious, he thought of the psychotropic drugs taken by mental patients that he had heard about previously and decided to try it out. Unexpectedly, it worked, and the other party never suspected a thing.

    Since one occurrence led to another, he made another strike. But this time, he didn’t escape, getting caught. He was still shouting innocence, claiming someone had framed him and that he hadn’t harmed anyone. His eyes were wild, continually yelling about being wronged.

    Until his purchase records were presented to him, and the footage of him administering the drug was pulled up, only then did he recover his memories and lay everything bare. From the student competing with him for a PhD under Li Fengqing to those in the dorm who couldn’t stand him and the ultimately more outstanding PhD thesis writer, all these were his misdeeds.

    Out of jealousy, realizing things couldn’t be turned around, he became increasingly arrogant during the interrogation, divulging all his crimes. The only thing Murong Yue couldn’t fathom was how he was discovered. The drug had no taste and wouldn’t react immediately; a certain amount needed to be administered.

    Previously, he hadn’t been caught, so why was he discovered now? Could it be bad luck? However, he had no time for these thoughts; he was preoccupied with his once proud academic achievements. The PhD he obtained through unscrupulous means, and perhaps even his academic registration, was about to be forfeited.

    With the Capital University’s clear ethos, it was certain they wouldn’t keep him on. The mere thought of having his education reduced to a high school diploma left his previous arrogance in desperation. He stretched out his hand, cuffed behind his back, constantly tugging at his hair, shaking his whole body chaotically.

    Then, there was the wealthy girl he had managed to woo. Initially, he could have enjoyed a life of luxury. And then there was Xu Zhizhi; it was such a pity he hadn’t pursued her. If he had, he could easily give up the wealthy girl, as Xu Zhizhi had money, and her father could assist him academically.

    If only there were a regret pill, he would have been more cautious in administering the drug, avoiding the current situation where there was undeniable evidence and he couldn’t turn the tables back. He raised his head, leaning against the back of the chair, his gaze filled with despair.

    It was a shame that there was no way to turn back. He found it hard to understand how he was discovered. That person had drunk water for so many days; how could they suddenly realize something was wrong?

    Regrettably, no one could provide him with an answer; he could only walk into prison full of uncertainty, while in the process, lose everything.

    The next day, Xu Zhizhi woke up, taking a deep breath, feeling refreshed! A busy day began. She had thought of a method last night: to embody a thief and ponder how she could steal that painting given everything she knew.

    Qin Su was going to stake out the suspect, but he lent his computer to Xu Zhizhi, allowing her to check anytime. Sitting in the car heading to the film crew, Xu Zhizhi slowly figured out how to execute the theft while ensuring she left no traces.

    The morning journey to the film crew was a little congested, taking about forty to fifty minutes. Xu Zhizhi had brushed through a bit of malice value last night, which she could use for simulation. The crime simulator could simulate any criminal act.

    Xu Zhizhi closed her eyes, tuning out her surroundings and immersing herself in the criminal system. This also fueled her confidence in accepting the task.

    When Xu Zhizhi opened her eyes again, she found herself in a museum filled with ancient charm. The only light source in the museum came from a few spotlights. This place should be a non-public area; the scene had several desks with various tools scattered about.

    It was evident that she had emerged from the museum’s artifact restoration center. The light was projected onto walls and such, where ancient paintings hung. In the corner, some reddish-brown classical cabinets housed various replica porcelain and a couple of pine bonsais, lending the scene a rich cultural ambience.

    As Xu Zhizhi contemplated how the case would unfold, she saw a figure in the corner’s entrance, tightly wrapped in packaging, even his feet covered, stepping into the blind spot of the surveillance. The cameras could only capture a bit of evidence.

    She wondered if the individual was relying on agility to evade the surveillance? But that couldn’t be right? In modern times, having just one or two blind spots was outrageous; crucial areas had several cameras focused to avoid any discrepancies.

    While Xu Zhizhi was pondering, the scene in front of her morphed into two images. It was Xu Zhizhi’s first encounter with a situation like this, and after a couple of seconds, she realized to look at the other image.

    In the other surveillance feed, a person took out a key and opened the door to the control room. The other party’s movements were gentle, and he was wearing rubber gloves.

    Xu Zhizhi understood; they were going to tamper with the surveillance. But Qin Su hadn’t mentioned this! Was it possible the police hadn’t discovered this?

    Xu Zhizhi widened her eyes to continue watching as the individual pulled out a computer, connecting it to the monitoring apparatus. Accustomed to hacking techniques, Xu Zhizhi extended her hand to zoom in on the screen, starting to observe how the person operated.

    Xu Zhizhi presumed the individual intended to delete an entire segment of surveillance, directly editing and implanting footage from a previous day to overwrite it. Such a tactic would enable them to swap out the truth without the police catching on.

    However, Xu Zhizhi realized she had assumed incorrectly; the individual didn’t do that at all. They deleted the footage, then pulled out a USB drive and began modifying the codes in the monitoring backend.

    Xu Zhizhi was momentarily bewildered, unclear about the intent behind this approach. The processes simulated by the crime simulator felt somewhat outrageous. However, since the system’s output guaranteed high quality, Xu Zhizhi still observed carefully.

    The individual quickly finished altering the code, and Xu Zhizhi began to comprehend. This code could, to some degree, mislead the police regarding whether it had been altered, transforming the backend into the scene they wished to present to the investigation.

    But what was the use of the USB? Xu Zhizhi was puzzled since the other party hadn’t yet utilized it, and there were still some procedures she couldn’t grasp. If it weren’t for her, anyone else would hardly comprehend that the person entered the control room.

    Meanwhile, the individual appeared to have dropped their guard, confidently striding into the surveillance area. Xu Zhizhi watched as the individual even danced lightly on screen.

    She was somewhat impressed by the person’s psychological resilience; under such circumstances, they still had the mood to dance. It was hard to fathom where their courage stemmed from.

    But soon, Xu Zhizhi understood the source of that courage, as she finally discerned the use of the USB drive. Unexpectedly, the USB contained no formidable virus programs. On the contrary, it had nothing but a solitary video.

    The other party, with confidence, even found a chair to sit down, leisurely clicking on the video to view. Xu Zhizhi stood by and gazed in astonishment. What was playing was, in fact, the museum’s surveillance footage.

    There were seven or eight different feeds, showing the video from the night of the incident. She instantly pieced everything together; the other party was still engaged in replacing the video. However, they hadn’t opted to use previous surveillance footage for editing, and the reasoning was simple: the police weren’t idiots, and anyone meticulous could easily spot the differences.

    Considering this, they chose to shoot an entirely new 1:1 video to overlay atop the original, using programs to erase all residual traces, making the police believe this was the museum’s original video, preventing them from discovering it was fake.

    In that case, they would have ample time for their crime and to eliminate all evidence. This wasn’t particularly difficult; even in modern times, some cases were undetectable. The police were also human and couldn’t ascertain every case reliably.

    Xu Zhizhi took a deep breath, clicked to cut off the current footage, and then focused on how the person was picking the lock. For someone with maxed-out lock-picking skills, Xu Zhizhi was genuinely curious about self-taught individuals.

    The museum’s vault was somewhat outdated, as Qin Su had mentioned. The cost of replacement was prohibitive; thus, the vault remained from fifteen years prior. Naturally, although the vault was old, its actual security efficacy wasn’t subpar.

    It could even be said that the complexity and precision of the lock were comparable to that of some small banks. Xu Zhizhi watched closely as the individual took out a stethoscope, starting to fiddle with the door.

    The person’s fingers grazed the lock, and at the moment of twisting the lock, they responded to the auditory feedback. Xu Zhizhi approached, listening and observing the lock-picking activity.

    The individual kept twisting the lock knob. Finally, when the number reached eight, they paused, then approached the second mechanical lock. The other party pulled out a meticulously designed key, beginning to test the lock’s interior.

    Xu Zhizhi estimated that if she were to open this lock, she would likely do so twice as fast. She watched as the other party nervously worked on the door, and after half an hour, they finally deciphered the situation with the key.

    Then, they fabricated the key, and that action also took them another half hour. Xu Zhizhi squatted down to watch, feeling that even if the other party forged the key, it wouldn’t work well because they were too hasty.

    Such locks would fail dramatically with minimal inaccuracies, and it was certain they would end up locked out. Sure enough, after trying, the individual discovered they couldn’t open it at all.

    After reflecting, they began to practice. Half an hour later, they finally met the requirements and proceeded to unlock the door. Just as they desired, the lock opened successfully.

    The target was evidently that painting. After retrieving it, they passed it to an accomplice; the pair took their tools and left together. Xu Zhizhi was bewildered; weren’t they going to clean up the scene?

    The simulation hadn’t concluded; while Xu Zhizhi was still puzzled, another figure entered the museum, dressed very neatly—it was a slender young man.

    Once inside, the individual crouched down, meticulously clearing up all the evidence left by the group, down to the very last inch—including the monitoring room, ensuring it was spotless.

    Just as Xu Zhizhi prepared to watch how they exited, a sudden violent impact struck her, causing her to lurch forward and hit the back of the seat in front of her.

    In an instant of realizing danger, Xu Zhizhi abruptly opened her eyes, escaping from the crime simulator.

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