Hey! The Criminal Assistance System Can Even Be Used Like This? 9

Xu Zhizhi suddenly looked over, surprised by the other party’s message, which was extraordinarily efficient. Choosing to inform her at the first moment really seemed to indicate that there was genuine hope.

“Really?” A joyful smile involuntarily crept onto Xu Zhizhi’s face as she asked.

Qin Su nodded. “Yes, thanks to your lead. If we really find the murderer, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Xu Zhizhi was just about to wave it off when she noticed the exhaustion etched on his face.

“You look like you haven’t slept?” Xu Zhizhi inquired.

There were red veins in his eyes, and the shadows under them hinted at more than just one sleepless night.

Qin Su’s expression darkened. “Not really, I did sleep for a few hours.”

After he said this, his gaze became somewhat vacant, as those few hours meant it had only been two. He was too excited, having kept focused on the progress, specifically inviting a criminal profiling expert to assist, hardly wanting to close his eyes.

Once he did, his heart would race as all he could think about was that murderer.

Xu Zhizhi let out a silent sigh; this was his heart’s illness, and if it could be resolved, that would be best.

“Alright, let’s eat together when we have a chance.” Xu Zhizhi could only reply this way.

At this moment, the crisp sound of high heels clicked toward them, and a gentle female voice said, “I didn’t expect you two to know each other. You seem quite familiar, going out for a meal?”

“Xu Zhizhi helped me with something, and we agreed to… go out for a meal to express gratitude when we have time…” Qin Su looked up at her, ready to say they’d go out to eat after wrapping up the case, but just before he could, Xu Zhizhi gently pinched the outer side of his arm, changing his words to merely going out for a meal when they had time.

He Wen had a smile on her face, “I see helping out is just an excuse; treating you to a meal is the main thing.”

“Hahahaha, Aunt He, don’t say that! We are just friends.” Qin Su replied seriously.

He truly had no such feelings for Xu Zhizhi, even if she was exceptionally pretty. Xu Zhizhi merely smiled faintly and did not explain.

He Wen teased, glancing at Qin Su. “There’s nothing wrong with admitting it; you’re both adults. You’re not young anymore; it’s about time you settled down.”

After chatting a bit longer, He Wen cheerfully said she wouldn’t act as a third wheel and left.

Xu Zhizhi’s filming would last until five in the afternoon, and despite how others might misunderstand, she remained sitting beside Qin Su, waiting.

It was only when He Wen truly left, standing more than ten meters away from them, that Xu Zhizhi withdrew her gaze.

Qin Su looked at her, puzzled about why she had deliberately created an ambiguous moment for them, just as with the matter of the case. The other party had been aware of things for so long, yet now only mentioned a few words about finishing the case, why intentionally interrupt?

If not for Qin Su’s good reflexes, he might not have grasped what she meant. Yet, even as he understood, he didn’t quite comprehend why Xu Zhizhi acted this way.

“Are you afraid Aunt He might be in danger?” Qin Su asked after some thought.

Xu Zhizhi glanced at him, her gaze falling on He Wen’s hands naturally resting by her side. She spoke softly, “Yes, I just don’t want to involve innocent people because I have a feeling the murderer is nearby.”

This was, of course, an excuse. He Wen was half a senior to her; Bai Sheng, He Wen, and Qin Su’s father had been friends for over a decade. In this context, the first reaction would naturally be to refute her speculation.

They had only known each other for a few days; she didn’t believe the other party would trust her over an elder.

Earlier, she really hadn’t seen He Wen turn around, and He Wen’s gender and personality starkly contrasted with her assumptions of the murderer.

But she inexplicably felt that the other party must have a hidden agenda. Even if she put aside her suspicions, when Qin Su mentioned that discussing the case would expose any progress, she instinctively chose to let him keep it to himself.

“Indeed, this matter shouldn’t involve people close to us.” Qin Su lowered his gaze, his voice barely audible.

Years ago, an uncle had been drawn in as an outsider; he shouldn’t make the same mistake again.

The two fell into silence, while Xu Zhizhi pondered that her life had been quite eventful. In just a few days, she encountered more than she had in past years.

If the murderer were on set, or it was He Wen, then with the details she portrayed so vividly and realistically, it was certain the other party wouldn’t let her off easily.

She needed to learn to protect herself.

With that thought, she glanced at Qin Su beside her, “I feel like I’m in danger; you need to protect me.”

As the essential lead provider, Xu Zhizhi felt her request wasn’t unreasonable.

“I’ll have two colleagues follow you. It’s crowded on set; they can protect you closely once you’re outside,” Qin Su was momentarily taken aback by the idea, but considering her statement about the murderer possibly being nearby, he proposed this solution.

Xu Zhizhi pursed her lips. “No, just you. We can pretend to be mutual interests for a period.”

Only this way could she truly get close without raising suspicions.

Qin Su looked at Xu Zhizhi, clearly seeing the fear beneath her eyes; he sensed she might be genuinely frightened.

“Alright,” After hesitating for two seconds, Qin Su cautiously agreed.

Xu Zhizhi smiled, “Thank you; just don’t tell anyone about this yet, okay?”

“Mm,” Qin Su continued to respond.

Perhaps feeling protected eased her mind, allowing Xu Zhizhi to relax as she performed her roles as the supporting actress later that afternoon, presenting a very natural demeanor during the shots of male and female leads as background characters.

Life on a film set could be irregular and chaotic, yet Xu Zhizhi adapted remarkably well.

Bai Sheng had also been grinning widely because his wife nearly came to the set every day. It was worth noting that she had previously shown little interest in this, yet now she would stay for half a day, much to his delight.

Even the frequency of insults had significantly decreased, with only the occasional playful jabs that were well within the comfort zone of the crew.

But the matters concerning He Wen and the murderer weighed heavily on Xu Zhizhi’s mind as she waited for the true portrait of the murderer to be revealed.

After a particularly dreadful nightmare, Xu Zhizhi’s phone chimed with a message alert. She propped herself up, squinting at her phone to open it.

Ignoring the piercing light from her phone, Xu Zhizhi focused on the image before her.

The depiction was of a rugged, gaunt-faced man with narrow eyes, a broad forehead, a nose resembling a garlic bulb, thick lips, and dark skin. Even as a portrayal, there was an apparent aura of violence and discomfort about him, like being stared at by a psychopath on the street—it was the type of person who would make anyone want to avoid them at first sight.

The contrast with He Wen was stark; they were worlds apart in gender and appearance.

At this moment, Xu Zhizhi put her phone down and sank back into the soft pillow, relieved that it wasn’t her.

Over the past week, He Wen had been incredibly caring towards her and the production crew, fostering a strong bond with Bai Sheng, Qin Su, and others, making her a perfect elder.

Now, looking at the image that bore no resemblance to her, and with no clear signs of cosmetic surgery on the figure—only minor adjustments—she could basically conclude that it wasn’t the other party!

Recalling that perfect, loving, and concerned elder, she finally relaxed.

However, the immediate priority was to look for suspicious individuals around. Xu Zhizhi opened her eyes, reflecting on who within the crew might match.

As for Qin Su, he was already working with experts to investigate the situation surrounding the production team.

In his pursuit of finding the murderer, he was more proactive than anyone else.

Half relieved, Xu Zhizhi also faced the shoot of a massacre scene soon after.

In this crime drama, the murder committed by Xu Zhizhi’s antagonist was the main storyline, interwoven with other cases involving the male and female leads. Because of scheduling, they didn’t have much time together during filming; most of the time, they only confronted each other from a distance, scheming and provoking each other like a game of cat and mouse.

In the beginning, the antagonist Xu Zhizhi portrayed always toyed with the male and female leads, but later, they would uncover clues from the traces left behind.

According to the script, the second-to-last massacre case was the turning point of the narrative.

Xu Zhizhi had previously earned a Malice Value of 71 for her role as the antagonist, with a total of 121 including her usual appearances.

Now that this case was set to film, she decided to once again open the Criminal Assistance System’s Crime Simulator and face the other party directly.

She anticipated gaining more clues while excellently portraying the antagonist.

She understood that the other party would definitely hide deeper, and her outstanding performances would continuously draw them closer.

These cold-blooded murderers hardly let their defenses down, but she believed that their interest in her indicated they discovered something akin to resonance within herself.

That was the key.

Despite being filled with fear, Xu Zhizhi chose to continue down this path.

This simulation only allowed for three attempts since each one required 35 Malice Value points. Xu Zhizhi glanced at the simulation time before clicking the button.

Compared to the previous hour-long session, this time the simulation’s duration reached a staggering four hours!

She checked the time; she could arrive on set by noon and was scheduled to film at six in the evening, giving her plenty of time to do her makeup and familiarize herself with the shooting angles.

As for the crime scene, it would not be filmed in one night; it would take at least three nights to complete.

Although the four hours in the simulator didn’t equate to real-time, the internal workings of the simulator would convert it to about a third of the actual time spent.

After pressing the hovering button flickering with a slight blue glow, Xu Zhizhi’s vision went dark, finding herself in an urban village.

A decade ago, the nighttime urban village was bustling, as many migrant workers chose such cheap and crowded housing to save money for the next generation’s education, living expenses, and savings.

Under the dim yellow or white lights, with almost no space between the surrounding buildings, a man around thirty, covered in concrete dust, his hair all gray, carried a box of beer as he entered his home on the second floor.

“Yufen, prepare some dishes. I’ll drink with Xiao Wang later to celebrate,” the middle-aged man said with excitement, a hint of red blossoming on his cheeks.

In the untidy two-room cement structure with no decoration, a woman in a checkered shirt, with dark skin and a warm smile, emerged from the neatly arranged room. “What’s up? Getting your wages? Then set the beer down and call Xiao Wang next door; I’ll head out to buy some marinated dishes, and I’ll fry up a couple of things since the child is back too.”

With a clatter, the green beer carton was placed on the cement floor, and the man went into the room, glancing at his daughter sitting on the bed, bent over a wooden table to do her homework. A smile broke on his face as he rummaged through his bag, pulling out a crumpled fifty-yuan bill to tuck into the pocket of his daughter’s blue school uniform. “Here, take fifty, don’t tell your mom.”

The thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl smiled slightly and nodded.

“Good! Study hard,” the man said, ruffling his daughter’s hair and displaying a supportive fatherly smile.

He only had this one daughter, and he hoped she would one day bring him pride, making those back home regret their dismissive attitudes towards him.

The little girl watched her father head to the kitchen to wash rice, then went next door to summon Uncle Wang, slipping her hand into her pocket to feel the grainy money, biting her lip before pulling the cash out and placing it into her mother’s top pocket.

Soon after, the mother returned with marinated pig ears, swiftly frying peanuts on the simple stove, stir-frying oil lettuce and small stir-fried meat, and whisking four eggs to fry until golden for a tomato egg soup.

This was considered a hearty meal for the family; when just the couple dined together, they usually made only one dish and one soup, using just a bit of lard to feel like a decent meal.

Though the girl hadn’t finished her homework, she still got up to serve rice and arrange the dishes.

At this moment, Xiao Wang, who had been invited, entered from outside, bundled in a thick coat, with disheveled hair and a faint fishy odor clinging to him.

He had been discovered by the girl’s father a fortnight ago while rummaging around downstairs, seeming a bit willful, so the man, feeling pity, offered him some food.

Later, they learned he had been cast out by his parents and brother, drifting for a while.

Their family was kind-hearted; though they hadn’t let him in the house, they offered him two hundred yuan.

In that time, two hundred yuan was sufficient to rent a place sheltered from elements and sustain oneself for a while while searching for work.

He wasn’t foolish either; although silent, he managed to survive.

After half a month, both families had grown more familiar.

Now, with pay day coming, planning a simple feast, considering Xiao Wang alone, they invited him over for a meal.

All four of them sat at different sides, with the girl drinking from the orange juice her mother bought specially for her.

All three members of the family wore expressions of happiness, with the parents constantly serving dishes and meat to the girl, urging her to eat more, while occasionally giving Xiao Wang a portion too.

In this crime simulation scene, Xu Zhizhi looked at the figure of Xiao Wang transformed into the image sh

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