On March 27th, Chen Shi went to the bureau and read through the entirety of this case’s files. He did so out of slight suspicion.

In the follow-up investigation, the police found several dead people killed by Xu Guolong through clues provided by Xin Bai. They were all abandoned in the countryside. After investigating their identities, the police found that these people didn’t have a single connection with Xu Guolong.

They were website editors who refused to pay Xin Bai's manuscript fee, fellow writers who exchanged verbal attacks with Xin Bai on forums, netizens who repeatedly pirated novels on Baidu Tieba, which was prohibited, and female scammers who used blind dates to scam Xin Bai for money and sex.

Counting the fat man who scammed the manuscript fees previously, all five deceased had offended Xin Bai. Xu Guolong’s "love" was really selfless and great. He used the ultimate means to eradicate them from the world, but this also caused a trace of doubt to form in Chen Shi’s mind because Xin Bai had vested interest.

While he was browsing the testimonies, Lin Qiupu suddenly found him and asked, "Have you read the novel that was just updated?"

"Huh? Didn't you say that this novel was third-rate? Why are you up to date with it?"

"When free... I just took a look while I was free."

Chen Shi was thinking that the novel had now been updated with 2 million words. Lin Qiupu continued, "The latest volume is about a little-known writer who was kidnapped by a fanatical fan. The whole thing is exactly the same as this case. However, in the end, there was another plot twist. It was the writer who manipulated the ‘kidnapper’ and used their hands to get rid of people who weren’t good to him. Finally, he killed the donkey the moment it left the mill[1] and thus, the evidence died with him... I can't help thinking that on that night, he was clearly protected by the police, but he just had to go meet Xu Guolong alone. Could this matter be suspicious?"

Chen Shi pondered, "I think this is just another possibility he’s exploring in the novel. A novel typically has lots of twists and turns."

"Why are you defending him? Is it because you’re his loyal reader?" Lin Qiupu sneered.

While thinking about how to answer, Chen Shi's gaze inadvertently noticed a line of words on the paper, which was Lan Xiao’s testimony.

Answer: I heard the little fool and that psycho say, ‘This was different from the plan’!

Question: Are you sure you heard that?

Answer: (Talking while bouncing his leg up and down) I’m very sure.

Chen Shi picked up this piece of testimony and looked at it carefully. "What was going on in this passage? You did the interrogation at the time. I was listening outside during the whole process. I don't remember this part!"

"Oh, that? It was Lan Xiao who came back to give us that supplementary information."

"When did that happen?"

"Around last Monday!"

The date of the written testimony indeed indicated that date. This happened after Lan Xiao had gone to harass Xin Bai. He said, "One possibility is that Lan Xiao is deliberately mudslinging and wants revenge against Xin Bai. He felt that someone needed to take responsibility for the torture he went through."

"Then Lan Xiao's thoughts are fairly meticulous. If Xin Bai really said ‘this was different from the plan’ at the time, I’m afraid the whole case would have to be overturned and re-investigated."

"Have you checked Lan Xiao's company?"

"The third team has joined in the investigation. Their company is a bit suspicious. It’s unlike a serious logistics company, but they haven't found any evidence."

"It's really hard for people to believe someone like Lan Xiao. This sentence is probably fabricated, but..." Chen Shi paused, "if it's true, I'm afraid there will be another possibility that stemmed from this case. That is, Xin Bai tricked us all!"

"Thinking about it carefully, Lan Xiao was at the scene at the time. He was both an eyewitness and a reason for why it was a justified defense for Xin Bai to stab Xu Guolong with a knife. Everything was so perfect." Lin Qiupu furrowed his brows.

Before Lin Qiupu was done speaking, Chen Shi left without saying a word. For the entirety of the next day, he was immersed in this "other possibility".

Regardless of whether there was "another possibility", one thing was certain: when a person speaks, they will inadvertently defend themselves. When a group of people describe the same thing, the Rashomon effect is realized. The truth of a case can never be restored to 100%. There are bound to be secrets hidden within the darkness.

1. Idiom meaning to get rid of something once they cease to be useful. People used to tie donkeys to the grinder in a mill, so as they circled around, the grinder would be put in motion.