When Fan Jialuo was mentioned, the sound technician shook his head and laughed bitterly. "I don't know who he is at all!"

This was an unexpected and hard-to-believe answer. Zhuang Zhen's expression tightened as the furrow between his brows deepened, and he asked in a deep voice, "Then how could he know the details of your murder plans?"

The sound technician took a strong puff of smoke and sneered as he replied, "I've read about the progress of your investigations in the news. You seem to have interrogated him twice. Shouldn't you be the ones to answer this question? I've never been in touch with him, and if he had somehow managed to hack into my computer and invade my privacy, I wouldn't have missed it. How could I know something that even you police officers don't know?"

Zhuang Zhen glanced at Song Rui, and the latter nodded in reply to show that the sound technician was telling the truth.

Zhuang Zhen could feel the onset of a headache. He followed Song Rui and also kneaded at his glabella. However, he couldn't bring himself to so easily believe the sound technician's words, he even doubted Song Rui's judgment a little. Whether or not Fan Jialuo and the sound technician had been in touch would have to await further investigation.

The sound technician seemed to be very interested in this topic and continued to talk even without waiting for more questions. "You know, I was in quite the panic when I saw his death notices. Since this person knew my secret, it even crossed my mind that, in order to make sure that the rest of my plan runs smoothly, I might just need to kill him. But that night, I was holding Rui Rui's diary, and in the end, I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"Rui Rui was so pure and kind, even the devil who pushed her to hell couldn't taint her heart. She harboured love for the world even in death. How could I bear to let her down? So I thought to myself, I'll only kill those animals. But, I wouldn't touch innocent people."

The sound technician disgorged a puff of smoke, and suddenly changed the topic. "What also played in his favor was that he didn't publish my overall plan on the Internet. Otherwise, even if I hadn't killed him, I wouldn't have let him continue to live a good life."

Zhuang Zhen's eyebrows knitted tightly and his mood fluctuated constantly.

Xiao Li, standing on the other side of the one-way mirror, whispered, "Vice-captain, it's true that Fan Jialuo guessed correctly. His vague words really did let him escape."

Liu Tao responded with an absent-minded "Hmm...", but his train of thoughts had already returned to that day- the moment he had been completely controlled by Fan Jialuo's divine senses, and seemed to have been absorbed into his very being. That person truly was a psychic, so it was only normal that he knew how to avoid danger, that he knew the truth behind these cases, and that he knew just how to deal with this matter while toeing on the murderer's bottom line. The reason he hadn't called the police-not because he couldn't, but simply because he wasn't willing to do so.

Song Rui continued to massage his aching glabella, feeling that this mystery, which had gotten stuck in his heart, was only growing ever larger than before.

The sound technician had no idea just how troublesome his words were for the members of the task force. He sneered a few times, and then said, " What I feared most after seeing those death warnings, was not being caught, but whether these people would turn themselves in to the police.

"My sister committed suicide. Even if the police eventually uncovered the truth behind what happened during those years, at most they would only serve a prison sentence of a few years. If they managed to hire a great lawyer, they might not even have to go to prison. After all, much of the evidence has been destroyed by time and hardly any has remained after so many years. Moreover, in this country, house arrest and abuse are not even classified as serious crimes. I was so worried about this that I couldn't even fall asleep at night. However, those people never once thought about surrendering and still lived freely and at ease every day."

At this point, the sound technician laughed even more happily. "You know what? I used to hate the fact that they didn't know how to repent, but now, I am most grateful to their callous nature. They didn't turn themselves in when they were given the chance, which only facilitated my plans. In the end, it can be said that they were not killed by me, but died because of themselves. They deserve everything they got."

The sound technician extinguished the cigarette on the flesh of his palm, and continued in a cold tone, "As long as they still had a little conscience and if they had voluntarily run to the police station to plead guilty of their crimes, nothing further would have happened and we would not have gathered here under such circumstances on this day. In fact, by the time I saw the third death warning issued by Fan Jialuo, I had already gradually started to regain my senses. I told myself that if the remaining three people voluntarily confessed their crimes, turned themselves in and sincerely repented, I would let them go.

"I also wanted to emulate my sister's spirit and display that the love, goodness and hope she believed in still existed in the world. But as you are all aware, this fucking world is only ever disappointing. What things are excuses, forgiveness, and mercy? They are not worthy!"

The hot cigarette butt burned through the sound technician's palm. The smell of burnt flesh became more and more pungent, making Song Rui's headache worsen. He blinked at Zhuang Zhen, and at this signal, Zhuang Zhen took over on conducting the rest of the interrogation alone. After finally obtaining all the necessary details, Zhuang Zhen placed the recorded notes in front of the sound technician to sign, as proof of his confession.

The case was over, but none of the members of the task force felt any happiness or success. Two police officers were escorting the sound technician to the detention center when Ruan Ye's parents suddenly broke into the Criminal Police Department, and then started kicking and beating, pinching and scratching the sound technician, while simultaneously clamoring for him to be sentenced to death.

Ruan Ye's younger brother even rushed at the sound technician with a knife in hand, attempting to stab the other man's stomach.

It took all of Zhuang Zhen and Liu Tao's efforts to restrain Mother and Father Ruan. At that moment, neither of them could spare any attention to the movements of Ruan Ye's younger brother. Seeing that the other party was about to succeed, Yang Shengfei suddenly dashed out from the rear, tightly grasped Ruan Ye's younger brother's wrist, and threw him to the ground in one fluid movement, handcuffing him. His tone was extremely cold as he declared, "You are suspected of carrying a weapon with the intention of harm and of attempting murder at a police station-you are under arrest!"

"I haven't killed anyone. He was the one who hurt my sister! Let me go, why should you be arresting me?" Ruan Ye's younger brother gnashed his teeth as he shouted.

Yang Shengfei didn't say a word in response. He simply wrung the knife out of the other's clenched fist, lifted his body and placed him in the recently vacated interrogation room, all these actions carried out without a trace of politeness. His face was cold throughout, but he couldn't hide the deep hatred that burst forth from his eyes. His overflowing animosity was not directed at the sound technician, but instead aimed at the Ruan family.

Seeing that their son had been arrested, Mother and Father Ruan didn't submit but instead started to make more trouble. However, as they were both high-level intellectuals and public figures, the Bureau Chief and Deputy Chief quickly arrived at the scene to appease them, ordering someone to release Ruan Ye's younger brother. After some time, the family was sitting comfortably in the reception room, being given VIP treatment. Once settled, they also pointed out that Yang Shengfei should take the initiative to apologize, else they would file a complaint.

Yang Shengfei eyed the family with a steely gaze. He clenched his teeth and stayed silent. The Bureau Chief and Deputy Chief were somewhat frustrated at his actions; in the end, they ordered Yang Shengfei to hand over both his police badge and gun, suspending him from active duty. It was at this moment that Zhuang Zhen and Song Rui entered the reception room, to apologize on Yang Shengfei's behalf.

Upon receiving such an apology and treatment, the arrogant Mother and Father Ruan retreated quickly. They repeatedly proclaimed that the Police Bureau needed to ensure that the murderer was severely punished before leaving with their haughty son.

Zhuang Zhen was just a small policeman. The reason why they had compromised so quickly wasn't because of his reputation, but rather because they were afraid of the authority Song Rui wielded. Song Rui was an exemplar in the academic circles; he had great influence and extensive connections both in China and overseas. With a single word, he could easily destroy the Ruan couple's carefully built reputation in the academic circles. After all, the reason why Ruan Ye had been kidnapped was truly disgraceful.

Seeing the family off, the Bureau Chief shook his head and said, "How troublesome. Instead of putting effort here, couldn't they have simply educated their daughter properly?"

"Xiao Fei's suspension..." Before Zhuang Zhen could finish his words, the Bureau Chief waved his hand with nonchalance.

"What suspension? You believe what I told them? Their son attempted to stab someone with a knife, right before our eyes, in our Police Bureau. It's already good that I didn't put that son in jail! Who are these people who thoughtlessly indulge their children and teach them to murder in a police station? Do they deserve to be parents? There's a reason why Ruan Ye grew up the way she did. Those kinds of parents will inevitably raise those sorts of children. They didn't educate their children well, yet they still rely on us to look after them! If the daughter was like this, it's likely that their son would be any better."

The Bureau Chief complained tirelessly and patted Yang Shengfei on the shoulder before leaving.

Seeing that Yang Shengfei's emotions were still fluctuating violently, as his chest was heaving and eyes were red, Zhuang Zhen instructed him to return to the dormitory first. He could return to work later in the day, after resting.

Just when Yang Shengfei was about to shake his head and refuse, the police officer who had been assigned to investigate the sound technician's social background and connections came back to report.

"Leader, we filtered and checked all the information, but there is no relationship between Fan Jialuo and Xiao Jin. Although Xiao Jin has been tracking Gao Yize for three years using the Internet, it was only in these past few months that he came into contact with Gao Yize in real life.

"During this period, Fan Jialuo also happened to have solo activities. He didn't participate in any of STARS' events, nor did he head over to Flying Studio's high-rise building to record songs with Gao Yize and Sun Ying.

"At that time, Fan Jialuo had been backed by the Fan Family. The recording studios he cooperated with then are all top-notch studios in the industry. He wouldn't deign to even look at small second-rate workshops like Flying Studio. So, even if he and Xiao Jin are part of the same circle, they would never have had any intersection."

Before Zhuang Zhen could open his mouth, Song Rui hastened to ask, "So you mean to say that Fan Jialuo and Xiao Jin have no connection and they don't know each other?"

"Yes, they aren't acquainted. The recording studios Fan Jialuo previously cooperated with were all the top-tier, while Flying Studio is small, with little fame, so it wouldn't have even entered his radar.

"It's also a coincidence that, if Fan Jialuo hadn't chosen to go solo and stopped providing resources for STARS, Gao Yize and Sun Ying would not have cooperated with a cheaper studio like Flying Studio. For Xiao Jin, it was akin to an opportunity sending itself to his front door."

The police officer sighed. "So when people are making choices and doing things, the heavens are watching, and everything truly is destiny."

Song Rui couldn't bring himself to believe such a conclusion, and he continued to ask, "They might not have had any intersection in real life but what about through the Internet?"

At that moment, Xiao Li walked out from the computer room and upon hearing Song Rui's question, he quickly replied, "Leader, Dr. Song, I checked just now. They haven't had any interactions through the Internet."

"Are you sure? We all know that Xiao Jin is an expert in this aspect. He should be very good at erasing traces." Song Rui continued to struggle with his doubts, unable to simply accept the evidence.

"I'm sure. He might be good with technology and know his way around the Internet, but I'm not bad either. It's easy to track a few social accounts. They really hadn't been in any contact." Xiao Li nodded very resolutely.

"Alright, I understand." Song Rui removed his glasses and seemed to be terribly fatigued. As a matter of fact, deep down, he had already understood that none of the statements Xiao Jin had made in the interrogation room were false. He and Fan Jialuo were indeed two people who had never met and had nothing to do with each other. They had lived on two parallel lines from the beginning to the end.

In other words, Fan Jialuo was innocent from the very start.

The deep-seated doubts were finally resolved. However, Song Rui was not relieved, and only felt more depressed. If there was no interaction between Fan Jialuo and Xiao Jin, then how did he know about the other party's murder plans? Was he really a "psychic", like he had said?

Thinking back to the thermos of water that had turned bitter for no scientific or logical reason, then to the words that Fan Jialuo had uttered to deny the crime and expose himself as a psychic, Song Rui was once again unable to calm down. He could easily see through everyone else, but he couldn't see through Fan Jialuo at all. Song Rui felt that this youth was the biggest mystery in this case, one that he might not be able to solve even if he dedicated the remainder of his life to it.

Psychic-is there really such a preposterous existence in the world?

...

Qiuxue: Ah Song Rui.. for a moment, I thought there were going to be some feelings of guilt for the harsh interrogation of our innocent Fan Jialuo...

Noks: And the first case has come to an end. Along with ZZ's and SR's scientific beliefs being tossed into the air, since they now have to acknowledge FJL's real identity-a psychic!

Frozenmirage: Well, it's really over, but...