Chapter 3

Zhen Ai quickly dialed, "911, I found my roommate killed, please…"

"Slaughtered." Yan Su crouched down, his voice carrying an unsettling chill.

Zhen Ai hesitated. It was a brutal scene, indeed, but she chose to continue reporting it as she felt necessary.

After ending the call, she gently closed the door and stood at the threshold, undecided.

"Why didn't you call for an ambulance? How do you know she's dead?" Yan Su, now wearing gloves, inspected the body.

His questioning was typical of him. 

Zhen Ai didn't find it intrusive, responding calmly, "At least two liters of blood from the bathroom to the dorm."

"Sharp observation," he remarked, cryptically. "With such precision, do you understand human anatomy?"

A chill ran through her. Lowering her dark lashes to obscure her eyes, she replied flatly, "Not at all."

His brief pause to analyze her reaction was telling; he concluded—she was lying.

He continued, "In the time you took to react, the Earth has traveled 74,475 meters around the sun."

Feeling stung by his observation, Zhen Ai decided to remain silent this time.

Yan Su pressed a finger against Jiang Xin's neck, examining the wound as he spoke slowly, "A small fruit knife—short blade, yet deep, precisely severing the carotid artery. The murderer was quite lucky."

Zhen Ai recognized the sarcasm in his last remark but chose not to comment.

"However, getting a logician to believe in luck is… well," his tone was devoid of humor.

Jiang Xin lay neatly dressed, yet her hair was wet, her hands sprawled like ghostly appendages. Blood trailed from the bathroom to the room.

Yan Su inspected her thoroughly, noting the strangulation marks on her neck and faint bruising on her shoulders, still fresh enough to be discernible.

He stood up, scanning the room without moving, as if to preserve the scene.

The dorm was unremarkable—Jiang Xin's side cluttered with expensive clothing and accessories, a vanity overflowing with perfumes and cosmetics, and a calendar filled with circles indicating her busy schedule. A jewelry box lay shattered on the floor, its contents scattered.

Zhen Ai's side was minimalist; her desk held media studies books, and her bed was neatly made with a few expensive outfits draped over it.

Yan Su's gaze fell on the vanity, and he asked, "How many jewelry boxes did she have?"

Zhen Ai glanced at the mess on the floor and replied nonchalantly, "One, I… don't know."

"That response raises questions," he frowned, "If you said 'one,' why then add 'I don't know'? If you don't know, why guess?"

Zhen Ai remained silent.

Yan Su regarded her for a moment but chose not to pursue it further.

The window beside the vanity was half-open, and the afternoon snow had left two distinct dry impressions on the dark surface. 

Zhen Ai noticed one square and one rectangular, the rectangular shape matching the jewelry box on the floor. The square shape—she glanced around, sensing something was missing.

As if echoing her thoughts, Yan Su muttered, "Two things are missing."

Zhen Ai furrowed her brow. Two? 

How did she miss that?

Curiosity nagged at her, but she felt it wiser not to interject. Yan Su's demeanor screamed "do not disturb."

He examined the bathroom, where splattered blood marked the walls, the initial crime scene, while droplets adorned the vanity, raising questions about why the body was moved to the room, leaving such chaos behind.

The victim's clothing was tidy, yet her hair was damp—why?

Most critically, with such a significant blood loss, how could the killer have exited without any trace?

Turning to Zhen Ai by the door, he remarked indifferently, "If you feel scared or uncomfortable, you can step outside."

"I don't feel that way," she replied firmly.

Yan Su narrowed his eyes slightly, as if challenged. He studied her for a moment before turning away, stating, "Since entering, you've been hugging yourself. This is a subconscious self-soothing gesture, so…"

He paused, concluding, "Don't lie to me."

Faced with his skepticism, Zhen Ai neither confirmed nor denied it, instead responding with a casual, "Oh."

Yan Su fell silent, his expression curious. Her answer defied the rules of effective dialogue, appearing disjointed and illogical.

According to linguistic principles, the conversation could not progress.

He opted not to continue, but after a long pause said, "Honestly, I feel you're a distraction right now."

Zhen Ai looked up at him. "I haven't moved or spoken."

"Your breathing makes noise," he replied.

"…"

Zhen Ai opened the door and stepped outside.

Soon after, Owen arrived, along with local police. Yan Su finally exited the room, allowing forensic personnel to begin collecting blood samples and other evidence.

Among them was a striking Latina forensic doctor with sun-kissed skin, naturally wavy hair, and a sultry figure. Upon seeing Yan Su, she greeted him with a teasing grin, "Hey, weirdo!"

Yan Su shot her a brief glance but didn't respond; Owen, however, greeted her warmly.

The doctor's name was Eva Diaz, and while Owen called her Eva, Yan Su addressed her as Sergeant Diaz.

It was clear that Yan Su and Eva were well acquainted.

As Eva prepared to enter, she caught Yan Su's gaze—his pale eyes scrutinizing her as if deciphering her entirely. She tilted her head in a challenging manner, "What? Are you guessing where I was last night and what I did?"

"It's not guessing; it's observation and deduction," Yan Su corrected. "You didn't come home last night, stayed over at a man's place. After sex, not showering or changing underwear increases the chances of infection by 3-4 times."

Eva laughed through gritted teeth, "Thanks!"

Yan Su replied, "No need." 

She tossed her head and walked inside.

Zhen Ai peeked through the crack of the door and saw that the room was shrouded in darkness, with the curtains drawn. Under the purple glow, the scarlet bloodstains were particularly shocking. While she was still watching, Owen's body blocked her view as he patted her shoulder, saying, "Ai, don't be afraid."

Zhen Ai nodded.

"S.A." Someone called out to Yan Su; this time it was a dark-haired, yellow-skinned officer speaking entirely in English, looking very familiar with Yan Su and Owen.

Her name tag read Jasmine Van De Bilt. Zhen Ai found it strange; clearly of Asian descent, how could she have such a traditional and even old-fashioned English surname?

The Vanderbilts have been an active political family for centuries. Had she married into it? Given her age of around 23, and that Americans usually marry later, it didn't add up. Did her mother marry into this family? That didn't seem right either. Yan Su had very obvious mixed-race features—deep-set eyes, light irises, a high nose bridge, thin lips, black hair, fair skin, and well-defined features resembling plaster.

In contrast, Jasmine had no mixed-race traits whatsoever and was a very typical East Asian face. Her face was flat, with delicate eyebrows and a low forehead, her eyes long and slender, and her complexion even darker than the average Asian. However, her features were harmonious and pleasant to look at, and she had adorable dimples when she smiled.

Jasmine exuded charm, appearing both shrewd and approachable, with a natural innocence and grace in her movements, reflecting good upbringing.

However, Zhen Ai was quite slow on this issue; having had almost no social interactions growing up, she struggled to understand the meanings behind others' expressions or gestures.

She stood quietly to the side, not interjecting. Jasmine didn't seem to notice her, as she admired Yan Su and quickly asked him for his thoughts on the crime scene, eager to hear his opinion.

But Yan Su declined, citing that the forensic team had not completed their evidence collection. He mentioned he had only observed a few things and didn't want to say anything that might interfere with the officers' judgment.

Once he said that, Jasmine clearly appreciated him more; even Zhen Ai couldn't help but glance over in surprise at his principles, realizing he wasn't someone who always sought the spotlight to show off his intelligence.

Yan Su lifted his gentle brows and met Zhen Ai's gaze before calmly looking away.

After inspecting the scene, Jasmine came out to discuss the case with Yan Su: "It seems like a jewelry box or something similar is missing. Could it be a robbery?"

Yan Su replied coolly, "There's no need to drag someone from the bathroom to the room for a robbery; it's a difficult operation that easily leaves footprints. Besides, it was a stabbing, not a slashing; the murderer harbors resentment."

"Then I'll check if there are any similar cases to see if it's a serial…" 

"No need to waste time," Yan Su decisively interrupted. "Even if she fits the profile, a serial killer would abduct rather than murder in a public dormitory on the fourth floor. But this murderer," he habitually narrowed his eyes slightly, 

"is skilled, calm, and came prepared. This outburst of anger has been vented, and next time… it's very likely to develop into a serial killer."

Jasmine was puzzled, unsure how Yan Su discerned the killer's personality. Though curious, she ultimately didn't ask and nodded, "Just as I thought."

Yan Su walked to the doorway and instructed the forensic personnel inside, "There's a bloodstain over there that's irregular, as if it's been wiped; that spot looks like something pressed down on the blood, so focus on that. Also, check the rectangular mark on the vanity to see if there are any traces of adhesive."

After the scene was processed, the deceased was taken out.

As Eva emerged, Yan Su instructed again, "Check the deceased's lungs."

At this moment, an officer asked who had discovered the scene and made the emergency call, if they could return to the police station to assist with the investigation.

Typically, the first person to discover the scene and report it has significant suspicion.

Yan Su pointed to Zhen Ai without hesitation.

The officer looked surprised. "Aren't you the deceased's roommate?"

Owen, knowing Yan Su was a familiar face at the police station, quickly added, "She was with S.A."

Yan Su glanced at Owen and told the officer, "She came with me." After a pause, he added, "But before arriving at the crime scene, I had only been with her for less than five minutes. From the bloodstains, it appears the deceased died over an hour ago, so she can't provide an alibi."

His cooperative demeanor made him seem like a model citizen.

Owen looked at him speechlessly and explained to Zhen Ai, "Ai, I'll contact a lawyer. If you don't want to speak, you don't have to say a word."

Yan Su nodded, "The lawyer Owen finds for you will definitely be the best."

Owen continued to look at him in disbelief, wondering which side he was truly helping.