Stalemate

The group quickly found Li Chengming at the location listed. It was a storage room in a remote corner of the hospital. He was sitting there idly scrolling through his phone. When he saw Wang Yifei and the others enter, his expression clearly showed impatience.

"What are you here for this time?" Li Chengming asked coldly. "I'm already suspended. Stop bothering me."

Xu Jiayin smiled gently, her tone calm, "Dr. Li, this isn't personal. We just need to confirm some details for the investigation. Your professional background and experience with sutures are very important to us."

Li Chengming snorted and slouched back in his chair. "Fine, ask away."

The group began asking questions as planned, but from Li Chengming's answers, they found that he had a solid alibi for the time of the incident. On the morning of the crime, he was playing cards in the hospital lounge with several other doctors, a fact corroborated by hospital surveillance and his colleagues' testimonies.

"Alright, sorry to disturb you." Wang Yifei showed no sign of frustration at his attitude and nodded to end the questioning.

Next, they found Xu Zhidong and Lin Lan.

Although Xu Zhidong was reclusive, at the time of the incident, he was performing a heart surgery. Surgery records and team testimonies confirmed his alibi. Lin Lan's internship log clearly documented that she was conducting rounds in the ward during the incident, with nurses and patients able to vouch for her.

"It seems this lead has gone cold," Liu Fu said quietly. "All three have alibis."

"Exactly," Han Zijian added after a moment of thought. "Their behavior might seem suspicious, but it doesn't align with the timeline of the incident. It's more likely they're innocent."

Wang Yifei frowned, about to say something when their communicator suddenly chimed—it was a message from the Guard Corps' tech team.

"The video has been processed," the other party said. "We've got footage from the cameras before and after the incident. Do you want to come to view it, or should we send it directly to you?"

"Send it directly," Wang Yifei replied decisively.

Moments later, the video file was transmitted to Xu Jiayin's terminal. The group gathered to watch. The screen displayed footage from the early morning of the day of the crime.

In the surveillance footage, the area outside Sun Zhijun's house appeared very quiet, with occasional passersby and vehicles. At 3:45 a.m., a blurry figure appeared in the frame.

It was someone wearing a dark trench coat with a hood, keeping their head down to avoid facing the camera. The person stopped in front of Sun Zhijun's door, lingering for about five minutes before pushing it open and entering. The movements were swift and deliberate, with no hesitation.

"That's the culprit," Zhang Yao said in a low voice, her tone icy. "They seem very familiar with the door lock, without any signs of forced entry."

"Keep watching," Wang Yifei instructed.

The footage continued until 4:20 a.m., when the figure reappeared at the door. They gently pulled the door shut before quickly disappearing from view.

"From 4:20 to 5:00, Sun Zhijun returned home and found the body," Liu Fu analyzed calmly. "The culprit gave themselves less than an hour, which means they acted very quickly and likely had a clear plan."

"The face and movements are unclear," Han Zijian noted. "Can we match their physique with anyone at the hospital?"

"Or..." Xu Jiayin pondered for a moment, "They might not be a doctor but obtained the sutures by other means. If that's the case, we might need to adjust our investigation direction."

Wang Yifei nodded, his gaze returning to the surveillance footage. "Whoever they are, since they were active in this area, there must be more traces nearby. Next, expand the search scope and check nearby cameras to trace their route."

"Let's move." The group quickly organized their thoughts and continued their pursuit of the truth.

Night fell, and the streets gradually emptied of pedestrians. The group sat wearily on a bench by the roadside, holding vegetarian snacks bought from a street vendor. They ate mechanically, without appetite.

"How many places have we been to today..." Zhang Yao sighed, biting into her grilled corn with a frown. "I feel sick at the sight of meat—the image of that body keeps flashing in my mind."

"Don't even mention it." Li Yucheng weakly held a skewer of tofu. "If you keep talking about the body, I won't even be able to stomach this tofu."

Xu Jiayin sipped her soy milk, her tone low. "We've been to the hospital, the surveillance center, and the residents of several nearby streets today, yet there's no progress on the clues. It feels like we've just been going in circles."

"We've watched the video countless times and expanded the surveillance search area, but we're still stuck." Han Zijian rubbed his forehead, frowning deeply. "This time, we're really at a dead end."

Wang Yifei leaned back on the bench, his hands resting on his knees, unable to hide his exhaustion. "The culprit's control over time and route was so precise, like it was meticulously planned... but after all this time, we don't even have a trace of them."

Just then, a familiar voice came from nearby: "So, have you caught the culprit yet?"

Startled, the group looked up to see Instructor Lin standing by the roadside, arms crossed, a faint smile on his face.

"No," Wang Yifei sighed heavily, his tone tinged with frustration. "We've been running around all day, questioning everyone, but the trail's still cold."

Instructor Lin raised an eyebrow and took a few steps closer. "Then why don't you ask the Central Intelligence System?"

"Ask the system?" Zhang Yao blinked in surprise and instinctively retorted, "Then what's the point of us solving the case ourselves?"

"Exactly," Li Yucheng frowned as well. "If the system is so powerful, why not just hand the case over to it? What are we even here for?"

Hearing this, Instructor Lin's smile vanished, and his tone grew serious. "You're mistaken. Training you is to help you better apprehend culprits, secure the scene, and ensure everything is under control. The analysis and deduction? The system can do it faster and more accurately—why wouldn't you use it?"

Xu Jiayin thought for a moment and raised her head. "But... if we hand everything over to the system, doesn't that make us meaningless?"

Instructor Lin shook his head, his tone calm yet firm. "Your existence is meaningful because when the system gives you results, you are the ones who can act immediately and solve the problem. The culprit won't wait for you to finish your deductions before making their move, nor will they hold back just because you worked hard investigating. Remember, as members of the Guard Corps, your job is to act—not to compete with the system's intelligence."

The group fell silent, exchanging glances. They finally realized they might have been veering off course.