Volume 1, Chapter 116: Green with Envy.

Page (1/3)

Jiang Chen couldn’t quite figure out Shen Huaizhu’s sudden change; her pulse diagnosis was unclear, and her mind seemed perfectly fine—she didn’t look dazed or stunned. It was more like she had suddenly awakened...

This made the situation rather awkward. Jiang Chen had originally planned not to keep staking out, as the returns were too low and the mastermind behind everything remained elusive. Liuli intended to stay for another day, and Li Changsheng also thought waiting another day was acceptable.

With two against one, Jiang Chen thought he might as well wait one more day—it wouldn’t make much difference. But Shen Huaizhu surprisingly sided with him, giving her support.

This threw him into complete panic. Usually, if someone was dazed, they would be held accountable, but Shen Huaizhu’s current state frightened him.

Since Jiang Chen proposed quitting the stakeout, Liuli eventually agreed not to continue.

The group then went to the branch of Institute 509 in Dongshan Province.

Li Changsheng held a high rank and knew many people, so they planned to consolidate all clues to see if they could analyze the killer’s motive.

Li Changsheng requested a conference room and gathered all the files from over the years, spreading them across the table.

“Everyone, all the materials are here, but we only have one day; they must be returned tomorrow, so let’s make good use of our time,” Li Changsheng said, stretching his back.

Jiang Chen said, “Find every clue related to Jicheng, especially those involving brutal killers.”

Liuli nodded, “Understood.”

Li Changsheng replied, “Okay!”

Shen Huaizhu said with bright eyes, “Go, Brother Jiang Chen, you can do it!”

Jiang Chen was baffled. Liuli and Li Changsheng looked at him oddly, while Shen Huaizhu gazed at him with sparkling eyes.

“Ahem, clues, clues,” Jiang Chen muttered, already numb to the awkwardness these past two days. He avoided talking to Shen Huaizhu whenever possible now.

As Jiang Chen flipped through the case files, he found that Jicheng had reported murders nearly every year since 2000, though the number declined year by year.

January 2000 had five victims, February had three.

September 2001 had three, December had two.

May 2003 had one, July had four.

...

In 2024, March saw three victims, April two, May four, June four...

Page (2/3)

...and in November, three more were killed.

In other words, except for 2002, every year since 2000 had murders recorded—strange deaths, not ordinary cases, so all were listed under special events. But because of the long timespan, the files had been archived and forgotten.

Jicheng, small as it was, averaged sixteen deaths per year.

This wasn’t a small number, but with a population of over a million, it seemed relatively minor.

However, if there was truly only one killer with special abilities, that killer would have murdered over a hundred people in twenty years—nearly two hundred!

Two hundred!

What a staggering figure!

The death of a single family member could affect the fate of an entire clan...

Two million, tens of thousands of lives altered!

“If we catch this killer, it’d be truly fascinating,” Jiang Chen thought eagerly, curious about the motive behind these killings.

Could it be pure hobby?

Jiang Chen reconsidered. If it were merely a hobby, the risk would be too great; murder inevitably leaves traces.

The reason the killer hadn’t been caught was simply that Institute 509 was overwhelmed with cases.

Plus, the killer hadn’t crossed paths with any powerful official agents, and the timespan was vast—so they took their chances and avoided elimination.

But this time, their luck would run out.

Li Changsheng soon grew tired and restless, as did Liuli, while Shen Huaizhu remained engrossed, possibly still taking notes.

Li Changsheng stood, saying, “Jiang Chen... I’m going out for a walk.”

Liuli followed, “Senior sister, I’m going out too; it’s stuffy in here.”

Jiang Chen didn’t even look up. “No, stay and study the files. If nothing comes up, no one leaves. Liuli, you’re free to go.”

Since Jiang Chen wasn’t close to Liuli, he only needed to prevent Li Changsheng from leaving.

Liuli smiled mischievously and was about to leave when Shen Huaizhu spoke up, “Junior sister... don’t go either... help us look.”

When the senior sister spoke, Liuli had no choice but to sit and study the files. She now seriously suspected Jiang Chen had somehow enchanted her senior sister—after their fight, Shen Huaizhu was fully on Jiang Chen’s side, making it seem like they were a team.

Li Changsheng sat back down, feeling both jealous and admiring.

“Beating Jiang Chen to get Shen Huaizhu on your side? If that’s not genius, what is?”

Page (3/3)

Ten hours later, Li Changsheng and Liuli could no longer hold on; they fell asleep leaning against each other, while Jiang Chen kept analyzing the files without lifting his head.

“Have some milk; I’ll help you watch,” Shen Huaizhu said, returning with a bottle of warm milk. Her cheeks were flushed, and shyly she handed it over.

Jiang Chen, focused on his work, caught only a glimpse of this beautiful scene.

“Thank you.”

Shen Huaizhu replied, “Y-you’re welcome! And thank you for correcting me earlier.”

Jiang Chen quickly interrupted, “Let’s not talk about that now; let’s focus on the matter at hand.”

Shen Huaizhu obediently nodded, “Okay, you tell me.”

Jiang Chen highlighted the key points, “I still need some time to figure out where the problem lies. Meanwhile, please help me prepare meals.”

Shen Huaizhu nodded, “Do you have any dietary restrictions? Don’t like spicy food? Or anything you prefer? Tell me, and I’ll buy it for you!”

Faced with her enthusiasm, Jiang Chen could hardly refuse. Once the current matter was settled, he planned to see if there was something wrong with Shen Huaizhu...

“Anything is fine. I’ll eat whatever you buy,” Jiang Chen said casually.

Shen Huaizhu left, and when she returned, the meals were already bought. Just after she left, Li Changsheng and Liuli had woken up from hunger.

Luckily, Shen Huaizhu was quick; otherwise, they might have starved.

She first handed two identical meals to Li Changsheng and Liuli.

Then placed one on her own seat.

Li Changsheng and Liuli glanced inside: all were egg fried rice.

Jiang Chen briefly put down the files and opened his meal. Instantly, a fragrant aroma filled the room.

Li Changsheng and Liuli looked up, seeing on the translucent rice a garlic chicken leg and pork knuckle, the scent permeating the entire conference room.

Li Changsheng scratched his head, “Ahem, Jiang Chen, the two of us will keep watch; you work harder on the investigation. I’ll notify you if there’s news!”

Liuli stood, “Senior sister... my conjunctivitis flared up, I’m going out to buy some medicine!”