If it were just Zuo Mu alone, he would often skip meals when he got busy. But now that there was a little housekeeper around, he naturally couldn't bear to refuse. So he ate everything reluctantly, and finally felt a bit of warmth in his stomach.
Only after supervising Zuo Mu to drink the last mouthful of oatmeal porridge did Tang Tang leave the study reassuringly.
After Tang Tang closed the door, listening to her fading footsteps, Zuo Mu sighed and took out a pack of Changbaishan cigarettes from the drawer.
He rarely smoked. Only when he was extremely upset would he occasionally light one to relieve his boredom.
In this current case, there were no victims yet. But they knew nothing about the other side. Even the clues were reported by others on their own initiative.
For Zuo Mu, who was always successful, this case was too passive. Moreover, these two cases seemed to have an inexplicable attraction, as if trying to draw Tang Tang into them.
This was a topic that Zuo Mu cared about quite a lot.
This feeling of something intangible slipping out of his control was extremely unpleasant.
If Tang Tang were in any danger, he would really go crazy.
Zuo Mu stared at the motionless phone on the table and fell into silence.
After finishing a cigarette, he still picked up the phone and called someone he knew well.
"Hello?" Xiao Chen was pitifully working overtime at the police station. Recently, the crime rate in the area they were responsible for had actually been on the rise. This was a rarity and was testing the endurance and physical strength of the police station comrades.
Ordinary people really couldn't stand it.
He had just finished eating instant noodles not long ago and was organizing the case at hand when a phone ring pulled Xiao Chen out of his train of thought.
Xiao Chen broke out in a cold sweat. When he opened it, sure enough, it was Zuo Mu.
This guy would rarely deign to contact him on his own initiative, and it must not be good news when he did.
Xiao Chen also put down the work in his hand and answered the phone.
"Xiao Chen," came the familiar voice on the phone. But today, Zuo Mu sounded particularly solemn.
Xiao Chen also perked up and didn't dare to be negligent.
He had experience. When Zuo Mu was like this, either he had gotten into big trouble or someone else had.
"You, go ahead," said Xiao Chen. After all, he had just graduated from being a newbie, so he was still quite serious about this.
"Do you remember the Number Murder Case?" There was a bit of exhaustion in Zuo Mu's voice.
Hearing this name, Xiao Chen almost jumped up.
He resisted the urge and glanced around. Although it was strange to be working overtime at this hour, there were still a few colleagues in the police station.
This case was not unfamiliar. It was the first case Xiao Chen had participated in after graduating. The tragic situation of the victims had left a deep psychological shadow on him during his first job.
What he remembered most was not the tragic state of the dead, but the fact that the case had never been solved. The families of the victims would come with hope again and again and leave disappointed again and again.
Xiao Chen couldn't stand those looks.
Zuo Mu's words immediately stirred up his past memories.
"How could I not remember?" Xiao Chen's voice also became significantly colder. "The murderer left a deep impression on every one of us involved."
Cold - blooded, cruel, and devoid of human emotions.
This was the evaluation of the murderer by a well - known criminal profiler who had participated in this case.
However, the murderer was too cunning. By the time the victims' bodies were found, most of the clues had been destroyed. Although the police had invested a huge amount of manpower and resources and even cooperated across cities at that time, they still hadn't obtained the crucial clues. Naturally, the murderer had not been caught. This had discouraged Xiao Chen for a long time. He had even been a bit afraid of going to work for a few days afterwards.
It was only after seeing a psychiatrist several times that Xiao Chen's state of mind gradually adjusted.
When it came to this, Xiao Chen didn't feel sleepy at all.
Because he still trusted what Zuo Mu said.
Knowing Xiao Chen's anxious state of mind, Zuo Mu got straight to the point and briefly recounted what had happened in the past few days.
"This scumbag has even targeted the orphanage," said Xiao Chen in a low voice. One might even think he was about to turn into a villain.
Zuo Mu gave a soft "hmm". Then he heard a crisp sound on the other end of the phone. It sounded like something had broken.
Was it a small flag?
The exclamation from the other end of the phone immediately revealed the truth.
"Xiao Chen, what on earth happened to you? Your resentment is about to break through the sky."
Zuo Mu still listened expressionlessly to the words from the other end of the receiver, thinking to himself that he had expected it.
Xiao Chen retorted a few more times. Seeing that the atmosphere was quite good, he then turned to ask Zuo Mu, "Do you have any other clues?"
"Other..." Zuo Mu pondered, rhythmically tapping his index and middle fingers on the thick mahogany table.
Hearing this sound, Xiao Chen had a bad feeling in his heart.
Whenever Zuo Mu was like this, it meant...
Sure enough, before he could finish thinking, Zuo Mu on the other end of the phone started.
"Of course I have other clues, but what will you offer in exchange?" Zuo Mu clearly didn't intend to reveal everything.
Xiao Chen was so angry that his teeth itched. He just knew that Zuo Mu would always force you to agree to his demands at the critical moment.
"Just tell me what you want," said Xiao Chen angrily. He had been working non - stop for days and hadn't even slept well. Now he was being annoyed by Zuo Mu.
Zuo Mu still knew his limits. Hearing that Xiao Chen was really at his limit, he slowly said, "Can we be involved in this case from start to finish?"
"Your group?" Xiao Chen was really afraid that Zuo Mu would be like before, asking him to send some strange emojis in the old classmate group, which would attract everyone's attention, or something like when he was having dinner with his parents.
He would have to listen to his parents' endless nagging about how he shouldn't have become a police officer but should have listened to the family's arrangement and become a civil servant. These words were torture for Xiao Chen, who always wanted to be independent and free.
This time was the same. Xiao Chen was afraid that he would be urged to go home again. He didn't expect Zuo Mu's request to be so simple.
Yes, perhaps Zuo Mu didn't know that his several performances were enough to make the police station take notice. Sometimes, even veteran policemen might not notice some trivial details, but Zuo Mu could pick them out very sharply.
There had been several occasions. If it weren't for Zuo Mu's assistance, they would still have solved the cases, but it might have taken a bit longer.
For the victims, time was sometimes life.
This belief had always supported Xiao Chen and made him hold back the urge to strangle Zuo Mu.