How You Can Sue Me for My Crimes in Dreams

People maintain a certain distance from one another. Lovers are intimate, friends are familiar, and strangers are kept at arm’s length.

Every relationship has its own appropriate distance.

If someone intrudes upon this space with a level of closeness that doesn’t match the relationship—like a stranger suddenly getting too near—you’ll feel a sense of alarm.

A common example is when a stranger enters your home. You’ll keep your eyes on them and won’t turn your back.

Or if someone is walking toward you on a dark night, your attention will be subconsciously drawn to them.

If that person comes within five meters, it will trigger your wariness.

And by working backward from whether or not this sense of alarm was present at the scene, one can deduce the relationship.

”It was a crime committed by an acquaintance. Someone Chen Li knew in Sishui County.”

Zhao Shui’s brow furrowed as he turned to look around.

They were at a small reservoir on the mountainside, near the foot of the mountain. A small dam was visible in the distance, and the trees were lush and green. It was actually quite scenic.

If the killer, posing as a friend, had invited her here to hang out and then murdered her, that would be a plausible scenario.

But...

”If you take the radio station out of the equation, it makes sense.”

”But what’s the deal with the radio station?”

Zhao Shui stared at the victim’s stomach, which had been stabbed to a pulp, his eyes filled with confusion.

”’Hiding the body’ or ’fleeing’—neither of those things happened. Instead, the killer did the opposite: he ’drew closer’!”

Was he exposing himself?

Why expose himself? What was the motive?

Was he trying to turn himself in? That didn’t make sense either. If he wanted to surrender, there would be no reason to go through all this.

But if it wasn’t a surrender, his actions were still contradictory. After all, he publicly announced his crime. How is that any different from turning himself in?

As everyone was lost in thought, a voice suddenly cried out.

”This is bad!”

A police officer blurted out, a shocked expression on his face. Everyone instinctively turned to look at him.

”What’s wrong?” Li Jianye asked with a frown.

”Chief, look at this.”

The Police Officer’s face was grim as he brought over his laptop.

Everyone gathered around to look.

On the laptop screen was a news article.

SHOCKING... Sishui County Corpse Comes Back to Life at Midnight!

It was... the media?!

Li Jianye frowned. ”What’s going on?”

”Mr. Wang’s radio station has a lot of listeners. When the case was filed, the news spread astonishingly fast!”

The Police Officer said with a long face, ”This morning, a bunch of reporters started running stories based on what those listeners described and the recording from that night.”

”It’s blowing up online right now!”

The modern media has become disconnected from the media of decades past. The so-called journalistic oath to report the facts has vanished without a trace.

If this were confidential case information, reporters wouldn’t dare pull a stunt like this. But this case... it’s already become a public spectacle.

There was nothing to be done. The gimmick was just too juicy.

A corpse coming back to life!

In just one night, on the morning of the 28th, a tornado had swept through the relatively small world of the local internet.

It spread like a virus throughout Jiangsan City!

Online, the small community of netizens acted as if they’d discovered a new continent, constantly arguing and discussing it.

Li Jianye’s brow furrowed the moment he saw it, and it hadn’t relaxed since.

”There are a few reporters at the entrance of the Anshan Police Station looking for an interview. Chief, should we find another place to use as a temporary base?”

Zhao Shui relayed the message after hanging up the phone, his brow creased.

It wasn’t that the reporters were a real threat; they were just a major nuisance.

”Leave the crime scene to Xiao Xu for now. I’ll go deal with this.”

After a moment’s thought, Li Jianye left the scene in Xu Huo’s hands. Then, with a grim expression, he got in a car and headed for the reporters’ gathering spot.

Xu Huo didn’t try to stop him. He turned and surveyed the surroundings.

This was the middle of nowhere. Even a casual acquaintance wouldn’t be able to convince a girl to come out to a place like this.

’What kind of person is the killer?’

’What kind of acquaintance was he pretending to be?’

’A lover? A friend? Family? A relative?’

Xu Huo frowned, looking down at the body.

First, she was suddenly stabbed with a knife until she could no longer resist, and then she was hanged with a rope until she was dead.

’What kind of hatred or grudge would lead to this?’

’Was this really done by an acquaintance?’

Xu Huo couldn’t figure it out. If there had been a conflict between them—one serious enough to lead to murder—Chen Li would have had no reason to come out here with him, much less let her guard down.

But if there was no conflict, and he was an acquaintance...

’Where did the motive to kill come from?’

”Have you finished the background check on her social circle?” Xu Huo asked, turning with a frown.

”No, not enough time. It’s only been five short hours since we confirmed her identity.”

Zhao Shui shook his head. They had only identified her this morning, and it was already approaching noon. It was too little time to finish the investigation.

”What about the radio station?”

Xu Huo pondered for a moment, shifting his focus to another point.

”It’s been temporarily shut down,” Zhao Shui said.

”Don’t shut it down. Open it back up.”

Xu Huo continued before the other could object, ”Since the news is already out, any attempt to lock it down is futile. It would even be an obstacle for the police.”

”The radio station is a clue. Open it back up. Let them keep broadcasting.”

Zhao Shui paused, then nodded. ”Okay.”

Public opinion was already fermenting; trying to stop it would only cause more trouble for themselves.

As for the crime scene...

No surveillance, no passersby, no information...

Unless some master detective showed up—and one who didn’t need clues or evidence at that—no one could solve this case.

Xu Huo thought for a moment, then finally stood up and shook his head.

”Take the body back and have our consulting physician perform an autopsy.”

”Yes, sir.”

...

...

The autopsy was slow. A small county like this had neither the equipment nor the personnel. Forensic pathologists were rarer than giant pandas these days; even Jiangdong District didn’t have one, let alone a small county.

It wasn’t until 9 p.m. on the 29th that a detailed autopsy report finally landed in front of them.

”Chen Li was not poisoned before death. The fatal injury was death by hanging. The wounds on the body are stab wounds. Based on the sharpness and depth, the weapon is presumed to be a fruit knife.”

”No signs of a struggle, no bruising or minor injuries on the body surface. Coercion is ruled out...”

「Anshan Police Station. The office.」

In front of them was a blackboard, with several documents held up by magnets.

Xu Huo sat in a chair. On the desk in front of him were a radio and several drafts filled with deductive reasoning.

But unfortunately, from the careless way they were strewn about, it was clear these drafts had been useless.

Until...

CREAK...

The door opened, and Li Jianye walked in.

Xu Huo looked up and spoke slowly, ”Are the reporters dealt with?”

”Dealt with. Sons of bitches. If this case wasn’t so urgent, I’d have had them all arrested!”

Li Jianye cursed, plopping down into a chair. He twisted open a bottle of water and chugged it down.

The reporters were a pain. The officially sanctioned ones were manageable, but the ones from private companies had no conscience. They’d risk getting arrested just to chase a hot story.

After all, to them, getting arrested only meant being locked up for a day or two. But if they got their hands on some exclusive material, they could become an overnight sensation.

They were less like reporters and more like paparazzi or flies.

”Any progress on the case?”

Li Jianye collected himself and then looked at the others.

”None. The clues from the body are far too few.”

Zhao Shui said with a sigh.

The simpler the scene, the fewer the clues. Even if you could piece together most of the case, the problem was the lack of any direct leads to an arrest!

”What about theories?”

Li Jianye’s brow knitted. ”Why would the killer announce the murder on the radio?”

”The internet is buzzing about a ’Night of the Soul’s Return,’ saying some ghost came back... I don’t believe that crap, but...”

”Killing someone and then broadcasting a recording of them calling for help on the radio—what the hell kind of fucked-up logic is that!?”

Xu Huo paused. He was just about to speak, but...

The next second, a faint voice suddenly reached everyone’s ears.

”Help me...”

In that instant, the atmosphere in the office froze. Everyone whipped their heads around, staring intently at the radio.

It was... Wang Chao’s radio station!!!

The killer was calling in a second time?!

And... the voice was different...

In a flash of realization, Xu Huo froze.

’That’s not the first victim’s voice. It belongs to someone else.’

Everyone shot to their feet as if electrocuted, their faces filled with disbelief.

”Save me, save me...”

From the radio, the faint cries for help lingered in their ears.

This was...

A second victim!!!

He was still out there killing?!

The police were investigating, and he was still committing murder?!

And he still dared to call in!!!

In an instant, an indescribable sense of urgency washed over them, drowning everyone.

”Fuck!”

”What the hell does this bastard want!?”

Li Jianye’s eyes were dark as he pulled out his phone to direct the officers at the broadcast company, simultaneously turning and running toward a police car outside.

Xu Huo looked up at the star-dusted night sky, his heart sinking.

’Kill someone, then call the radio station...’

’The killer...’

’What on earth is he trying to do?’

’Is he provoking the police?!’

”Let’s go!”