Chapter Ten: The Murderer in the Academy (Part Two)

Mo Lan didn’t take a formal statement right away. Instead, she brought the girl to the scene and had her quietly stand there while Xiao Qi recorded a video of her. Taking a statement and recording a video weren’t all that different, but with a video, they could directly observe the girl’s expressions and demeanor. If they jumped straight to a formal statement, the girl might get extremely nervous, whereas a video might put her more at ease.

Of course, this was just Mo Lan’s own idea.

“Let’s try a different way to record your statement today, shall we?” Mo Lan pretended to be struck by sudden inspiration, as if she had made a great discovery.

“You’re the new deputy captain. Whatever you say, we’ll go along with it,” Xiao Qi replied, her tone rude and her eyes never once meeting Mo Lan’s. She kept her gaze fixed on An Feng, nearly leaning on him.

The other team members looked somewhat awkward but nodded in agreement. After a brief discussion with the officers, it was decided they would use this method. Even as the new deputy captain, Mo Lan needed to show respect for the current team—after all, she was new to this unfamiliar group and had to blend in.

The others thought this was a good approach anyway. A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl was likely too fragile to withstand direct pressure; they might end up sending her to the hospital. Judging from her behavior thus far, this girl's psychological resilience was even weaker than most.

“Who are you? Why are you here? Where is this place? You know, don’t you?” Mo Lan stuck to standard procedure. After all, anything too unconventional would be hard to accept.

“I…” The girl was extremely nervous, her hands fluttering ceaselessly. Though she wasn’t trying to hit anyone, the white rose in her grasp shook so violently that the petals were disheveled—if she squeezed any harder, the flower would be stripped bare, leaving only the stem.

“There’s no need to be so nervous. I’m just recording a simple statement and asking you a few easy questions. Is this your classmate? Everyone’s gone for the holidays—why are you still here?” Mo Lan softened her tone, feeling the girl was far too timid. She remembered being like this herself once and could well understand the girl’s state of mind.

“I… I don’t know anything.” As soon as she uttered the words, the girl seemed to break down. She flailed the rose in panic, eventually letting it fall to the ground, then clutched her head, squatted down, and began to sob.

The abruptness of it startled Mo Lan so much she took several steps back, nearly landing on the floor. Luckily, she managed to steady herself. Even Xiao Qi was caught off guard, nearly dropping her phone.

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you scaring people like this for no reason?” Xiao Qi scolded the girl bluntly, as if she couldn’t decide whether Xiao Qi was simply too naive or just lacked common sense.

Mo Lan couldn’t fathom what was so special about Xiao Qi that allowed her to work alongside An Feng. If someone like that worked with Mo Lan, she’d probably last three days at most—either fired or driven away by frustration.

Clearly, this girl had psychological issues and had suffered some kind of trauma—or perhaps, judging by the direction of her gaze, she had seen someone.

Mo Lan made a quick assessment, but she’d need a proper examination before drawing any firm conclusions.

“Take her back,” Mo Lan ordered calmly, then walked over to Xiao Qi and took the phone, preparing to review the video.

Suddenly, a flowerpot came crashing down from above in the direction the girl had been looking. The noise startled everyone, but there was no sign of anyone in that direction.

“After them! Split up and check the surveillance footage. See if anyone else is still on campus. Have people block the exits,” Mo Lan commanded, sprinting toward the building.

That sort of commotion must have come from the top floor—or at least the third floor. The building had six stories; if the person was on the top floor, they couldn’t escape that quickly. Even getting away fast wouldn’t be easy.

The area was already surrounded. Even if they didn’t catch the suspect today, it would only be a matter of time. But if she could crack the case now, she could move on to the next one, which meant more opportunities to study An Feng’s methods.

Upon arrival, Mo Lan found the building rather strange. It wasn’t a dormitory or a teaching hall—it was the science building. That meant any teachers staying on campus that night were suspects, since a school this large couldn’t possibly have evacuated everyone. The students had been sent home, but the faculty remained.

Xiao Qi followed, a step behind, but kept her eyes alert to everything around them.

With gun in hand, Mo Lan cautiously opened every room, checking each one. It seemed none of them were locked. With no lights and curtains drawn tight, the darkness was thick—there was no way to see where anyone might be hiding. If someone lay low and kept still, they’d be impossible to find.

Mo Lan used an especially meticulous search method, inching along and listening as she went. It was exhausting work, and by the time she reached the upper floors, she was drenched in sweat.

After searching seven rooms, she finally reached the third floor. There, she noticed one door was ajar. It was unsettling—had someone deliberately left it open to lure her in? Mo Lan even slowed her breathing, afraid the sound might tip someone off.

Carefully, she pressed herself to the door and peered inside. It was dark, and she saw no one. Could the person who dropped the flowerpot have been on the third floor instead of the top?

By now, Xiao Qi had made it to the third floor as well, eyeing the room warily.

“You’re surrounded! Come out now, or if I catch you, you’ll regret it!” Xiao Qi, impatient as ever, bellowed into the darkness.

Mo Lan was speechless, but then she heard a noise at the door and instantly aimed her gun in that direction.

Pushing the door open further, she discovered someone tied up inside, their eyes wide with fear. It was the math teacher who had called the police—his face matched the photo they’d been given. But why was he still here, bound like this? He must have seen the culprit.

Mo Lan and Xiao Qi quickly freed him, checked the other rooms on the third floor, but found nothing. The fourth floor was inaccessible—locked tight. The staff at this school were all highly suspicious.

Why were the upper floors locked? Was something of value stored there, or was there something else to hide? Everyone had their secrets, after all.

Finally, after assigning people to stand guard, Mo Lan had no choice but to take the girl and the math teacher back to the station.