Nie Chongyang's expression grew even more serious as they turned to the main topic. "Our initial suspicion was that it might be related to something like religion. You haven't seen the crime scenes, so you might not be able to judge, but those of us who have been investigating for a while can generally confirm it."
"Either Xu Zhaoxing had some unspeakable, unsavory beliefs, or it was about ritual."
Ye Tiancheng glanced at the photos Nie Chongyang had produced, carefully observing the various details of the crime scenes.
The same modus operandi, bizarre and strange, immediately struck Ye Tiancheng as something a demonic cultivator would do. To be precise, it was the kind of act that someone with a twisted mind, pursuing evil arts and spells, and believing in something sinister, would commit.
Beyond the methods, there were also special marks left at the scene, written by the killer with the victim's blood. The killer had also carved the same mark onto the victim's body with a sharp object, and on every victim, the mark was in the same position, on the left side of the base of the neck.
If an ordinary person had such a mark, and didn't wear a high-necked shirt, it would definitely be visible.
Nie Chongyang informed Ye Tiancheng that, according to the鑑定 (jiàndìng - appraisal/identification), these marks were likely carved onto the victims while they were still alive.
There were also some peculiar things. The locations where the killer acted were not particularly remote; at least, not so remote that there was no human presence and they would go completely unnoticed. Yet, no one had discovered anything.
The bigger problem was that there were no signs of the victims being gagged. Their vocal cords and tongues were undamaged, indicating they could speak normally. Therefore, they should have been able to cry out. And while alive, the killer had carved marks on their bodies; how could they not cry out?
Under these circumstances, there was no reason for no one to hear anything. However, their investigations revealed that absolutely no one had heard a sound.
But according to Ye Tiancheng, this was very likely related to Xu Zhaoxing's special abilities.
Ye Tiancheng gained a general understanding. Those who had been investigating longer indeed knew more information. After Nie Chongyang finished speaking, Ye Tiancheng asked him, "What about the crime scenes? Did you find any patterns?"
When this was brought up, Nie Chongyang shook his head helplessly. "Unfortunately, no. If there were, perhaps new cases wouldn't have occurred."
If their deductions were correct, and this was not a suitable time for action, Xu Zhaoxing might choose to lie low and wait for a more opportune moment. This would also give the chosen victims some time to be safe, during which they could work on solving the case.
Ye Tiancheng fell silent, thinking. Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open, and both Nie Chongyang and Ye Tiancheng turned towards the sound.
It turned out that Little Fox had woken up and come out of his room. Noticing both of them staring at him, Little Fox closed his room door and greeted Ye Tiancheng and the others.
"Big Brother, good morning. So early today? And who is this?"
Ye Tiancheng returned Little Fox's greeting and, as his younger brother introduced himself, said, "Good morning. This is the person sent from headquarters to liaise with us, the captain of the investigation team, named Nie Chongyang."
Little Fox nodded and also greeted Nie Chongyang, "Captain Nie, good morning."
Nie Chongyang replied similarly, "Hello."
Ye Tiancheng then introduced him to Nie Chongyang, "This is my younger brother, Ye Li. He will be acting with us from now on."
Nie Chongyang looked at Little Fox with some surprise. "Is he like you, Mr. Ye? Mr. Ye Li looks more like a celebrity model."
Given Little Fox's dazzling appearance, Nie Chongyang's thought was not at all surprising.
Ye Tiancheng said, "Although my brother is a bit too good-looking, he's quite capable. At home, my brother and I have different areas of expertise, and he can be of great help in some matters."
Nie Chongyang nodded. One shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Little Fox was indeed very beautiful, but one couldn't determine what kind of person he was based solely on his appearance.
Little Fox said to Ye Tiancheng and Nie Chongyang, "Um, I just woke up. Sorry, I'll go wash up first and then come back."
Nie Chongyang and Ye Tiancheng both nodded, having no objections. If someone wanted to wash up, they wouldn't keep them there looking disheveled while talking, would they?
However, with Little Fox's face and appearance, even if he were disheveled, he would still be good-looking. Moreover, Little Fox's current state was far from disheveled; it was nowhere near being called disheveled.
While Little Fox went to wash up, Ye Tiancheng briefly told Nie Chongyang about Fatty. "I have another brother whose abilities are closer to mine. Although not as powerful, he can still be of help. He'll also be with us occasionally."
"However, sometimes I have him stay at home because the home cannot be left without capable people watching over it, and I wouldn't feel at ease."
"He'll come over for breakfast later, and I'll introduce him to Captain Nie then."
Nie Chongyang nodded, indicating he understood.
Ye Tiancheng then asked Nie Chongyang, "Captain Nie, did you have breakfast before you came?"
Nie Chongyang hesitated but then answered truthfully, "Not yet."
Because a new case had occurred last night, they were overwhelmed. Let alone breakfast, they hadn't even had a proper dinner yesterday, nor had they gotten enough rest at night.
If it weren't for their profession, which was accustomed to such high-intensity work and the ability to endure, Nie Chongyang would have appeared very listless when meeting Ye Tiancheng. However, precisely because they were used to this work intensity, staying up all night was not a problem. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng couldn't see much abnormality on the surface.
Hearing that Nie Chongyang hadn't had breakfast, Ye Tiancheng invited him, "Then Captain Nie, please join us for breakfast. It must be uncomfortable to go hungry, and not eating in the morning leads to low blood sugar and insufficient blood supply to the brain, which is not only bad for the stomach but also likely to sap your energy for clear thinking."
Nie Chongyang hesitated for a moment but ultimately refused. "In principle, I cannot accept such a thing. Whether anyone knows or not, I'll buy my own breakfast."
Ye Tiancheng tried to persuade Nie Chongyang a few more times. Seeing Nie Chongyang's firm stance, he didn't insist. Since Ye Tiancheng's breakfast was almost ready, Little Fox had woken up at this time because the family was accustomed to waking up around this hour for breakfast. Ye Tiancheng then asked Nie Chongyang to go buy breakfast first, and they would discuss matters afterward.
Nie Chongyang thought about it and felt that eating was also important. What Ye Tiancheng said was indeed reasonable, so he temporarily took his leave.
During breakfast, Fatty also came over to Ye Tiancheng's place. Ye Qingcheng had woken up quite late and was still groggy while eating. Because she had been forcibly woken up, Hou Mingzhu watched Ye Qingcheng eat and also had breakfast to fill her stomach, as she had to go to work later.
When Nie Chongyang returned, Hou Mingzhu had already left. Ye Tiancheng, Fatty, and Little Fox were still at the dining table, eating breakfast casually, mainly accompanying Ye Qingcheng. Children eat more slowly and require more attention.
Now that these three grown men had nothing else to do, Hou Mingzhu could leave early with peace of mind, telling Ye Tiancheng and the others to keep an eye on Ye Qingcheng while she ate breakfast.
When Nie Chongyang entered, he saw Ye Qingcheng and was slightly taken aback. He then tried his best to show a kind smile and asked Ye Tiancheng, "Is this your daughter, Mr. Ye?"
Ye Tiancheng nodded and said, "Yes, this is my daughter, Ye Qingcheng."
Ye Qingcheng, holding her rice bowl, looked curiously at the unfamiliar uncle. Then she heard Ye Tiancheng introduce her, "This is Uncle Nie."
Ye Qingcheng obediently greeted Nie Chongyang, "Hello, Uncle Nie. Welcome to our home."
Nie Chongyang replied, "Hello, little one."
Under Ye Tiancheng's supervision, Ye Qingcheng quickly finished the last few bites of her meal. Ye Tiancheng then called for a servant to clear the table and asked the servant responsible for Ye Qingcheng to take her to wash her hands, wipe her mouth, and change into more formal attire. Later, a private tutor would come to give Ye Qingcheng lessons.
Nie Chongyang didn't have to wait too long. Ye Qingcheng was taken to the study by the servant, and the servants responsible for clearing the dining room quickly and efficiently collected the dishes and left.
Afterward, Ye Tiancheng and Nie Chongyang chatted for a while longer about Xu Zhaoxing and the current case. They also provided Little Fox and Fatty, who hadn't been present earlier, with a summary of the information they had missed.
Their main focus was still on monitoring Xu Zhaoxing's whereabouts and determining the patterns in his choice of crime locations and his victim selection criteria.
They didn't have a better method because Xu Zhaoxing was slippery. If they only tracked Xu Zhaoxing, it would be difficult to catch him due to his special abilities that allowed him to escape quickly. Therefore, Ye Tiancheng and the others' best approach was to attract Xu Zhaoxing's attention and lure him into their trap, making them his targets.
Fortunately, Ye Tiancheng and his group had an advantage in undertaking this task. Xu Zhaoxing had visited Ye Tiancheng's residence. It was possible that he had targeted someone there, and this might be something they could exploit.
Ye Tiancheng had already sent his bodyguards to investigate, and their results came back quickly. Although they hadn't discovered Xu Zhaoxing entering at the time, it wasn't difficult to find some information afterward.
For safety reasons, Ye Tiancheng's family installed surveillance cameras wherever they stayed. There were cameras everywhere, especially in public areas, with surveillance cameras hidden in various unexpected places. This made it difficult for anyone with ill intentions to realize they were being watched.
Through the footage captured by the surveillance cameras, the bodyguards confirmed that Xu Zhaoxing had been lurking on the floor where the private tutors resided.
Ye Tiancheng frowned upon receiving this news, feeling even more uneasy and increasingly wanting to resolve the trouble of Xu Zhaoxing as soon as possible.
He didn't know if Xu Zhaoxing was only targeting these private tutors or if he was targeting his daughter, Ye Qingcheng. When his daughter was involved, Ye Tiancheng became extremely vigilant.
However, based on the targets Xu Zhaoxing had set his sights on, at least on the surface, if he were to act, he would likely prioritize one of these private tutors.
Upon learning this information, Ye Tiancheng and Nie Chongyang immediately arranged for personnel to primarily monitor the situations around these private tutors, to see if Xu Zhaoxing would appear or if any unusual events would occur around them. Ye Tiancheng did not restrict the private tutors' movements.