"Well then, Lin Xian, why don't you head back home today and pack your personal belongings? From now on, our special investigation team will be operating under a high-intensity, centralized model…there's no such thing as working hours. We don't leave until the case is solved, so…we'll all be living here. There are dorms set up for us in the back."

"Living here?" Lin Xian was a little surprised.

"The transfer order didn't mention anything about this."

"Are you finding it difficult?"

"Not really." Lin Xian shook his head.

"It's just that I didn't expect the investigation team's work arrangement to be so tight that we aren't even allowed to go home."

Ji Lin chuckled, walked over, and patted Lin Xian on the shoulder.

"Lin Xian…now that we're colleagues, I can be frank with you. The reason we're having you live here, under our 24-hour surveillance…is also for your own protection."

"Protect me?" Lin Xian gave a strange smile.

"Is someone trying to kill me?"

"Not that kind of protection." Ji Lin shook his head.

"It's to help clear you of suspicion as the murderer."

"As I said just now, Lin Xian, right now, there's almost no progress on the Xu Yun and Tang Xin murder cases. And you, as the most directly involved party in both cases, the last one to accurately interfere with the scene, having frequent contact with both of them before the incidents, and ultimately reaping huge benefits…"

"Although there's currently no evidence to suggest you planned all this, put yourself in the police's shoes. In a case with no breakthroughs, with so many coincidental and overlapping clues pointing to you…it's only natural for them to be suspicious."

"So, you'll stay at the bureau during this time, live at the bureau, and be with me. If we can solve the case during this time, that's great. If we can't solve it and similar cases start popping up outside, it'll prove that this series of events has nothing to do with you, and your suspicion will naturally be cleared."

…

Lin Xian remained silent.

This plot twist was something he hadn't anticipated before coming.

He had thought that if Ji Lin was the mastermind behind everything, he had only called him here to find a flaw in him.

But he hadn't expected this guy to forcibly bind him to his side with a seemingly genuine reason, monitoring him 24/7 under the guise of protecting him.

This wasn't just a Hongmen banquet; it was practically house arrest.

"Are you going to use an iron chain to lock us together? The kind where we have to go to the bathroom and shower together?" Lin Xian joked with a smile.

Then, he picked up the black notebook in his hand and slammed it on the table.

"Are you going to suspect this notebook of mine is a Death Note? That writing someone's name in it can kill them?"

"You watch too much anime, Lin Xian."

Ji Lin said with a smile.

"You should understand my good intentions a little bit, and also understand the difficulties of the Donghai police. The whole society is denouncing their inaction; they have to do something, right?"

"Of course, we won't restrict you that much. You're free to go out if you have something to do, but I hope you'll take me with you. If a similar scientist death incident happens outside again, I can testify for you at any time."

"Of course, personally, I still hope you don't go out and focus on putting your energy into solving the case… the sooner we catch the murderer who killed Xu Yun and Tang Xin, the better it will be for both of us."

"Alright then."

Lin Xian replied casually.

How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den? Then he would have a good meeting with Ji Lin.

Right now, both of them were basically pretending to be fools.

Lin Xian wanted to catch Ji Lin, and Ji Lin also wanted to catch Lin Xian, but both were troubled by the lack of concrete evidence, so they were forcibly sticking together 24 hours a day. For Lin Xian, it wasn't all bad.

Because…

While Ji Lin was understanding Lin Xian, Lin Xian was also understanding Ji Lin.

It just depended on who was more…

…cautious, who was more discreet, and who could piece together a complete picture faster from the fragments of casual conversation.

"Then I'll go home now to get my toiletries." Lin Xian turned and walked towards the door.

"Anyway, it's hot now, so I don't need to prepare too much. I'll be back tonight."

…

Back home.

Instead of packing clothes, Lin Xian immediately began to check all the papers on his desk and in the drawers.

Although he usually burned them in a timely manner, now that he had fallen under suspicion by the Donghai police, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't search his room while he was being held.

After burning almost everything related, Lin Xian looked at the fake Genius Club invitation in his hand, as well as the sealing wax with the Genius Club emblem.

Should he burn them together?

Lin Xian hesitated…

Although this invitation was fake, it was the only clue he had related to the Genius Club.

What's more, the club emblem on this wax seal was real, identical to the pattern on the moon in his dreams.

"I'll keep them, but not at home."

Lin Xian stuffed these two items into his backpack and then took a taxi to MX Company.

He also needed to check the things in his office…

He burned all the scrap paper, drafts, and papers with previous deductions.

Then, he sat in his office, waiting for Zhao Yingjun to get off work.

After watching Zhao Yingjun's Elfa drive out of the company, he directly picked up the fake Genius Club invitation and the sealing wax, went to the elevator, pressed the 22nd-floor button, and went to Zhao Yingjun's office.

*Click!*

The heavy, double-layered security door opened, and Lin Xian entered the empty, tidy office.

Although this was Zhao Yingjun's office, all the layouts and placements inside were organized by Lin Xian, so… Lin Xian was more familiar with this office than Zhao Yingjun herself.

He directly opened a filing cabinet in the corner and took out a file box from the second-to-last layer, placing the fake invitation and the sealing wax inside.

"Perfect."

Lin Xian smiled slightly.

Zhao Yingjun's office was the most suitable place to hide this fake invitation.

First of all, this fake invitation was originally for Zhao Yingjun, so it was reasonable for it to appear in her office.

Secondly, Lin Xian knew Zhao Yingjun's habits too well; she would never touch this filing cabinet in her life. Things stored here were very safe.

Finally, only he and Zhao Yingjun knew the password for this office; at most, there was one more Huang Que, who wasn't an enemy. He could come and go as he pleased, making it the most suitable place to hide things.

After everything was ready, Lin Xian carried his backpack, which contained his personal toiletries and changes of clothes, and took a taxi to the Donghai City Public Security Bureau.

…

"…"

Standing with Ji Lin at the open doorway of this double dormitory room, Lin Xian was speechless.

"Wait, we're sleeping in the same room?"

Lin Xian turned to look at Ji Lin, who was slightly hunched over and yawning.

"We're staying in this dorm?"

"Is there a problem?"

Ji Lin pointed to the double-bed layout that was no different from a hotel standard room. Two large beds were arranged on the north and south sides of the room, and all kinds of other facilities were complete. There was a private bathroom and two desks with computers. In terms of grade, it was actually very high-end.

It's just…

"I thought we'd all be staying in single rooms." Lin Xian snorted softly.

"I'm not used to sleeping in the same room with other men."

"You want me to find you a woman instead?"

"Your thinking is very unique."

"If you really mind, I can have someone put up a curtain between the two beds."

"There's no need for that."

Lin Xian waved his hand and threw his backpack on the bedside table by the window.

This was Ji Lin's territory. The Donghai police were all under his command now, so complaining was useless. This was originally their planned surveillance scheme… Since making suggestions was useless, he simply wouldn't make them.

Through the corner of his eye…

He caught a glimpse of Ji Lin closing the dormitory door, then lying directly on the other bed to rest with his eyes closed.

He understood.

This head-on confrontation in the cat-and-mouse game was really about to begin.

"I'm going to wash up first."

It wasn't early, so Lin Xian directly found his toiletries and went to the bathroom to wash up.

While brushing his teeth, he thought.

He was actually quite discreet in all aspects. The only thing that could make Ji Lin aware of something abnormal was—

He would always wake up at exactly 00:42.

This was a very unusual thing, and he couldn't control it. Others might not care, but the person separated from him by only one bed was the genius detective Ji Lin… It was impossible for him not to notice.

Ji Lin was so smart. It was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't deduce some details from his abnormal behavior of being unable to wake him up after entering his dream and always waking up at 00:42 after leaving his dream.

That would be dangerous.

So…

He should stay up late.

Lin Xian planned to restart his childhood trick of not dreaming—staying up until after 00:42 before going to sleep.

…

Night.

Midnight.

Ji Lin on the bed next to him was lying on his back, his head resting on his hands, his eyes closed. It was unknown what he was thinking or whether he had fallen asleep.

And Lin Xian on this bed was wearing headphones, scrolling through his phone, preparing to sleep after 00:42.

"Lin Xian, aren't you going to sleep?"

In the darkness, Ji Lin on the other bed turned over and looked at Lin Xian.

Through the diffused reflection of the phone, Lin Xian saw Ji Lin's eyes were bright and piercing, with faint dark circles around them… He understood that this guy was obviously a night owl and a champion at staying up late.

Fine, let's all act.

This room wasn't big, but everyone was an actor.

They might as well hold the Oscars here this year.

"I usually sleep late." Lin Xian took off his headphones and sat up in bed, leaning against the pillow.

"Did I disturb your sleep?"

"Not at all." Ji Lin shook his head, also sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard, looking at Lin Xian.

"My mind is also in a mess. I've been thinking about the case. There's something I can't figure out and have no clue about."

"What is it?"

Lin Xian turned off his phone and turned his head to look at Ji Lin.

The room dimmed, with only threads of moonlight shining through the gap in the not-fully-closed curtains… turning into flickering specks of light that danced on Ji Lin's body as the curtains were gently touched.

"I can't figure out why the murderers had to control the time of the incidents to be at 00:42."

Ji Lin said softly, propping his chin up.

"The time of death for Tang Xin and Xu Yun were both between 00:42 and 00:43. Let alone that this is a difficult time to accurately control, what's the significance of this time itself?"

"It's often difficult to guess what murderers are thinking." Lin Xian said casually.

"Maybe this time has extraordinary significance for them. Just like many murderers deliberately leave special symbols or special objects at the crime scene, it's nothing more than to prove that I did this case, a kind of boasting or showing off mentality."

"It's completely unnecessary to lock the time of the incident for mere boasting and showing off. There are other smarter and more secretive methods." Ji Lin shook his head, expressing his views.

"Just like you said, leaving special symbols or special objects is enough. There's no need to fix the time of the incident at 00:42. This is not only easy to attract attention, but it also equals directly telling the police the time of the next incident, which is also a very dangerous behavior for the murderers themselves."

Lin Xian looked at Ji Lin in the darkness. "Then what's your opinion…"

"I'm more inclined to believe that the murderers' bizarre killing methods are deliberately shown to someone, like holding a ceremony or passing some kind of exam." Ji Lin paused, then continued.

"My parents also died at 00:42."

"Really?" Lin Xian was a little surprised. He didn't know if Ji Lin was telling the truth or not, and he hadn't considered the deeper meaning of the murderers killing at 00:42. He didn't understand why Ji Lin would confess these things to him.

"Was it also a car accident?"

Ji Lin shook his head.

"It wasn't a car accident. So, I've always been unsure whether the murderers who killed my parents 20 years ago and the murderers who killed Xu Yun and Tang Xin now are the same kind of people."

"It was a shooting that occurred at 00:42. The gangsters killed my parents on their way home. After that, I became an orphan and was sent to an orphanage, where I was adopted by a very famous figure."

Ji Lin changed his posture, facing Lin Xian.

"Ji Xinshui."

He smiled, looking into Lin Xian's eyes.

"Have you heard of this name?"