Volume 5 Chapter 5: The Case

“Agent Castro, I don’t understand why your Massay State Police are interested in a case from Louis State?” The Centaur extended his hand expressionlessly, briefly touching Qin Lun’s before leading everyone outside.

“Sheriff Marov, we questioned John’s relatives. The couple didn’t originally plan to vacation at Crystal Lake—they only intended to camp in the mountain forest scenic area near the state border. We suspect Crystal Lake Campground wasn’t the primary crime scene—perhaps just where the killer dumped the bodies!” Qin Lun replied without hesitation.

Before coming here, Cora had coached Qin Lun on these questions so he wouldn’t be flustered by Marov’s interrogation.

“Nicely answered!” Marov scraped his hoof on the ground, turning to stare directly at Qin Lun. “Do you know… John and his wife’s fragments were scattered everywhere at that site, some even mixed into the soil. Any officer who saw the crime scene wouldn’t believe it was just a dumping ground.”

“Sheriff, we haven’t seen it!” Qin Lun glanced at his two companions and spread his hands. “If you show us the crime scene reports and photos, I think we can draw our own conclusions!”

“Show you the scene reports? Then let you meddle in my case?” Marov narrowed his eyes and wagged a finger. “Young man, I don’t think so. Go back to Massay—I won’t let you interfere with this case!”

“Forget it, I expected it wouldn’t be that easy. Looks like we’ll need another plan!” Cora shot a meaningful look at the other two.

From the start of the plan, she felt this trip would be wasted. As a police officer, she knew well that two separate jurisdictions wouldn’t easily share case materials. If they were real police, they could coordinate through higher-ups in the State Police. Unfortunately, they weren’t real police and couldn’t get assistance from Massay State Police.

“No, no rush!” Qin Lun glanced back at the villa, his eyes flashing, then walked toward an officer taking notes at the scene.

“Hey, have you identified the victims yet?” Qin Lun asked the officer with a smile.

“Oh, yes! But we still need final confirmation from body markings,” the officer replied cautiously after looking up at them.

“Maybe we can provide Massay State residents’ medical records to help speed things up!” Qin Lun pursed his lips, offering helpfully. “You know, the faster you confirm the victims’ identities, the sooner you can catch the killer!”

“No need, sir. Although they were Massay State residents, we can find their identities from the villa property registration forms,” the officer said with a strange smile, as if mocking Qin Lun’s overreach. “Sir, Crystal Lake Police can catch the killer independently—no need for your esteemed presence!”

Cora had been frowning, very dissatisfied with Qin Lun taking initiative. But hearing the officer’s words, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she understood something.

“Thank you, officer!” Qin Lun gave a sly wink, immediately abandoning the confused low-ranking officer, and turned to intercept Sheriff Marov who was about to drive away.

“Hey, get out of my way! If you really want to meddle in this case, have your Massay State Attorney General call me. Otherwise, don’t waste my time,” Marov leaned out the car window, glaring angrily at Qin Lun in front of the vehicle.

“Madam Cora, I believe you mentioned this country’s case procedures are similar to the federal system on Esmira Star, correct?” Qin Lun asked quietly in the Team Channel.

“Yes, I did. If two cases occur in very close timing, with victims from neighboring states, and the other state police refuse to share case progress, we can submit to the Federal Justice Bureau under Federal Security Law. But then, neither state police could take over the case anymore!” Cora said excitedly.

After confirming Cora’s explanation, Qin Lun immediately repeated her Team Channel words to Marov.

“I believe this outcome definitely isn’t what Sheriff Marov wants!” Hill, who hadn’t been able to interject until now, chuckled happily.

“Damn it!” Marov frowned and cursed, suppressing his anger as he got out of the car again. “Agent Castro, I think we need to talk privately!”

About ten minutes later, Qin Lun walked back to Hill and Cora with a smile.

“He agreed to let us review John and his wife’s scene reports and photos but strictly forbade us from interfering in the case! Otherwise, he swore he’d complain to our superiors!”

“Haha, we only need that information anyway. As for interfering or not, I’m afraid that’s not his decision!” Hill smiled faintly, completely unconcerned about Sheriff Marov’s warning.

Since Shattered Starry Sky gave Qin Lun’s trio their Plot Identity, there would definitely be electronic identity records at Massay State Police. Regular phone inquiries were unlikely to expose them. However, if Marov discovered their interference and complained to Massay State Police higher-ups later, even if their false identities were revealed, it wouldn’t matter anymore.

“Qin Lun, you… should have asked that Centaur to let us inspect the villa crime scene, right?” Cora asked in good spirits, smiling at Qin Lun for the first time.

“Of course, Michelle will take us in!” Qin Lun smiled and pointed toward the Centaur girl approaching them.

When Michelle brought them back into the villa, the three happened to see Sheriff Marov berating the unlucky officer. The Centaur officer glared viciously at Qin Lun—if he hadn’t been tricked into revealing the victims were Massay State tourists, this wouldn’t be happening.

Entering the victims’ bedroom, Michelle turned pale, immediately covered her mouth, and rushed outside.

The bedroom was a bloody sight—even the walls and ceiling were covered in spattered blood. The three victims were a couple and their six-year-old daughter.

The couple’s arms were crossed, holding their young daughter in their embrace. All three lay together on the wide bed, the two adults turned inward hugging their daughter, their posture like a family sleeping peacefully. The father and mother’s eyes had been gouged out, leaving only terrifying bloody sockets.

Their cause of death was hard to determine—not only were their eyes gouged and throats cut, but they were also disemboweled, their organs missing, leaving chest and abdomen completely empty. However, the six-year-old daughter’s body remained intact—aside from a broken neck, she had no other external injuries.

Hill suddenly threw a meaningful look at Qin Lun and Cora. Understanding, they immediately stepped forward, blocking the doorway. Hill quickly used his gloved right hand to pry open the father’s mouth and retrieved a copper coin.

The mother and daughter also had identical copper coins in their mouths. Hill deftly pocketed the coins, then signaled his companions to move away.

After inspecting the scene, Michelle led the three back to the police station—they still needed to retrieve the Johns’ crime scene reports there.

“Qin Lun, how did you know the family killed in the villa were also Massay State tourists? Don’t tell me you just guessed randomly!” On the way back, Cora finally couldn’t resist asking in the Team Channel.

Cora knew constantly questioning Qin Lun like this made her seem foolish. But as a police officer, she couldn’t resist her professional habit of seeking the truth.

“Haha, that villa is far from the city, at the forest edge of a scenic tourist area. What type of building would you say it is?” Qin Lun asked with a smile.

“Probably a leisure villa for wealthy vacationers, or simply rental villas the scenic area provides for tourists,” Cora said after thinking. “Of course, we now know it’s the former. But that doesn’t prove the wealthy couple were from Massay State—they could be local Louis State wealthy people too.”

“Correct, just the villa type alone isn’t enough. But before we came here, Michelle mentioned this case might be the same killer’s work,” Qin Lun’s eyes gleamed as he asked seriously. “Remember, when we arrived at the scene, Marov had just finished inspecting it. That means when we were at the station, they’d only just received the emergency call. So what did the people at the station base their early guess on?”

“The geographical location of the crime scene?” Cora bit her lip, still looking slightly puzzled. “But Michelle said it was somewhat far from where the Johns were killed…”

“Distance doesn’t mean much! The start and end points of the same road are far apart too, but they’re on the same route,” Hill smiled and joined the explanation—clearly he’d understood Qin Lun’s intent long ago. “If the caller wasn’t suspicious, they usually wouldn’t describe the crime scene in great detail. Before investigation, police would only have certain guesses based on the crime scene location.”

“Our Guidance Mission ‘Mystery of Crystal Lake’ already explained the Johns got lost midway and mistakenly entered Crystal Lake Campground. They’d only planned to camp in the border forest between the two states,” Qin Lun sighed and continued. “The Johns had three children and weren’t reckless young people anymore. If they knew it was a state-government closed restricted area, they’d have immediately driven away—they wouldn’t have had an accident while camping. So they must have thought they weren’t lost and had reached their intended campsite.”

“So even though they ended up in the wrong place, the travel distance was similar—likely on a route from Massay State to Crystal Lake Campground!” Cora gradually understood. “That villa is at the edge of Crystal Lake Campground, and when the station received the call, they subconsciously guessed it was the same killer. That proves the villa and the Johns’ murder site are on the same route. Even though somewhat distant, it’s still that same road from Massay State to Crystal Lake!”

“Haha, combined with it being a vacation villa, that family was highly likely tourists from Massay State!” Hill gave the final conclusion with a light smile.

Cora looked at Qin Lun with complex emotions. What Qin Lun deduced wasn’t actually very difficult. In her former Esmira Police Department, she’d seen many detectives skilled at reasoning.

But this man seemed even more impressive—he not only remembered Michelle’s casual remark but also made the inference almost reflexively in the moment. Less like reasoning, more like… instinct!

“So if we find the villa case’s killer, we’ll also find the ‘Mystery of Crystal Lake’ clue!” Cora breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, these two cases don’t have the same killer! (The person we’re looking for isn’t the same!)” Qin Lun and Hill said simultaneously.

“Fine, whatever!” Cora looked at one, then the other, scrunching her face in frustration.