Star Trace Gate

Ren Ye looked towards the side of the stairs and found that his view was blocked by the wall of the corridor. He could not see the stairs at all, and the position where he was standing was also a blind spot.

"…This place is quite remote, a good place to do some cricket-related things behind your back."

Ren also retracted his gaze, checked the scratches on the wall and the dead mouse in his palm, and murmured softly: "The dust on the scratches has been wiped off, and the dead mouse should not have been dead for a long time, otherwise the stench would definitely be stronger."

As he muttered, he deliberately stretched out his right hand and kept adjusting his body posture along the scratch marks.

After a while, he put the dead mouse back into the hole, squatted down at the foot of the wall smoothly, and took notes in a small notebook.

He felt that these two pieces of information were more important, but they were far from enough to prove anything, so he just made a record and arranged the clues out of habit.

After everything was ready, he returned to the second floor and entered his own room first.

Inside the room, the lights were dim. Ren Ye stood at the door and looked up at the four walls. His eyes were fixed on the bloodstains scattered on the walls, sliding slowly.

He wanted to try to find out Song Mingzhe's logic behind the murder, and he thought that bloodstains were a good entry point.

Are the amounts of blood in each of the eight rooms the same? Which has more, which has less? Is there any logic to the arrangement?

Be slow and patient...

After Ren finished looking at the Lizi room, he went to other people's rooms.

During the day, the doors of the eight rooms can be opened. They are only completely closed after 8:30 pm and until 6 am the next morning.

Time passed by minute by minute, Ren Ye searched every room one by one, and it was noon in a blink of an eye.

In the last Xun room, Ren Ye slowly stood up and muttered with a very focused expression: "The bloodstains on the wall look just like sanitary napkins. It's too accidental and too messy. I should...?"

"Tap, tap!"

Just as he was concentrating on thinking, there was a sudden sound of footsteps in the hall on the second floor outside the door. The sound was very light, but it could not escape the ears of the third-grade master.

who? !

Who's walking?

Did Song Mingzhe go to work early? !

Ren Ye's hair stood on end instantly. He raised his hand and called out the Human Emperor Sword, then rushed out of the Xun room in one step.

The lights in the hall on the second floor were bright, and there was not a single ghost in sight.

Beads of sweat oozed from Ren Ye's forehead. He glanced around cautiously and walked down the stairs to the first floor carefully.

"brush!"

At this moment, a pair of eyes stared at his back, and smiled and said: "Young man, I have made the portrait for you, where do you think it should be placed...?"

The moment that gaze was fixed on Ren Ye's back, he turned around and swung his sword decisively.

"brush!"

A disheveled figure dodged from the blind spot of the cabinet, bent over and shouted, "Don't chop, don't chop, we are one family, brothers...!"

"call!"

Ren Ye looked with wide eyes, only to see a fat figure holding a takeaway bag, looking at him with lingering fear.

The two looked at each other, and he immediately broke down and cursed: "I'll interrupt you a few times! If you scare people, it will cost lives!"

"I was just trying to interrupt you, it was just a joke, but you really wanted to chop me?" Fatty Tan cursed with a pale face, "If I hadn't dodged quickly, my head would have been chopped off by this sword."

"Neuropathy."

Ren Ye cursed under his breath and walked up the stairs: "Why are you back? Didn't you go out on your own?"

"Hey, the captain feels sorry for you, and feels sorry for you being alone here, so he brought you lunch." Fat Tan said softly, "Besides, I also thought that the smartest people in this team are you and me. Looking for a way to solve the problem by relying on those idiots who are fighting among themselves is no different from committing suicide."

As he spoke, he walked to the long table and put down the fast food bag: "This morning has passed, what have you found out?"

"How do you know I didn't leave?"

"I ran into Brother Hong at the door this morning. He said you were planning to stay and look for clues." Fatty Tan turned and looked at him: "How is it going? Did you get anything?"

Ren Ye put away the Human Emperor Sword, sat down on the chair, and shook his head slowly, "I checked all eight rooms, starting with the bloodstains on the wall, trying to find some kind of pattern, but failed... The bloodstains on the wall are too messy. No matter what kind of logical deduction I use, I can't figure out the pattern of how Song Mingzhe selects prisoners and kills them."

Fatty Tan also sat down, holding his fat face with his right hand and said, "I've thought about it carefully. Song Mingzhe, Pan Lianrong, and Song An, these three characters, have already revealed dozens of clues. The information given is too much and too messy, which makes us lose our judgment on the direction of the investigation. Damn, this Star Gate is really annoying. It gives people a feeling of no solution."

Ren Ye suddenly looked up and said, "Let's go!"

"What are you doing?" Fat Tan felt that he was a little weird.

"He kills people every day, and there is a dead animal in every mourning hall." Ren also looked at him: "Where do those animals come from?"

Fat Tan reacted instantly: "The backyard of the villa!"

"Yes." Ren nodded: "Let's go and take a look."

"it is good!"

After the voice fell, the two of them stood up together and quickly left the villa.

They went outside, hid in the waist-high grass, and sneaked towards the backyard.

Ren also wanted to catch two animals and observe them closely to see if he could find some clues.

However, what he did not expect was that when the two of them gradually approached the backyard, the chimpanzee that had appeared before was sitting on the wall and saw them at a glance.

"Zhizhi——!"

When the chimpanzee saw the two men, it suddenly started chirping.

"Crash!"

In just a moment, the grass in the backyard surged like a green wave, and countless animals fled. They either jumped over the wall or escaped through dog holes, mouse holes and other nooks and crannies. Even the birds in the trees flew away.

Ren Ye and Tan Pang chased all the way to the wall, climbed up, and wanted to jump over the wall to catch him, but they saw many members of the bald law enforcement team on the side of the street, and they could see this side at a glance.

"Damn, are these animals spirits?" Fatty Tan whispered, "Are they so quick to react? They look much smarter than tigers."

"You're such a bad mouth." Ren also rolled his eyes. "There are two possibilities: First, the rules don't allow us to catch animals, so they'll notice us when we come; second, these animals might be raised by Song Mingzhe, and he comes to catch them every day, which makes these animals very alert."

"It makes sense."

"Damn it... We still have the whole afternoon left. We can't just fight animals." Ren Ye jumped off the wall: "There are bald guys outside. If we go out like this, we will definitely be suspected. Let's go back!"

"Ah."

……

Twenty minutes later.

In the lobby on the second floor, after Ren Ye finished his meal, he sat on a chair and thought deeply.

"...Brother, what on earth are you thinking about? Tell me about it!" Fatty Tan squinted at him and said, "Why do I think you are...even less reliable than those idiots out there who are fighting among themselves?"

Ren also glanced at him: "There is another direction, but... but it involves gambling."

"I'm not afraid of gambling now, I'm just afraid of not having anything to gamble with." Fatty Tan replied very honestly: "Let me hear what you say."

Ren Ye stood up upon hearing this, walked to the window, and instantly entered a very dazed state: "Feel it, feel it with your heart...Imagine yourself as Song Mingzhe, set the time to an evening, and you may see a picture."

Fat Tan blinked his eyes and was able to follow Ren Ye's thoughts and rhythm: "Fast food?!"

"Yes, fast food."

Ren Ye walked in the house with his head down, narrating in a very immersed manner: "The street where the setting sun was falling was covered with golden color... A man in his forties, wearing a windbreaker and carrying eight boxes of hot fast food in his hands, left a fast food restaurant. He walked along the cement road and even greeted familiar people enthusiastically when he saw them. To outsiders, he might be easy-going, good-tempered, and not arrogant. But when he walked on the street, his heart must be hot, excited and excited. He was looking forward to the arrival of the night, because only at night could he take off all disguises, ignore the identity of the justice organization, completely immerse himself in choosing the 'prey', and release the perverted emotions in his heart to kill the prisoners. In this villa, there is no 'above', no grievance, he is the supreme authority here, and can decide the life and death of anyone... This feeling is very good, isn't it?"

Fat Tan held his cheek with his hand and listened attentively with a frown on his face.

Ren Ye was completely immersed in the role of Song Mingzhe, with rich expressions: "He walked a long way to the gate of the abandoned villa, slowly pushed open the heavy door... walked to the backyard, and grabbed the animals he secretly raised. Then, he tied the animals and came into the villa... There were weeds and mud on his trouser legs."

"He was calm and reserved, and he took his time to do things, so he wasn't in a hurry to deal with his prey. He distributed the fast food he bought to the prisoners one by one, and watched them wolf it down as if they had received a gift... He left calmly, took a shower, and ate. Then, in the hall on the second floor, he took out the sacrificial items one by one, wiped and cleaned them one by one... making them look as bright as new, and even specially prepared a portrait for the prey. He felt that he had never let down every life that was about to die."

"It was half past eight. He chose a room and slowly pushed open the iron door. He was quiet and polite, announcing the death of his prey like God." Ren Ye said this and slowly raised his head and said, "So, what kind of person is Song Mingzhe?"

When Fat Tan heard this, he frowned and said, "It's a bit contradictory."

"Where's the contradiction?" Ren Ye asked, looking at him with red eyes.

"In the Taoist temple, judging from the relationship between Song Mingzhe and Lu Wentian, he is a person who values ​​interests very much and is very thoughtful. Otherwise, he would not keep talking about protecting the interests of those above him." Fatty Tan said faintly: "For a person with such a personality, you say that he kills people because he is perverted and wants to feel good. I always feel that something is wrong..."

"No, this is not contradictory." Ren Ye immediately waved his hand and said, "People who protect the interests of the upper class and their own interests, and are selfish by nature, can't they be perverted? Can't they have a dark side that is unknown to others?! I have made a psychological portrait of Song Mingzhe. He is a person who attaches great importance to ritual. If killing the prisoner can satisfy his personal interests and his perverted habits, isn't this a kind of enjoyment for him? Preparing a portrait, buying all kinds of yellow paper, candles... Are they all sacrifices that must be prepared for killing? He goes to the fast food restaurant to buy lunch boxes every day, rain or shine, is it just to fill the prisoners' stomachs? If it is just to prevent them from starving to death, wouldn't it be more convenient to buy thirty boxes of instant noodles and put them here? At least you don't have to buy meals every day."

"And you should notice that he always walks, never drives, and never rushes." Ren also emphasized: "Also, he only kills one person a day. You can never explain such a long-lasting habit by saying it's work. Work is lazy and tiring... but he obviously enjoys it."

Fatty Tan looked at Ren Ye in surprise: "Oh my God, you are not an accomplice of Song Mingzhe?!"

"If you want to solve the puzzle he left behind, you have to become him." Ren Ye said proudly, "And this is my specialty."

"Detective - Sandbag?!"

"Don't say useless things." Ren also waved his hand.

Fatty Tan pondered over Ren Ye's words and said, "Are you telling me this to figure out his personality and habits, so as to find a direction?"

"Do you play games regularly?" Ren Ye suddenly asked.

Fat Tan shook his head: "Very little."

"Let me give you an example." Ren Ye bent down and sat down, and said with great concentration: "If a person loves games very much, is very focused, and is very rigorous, then what would he expect when he goes to work every day?"

Fat Tan instinctively said, "After get off work, go home at night, close the door, call a few friends, and have some fun."

"That's right." Ren nodded and said, "According to our previous thinking, for Song Mingzhe, his daily happiness is this time in the evening. And for a gamer, what would he do when he is free during the daytime at work?"

Fat Tan shook his head: "I seldom play games."

"I tell you, he can't help but check out the guide, check out the relevant forums, official websites, posts, etc., and he might even go to the game group." Ren Ye looked at him and said word by word, "But Song Mingzhe's hobbies are obviously impossible to discuss with others. But he must have related habits, such as looking up the information about Yin-Yang Taoism. Obviously, he must like Yin-Yang Bagua or something... For example, he will take some notes, find some information that can enhance the excitement and the sense of ritual, etc. He may even make a photo album of his masterpieces and secretly appreciate them... In short, anything is possible."

"Okay, then where would he put these things?!" Ren Ye suddenly asked, "Don't think, just answer me directly."

"Home!" Fat Tan said instinctively.

"No, that's not right." Ren also shook his head: "You overlooked a detail. The information that the woman found earlier mentioned that Song Mingzhe did not return home until 11 o'clock every night. In other words, he went back to rest directly after killing someone. It's like when you have sex with your wife. Once it's over, you feel empty and don't want to do anything but sleep because your desires have been satisfied. Therefore, the sense of anticipation and thinking about these things must be the strongest before killing someone."

At this point, the two of them instantly made eye contact and asked at the same time: "Where does he work?!"

After saying this, Ren Ye frowned again: "No, there is another possibility. It is a separate house that no one knows about. It is his own secret hut and will not be disturbed by anyone."

"That makes sense, that makes sense..." Fat Tan was instantly excited and instinctively asked, "Where can we find such a place?"

"Heh." Ren also laughed and was about to reply.

"Snapped!"

Fatty Tan slapped his thigh and answered himself: "Song Mingzhe was finally caught and executed in public by the law enforcement team. In other words, the things he did must have been investigated. The law enforcement team must know where he works during the day, or there is such a house."

He stood up and shouted, "Nothing wrong, it's time for us to do the bald head!"

Ren also recalled the various grievances he had experienced in Binhai City before, and sneered: "Today, there will be a bloody revenge!"