"Whoosh!"

At half past six in the morning, a firework whooshed across the sky west of Huanghai and exploded, shattering the morning stillness.

The fireworks were amazing, so beautiful that they attracted the curious gaze of many people who woke up early. I wonder which family had such good fortune to set off these colorful fireworks so early in the morning.

A few people I know remembered, this month seems to be the fourth time seeing fireworks.

And it seems like they were all in the morning.

As the crowd stirred with curiosity in the morning, but continued their daily routines, six blue and white patrol cars arrived from different directions, their sirens blaring. They sped past the bustling city streets to Chunhua Villas, the location where fireworks had ascended into the sky. The vehicles quickly lined up in front of the jade steps, doors swinging open to release a contingent of heavily armed officers. They efficiently cordoned off the entire area.

A car swerved out, revealing a middle-aged one-eyed policeman in his forties. He had a hooked nose, large ears that caught the wind, and his eyes sparkled with intelligence. Veins on his hands protruded like snakes. He ignored the white kid in the following car who was looking curiously at him. With a few finger gestures, he directed seven or eight police officers to follow him as he strode towards the mansion with a solemn expression.

The white boy lightly sniffed the air, a faint fishy smell wafting into his nose. He hesitated for a moment before finally unbuckling his seatbelt and walking towards the villa.

"Whoosh!"

After the white boy followed the one-eyed policeman into the room, a jeep also roared up, stopping in front of the police tape. Then three young men jumped out of the car.

They were all wearing police uniforms, radiating youthfulness and professionalism.

The police officers around stiffened slightly and the officer at the front shouted to Zi Qi.

"Dragon Team!"

The uniform-clad recruit, nicknamed "Dragon Team," was tall and well-proportioned with a full bust. Her features were flawless: a classic oval face, a delicate nose, a small and smooth mouth like polished jade. Her facial contours were sharply defined, as if carved by a knife. Her black hair was tied high in a bun, neatly concealed beneath her police hat. Combined with her piercing gaze, she exuded an undeniable air of authority.

Facing the respectful greetings of over ten police officers, his face didn't show much emotion. He just nodded slightly and led two companions forward. His leather shoes stepped on the marble floor like a steady drumbeat, tapping rhythmically against everyone's heart. Soon, he stood in the luxurious dining room of the villa. Ignoring the busy police officers and the surrounding environment, his eyes were directly fixed on the place he most wanted to pay attention to.

In my vision, a man in his fifties or so sat slumped in a chair. His chest and abdomen were covered with a large red patch, life extinguished. It was clear he had died slowly.

There was a wallet next to the deceased's feet, but it was empty of cash. The rings on his hands, the necklace around his neck, and the chain were all gone, leaving only faint traces.

Leng Yanzi raised her eyebrows slightly: "Robbery and murder?"

"Dragon Team!"

On the scene, the busy policemen quickly saw the three of Leng Yanzi. Everyone unconsciously paused their work and respectfully greeted her with "Captain Long," demonstrating Leng Yanzi's absolute status in the police force. Only the young man in white ignored their arrival, carrying his hands behind his back as he surveyed the scene, lost in thought, like a leader on an undercover visit.

"Zixuan, Zixuan..."

The one-eyed officer tugged at his shirt and gave him several pointed looks, obviously wanting him to say hello to the cold beauty. But the white boy ignored him completely, staring straight ahead without a word. A touch of helplessness flashed across the one-eyed officer's face. Kids from the mountains just hadn't seen the world. They were as stiff as stones when they saw a dead person.

He really shouldn't have brought him to the scene in such a hurry!

Who is this guy?

When the one-eyed officer glared at the young boy with displeasure, Leng Yan's eyes also flashed a trace of surprise: how could he be here? There were many questions in her mind, but seeing that the surrounding officers didn't react much to the white boy, she couldn't figure out his background for a while, so she didn't waste too much effort and shifted her attention back to the matter at hand.

"What on earth happened here?"

Hearing the cold stare’s questioning again, the forty-something one-eyed policeman walked to the side and raised a radiant smile:

"Long team, are you back from your study trip in the capital? It must have been hard work all the way! You didn't even take a break to rest, and you're already busy with cases!"

He sighed: "As expected of the People's Guards!"

"Uncle Qi, stop talking nonsense!"

Leng Yanzi fixed her gaze on the scene and uttered, "Crime never stops, I have no heart to rest! Tell me about the situation at the scene!" She sneered, "Let me see who's bold enough to commit a crime on my turf. Humph, they really have guts to challenge Long Qiuhui!" With a flick of her left hand, she commanded her two companions to get to work.

Then, her gaze fell on the young man who walked into the hall and surveyed the decorations. He remained oblivious to their presence, as if he hadn't heard their conversation at all, acting with an arrogant and indifferent air. At such a young age, he was already so conceited, which added a layer of disdain to Leng Yanzi's expression. If he hadn't been there in person, she would have probably kicked him out.

At the same time, another question arose: who let him in? Why wasn't he stopped?

Long Qiu Hui, the captain of the criminal investigation team in Huaihai, is both a brilliant policewoman and a nightmare for criminals. In her three years on the force, she has dismantled fifteen criminal gangs and apprehended nearly a hundred notorious criminals, including eleven fugitives. Of course, what draws the most attention is her father, who is the renowned Dragon Aotien of Huaihai.

The richest man in Huahui, with assets worth billions!

A person who has wealth, achievements, good looks, and talent is always prone to arrogance. They usually don't even bother with the captain or the chief. Seeing this white kid putting on airs in front of them, they can't help but feel a hint of scorn. However, at this moment, they aren't interested in the other person much; after being away from their post for three months, they are more focused on understanding this murder case.

"Uncle Seven, tell us about the situation at the scene!"

"Yes!"

At this time, the one-eyed policeman nicknamed "Seventh Uncle," Direct, retracted his broad smile slightly: “The deceased, Jin Da Ya, was 53 years old. He was a well-known antique businessman in our city with assets worth over 100 million yuan. His business included eleven stores and he had two sons. Yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m., he left home and didn't return overnight. The police arrived this morning after seeing the fireworks and discovered him!"

"Judging by the appearance, he had just died recently, succumbing to multiple wounds. The murderer, however, is nowhere to be seen."

He added, "This is Jin Da Ya's mansion. There are no maids or bodyguards!"

"Gold Tooth...I know quite a bit about him!"

A glimmer flashed in Long Qiu Hui's eyes as memories surfaced from her father’s casual conversations: "Making a fortune wasn't clean. Thirteen years ago, he was a tomb robber, amassing initial capital before going straight and becoming an antique dealer in this city. But these past few years, he's been fairly honest, even doing some charitable work!"

"Building bridges, repairing roads, sponsoring orphans, thinking he would have a good ending, but didn't expect to be killed!"

"Uncle Seven, get someone to look into his social connections and see if there are any suspects. Quickly assess the nature of this incident!"

When Qi Shu responded, he immediately made arrangements. Long Qiuhui walked through the luxurious dining room and kitchen again. The gas stove was warm, with a pot of hot sweet potato porridge on it. On the marble table, besides a bunch of artificial roses, there were four dishes of side dishes for porridge: a dish of scallion eggs, a dish of carrots, a dish of chili peppers, and a dish of peanuts.

There was only one set of chopsticks and a bowl on the table, and the bowl was empty.

The murderer had clearly cooked, heated the pot, simmered porridge, prepared a meal, and ate breakfast in front of Jin Dayu who was slowly dying before leaving.

Long Qiu Hui couldn't help but sneer: "This murderer is really calm and composed in their actions."

Just then, a voice came softly: "A person who kills many people will not be anxious about anything else no matter what they do."

Long Qiuhui frowned and turned to look. She saw Bai Xiazi swaggering towards her. The coldness in his eyes was replaced by a warm smile. Hearing his words that encouraged the murderer's spirit, Long Qiuhui's impression of him became even worse. Just as she was about to speak out and ask who he was, Bai Xiazi calmly said: "The murderer killed Jin Da Ya, so it can be ruled out for financial gain."

Long Qiuhui let out a cold snort. "You know again?"

It's obvious!

The young man seemed to have anticipated the question, pointing his finger around the walls: “There are thirteen paintings in total hanging in the hall and dining room, and there are twenty-one Ming and Qing vases placed in every corner, worth over thirty million. If the murderer was truly after money, they could have easily carried away any of them. Now, not one is missing, which doesn't make sense for a motive of greed!”

"Jin Day's wallet and jewelry are just a smokescreen, misleading the police into thinking he killed for money!"

Long Qiu Hui sneered, "Could it be that the murderer is so ignorant, unable to recognize calligraphy and ancient artifacts?"

The young man's face showed no displeasure, maintaining a warm and polite smile: "The perpetrator who could quietly kill Jin Datian and still calmly finish breakfast, if you think this person is short-sighted and can't tell the difference between genuine and fake ancient calligraphy and paintings, I can only say that it's absurd. Besides, if it was truly for wealth, the murderer would definitely rather kill than let go, rolling up all the ancient calligraphy and paintings!"

Uncle Qi nodded. "That makes sense!"

Long Qiu Hui's face darkened. "Don't be so arrogant!"

A young man asked in a low voice, "Uncle Qi, this is how many times fireworks have appeared?"

Uncle Qi was slightly taken aback, and blurted out involuntarily: "This is the fourth time. Every time it appears, someone dies!"

He obviously didn't expect the white kid to ask him a question, but he finished what he had to say: "All the dead are prominent people in Huanghai City. In other words, after the killer finishes killing, they will set off fireworks to notify us to come over. That's why the police were able to arrive here first. Unfortunately, they still didn't catch the murderer!"

Long Qiuhui frowned: "Four fireworks, four lives, a serial killer."

Uncle Qi nodded. "Yes, and there wasn't a single clue left at the scene."

The young man let out a long breath: "What about the dead people? Were there any special relationships between the four victims?"

The one-eyed officer firmly shook his head. "No, absolutely not." He then explained, "We've investigated, and although the four victims were all prominent individuals, they came from different fields and only knew each other superficially. They had no deep connections and didn't interact often. As for their backgrounds, we haven't found any common ground yet."

"Even the crime scenes had no commonalities. Four people, four different ways of dying, and the time of death varied greatly. Eating breakfast in front of the deceased was also unprecedented!"

Long Qiu Hui's eyes flashed a hint of light: "Could it be a random killing?"

The white boy shook his head. "No, they must be in contact!"

Long Qiu Hui's eyes turned cold: "Uncle Qi has eaten the public grain for twenty years and never made a mistake."

Uncle Qi sighed: "If we must say there's a common point, it's only the fireworks!"

"I understand!"

The white kid stretched carelessly, not paying attention to Long Qiuhui's unceremonious reprimand. In his bright, youthful eyes, there flickered a look more seasoned than both Seventh Uncle and Long Qiuhui: "I just feel that among the four deceased, there must be some divine connection. The deaths of these four people are all tied together by an invisible thread!"

It's a pity we still haven't found this rope.

He coughed lightly: "Four lives, perhaps just the beginning!" As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the dining table. Before Long Qiuhui could utter a reprimand, the young man sat down at the seat with bowls and chopsticks. He glanced at Jin Dayaya and then fixed his gaze on the remaining food in front of him. He reached for the chopsticks on the table, but quickly withdrew his hand.

His eyes flashed.

Long Qiuhui and Qi Shu's eyes immediately followed.

The murderer used his left hand.

"Yes!"

He prefers to eat carrots.

"That's right!"

The chopsticks are on the left of the bowl, and most other dishes remain largely untouched. There's only water left in the carrot dish.

Long Qiuhui was a bit angry with herself. Her observation skills were even worse than an unknown kid. She couldn't help but yell, "Who exactly are you?"

He is Dai's distant relative, came to Huhai from the mountains to see the world!

The one-eyed officer's heart skipped a beat as he took over the conversation: "I just got off the train!"

The young man stood up and stretched languidly, "Yè Zijǐn!"

"Distant relative?"

Long Qiu Hui was startled, then shouted angrily: "You riff-raff, get out of here!"