Thank You, Otherwise I Would Have Been Kept in the Dark Forever

“Aren’t you smoking?” Although his face was full of confusion, Han Fei couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Mo shook his head.

“No, I was just asking if you wanted to go for a smoke, Captain Han.”

At this, Han Fei rolled his eyes at Xu Mo, thinking to himself, *If you’re not smoking, why did you call me over? You’ve got me itching for a cigarette now, and I’ve already grabbed my pack and lighter, only for you to tell me you’re not smoking?!*

*What’s wrong with you?*

In the end, Han Fei walked out of the office with his cigarette pack and lighter in hand. He had already grabbed them, and not smoking now would just leave him feeling restless.

Truth be told, Xu Mo had used this method to get Han Fei out of the office because he knew him well enough.

First, Han Fei would never smoke in his own office. If he wanted to smoke, he’d either go to the restroom, the entrance, or Xu Mo’s office.

Second, if Xu Mo had said something like, “I’m going for a smoke” or “I’m heading to the restroom,” Han Fei would most likely have responded with, “I’ll come too,” and followed him.

That would have defeated the purpose of getting Han Fei out of the way.

After Han Fei left, the forensic examiner soon followed.

“I’m not much help here, Captain Xu, so I’ll head out first.”

“Alright, go ahead,” Xu Mo replied.

Once both of them were gone, and Xu Mo was the only one left in the office, he finally took out the case clue pouch he had received as a system reward from his system space.

At first glance, it was just an ordinary little pouch, red in color, with its opening tied shut by a golden thread.

Xu Mo untied the golden thread and opened the pouch.

Inside was a small folded piece of paper, which immediately caught Xu Mo’s attention.

Without much thought, he unfolded the paper.

Before opening it, Xu Mo had considered that the note might contain the identity of the killer, the victim, or at least a detailed account of the case to help them find the murderer.

But when he actually unfolded the paper, he realized it didn’t contain any of that.

Instead, there was just an address, and oddly enough, a time was noted next to it.

Binjiang Bridge; 18:30.

That was all the note said—so little that anyone with a normal memory could glance at it once and remember it without needing a second look.

Xu Mo, after a quick glance, stuffed the note back into the pouch and casually slipped the red pouch into his pocket.

*An address and a time… Is this telling me to go to Binjiang Bridge at that specific time?*

Judging by the literal meaning, that’s exactly what the note seemed to suggest.

But Xu Mo was a bit puzzled. Wasn’t Binjiang Bridge the place where the body had been found? They had already thoroughly examined the area, and since the case was so old, there were no usable clues left at the scene.

And why 6:30 PM? Was there something special about that time?

According to the system’s description, the clues provided by the case clue pouch were crucial and could directly advance the investigation. So, the time and location given by the pouch must have some significance.

But what exactly was the significance of this time and place? Xu Mo stroked his chin thoughtfully.

*We’ve already carefully inspected Binjiang Bridge and found no useful clues, so the pouch’s guidance isn’t about finding evidence at the scene. It must be pointing me toward something else. But what?*

*The note includes a specific time, which suggests that only at that time will the clue be relevant. Why 6:30 PM? Does it mean that whatever the clue is pointing to only appears at that time?*

*What could only appear at Binjiang Bridge at 6:30 PM and still be helpful to the investigation?*

Just then, Han Fei, having finished his cigarette, pushed open the office door and walked in.

Xu Mo’s train of thought was interrupted—but not entirely. In fact, Han Fei’s sudden entrance gave Xu Mo a spark of inspiration.

The railings on the bridge, the road surface, and the streetlights were all stationary. They were always there, regardless of the time, so there was no need to stick to 6:30 PM.

But the bridge wasn’t just made up of railings, roads, and streetlights. There was something else—something that moved, something you wouldn’t see if you went at the wrong time.

Xu Mo suddenly stared at Han Fei, who had just entered, and slapped his thigh. “It’s a person!”

The reason the pouch was guiding Xu Mo to go to Binjiang Bridge at 6:30 PM was likely because someone would be there at that time.

The time was included because if Xu Mo missed it, he wouldn’t be able to meet that person.

And this person had to be someone who could help with the investigation—after all, the case clue pouch had directed Xu Mo to find them.

It was highly possible that this person was the killer from the murder case over twenty years ago!

The system hadn’t revealed the killer’s identity to Xu Mo, leaving him to figure it out on his own. Instead, it had directly told Xu Mo where the killer would appear.

This saved Xu Mo the trouble of searching for the person—he just had to go and catch them.

This method was even better than simply handing over the killer’s detailed information.

Once he figured this out, Xu Mo’s face lit up with a smile, and his mood instantly improved.

His perfect solve rate wouldn’t be broken; it would continue unblemished.

Meanwhile, Han Fei stared at Xu Mo, utterly baffled, his expression shifting constantly.

*What does Xu Mo mean by that? He looked at me and said, “It’s a person”???*

*What, did he just realize I’m a human? Was I not a person in his eyes before?!*

*This is downright insulting!*

“Of course I’m a person! If I’m not a person, what am I, a dog? What are you trying to say, Xu Mo?”

“Huh?” Xu Mo was momentarily confused. *What’s gotten into Captain Han? I never said he wasn’t a person!*

“I mean… of course I’m a person. I’ve always been a person!”

Although he didn’t understand why Han Fei was suddenly saying this, Xu Mo was in such a good mood that he even felt like joking around.

“Thanks for letting me know. I might have gone my whole life without realizing it.”

Han Fei: “???”

“Just kidding, just kidding… Captain Han, you misunderstood. When you came in, those two words weren’t directed at you. I just had a breakthrough in the case, and you happened to walk in at the moment I said them.”

“Oh?” Hearing this, Han Fei immediately forgot his earlier annoyance. “Tell me more.”