Ryan Foster suddenly realized that the brief confrontation between the two of them in the break room just now was actually the only time Logan Clark had ever shown genuine emotion—even if it was probably just because there was no one else around, so he could lose his temper without any scruples. That rage was like magma erupting from deep underground, but in the blink of an eye it cooled rapidly, perfectly condensing into a field of hard, silent basalt.

But why?

What would make someone hide their true anger and resentment behind an act, and how long could they endure it?

Ryan Foster opened his mouth, then suddenly paused, pulling something from his pocket and tossing it over without explanation: “If you’re fine, come to the scene with me. Get in the car.”

Logan Clark caught it off guard and looked down—it was a car key. “—Huh?”

“Drive,” Ryan Foster retorted. “Or do you want me to be your chauffeur?”

Logan Clark’s back was probably still hurting badly; it showed in the way he stood. But he held it in, said nothing, took the car key and headed for the driver’s seat. Suddenly, he heard Ryan Foster call from behind: “Hey!”

Logan Clark turned his head.

“Put out the cigarette, it’s bad for your health.” Ryan Foster paused, then calmly added the real reason: “And I don’t smoke, so when I’m in the car, the driver isn’t allowed to smoke.”

Logan Clark lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

Ryan Foster waited patiently for his reaction. After a moment, he saw him look up, biting down hard on his canine teeth, a smile slowly spreading from his eyes to the corners of his mouth.

Ryan Foster was taken aback.

When Logan Clark wasn’t smiling, every detail of his features seemed measured with a ruler—brows, eyes, lips, nose, all flawless, like a standard sculpture model, with a mask-like humility and gentleness. But when he looked at someone and smiled, the curve of his lips was strikingly beautiful, as if a stiff stone statue had suddenly come to life.

“You don’t smoke, huh,” he said with a light smile, teeth clenched, “then let me teach you.”

Then he lowered his head and took a deep drag, and seeing no one else around, suddenly leaned in and placed his hand on Ryan Foster’s left shoulder, exhaling the smoke cleanly and thoroughly right by his right ear.

“……” In that instant, Ryan Foster could almost feel Logan Clark’s cool lips on his ear. He stood there, as if frozen, every muscle in his body tensed.

But right after, Logan Clark let go and stepped back, his black-and-white eyes fixed on him, stubbed out the cigarette hard on the stair railing, and got in the car, slamming the door shut.

Chapter 5

“The deceased was a fifteen-year-old female, about 1.58 meters tall, weighing between forty-one and forty-four kilograms. Considering the heavy rain at the time of the crime, the hot and stuffy environment where the body was kept, and the moist surrounding soil, the preliminary estimate is that the time of death was about thirty-four to thirty-five hours ago, that is, between 10:30 and 11:30 the night before last, which matches the witness’s statement.”

Several Jinbei police vans from the Caiying District police station were parked on the river embankment, with police tape cordoning off a large area of overgrown grass. The forensics photographer from the technical team had already taken a round of photos. The head of the criminal division, Old Reed, was squatting on the inspection mat, while the medical examiner, also squatting like a big monkey, tapped the clipboard with the tip of his pen:

“The only obvious injury visible on the body is on the upper left chest, at the rib, about 7.5 centimeters deep—enough to penetrate the chest wall and injure the pericardium, causing traumatic cardiac rupture, which then led to acute pericardial tamponade and death. Of course, this is just a preliminary assessment. The actual cause of death and the characteristics of the murder weapon will require further autopsy, but for now, this is the most likely scenario…”

Captain Reed, with his clean, shiny bald spot, had been warned by his wife many times not to scratch his head, but in this situation he couldn’t help himself: “No other clues? The perpetrator’s footprints, fingerprints, bloodstains, residual DNA?”

“The scene was badly damaged by the heavy rain—there’s no congealed blood at all, and the footprints were washed away long ago. The victim’s clothes were intact and there were no signs of restraint, so rape is unlikely. It’s doubtful we’ll find any clues from vaginal swabs either.” The medical examiner shook his head and sighed. “Other residual cells from the body will have to be processed by the Nancheng team. By the way, why aren’t they—”

“Mr. Reed!” A police officer shouted from a distance, his voice cracking: “The Nancheng team is here!”

Police sirens flashed at the end of the winding road. Five or six police cars, led by a black jeep, suddenly burst into view. Several cars scrambled to get out of the way but couldn’t in time. The police cars accelerated, leaving only a blur, slicing through the traffic like scalpels, and in the next moment, they all charged up the embankment, engines roaring as they arrived!

Vroom—

The cars drifted around the corner, rubber tires screeching against the ground, dirt flying in a huge fan in all directions. A row of well-equipped police cars stopped in unison, red and blue lights flashing urgently, instantly making the police station’s van look like junk.

The whole scene fell silent. The medical examiner’s pen dropped to the ground with a clatter, and he muttered what everyone was thinking:

“…Damn, the branch office really has money…”

“So annoying…”

Captain Reed hurried forward: “Hey! Foster's Team!”