Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 100

The conference room was filled with the entire task force. No women present—just a few old-timers chain-smoking.

Men smoked when talking after meals, gossiping, or… thinking.

Judging by their frequency of lighting up, it was clear this case was exhausting their brain cells.

On the projection screen, case files flipped page by page—text descriptions, crime scene photos.

Struggle marks in the mud at a rain-soaked construction site. Chalk outlines of bodies scrawled on the empty concrete floors of abandoned buildings. Dark brown stains seeping into the cracks of partially demolished walls.

Three murder cases. Three lives abruptly ended, each like a heavy lead weight pressing on the heart.

Lu Cheng’s expression was calm, but inside, he was far from peaceful.

For a rookie dealing with a second homicide, a serial murder case was shocking.

Why had Zhao Gang gone so far as to call in Qin Mian for assistance?

Because these murders bore a striking resemblance to the infamous “Rainy Night Tailor Case” in Jianghai six years ago.

At the time, Qin Mian wasn’t yet a team leader.

The squad leader then was Qin Mian’s mentor—a veteran detective with formidable skill.

Qin Mian had recounted the case to Lu Cheng on the high-speed train: a career-defining, mentally draining milestone in his professional life.

The killer targeted rainy nights, using a tailor’s soft measuring tape to strangle victims, taking a small personal item from the body as a “souvenir.”

The modus operandi carried a chilling sense of ritual.

The investigation lasted four months, consuming vast police resources. Only after enlisting Ji Bochuan’s help were they able to bring the seemingly ordinary yet inwardly twisted tailor to justice.

Listening, Lu Cheng felt a surge of excitement, craving to tackle such a case himself.

And now, a highly similar case was unfolding in Sucheng.

Lu Cheng, like a quiet observer, sat in a corner of the conference room, sharing printed case files with another young officer.

The young officer sat straight, eyes fixed on the projection screen, notebook on his lap, scribbling every so often.

He reminded Lu Cheng of the prodigy Yuan Jie.

Since the young officer wasn’t using the files, Lu Cheng took them.

Among the documents were photocopies of the “Rainy Night Tailor Case” files from six years ago—brought over by Qin Mian three days prior at Zhao Gang’s request.

To solve the case, nothing could be overlooked. Every detail had to be understood.

Lu Cheng opened the file. The case summary read:

Three victims, all men around forty-five, with simple social ties and no apparent grudges.

All were killed late at night or in the early morning hours.

Cause of death: forceful strangulation of the neck, resulting in mechanical asphyxiation.

Methodical, precise, leaving minimal evidence at the scene…

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind.

Only a calm brain could think clearly and reason rigorously.

The system skill [Unraveling Threads lv2] activated. Lu Cheng felt his senses deepen, the words and images on the page spreading like ink in water.

Countless tiny details illuminated, connecting to form a vast, intricate web of logic.

Isolated, overlooked details began to arrange themselves automatically in his mind, interrogating each other.

He hadn’t formally used this skill before, yet it had already reached level two. Now, Lu Cheng truly felt its power.

After a long moment…

“Brilliant!”

He couldn’t help but whisper.

The office was silent. His voice was soft, but everyone heard it.

By now, the briefing had concluded; it was time for analysis.

The task force had already noted that these three murders bore a striking resemblance to the “Rainy Night Tailor Case” Qin Mian had investigated.

Zhao Gang suspected some connection.

But the previous killer had been caught, and six years had passed—connection seemed unlikely.

After pondering, Qin Mian suggested imitation. The killer may have studied the old case in depth and tried to replicate it. After all, the original case had caused quite a stir.

Zhao Gang nodded. Very likely.

“Everyone, share your thoughts…”

His gaze swept over the team. In the corner, Qin Mian’s young assistant remained buried in his own world, apparently unaware of the discussion.

Zhao Gang thought to himself: This young guy Qin brought along… he’s probably useless.

Suddenly, the youth spoke.

All eyes turned to Lu Cheng.

According to Qin Mian, he was just a probationary officer—but supposedly talented. Here to train.

Not a criminal investigator?

A rookie policeman?

The team exchanged skeptical looks. Too hasty.

This wasn’t a routine homicide—it was a serial murder, with only ten days to solve.

Every member of the task force was an elite detective, with even the assistants having top-level skills.

A probationary officer participating in a serial murder case? Unheard of.

Talented? How talented?

They were about to find out.

Qin Mian raised an eyebrow. Among everyone, he knew Lu Cheng best. Perhaps the boy had noticed something.

He asked, “Lu Cheng, have you found anything?”

Lu Cheng remained calm. “I have a small observation.”

Zhao Gang’s interest piqued. “Now’s the time for brainstorming—any discovery is welcome.”

Judging by his age, Lu Cheng was barely twenty-one or twenty-two, likely still in probation. Yet he remained steady, a sharp contrast to the nervous, shy young prodigy beside him.

Lu Cheng stood, voice low but clear:

“These three cases show heavy signs of imitation. At least three key points deliberately replicate the six-year-old ‘Rainy Night Tailor Case’ in Jianghai.”

Three key points?

That’s your ‘small observation’?!

In such a serious setting, he’d better not be bluffing.

At that moment, Qin Mian tensed subtly.

Zhao Gang and the others straightened, listening intently.

Lu Cheng continued methodically:

“First key point: the victims.”

He flipped through the photos in the file, pointing to each.

“All similar in age, all manual laborers. Killed at night in secluded areas. This fully mirrors the ‘Rainy Night Tailor’ pattern.”

“But the problem is…”

He switched to a detail in the forensic report.

“Victims in the original case had a very distinctive ‘double-strand twisting’ bruising pattern on the neck—the killer used both ends of the soft tape simultaneously to create it.”

“These three cases…”

“The ligature marks are single, edges blurred, consistent with ordinary rope or belt. The essence is missing. The killer only copied the surface, without mastering the unique tool or technique. They probably assumed strangling alone constituted imitation.”