Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 101

The moment Lu Cheng finished laying out the first key point, the conference room went dead silent.

A group of seasoned investigators frowned as they followed his line of reasoning, flipping through files in their hands.

The more they thought about it, the more they realized—Lu Cheng might just be right.

From the perspective of the “Rainy Night Tailor” killer, this wasn’t simply murder. It was murder elevated into art.

A paranoid killer like him obsessed over every single detail.

Even his tools had to align with his peculiar tastes.

If the “Rainy Night Tailor” were to kill, but didn’t have his custom-made tailor’s tape, he would never just grab a random rope and strangle someone.

And just as Lu Cheng pointed out—the marks screamed imitation, and a clumsy one at that.

Several veteran detectives on the task force, including Zhao Gang, couldn’t help raising their heads to look at Lu Cheng in surprise.

Kid, are you for real?

A rookie who’d barely been involved in any homicide cases—still just a probationary cop—yet here he was dissecting the crime with such clarity that it left the veterans feeling… a little foolish.

Beside him, the top-grad recruit tilted his head back to stare at Lu Cheng in astonishment.

And he hadn’t even finished—two more key points remained. The entire task force perked up their ears.

Lu Cheng took the remote, flipped the screen to a series of crime scene photos, and continued:

“Second key point: traces left at the scene.”

On the screen appeared photos of chalky white fragments scattered across the victims’ clothes and near their bodies.

“At all three scenes, investigators found this powder—white, chalk-like, similar to tailor’s chalk.”

“In the original ‘Rainy Night Tailor’ murders, the killer did use tailor’s chalk. After every kill, he’d leave a faint mark on the victim’s collar or cuff. It was part of his twisted ritual.”

“But in these new cases…”

Lu Cheng clicked through photos in rapid succession.

“…the chalk fragments are scattered randomly, in much larger amounts. It looks careless, even deliberate—like someone wanted to draw attention to the chalk, rather than leaving behind the subtle ‘signature’ of the real Tailor. The intent is too obvious. The trace too heavy-handed. It feels staged.”

Heads nodded around the table. Imitators often fail at the details.

“Third key point—and I consider this the most important one: the trophies.”

He switched the display to three detailed lists of the victims’ personal belongings.

“In the Rainy Night Tailor case, the killer always took a small item from the victim. Something symbolic—a coin, a lighter, half a pack of cigarettes. A ‘souvenir’ of his work.”

“But in these three cases, every personal item was left behind. Wallets, phones, keys—even spare change in their pockets.”

“The imitator only copied the form of the ritual—the chalk, the method of killing—but completely ignored the essence of the Tailor’s psychology: his compulsion to collect trophies.”

Lu Cheng set down the remote and leaned back in his chair.

“In short, this is a copycat. And not a very good one. Someone trying to hide behind the Rainy Night Tailor legend—or indulge some shallow fantasy of their own.”

Silence followed, heavy with thought.

Even Qin Mian, who had suggested earlier that this might be a copycat, hadn’t been able to articulate it so precisely.

This wasn’t just about reading a few textbooks on criminology or profiling.

The three flaws Lu Cheng identified pierced straight into the heart of the imitation, exposing its weakest points.

This wasn’t observation alone—it was a deep, instinctive deconstruction of criminal psychology and behavior.

And this kid had digested a mountain of old case files in just a few hours… and grasped their essence?

A hiss of disbelief went around the room.

Qin Mian’s gaze lingered on Lu Cheng’s sharp features. He’d thought Lu Cheng was just blessed with good instincts when catching thieves. Turns out, he was just as sharp at unraveling murders.

Bringing him to Su City had been the right call. Surprise after surprise!

Zhao Gang glanced at Xiao Zhou, the promising graduate trainee sitting stiffly nearby. Sure, Xiao Zhou’s theoretical knowledge was endless—he could rattle off definitions and procedures like a textbook. But in real cases? He was stiff, unadaptable, not nearly ready to handle serious responsibility.

Compared to Lu Cheng—a probationary officer, not even formally trained in criminal investigation—who had just outshone every seasoned detective at the table.

Zhao Gang let out a quiet sigh. Talent really did make hard work look small.

The atmosphere in the room shifted. The team, exhausted and tense before, felt a flicker of renewed energy.

Still, Lu Cheng’s analysis didn’t provide a profile of the killer. They needed more.

And with only ten days allotted to solve the case, the pressure was immense.

Even so, with Qin Mian’s team here, Zhao Gang felt a bit more reassured.

Originally, he thought Qin had brought along dead weight. Turns out, he’d brought an ace.

Damn, were all young cops in Jianghai City this good? Su City had never seen the like.

Soon after, Zhao Gang took Qin Mian and Lu Cheng to re-examine the third crime scene.

On the drive, Qin Mian asked, “Do you know why we’re heading to the third scene first, rather than the other two?”

In the passenger seat, Xiao Zhou furrowed his brows, trying to reason it out. He hadn’t figured it out before Lu Cheng calmly answered:

“All three crime scenes are in abandoned or underdeveloped areas. Few people around, poor ground conditions, and it rained before and after. Biological traces—like footprints—are hard to preserve. Starting with the latest crime scene gives us the best chance of minimizing contamination.”

Xiao Zhou’s eyes widened, enlightenment hitting him like a slap.

From the rearview mirror, Zhao Gang gave Lu Cheng another long look. Damn, this kid’s logic was razor-sharp.

Brilliant brain, sharp tongue, and good looks to boot.

If only Su City had a few pretty female officers—he’d play matchmaker on the spot.

If they could keep this kid in Su City, the entire bureau would be set for life.

Across the car, Qin Mian caught Zhao Gang’s expression in the mirror, reading his thoughts with ease.

Then Qin suddenly smiled and said to Lu Cheng:

“Work hard on this case, solve it quickly, and you’ll get to go home sooner. After all, your fiancée’s still waiting for you.”

Lu Cheng blinked, stunned.

Fiancée?

What fiancée?!

He had no idea what Qin Mian was talking about.

But Zhao Gang, in the front seat, let out a silent sigh.

Seems he’d been getting ahead of himself.