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"It was indeed the case. Because both murder cases involved the remains of a black cat, we concluded that the perpetrator of both crimes was the same person," Song Nian said.
"No, that's not what I meant," came the reply.
"Hmm?"
Taking a deep breath, Song Nian organized his thoughts and continued, "Think about it. When Shen Zhi was killed, there was a clear piece of evidence left at the scene—a lighter. Aside from the lighter, there was almost no other evidence. We thought the owner of the lighter, Wang Jian, was the murderer, but he had an alibi. Then, when Wang Jian was killed, there were also clear pieces of evidence left at the scene—several strands of long hair. Apart from those strands, there was almost no other evidence. We assumed the owner of the long hair, Xiao Wanshan, was the murderer, but she too had an alibi."
"…"
"Based on these circumstances, we can summarize a formula: A is murdered, and next to the body is a black cat's remains. There is clear evidence pointing to B as the murderer, who also has a motive to kill A; however, B has an alibi. Then B is murdered, and next to their body are black cat remains again. Clear evidence points to C as the murderer, who also has a motive to kill B; yet C has an alibi as well. If this formula holds true, then next..."
Zou Xingjing quickly followed Song Nian's line of reasoning and suddenly exclaimed, "C will be killed!"
"Exactly! The next one to be killed will be Xiao Wanshan! If Xiao Wanshan is really murdered, according to our formula, her body will have black cat remains beside it. There will be clear evidence pointing to D as the murderer, who also has a motive to kill Xiao Wanshan; yet D will have an alibi..."
"No!" Zou Xingjing interrupted loudly. "Xiao Wanshan cannot be killed! I must prevent the next murder from happening!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned the steering wheel sharply and sped toward the 4S shop where Xiao Wanshan worked. On the way, he called his subordinates to immediately send people over to provide twenty-four-hour protection for Xiao Wanshan—he could not allow the perpetrator any opportunity!
That evening after work, Xiao Wanshan went straight home. Zou Xingjing, Song Nian, and five or six police officers stood guard in front of her house, ensuring that no strangers approached. Zou Xingjing thought this arrangement was foolproof; however, at 12:27 AM on August 20th, a blood-curdling scream erupted from Xiao Wanshan's home!
Upon hearing that scream, Zou Xingjing's heart tightened. He pounded on the door forcefully while shouting loudly, "Xiao Wanshan! What’s wrong? Open the door!"
“Ah—help—ah—” Xiao Wanshan's cries for help echoed continuously. However, after several seconds, the pleas grew weaker and eventually faded away.
“Oh no!” Zou Xingjing shouted, drawing his handgun and firing three shots at the doorknob. He then raised his right foot and kicked the door with all his strength, breaking it open.
Song Nian and the other officers followed Zou Xingjing into the room. Everyone heightened their vigilance, searching around. They found no sign of the murderer but discovered Xiao Wanshan in one of the rooms. She lay on the floor, her legs slightly bent, her right hand clutching her heart, and her long hair in disarray. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth agape, her face pale, and her features twisted as if she had just witnessed the most terrifying, bizarre, and unbelievable phenomenon imaginable!
Zou Xingjing approached her, crouched down, and checked for a pulse, shaking his head: “She's gone.”
Song Nian gasped in shock, glancing around before suddenly pointing at a laptop on the desk. “Look at that laptop!”
Xiao Wanshan's body lay beside the desk where a laptop was open, displaying a dark mass on the screen.
“What is that?” Zou Xingjing asked, looking at the laptop's display with confusion.
Song Nian replied with a trembling voice: “It's a black cat! It's the right front paw of a black cat!”
“Ah?” Zou Xingjing gasped softly, momentarily stunned.
After several seconds, he regained his composure, focusing his mind as he murmured: “The murderer who killed Shen Zhi and Wang Jian has now killed Xiao Wanshan? The body of the black cat, its left front paw, its right front paw... That means there are still left hind paw and right hind paw needed to complete a whole black cat’s body. Could it be that two more people will be killed?”
Following this revelation, Zou Xingjing took charge of searching the scene while Song Nian focused on examining the contents of the laptop left behind by Xiao Wanshan. Two hours later, Zou Xingjing and Song Nian exchanged their findings from their investigations.
"You go first," Zou Xingjing said.
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