Thinking back now, it was simply baffling. Tong Xixi sat in the interrogation room, filled with regret over his choices.
He had brought a plague upon himself!
When Lin Ya heard Zhou Ying explain the criminal’s reason for wanting to kill him, he couldn’t help but think of a certain deathly “elementary school student,” which made his mood a bit complicated, unsure if he had unwittingly tapped into some kind of halo effect.
“Oh, by the way, my master said the stall thing has been approved. You can set up your stall anytime now.” Speaking of this, Zhou Ying nudged him with a smile. He had come to admire Lin Ya, “When are you going to help me get my fortune told…?”
“When I get promoted to stand on the same level as my master? Hehe…”
“Wait until I retire, you little brat.” Li Ping’an, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, playfully tapped Lin Ya’s head with a notebook and chuckled at his drooping face, “Go, write your report.”
Once Zhou Ying left in frustration, Li Ping’an glanced at Lin Ya and pulled out a cigarette box from his pants pocket, offering one to him, “Want a smoke?”
Lin Ya didn’t refuse. He took it but didn’t light it.
“Did Captain Li have something to discuss with me?”
Li Ping’an fell silent for a moment and nodded, “Yes.”
“Would you be willing to join our external personnel? Your skills would greatly assist in solving cases. Generally, we only look for you when we have truly unsolvable cases, but one thing to note is that the pay for external personnel isn’t much, so you should think it over before answering me.” His eyes concealed many complex emotions as the smoke slowly dissipated.
Lin Ya stated that he would consider it.
“By the way, your eyes—everything okay?” Based on Li Ping’an’s observations, he could see, but he didn’t understand why Lin Ya claimed his eyes had problems.
Lin Ya adjusted his glasses, “My eyes do have some issues; I can only see properly with these specially made sunglasses.”
In fact, he wore the sunglasses to hide his eyes. After living for decades in another world, although his sight wasn’t as murky as it once was, there was still a difference compared to younger people.
Even the best actor can’t always portray someone else perfectly, and his eyes might reveal that truth.
However, wearing sunglasses was quite convenient for him.
“Alright, I’ll wait for your news.”
Li Ping’an watched as Lin Ya exited the police station, then lowered his gaze to the case file in his hands, gently stroking it.
This was his wife’s case file.
Five years ago, his wife was murdered at home, and their son and daughter went missing that day. For these years, he had regretted every day why he hadn’t returned home that day.
He was only 36 years old, but his hair was half grey, making him look like someone in their late forties or even fifties.
After five years, he couldn’t stand waiting any longer.
Hopefully, he could restart this case soon.
As Lin Ya walked home, he pondered the fates of Li Ping’an and Zhou Ying.
Zhou Ying’s father also died young as a police officer, and if he didn’t intervene, Zhou Ying would undoubtedly follow in his father’s footsteps.
Three days later would mark his death.
As for Li Ping’an, Lin Ya couldn’t help but sigh over his hard life.
Li Ping’an’s parents had died early, and he struggled to grow up while relying on others. He joined the army at a young age, serving for several years before being injured and becoming a police officer.
His mentor was also his father-in-law. After marrying his wife just a couple of years later, they had been married for several years without children.
Another year passed, and finally, his wife became pregnant, bringing immense joy to the family. Later, during a hospital check-up, the doctor informed them they were having twins, double the happiness.
After a long ten months, the children were born.
Two months later, the police station received a report about a corpse, and Li Ping’an helplessly had to leave with the others for the case.
That departure meant he was forever trapped in that day.
With his wife, who couldn’t rest in peace, and their missing children, alongside his mentor who suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage at the scene.
In one day, he lost his wife, children, and a mentor who was like a father to him.
Who wouldn’t call this tragic?
For the past five years, Li Ping’an rarely returned home, spending most nights at the police station.
If Lin Ya didn’t take action, Li Ping’an would die on the same day as Zhou Ying.
“Well, it seems like it’s set in stone.” Lin Ya lamented, “It really is the halo of the deathly ‘elementary school student’; this case is incredibly captivating.”
“The time is still early; I should practice drawing charms first.”
“Once I master this charm, things will be much easier to resolve.”
The charm compendium is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
Currently, he was only learning beginner charms, which weren’t very powerful or complex, so he was picking them up quite quickly.
To resolve matters more swiftly, he would need to practice intermediate charms, specifically the nightmare charm. The intermediate nightmare charm could draw out the deepest fears or past misdeeds of a person, allowing them to experience real pain as if they were living through it.
For example, if someone had harmed others, they might find themselves transformed in their dream into the very victim they once tormented, experiencing pain a hundredfold.
Once they fell asleep, they would sink into it. Most people couldn’t bear it; if they confessed, they could receive a lighter sentence depending on their crimes.
This would significantly increase the likelihood of solving cold cases.
However, there was one caveat: he must continuously cast the divination technique, and the charm couldn’t stop, plus he would have to manually seal the charm on them.
Lin Ya pondered for a long time; with this in mind, wouldn’t he just become a servant?
Otherwise, perhaps it would be best to wait until he captured someone and made them experience it.