Police station.
How much do you remember about what happened at the scene?
Xiao He sat in the chair and recalled seriously: "There was a lot of smoke at the time, and there was a lot of blood and black ash on the ground... Cheng Hongwen fell to the ground, and I could hardly see anything else. I gestured to the brothers who were rescuing people, and then I carried him out."
Although the fire in the hotel room was extinguished in time, the fire and the sprayed water destroyed many traces and even made a mess of the scene. As a result, the situation at the scene after the murder was known only to Xiao He and Cheng Bei, who broke in.
However, the air was thick with smoke and the temperature was high. If he hadn't been wrapped in a fire blanket, Xiao He might have been burned.
The situation at the scene was a complete mess, let alone anything that could be noticed...
Wait, that's not right.
He may have noticed it, but it's hidden in his subconscious, and he can't recall it now.
Xiao He thought of something.
——Memory Retrograde Capsules!
【Memory Recall Capsule Details: A memorable first crime scene, no matter how much time has passed—it can even help you recall the details of the crime, allowing you to craft more perfect lies and testimonies.】
Xiao He had drawn out several of these items before, but they had never been of any use and had been forgotten by him.
He had previously analyzed that this thing actually enhances memory, allowing people to recall certain details in their memory that might have been overlooked in a short period of time.
But these things are basically useless; in fact, they're becoming increasingly rare. Xiao He is reluctant to use his points to draw such useless items, so he's hoarding them all for his ultimate rat attribute burst.
This time it will come in handy.
However, the capsule was originally intended to allow Xiao He to revisit his own crime scenes ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) and escape legal punishment. Now, Xiao He wants to use it to revisit other people's crime scenes and try to find some important clues to catch the murderer.
Ahem, although its usefulness seems to have shifted slightly, but... as long as it works!
Xiao He decisively used a memory reversal capsule and then closed his eyes.
At that moment, he felt as if he had returned to the scene of the fire.
Bloody footprints on the ground, black ash on the walls, a person lying on the floor, flames burning on the sofa...
Xiao He raised his head and his gaze fell on the curtains opposite him.
Behind the curtains, the windowpane was slightly ajar, and a faint bloody footprint remained in that spot. However, it was quickly covered by the flames from the burning curtains, and the black charred remains of the burned curtains quietly concealed the traces of its existence.
Xiao He squatted down again, his gaze falling on the burning sofa, examining it carefully.
Although the thick smoke from the fire obscured most of his vision, the smoke in his memory did not irritate his eyes. So, upon closer inspection, Xiao He discovered that the main thing burning on the sofa was a laptop.
Unfortunately, what he is seeing now is basically what the police can investigate.
For example, footprints on the window.
The fact that the hotel room door was sealed with a wet towel indicates that the murderer did not leave through the main entrance. Therefore, the only possible way out of the entire hotel was through the window—not that the murderer jumped directly out of the window, but rather climbed over the edge of the window to the next room.
The scene was chaotic. People from several surrounding rooms came out to check the situation and quickly moved away from their rooms. The murderer only needed to change his/her clothes or simply drape a towel over himself to appear as a hotel guest after the people in the next room left, so he/she could walk out of the room openly and leave the scene.
The police only need to compare and verify the surveillance footage and hotel check-in information one by one to be able to identify the target murderer.
The source of the fire is even easier to investigate. The fire department can provide a certificate of responsibility, clearly reporting the source and cause of the fire, without even needing the police to investigate.
What other help can he offer?
Xiao He circled around several times, looking at every nook and cranny, but found nothing new.
Xiao He was somewhat disappointed.
It seems he didn't see any useful clues at the time.
Xiao He was about to exit his memory palace when his gaze suddenly sharpened and fell on Cheng Hongwen on the ground.
—More accurately, it was in Cheng Hongwen's hands.
Cheng Hongwen's right hand was slashed with cuts of varying sizes during the fight with the murderer, looking bloody and gruesome. Yet, something seemed to be glittering between his fingers.
Xiao He was certain that he hadn't misjudged the situation!
He crouched down and carefully examined Cheng Hongwen's hand, discovering that it was a ring.
Xiao He immediately began to recount the entire process of how he took Cheng Hongwen away from the fire, placed Cheng Hongwen on the ground to perform first aid, and then took Cheng Hongwen to the ambulance...
At that time, Cheng Hongwen did indeed have a blood-stained ring on his hand!
The situation was too chaotic at the time, and no one noticed.
This ring looks very familiar...where have I seen it before?
Xiao He recalled carefully.
He and Cheng Hongwen had only met three times in total.
The first time was when their car rear-ended each other, and Cheng Hongwen helped Ran Yunrui clean up her mess.
The last two times, however, were both related to Xu Youyou.
Then came this time.
Xiao He recalled those meetings and did not see any rings or other ornaments on the other person's hands.
Where did this familiar-looking ring come from?
When did he see it?
Xiao He continued to search through his memory palace and finally remembered who its owner was—
This is the ring Chen Cong is wearing!
He even saw this ring when Xu Youyou and Chen Cong's relationship was exposed!
To be more precise, Xiao He saw it twice!
One New Year's Eve, he saw Xu Youyou get into Chen Cong's car. Another time, a paparazzi broke the news and took photos of Chen Cong.
...No matter what, this ring shouldn't be in Cheng Hongwen's hands!
Perhaps this is why Xu Youyou brought about her own demise.
So, at the time of the incident, was it she who desperately put it on Cheng Hongwen's finger?
This thing must be very important!
The world of memories began to collapse, all memories vanished like bubbles, and Xiao He finally opened his eyes.
"I just remembered something."
"you say."
"I saw a ring on Cheng Hongwen's hand at the time..."
Xiao He briefly explained the situation of the ring.
Upon hearing this, the officer's expression changed slightly, and he immediately stood up: "I'll send someone to the hospital right away to inquire about the situation!"
Such an unusual ring appearing on Cheng Hongwen's hand must mean it's something special!
Perhaps the ledger they've been searching for is hidden inside...
The police officer shook Xiao He's hand, thanked him solemnly, and then hurriedly got up and left, preparing to rush straight to the hospital.
Xiao He sat for a while longer, then sent a text message to his former roommate, He Junhao.
