Chapter 22: Where Is the Safest Place?

Hannibal, Jigsaw, and Yoshikage Kira—there was something quite peculiar about them.

They were all supremely confident in their criminal skills.

Since the Hummer was most likely within the area outlined by Shen Xu’s drawing, with their keen eyesight, locating the suspicious vehicle disposal sites should have been a breeze.

How could they have failed?

Following Shen Ting’s lead, the three each circled the spots they suspected on Shen Xu’s map.

After uploading their findings to the case-solving group, everyone—including other members—was taken aback.

kikO: “(⊙O⊙) The suspicious zones they circled are exactly the same?”

Guan Hongyu: “Is this what they call great minds thinking alike?”

Shen Ting was equally surprised.

The three had pinpointed the same number of locations and identical positions—three spots in total.

Only the size of the circled areas varied slightly.

This was intriguing.

“These three places are truly suspicious!”

However, these three sites had already been thoroughly searched by the earlier investigation team.

They were treated as key suspect zones and examined meticulously.

It would be no exaggeration to say they were “dug up to three feet deep.”

Yet, no results emerged.

Guan Hongfeng (brother) said, “This case differs from the previous 245 National Highway skull-crushing case.

That one had just occurred recently.

The police, viewing it from the investigators’ perspective, might have temporarily overlooked upstream corpse disposal sites.

But the Luo River kidnapping case has garnered far more attention, involving more officers and experts.

Moreover, it has undergone a full investigative cycle, with multiple expert consultations.

Even if there were initial oversights, the later stages would have covered them.

If such a high-profile case could miss such fundamental checks, we might as well pack up and become farmers.”

Shen Ting nodded.

Detectives were certainly no slackers.

The fact that Hannibal, Jigsaw, and Kira’s three suspicious spots had all been searched confirmed this.

Yet, it also posed a headache.

If the three mutually agreed-upon locations were ruled out, had the investigation team truly erred?

Was the Hummer’s disposal site outside the marked area?

Had the culprit secretly driven the Hummer out via hidden paths?

Yoshikage Kira said, “I have a theory.

If I were part of the kidnapping gang, wanting to completely eliminate anything disturbing my peaceful sleep, I might not simply abandon the Hummer.”

Shen Ting immediately recalled Kira’s “Bible Chanting.”

Though a killer with a perverse obsession for women’s arms, Kira also sought eight hours of sound sleep and a calm life.

Anyone threatening his tranquility was an enemy to be preemptively eliminated.

Curious, Shen Ting asked, “If it were you, without supernatural powers, how would you handle the vehicle?”

“Simple!” Kira replied.

“There’s an old Chinese saying…”

“‘A wise man adapts to the times!’” Tang Ren interjected.

Kira scoffed, “Not that one.

It’s ‘The most dangerous place is the safest place.’

But I’d say the truly safest place is where all dangers have been preemptively eliminated!

Only by hiding the Hummer in such a spot can I rest easy.”

Truly the safest? Danger preemptively removed?

The group members paused at Kira’s words, then their minds raced.

In this case, where would the culprit consider a place where danger had already been cleared?

Wasn’t it precisely the suspicious zones the police had already ruled out?

Moreover, because this case had an abundance of personnel and such thorough, painstaking checks, the phrase “dug up three feet deep” was apt.

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Hence, it was later confirmed that the searched areas could not be the disposal sites.

Yet, for the culprit, these very places—dismissed by the investigation team—were ideal for dumping the vehicle!

Hannibal remarked, “That line of thought is interesting.

I always wondered why the culprit was so brazen after controlling Liu Furen and the others.

They specifically sought out homeless people, sending ransom notes and half-eaten roasted ears to the newspaper.

That defies logic!

Ordinarily, no matter the motive, the culprit should have laid low.

If the culprit’s disposal strategy matches Kira’s, this brazen behavior gains explanation.

They want to stir the pot, involving more officers and forcing them to be meticulous during the search.

Preparing for the vehicle’s disposal later!”

Jigsaw said, “If that’s true, this case is truly a high-IQ crime.

The culprit’s method is not only meticulous and well-executed but also anticipates the investigation team’s responses, the newspaper’s actions, and social reactions.

They even exploit these factors!”

Guan Hongfeng (brother) added, “I feel the culprit this time is downright terrifying!”

Guan Hongyu blinked: “Wait, big bro, hold on. What are you guys talking about? Aren’t we supposed to be looking for the disposal site? Now it’s about brazen behavior explaining things, high-IQ crime, and terrifying culprits? Aren’t we straying off-topic?”

Tang Ren said, “Exactly, don’t get sidetracked.

Where is the disposal site? How did the culprit dump the vehicle?”

Detective Qin Feng said, “Little Tang, it’s simple.

Regarding the disposal site, only two possibilities remain.

First, the culprit drove the Hummer out of the surveyed area via hidden paths.

Second, the culprit used reverse thinking.

They anticipated the investigation team would focus on the conspicuous Hummer.

So, unlike ordinary criminals, they didn’t dispose of it immediately.

Instead, they waited until the investigation team had rigorously and repeatedly searched the suspicious areas and confirmed nothing.

Only then did they dump the vehicle in a spot the police ruled out!

If it’s the first, we can just say the culprit got lucky.

But if it’s the second, then this culprit is truly terrifying.

Not only smart and cautious but also bold and incredibly adept at reading human nature.

The operational details here—when thought through—are chilling beyond words.”

Shen Ting was struck by Kira’s line of thought.

No wonder a serial killer, despite brief exposure to the case, could conceive such a wild vehicle disposal strategy.

But…

“Could the culprit really think of this?

More importantly, even if they did, could they pull it off?”

The idea itself was nothing extraordinary.

The group had seen all kinds of extraordinary things.

The real challenge was execution.

The hardest part was completely evading the investigation team’s first wave of thorough searches.

Remember, the key area on Shen Xu’s map was assigned top-tier police forces searching day and night.

Would the culprit not flee in terror?

Would they dare hide there and play hide-and-seek with the police?

Not afraid of catastrophic failure?

“In Kira’s world, with various powers, such an operation might be possible.

But in reality, it’s nearly impossible!”

Shen Ting furrowed his brow, looking again at the three suspicious sites circled by the three criminals.

If the culprit truly pulled off such a complex maneuver, their choice of disposal site must be equally sharp.

Most likely, it was one of these three locations!

Shen Ting thought for a moment, then patted the driver’s seat bear, Xiong Beibei.

“Let’s go home.”

Xiong Beibei breathed a sigh of relief.

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“Consultant Shen, I told you, you should have given up earlier.”

Xu Xinyi added, “I agree. Continuing this search is pointless.

Better to cut losses and switch cases sooner rather than later.”

Shen Ting smiled.

“No, it’s too late today to continue meaningful searches.

We’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Ah? Again?”

“Shen Ting, you’re not joking, right?”

Without further explanation, Shen Ting sent Xiong Beibei to pick up Shen Mànmàn from kindergarten.

They were late again, drawing a round of complaints from the little girl.

Shen Ting greeted Teacher Gao, who wore a camel-colored down jacket.

Once in the police car, he pulled Shen Mànmàn close and typed on his phone:

“How did it go? Did you ask the questions you wanted?”

“I did!

Teacher Xiao Gao still doesn’t have a boyfriend!

Hehe, I also asked about her favorite dishes: spicy green peppers with dried tofu, tomato scrambled eggs, and braised pork.

Favorite fruits are strawberries, coconut, and pineapple.

Favorite singer is… celery—ah no, it’s Tsai Chin.

Favorite song is ‘Push’—‘Push Open the Door to the World,’ is that right?

Her biggest dream is to go to space and see Earth and the universe.

But Teacher Xiao Gao said that’s too hard to achieve!

Just flying on a plane to see the ground is enough.

If I could fly a plane myself, that’d be even better!”

Shen Mànmàn flipped through a picture book, translating diligently and occasionally gesturing.

Shen Ting noted everything down.

Good.

You asked about a boyfriend and ended up gathering all this info.

Well done.

Here’s a reward!

Coincidentally, the police car passed by the strawberry stand they had visited before.

From afar, Shen Mànmàn stared fixedly and kept swallowing.

She seemed afraid Shen Ting would notice, pretending to look away but sneaking glances.

Shen Ting had Xiong Beibei stop the car and rolled down the window:

“Boss, two more jin of strawberries, pick the biggest and best.”

“Huh, it’s you siblings again?

Not bad, haven’t seen you in days, now you’re riding in a police car!”

The middle-aged vendor was surprised.

Last time, this young man rode a shabby electric bike with red cheeks from the cold.

Who would have thought he’d prosper so quickly?

He put on fresh plastic gloves and carefully picked the strawberries.

Shen Ting had noticed before that the vendor wore glasses, had a neat center-parted haircut, dressed plainly but cleanly, and spoke with a gentle smile.

He didn’t look like a common messy street vendor but more like a cultured man, somewhat scholarly.

That made Shen Ting feel more assured buying from him.

The strawberries were quickly weighed.

“Little brother, eat well and come back again!”

“No problem!”

…

A quiet night passed.

Two days elapsed.

Only three days remained before the case’s deadline.

Returning to the crime area, Shen Ting handed Xiong Beibei the map Shen Xu had drawn.

The three suspicious areas circled by Yoshikage Kira and the others were marked in blue.

“Today, just check these three blue circles.”

“Got it!”

Xiong Beibei agreed but exchanged a glance with Xu Xinyi, as if trying to pass on some burden.

“Speak up if there’s something to say!”

Seeing this, Shen Ting spoke up immediately.

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