According to He Xin's account, there was no way to track them, so they could only be deployed at the Nan Hua Palace. Liu Yu Ning and Gao Ming Qiang began their ambush arrangements.
Near Nan Hua Palace, there were also quite a few amusement parks and restaurants. However, the best places for an ambush were some of the rooms within the palace itself. They first negotiated with the staff there to cooperate with the police. Recently, they would send some people to infiltrate, posing as such staff, and keep watch until the killer made their move.
Originally, they didn't know when the killer would strike, but after I compared the intervals between the deaths of several victims, I predicted it would be around 3 AM to 5 AM. As for the specific day, I wasn't sure, but it should be soon.
Following this plan, they scouted the area. Before 3 AM, everyone rested well. After 3 AM, everyone was on high alert.
I was also in one of the rooms. Days passed, and I had no idea when the killer would appear. But tonight, as we were on guard, a cry suddenly came from upstairs: "It's bad! It's on fire! It's on fire!"
Liu Yu Ning and I exchanged glances and immediately grabbed our weapons, rushing upstairs. The Nan Hua Palace was built entirely of wood, with a very classical style. Upstairs, there were many interconnected pavilions. Countless red paper lanterns hung under the eaves, and a large golden gourd sat on the roof. Blue carpets were laid in the corridors, and various precious plants were grown around. Looking out from the long corridors of the pavilions, one could see most of Fu Ming City.
There was a large hall in this place, filled with silver bells. The fire was here. The moment we arrived, countless staff from the tourist area were pouring water into the hall. The fire seemed to have engulfed several bells in the hall. Liu Yu Ning saw the situation was dire and pulled back some staff who were still trying to rush in, saying, "We need to call the fire department first! This isn't going to work!"
"Alright, officers, we've already made the call. We just don't know when they'll arrive!"
Liu Yu Ning grunted and picked up her phone to contact a friend who was a firefighter. On the other end, a voice said, "Captain Liu, is that you? We're still on our way, please wait a moment!"
"If you don't hurry, this place will be reduced to ruins!" Liu Yu Ning roared angrily, her temper flaring.
"Immediately! Captain Liu, please calm down. We're on our way up the mountain, but for some reason, many rocks suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain, blocking the fire trucks!"
"How could that be? Was it intentional?"
Hearing Liu Yu Ning's conversation, I thought I had misheard. The foot of the mountain was blocked by rocks?
Watching the pavilions gradually being consumed by the flames, I was curious. If the killer burned down Nan Hua Palace, where would they find a place to commit murder?
But just as the fire reached the middle levels of the pavilions, several police officers' shouts suddenly came from below: "Help! A body has been found!"
Liu Yu Ning immediately put down her phone and ran towards the lower floors of Nan Hua Palace. When we arrived in the palace, in front of a stone statue, we realized that the killer had indeed killed someone in the manner of a Vermilion Bird!
That's right! Nan Hua Palace was now on fire, and the Vermilion Bird represented fire!
The thought sent a chill down my spine.
The body of a female corpse was pierced through by a curved mouth. This was the Vermilion Bird statue placed in the first-floor pavilion of Nan Hua Palace for tourists to admire, and it had now become the scene of the killer's crime. Countless staff from Nan Hua Palace came out, looking at the corpse on the statue in astonishment.
The female corpse was naked, and on her chest, there was a tattoo of a Vermilion Bird!
It seemed the killer had completed the fifth ritual. Now, only the last ritual remained.
Amidst the gazes of these people, I suddenly noticed something was wrong.
The killer had just made their move and shouldn't have had time to escape. Could they be one of these staff members?
I ignored the body and Liu Yu Ning immediately called the forensic team. I scanned the people present, including our police officers. Of course, I wasn't suspecting our own people. I approached the person in charge of Nan Hua Palace: "Are all your staff here?"
"They are all here. What's wrong, Officer He?"
I didn't answer. I walked back and forth among these dozens of people. I came to one of the men, grabbed his hand forcefully, and cursed, "So it's you! Captain Liu, quickly arrest this person!"
Hearing my shout, the guy turned and tried to run. He underestimated my abilities. As soon as he moved, I unleashed my grappling technique, grabbed his shoulder, applied firm pressure, and flipped him to the ground. I then pinned his back with my knee and handcuffed him!
Liu Yu Ning and Gao Ming Qiang came over, both asking in confusion, "Why did you suspect this person?"
As the guy was pulled up, he cursed vehemently, "Police officers, what are you doing? I haven't done anything. What right do you have to arrest me!"
"Heh heh, still pretending? The residue of pigment is still in your fingernails. Although you went to the restroom when you left just now, it still hasn't washed off. These are stubborn stains left from years of tattooing. Your index and thumb also have creases because you've been holding a tattoo pen for a long time. Furthermore, you were the last person to arrive here, and the time you spent in the restroom perfectly accounted for those few minutes you were delaying. Lastly, there's a very distinct smell of pigment on your body, a smell that even the burnt odor from the fire couldn't cover. If I can't identify you as a tattoo artist with all this, how can I be a forensic consultant?"
As soon as I finished speaking, the man in front of me nearly collapsed. His plan had been foolproof, but unexpectedly, in this world, there were people like me.
"Take him away!" I said coldly. Liu Yu Ning and Gao Ming Qiang looked at me in astonishment, but they quickly understood and took the man away.
As we descended the mountain, the fire department finally arrived at the scene. However, Nan Hua Palace was almost completely destroyed. Although it was a pity, we had captured the criminal.
Back at the police station, He Xin immediately looked up the man's information for us.
Jin Le Zhi, 32 years old, was the former owner of Fu Ming City's Long Teng Tattoo Studio, which had since gone out of business for unknown reasons.
Jin Le Zhi sat in the interrogation room, his head bowed. His hands were in bright handcuffs, and his feet were secured by a tiger bench. His complexion was extremely dark, his body trembled slightly, filled with panic and unease, like a lost soul on an ancient battlefield, helpless and lonely, sad and unbearable.