You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

"Brother Lin Chen... Waaaaah...!"

The piercing, desperate sobs from the other end of the phone instantly shattered Lin Chen's eardrums.

"Manman...Manman is dead!"

Upon hearing Su Ke'er's tearful complaint, all the relaxation and exhaustion on Lin Chen's face vanished in a fraction of a second, replaced by an extreme calmness and sharpness.

"Ke'er, don't be afraid, I'm here."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calming power.

"Explain yourself: Where are you? What happened?"

"I'm at...I'm at school...Jiangcheng Conservatory of Music..."

Su Ke'er's voice was broken and intermittent, filled with uncontrollable sobs.

"The school anniversary concert is tonight... I came back to see my best friend Chen Man... but... but she died in the practice room..."

"The music room door was locked from the inside... Waaah... Everyone says she worked herself to death... But I don't believe it! Brother Lin Chen, I'm so scared..."

Jiangcheng Conservatory of Music.

The music room was locked from the inside.

A bizarre death.

Several keywords instantly flashed through Lin Chen's mind, and his eyes became incredibly sharp.

"Stay where you are, don't wander off, don't touch anything, and don't let anyone touch you."

"I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen didn't hesitate at all. He turned around, hailed a taxi, and headed towards Jiangcheng Conservatory of Music.

……

Jiangcheng Conservatory of Music, an art institution with a century-long history.

The melodious piano music and singing that usually filled the air have vanished without a trace, and the ancient Gothic buildings stand like silent behemoths in the night.

The only sounds in the air were the faint hum of the motor as the sirens turned and a suffocating silence.

Lin Chen got out of the car outside the cordon and strode over.

A young police officer was about to step forward to stop them when he was stopped by a clear, cold female voice.

"Let him in."

Su Qingge, dressed in a smart police uniform, stood inside the cordon, her pretty face tense, directing the scene.

Seeing Lin Chen's figure pass through the police line, her tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

She quickly approached and said in a low voice:

"The preliminary assessment is that it was sudden cardiac death."

"The deceased, Chen Man, was the most famous and talented violinist in the academy. In preparation for her solo performance at the school anniversary celebration tonight, she had been practicing in the practice room for more than thirty hours straight."

Lin Chen nodded, his gaze passing over her and looking toward the door of the music room.

A familiar yet repulsive figure was blocking two trainee police officers, loudly expressing his opinions with spittle flying everywhere.

It was Li Mingyu.

He was removed from his position as deputy captain, and his police uniform seemed a bit too big for him. He looked much more haggard, but his eagerness to make a name for himself remained unchanged.

"I don't think there's anything worth watching!"

Li Mingyu's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"The doors and windows were intact and locked from the inside, a typical enclosed environment."

"There were no external injuries on the body, nor any signs of struggle."

"Isn't this a clear case of sudden death from overwork?"

He cleared his throat, adopted a seasoned demeanor, and lectured the two bewildered interns:

"With police resources so stretched thin, wasting time on a case with no suspicious points is completely putting the cart before the horse! In my opinion, we should notify the family, issue a death certificate, and close the case as soon as possible!"

His words drew disapproval from several veteran police officers around him, but out of politeness, no one spoke up to refute him.

Su Qingge's face instantly turned cold.

Lin Chen didn't even bother to give him a glance.

He walked straight past Li Mingyu as if he were nothing more than a wisp of air.

This complete disregard was more humiliating to Li Mingyu than any direct slap in the face.

His face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and his clenched fists began to tremble.

Lin Chen pushed open the half-closed door, and a peculiar smell, a mixture of pine resin, old wood, and a faint scent of blood, wafted towards him.

"Brother Lin Chen!"

A petite figure, like a startled fawn, suddenly pounced from the corner and buried herself in his arms.

It's Su Ke'er.

Her little face was deathly pale from crying, her beautiful eyes were red and swollen, and her whole body was trembling violently. The fear and sorrow from the bottom of her heart almost tore her apart.

Lin Chen felt a pang of pain in his heart. He reached out his large hand and gently patted her trembling back, soothing her in the gentlest voice:

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

While comforting the girl in his arms who was on the verge of collapse, he raised his head, his sharp gaze, like the most sophisticated radar, beginning to scan the small music room.

The music room is small and simply furnished.

A piano, a music stand, and sheet music scattered all over the floor.

The deceased, Chen Man, lay in the center of the music room.

She was wearing a white performance dress, holding her expensive violin in her arms, slumped over the chair in a contorted posture, her long, black hair spread messily on the floor.

Her face was bluish-purple, and her eyes were wide open, as if she had heard some extremely terrifying sound before she died.

Lin Chen's gaze lingered for half a second on the girl's right hand, which was tightly gripping the bow.

He then walked around the body and examined the door, which was locked from the inside, and the windows, which were bolted shut.

Everything perfectly matched the "secret room" environment that Li Mingyu described.

There were no signs of forced entry.

Lin Chen's brows furrowed even deeper.