The real killer, appears?

Director Luo's authority is far beyond Old Han's.

His department's authority is extremely high; even personnel on the hidden front lines, and even the relatives of top elites, can be found in their internal highest system.

Anyone not found in his system is either terrifyingly high-level or undocumented, meaning they don't exist in the system at all.

Old Han was often looked down upon by Director Luo, and normally he would have retorted with some sarcastic remark. But the situation was so bizarre that he didn't even have the mood to retort.

Jiang Yue, on the other hand, was relatively calm, not finding it strange at all.

"Xiao Jiang, judging by your reaction, it seems you expected this?"

"Actually, you should have guessed it too. Think about it, if he can imitate Teacher Sun, why can't he conjure a face out of thin air? Why would he let you find him so easily?"

Right.

Why?

The Year Eater can use its Year Eating skill to make itself younger and evade surveillance.

So why would this monster allow surveillance to find him so easily?

Today he could be A, tomorrow he could become B, and the day after, C...

"If that's the case, and surveillance can't even lock onto him, are we helpless against such a monster?" Old Han, the veteran detective, was completely bewildered.

"Not necessarily."

"There are always ways. You see, he appeared in the same form twice. This means he might not change his appearance every time he appears. Perhaps we can check the real-time surveillance to see if he will appear in this form again."

"We can also use surveillance to see if the same person appears in different places around the same time."

"There's also another method: we can take the initiative. This monster clearly prefers targeting young women, so we can even set a trap for him."

The surveillance room!

The group went to the surveillance room. Old Han flashed his ID, which proved very effective, and they smoothly took over the room.

The security guard was happy to have some free time and went outside for a smoke.

To Director Luo and Old Han's disappointment, the figure did not reappear in the surveillance feed. It's unclear whether he didn't make a move today or if he became wary and changed his form.

Jiang Yue didn't accompany them to review the playback but stared at the real-time surveillance.

"San Gou, can you see anything different about anyone in the surveillance feed?"

San Gou really wanted to show off and prove how incredible his abilities were. After watching for a long time, he honestly shook his head.

"Everyone in the surveillance looks the same; even the same two people look indistinguishable."

"Then how did you judge that day?"

"Up close, the aura on his body was a bit different. The last time I saw him, the aura was even colder. There seemed to be a faint mist around him. It was dark, so I wasn't sure."

"So, even if the monster appears on video, you can't tell?"

"Second Brother, I feel my Yin Yang Eye is more reliable for seeing vengeful spirits and fierce demons. Last time at Mount Dajin, I saw Tangtou, the people on that bus in town, and the fierce spirit that wreaked havoc at Xiao Yi's house. I can see these things clearly. For someone like the Year Eater you mentioned, I might not be able to see through them."

"You haven't met a Year Eater."

"I haven't. But I sat in the seat where a Year Eater had sat, and I didn't notice anything wrong," San Gou said, referring to the taxi.

Reminded by San Gou, it seemed to be true.

Could the monsters also be divided into types?

The two chatted idly, while Jiang Yue's eyes never left the surveillance.

"The security guards in the complex are quite diligent. This security guard in the surveillance room said he was going out for a smoke, but he's actually patrolling everywhere. See the entrance to the parking lot? That's him, isn't it?"

Jiang Yue pointed to a surveillance video feed. The security guard, holding a flashlight, walked into the underground parking lot.

"Second Brother, what's so strange about that? The complex has homicides every day; the property management company must be scared too, right?"

"It would be strange if they weren't!"

The two stared at the screen. It wasn't too late yet, and quite a few people were entering and exiting the complex. However, after several homicides, the residents had clearly become more vigilant, and they moved in groups.

There were almost no lone figures.

The brothers' eyes grew tired from staring, but they found nothing.

The security guard probably finished his patrol and returned to the surveillance room. Seeing them still there, he didn't say anything. He picked up a thick pirated novel from the side, grabbed the flashlight on the table, pulled out a reclining chair, and lay down in a corner to read.

This action was perfectly normal.

Jiang Yue, however, frowned.

He whispered a few words into San Gou's ear. San Gou turned his head, looked at the security guard a few times, then leaned over and chatted with him with a smile, asking what novel he was reading.

The two talked and laughed, even discussing the novel's content.

A moment later, San Gou returned to Jiang Yue's side and whispered, "Brother, I didn't see anything wrong with him. He's a normal person, without that cold aura; he's definitely not a monster."

Jiang Yue was only guessing; he had no concrete evidence. After the security guard came in, he felt that something was off.

That's why he asked San Gou to probe.

San Gou's probing revealed no issues.

But Jiang Yue's uneasy feeling didn't disappear.

There must be something wrong!

Jiang Yue had always trusted his intuition. Whenever he felt this way, it usually meant something had gone unnoticed.

What exactly was wrong?

Jiang Yue's mind replayed the timeline, from the security guard leaving to his return, organizing it again.

Right!

Jiang Yue's heart skipped a beat. He had found the subtle issue!

The flashlight!

Earlier, on the surveillance footage, the security guard had clearly entered the underground parking lot with a flashlight.

Why did he return empty-handed?

The security guard had obviously picked up the novel first, then the flashlight on the table.

This meant the flashlight on the table had been there all along!

"Master, how many flashlights do you security guards carry on your night patrols?"

"How many? You're overthinking it, just one." The security guard was engrossed in the novel's plot and didn't even look up.

"Then, when you went to the underground parking lot just now, did you borrow someone else's flashlight?"

"You mean me?" The security guard was startled, put down his book, and looked at Jiang Yue blankly.

"Who else if not you?"

"I didn't go to the underground parking lot. I just went outside to smoke and ran into some residents. I heard them chatting outside. Someone said our complex has been haunted these past few days!"

Jiang Yue's heart stirred.

"Then, did you encounter anyone strange just now? For example, someone you didn't know, or someone who didn't say a word?"

"Now that you mention it, there was one. He walked slowly, and I felt like I hadn't seen him in the complex before."

"Was there surveillance where you saw him?"

"Surveillance can't cover everywhere, can it?"

Director Luo and Old Han also stopped what they were doing and looked at Jiang Yue, puzzled.

"Go quickly! To the underground parking lot!"

If this security guard hadn't gone to the underground parking lot earlier, then who did? Who had they seen on the surveillance footage?

It appeared!

It appeared again!

This time, it was imitating the security guard!

It seemed this monster's targets were likely random!

Director Luo took out his phone and issued an order: "Lock down all exits of the underground parking lot. Detain anyone wearing a security guard uniform first."

Han Yiming also gave a few instructions.

As expected, for this series of serial murders, they couldn't act alone and had secretly arranged for plenty of personnel.

Just guarding the pedestrian exits wouldn't be enough.

The underground parking lot had passages connecting to the elevators of various buildings and units.

"Director Luo, Old Han, tell your people to act naturally and not to alert the snake."

Whether it was the Year Eater or this monster that imitated others, they instinctively possessed strong counter-surveillance abilities.

If the surveillance personnel exposed any flaws, it could very well alert them.

What was the point of just watching those wearing security guard uniforms? This monster could clearly change its appearance to resemble others.

"One of you two stay here to monitor the surveillance, lock onto the target's exact location at any time."

"Xiao Jiang, why don't you stay here and monitor the surveillance?" Old Han asked tentatively.

"Against these monsters, are you sure you have more confidence than I do?" Jiang Yue rolled his eyes.

"Stop talking nonsense, Old Han, you stay. Or get someone to replace you." Director Luo directly used his rank to overwhelm Han Yiming.

Although Old Han was unwilling, he was helpless.

He could only watch as Director Luo, along with Jiang Yue and San Gou, took a shortcut towards the underground parking lot.

He quickly took out his phone: "Send someone to the surveillance room to monitor the cameras for me. If there are any new developments in the case, they must be here within three minutes!"

Old Han had personally participated in the Year Eater case and handled it exceptionally well, receiving great commendation from his superiors, which had truly made Old Han quite famous.

Subsequently, this monster committed so many murders, not only stripping away all of Old Han's previous glory but also stepping heavily on him, putting him under immense pressure.

Therefore, Old Han didn't want to be left out of this case at all.

They couldn't let the Special Department reap all the benefits.

If Director Luo managed to solve this, with the Special Department's usual behavior, they wouldn't even leave him a drop of soup.