Who pulled the trigger 2 A violently pounding heart accompanied by intense...

"Besides, since when did our Special Case Team not have a qualified forensic pathologist? Su Xiaochen is far more qualified than you." Pei Qingyu closed his eyes briefly and told the man softly, "If you have no objections, get out."

Only long after the man left did Pei Qingyu recover a little. Seeing that Xun Yin had no intention of making him get up, he continued leaning against him without a qualm, watching Su Xiaochen examine the body nearby. "The fatal wound is in the chest. The preliminary assessment is a gunshot. There's no exit wound, which means the bullet should still be inside."

Looking at Lin Zhou's posture, Pei Qingyu vaguely sensed something was wrong. Lin Zhou had been sitting when he died, facing the window on the thirteenth floor. To kill him with a single shot without the bullet passing through, the shot would have to have been fired from very far away. But judging by the distance between Lin Zhou's workstation and the window-

"The windows on this floor are all sealed. Ventilation is handled by a circulation

system.

"There's no damage to the windows," Xun Yin suddenly said softly.

"Then the distance isn't enough," Pei Qingyu murmured at the same time. "For a shot at this distance not to pass through, the firing position would have to be outside the window."

"Strange."

Chapter 2: Who pulled the trigger 2 A violently pounding heart accompanied by intense...

The scene had been well preserved, which did not match what the body was telling them. Pei Qingyu made another two rounds without finding any other clues, but his vision began to swim.

The room had been closed all this time, and the smell of blood was strong. Pei Qingyu had come straight here after being discharged from the hospital that day. After so much mental and physical exertion, his heart was gradually beginning to protest. His vision went black for a moment, and he staggered, instinctively reaching out to grab the curtain beside him.

Pei Qingyu steadied himself. He was already having some trouble catching his breath. Xun Yin, not far away, seemed to be looking over at him. Not wanting to worry anyone, he pretended to have discovered something and used it as a natural excuse to crouch down.

"Hiss..." Something seemed to be half hidden by the curtain. Pei Qingyu reached out to brush it aside and unexpectedly touched something ice-cold.

-it was a small piece of ice.

Pei Qingyu paused inwardly. He brushed the curtain a little farther aside. Sunlight refracted through the glass, and a lake seemed to appear on the smooth floor, ripples stirring across it.

Drip, drip...

An inexplicable dripping sound seemed to arise beside his ears. Pei Qingyu gazed calmly at the spot for a while, then suddenly reached out. Just as his fingertips were about to touch the water, someone seized his hand.

Pei Qingyu froze. The trance that had gripped him broke in an instant. The next moment, a blurred figure appeared on the "lake's surface."

"Don't touch things at random." Xun Yin pulled Pei Qingyu to his feet and frowned at the spot behind the curtain. Pei Qingyu's expression just now had been frighteningly calm, alarming Xun Yin. Even though he knew the water should pose no danger, he had still instinctively pulled him back.

What Xun Yin did not know was that the instant his hand moved away from the water, Pei Qingyu had instinctively felt relieved too.

"Why is there water here?"

"I don't know. But if we'd found it any later, it might have been gone."

Having stood up so abruptly, Pei Qingyu felt his legs weaken a little. He tugged at the curtain beside him and said softly, "Look, this curtain is very thick, and it absorbs water well. The curtains on the upper floors of companies like this generally aren't drawn open. Bunched together, they make a good absorbent cloth. If I hadn't gotten dizzy and crouched down for a while just now... ngh..."

"You're dizzy right now?"

Perhaps he had stood up too quickly earlier. Even after taking so long to recover, Pei Qingyu's heart was still beating rather fast. He had been concentrating on regulating his breathing so he would not suffocate, and only now did he dimly realize he had let it slip. He saw Xun Yin look at him, but had no strength to respond. His vision gradually darkened. Not wanting to collapse in front of Xun Yin, he shook his head, forced himself to remain standing, and slowly headed for the door.

"No, my chest just feels a little tight. The cleaner for this floor should know the layout here best. I'll have Xiaochen ask her."

Xun Yin seemed to give a quiet "Mm," but Pei Qingyu did not hear him clearly. Or rather, he could no longer hear clearly at all. His violently pounding heart was accompanied by intense ringing in his ears. The air grew thinner and thinner. By the time he barely reached the doorway, Pei Qingyu could no longer stop himself from doubling over, gasping painfully.

To preserve the crime scene, they had not turned on the air conditioning. Pei Qingyu's hands and feet were always icy in winter. He had originally intended to endure it as he had before, but cold was fatal to people with heart disease. It caused the blood vessels to constrict abruptly and blood pressure to rise, putting greater strain on the heart. By the time Pei Qingyu realized something was wrong, he was already struggling to breathe.

"Ngh... cough, cough..."

Growing dizzier and dizzier, Pei Qingyu could only close his eyes and fumble for the medication on him. When Xun Yin followed him out, all he saw was Pei Qingyu leaning against the wall with his head lowered, looking weak and pale, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

"Captain..." Xun Yin frowned. Before he could finish, Pei Qingyu went limp and fell straight toward him.

"It hurts..."

"Where does it hurt?"

Pei Qingyu could not speak for a moment. The pain in his heart made him want only to curl up. The familiar presence beside him was the only thing that could settle him. His eyes unfocused, Pei Qingyu murmured the truth. "...My heart hurts."

Xun Yin said nothing more. He quickly crouched halfway down, letting Pei Qingyu sit against him, and deftly took medication from his own pocket and placed it in Pei Qingyu's mouth. Gently rubbing his chest, he said quietly, "Captain, take deep breaths. It's all right..."

"Why... don't you call me Qingyu anymore..." Pei Qingyu suddenly asked dazedly, his eyes closed.

Xun Yin froze. He glanced at Pei Qingyu nestled in his arms. Pei Qingyu's head drooped, his face pale, his lips and fingernails tinged purple. Unable to tell whether his captain was lucid, he hesitated before asking, "Captain, I've never called you that..."

"You have..."

"When?"

Xun Yin's heart tightened, but Pei Qingyu said nothing more. Perhaps the medication had taken effect. His head tilted slightly back, and he seemed to have fallen into an exhausted sleep. Xun Yin sighed soundlessly, unsure whether he felt relieved or disappointed. He picked him up and quietly told Lin Shichu, who had hurried over, that he was taking him back to the hospital.