Hearing Shen Qiang's words, Qian Shanxue nodded in agreement, saying, "Such a brutal criminal, if he really were still around, he wouldn't easily stop, so I think Shen Qiang is right—this person should already be dead. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly refrain from committing crimes for fifteen years."

Ali nodded, "It's hard to change one's nature, and he committed crimes for twenty-eight years. Such an arrogant criminal couldn't possibly reform."

Their words brought a slight smile to Shen Qiang's lips.

But at this moment, Ye Xiaolei said, "Not necessarily. To solve a case, one must make bold assumptions and carefully verify them. Fifteen years of silence could mean his methods have changed, or he has become more restrained. There's even a possibility that the crimes he committed haven't been discovered."

Qian Shanxue frowned, "Twenty-eight plus fifteen equals 43. Considering the time he started committing crimes, assuming he was eighteen, he would now be at least over sixty. If he was in his thirties back then, he'd now be in his seventies."

Ye Xiaolei responded, "If he were a cultivator, sixty-something would be in his prime."

Qian Shanxue raised an eyebrow, "Give it up; he's not a cultivator. Cultivators have countless ways to kill and erase traces. That person's behavior doesn't match."

At this point, the silent Shen Qiang suddenly said, "I think both we and the police back then entered a misconception. That is, we never determined whether this killer was a cultivator."

Repeatedly reviewing the data.

Shen Qiang said, "That is the key, so I think Ye Xiaolei makes sense. In the twenty-sixth year of his crimes, the police started introducing DNA comparison, and two years later, he stopped acting. It is very possible that he realized he was about to be caught."

Qian Shanxue frowned, "If that were the case, why would he continue for two years before stopping? During such a long time, he could very likely get caught."

Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow, "First, when the police introduced DNA comparison, they might not have announced it immediately. Second, even if they announced the wonders of this technology, in the beginning, not many might believe it. The suspect might think the police were trying to scare him. Third, two years just enough to verify the role of modern technology in solving cases, this was enough to alert him."

Qian Shanxue was silent for a moment, incredulously saying, "I still think our previous assumption is more reliable, that the person should already be dead."

Shen Qiang said, "So this involves the fundamental question of our debate, whether he is a cultivator. If not, then in terms of age, he is indeed likely already dead. But if he's a cultivator, then at sixty or seventy, he'd be in his prime. The fifteen years of his disappearance could be a change in method, hidden crimes, or perhaps he went into seclusion for cultivation."

Qian Shanxue exhaled, "I still feel that fighting would be a bit easier; your words make my brain hurt."

Shen Qiang smiled, "It's just speculation."

At this moment, Ali, sitting in the back, said, "I suddenly also feel that this person might be a cultivator. After all, as long as he doesn't use any cultivator abilities during his crimes, he can make it impossible for us to determine that he's a cultivator. But at the same time, because of his abilities, he could repeatedly escape capture and searches."

"This deduction is in the files, but it became unverifiable speculation because he suddenly disappeared," Ye Xiaolei said.

Hearing this, Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow, saying, "Actually, guessing like this means nothing. We might as well find some people who were involved in the investigation back then; perhaps we could learn more."

"Lv Shuzhong, who was the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team involved in the investigation back then, is retired now and lives in Kangjia Community on the second ring road. It's only thirteen kilometers from here. If you want to understand the situation, I think no one would be more suitable than him," Ali raised an eyebrow.

Qian Shanxue gazed at Shen Qiang and said, "Do you really think it's necessary at this time to invest energy in this seemingly impossible-to-solve case?"

"Everything in this world has its causal relationships. Nothing is impossible; it's just that you don't truly understand," Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow, glancing at the elderly matching their children for marriage in the square, "Let's go, let's inquire about the situation. After all, sometimes, some details might be overlooked in the files."

Hearing this, Qian Shanxue didn't hesitate any longer, started the car, and drove straight to the Kangjia Community.

Because they took the second ring road, the journey wasn't long, and Shen Qiang, Qian Shanxue, and the others soon arrived at the community.

Because the address was clear.

So the group went straight to the home of the retired police officer Lv Shuzhong.

After showing their credentials and stating their identities and purpose, Lv Shuzhong invited them into the living room.

They sat down on the sofa.

Qian Shanxue politely showed him the case files on the laptop for a glance and then said, "Mr. Lv, hello. We came here this time to ask you about the case from fifteen years ago. Do you know of any doubts that aren't explicitly recorded in the files?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lv immediately said seriously, "There were countless doubts about that case at the time. Wait, I have notes."

With that, Mr. Lv walked into his room, and after a short while, the group saw Lv Shuzhong, almost seventy, not only put on reading glasses but also took out a diary that looked old, with yellowed pages, from a box.

Then he carefully opened it, flipped through many pages, and said, "Found it. Here are the three major doubts of mine from back then that I couldn't let go. The first major doubt was that during strict surveillance and stakeout, we should have caught the suspect inside the search perimeter."

"But at that time, hundreds of police forces were mobilized, and we were very sure the suspect was within our encirclement. However, we even checked the sewers and found nothing. So I believed that the suspect might have had an accomplice. But the special investigation team back then believed that the suspect was acting alone, so this could only be my personal suspicion."

Hearing this, Shen Qiang transmitted to Qian Shanxue, "Being within the search perimeter yet not found further proves this person might be a cultivator or a demon with an exceptional ability to escape or hide."

Qian Shanxue asked, "What's the second doubt you have?"

"He's not dead!" Mr. Lv said seriously, "Three years after he stopped committing crimes, many experts and the police believed that the killer had either died accidentally or lost the ability to act. But I firmly believe he wasn't dead and hadn't lost his ability to act. He just went into hiding."

Qian Shanxue raised an eyebrow, "Do you have evidence?"

Mr. Lv shook his head, "No evidence, but my intuition tells me he's alive and living well, which kept me up at night."

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