My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Based on initial investigation, there wasn\'t any sign of activity around the old residential complex. It was located close to the suburb where there were only a few roadside stalls and shabby restaurants around. The road leading to that place was undeveloped and because their entire parade looked too eye-catching, they could only stop far in the distance and dispatched people there.

After a while of asking around, they got no answer either. Nobody was spotted near the complex—or to be exact, the citizens didn\'t care enough to take notice of it. However, when Si Zhening\'s photograph was shown, they had some reactions; the majority was shocked and surprised because Si Zhening had changed drastically from the boy in their memories.

"Isn\'t he the student who lived in the basement in that complex there?"

"Oh, I remember him. He used to buy breakfast from my place everyday. There was one time when he lacked a few cents to buy even a bun. I saw that he was so pitiful so I gave him a few extra more."

"Nah, it\'s been a long time. Who would return to this kind of place? If you didn\'t remind me, I would have forgotten all about him. It\'s good that he has grown up well."

"Speaking of it, why are you looking for him? Did something happen?"

"That\'s all they know, Sir." The subordinate reported to Jin Renguang. "It doesn\'t seem like they were lying."

Jin Renguang sat crossed leg on the back of the van, head buried into his notes. He hummed without looking up. "Good work. Go back and be on standby."

"Yes, sir!" The officer saluted and closed the door behind him. The entire team was out on stake and combed for possible places to hide at the same time, leaving Jin Renguang and Ru Meiqi inside the van. The former was busy sorting something while the latter actually didn\'t have to tag along but still insisted. Thus, she opted to be Captain Jin\'s assistant instead.

However, she was getting bored of waiting. Cupping her cheeks, she asked for the third time. "You really don\'t need my help?"

"No." Jin Renguang answered helplessly. "You only need to sit still and be pretty."

Ru Meiqi scoffed. "Since when did you become so cheesy? What are you looking at anyway?" 

Jin Renguang finally yielded under the woman\'s stubbornness and shared his notes. The pages were filled with scribbles. Fortunately, Jin Renguang\'s handwriting was neat, upright and straight; just like he was. Her eyes skimmed through it. "Lei Liqiu\'s puzzle and…the website? Which website are you talking about here?" 

"Don\'t you remember? The one that Wang Chengbing found with the username @kmeulchian5862 in it."

Ru Meiqi nodded in realization. Frowning, she asked. "Why are you mulling about this again? Hasn\'t everything been sorted out?"

"Has it?" His lips curled into a wry smile. "As far as I know, the only thing we got from it was Yu Chuan who was used by the serial killer to drop the body part in public places. But who is the one behind this username, what\'s his motive, his modus operandi, we know nothing about it. Remember when I made use of Yu Chuan to pull the culprit out and he bailed on me at the last minute? Up to now, I still can\'t fathom what gave me away."

Ru Meiqi was stunned. So, he had been thinking about this matter until now? "I have no idea it bothered you this much."

The man nodded, his eyes focused on the notes. "Much more than I expected. I can\'t shake the gut feeling that there\'s something I have overlooked. Something very, very important." He made a large red circle on the word \'kmeulchian5862\'. "If I place Si Zhening in the serial killer\'s position, his motive for killing is unclear. If he only wants to take revenge on Nan Cheng, there\'s no need to kill thirteen people, isn\'t there? Moreover, recall kmeulchian5862\'s tone when he replied to posts in the website; provocative, ironic and mocking. Then, recall when we sketched that childish sun on the maps to deduce the next location he would throw the body parts to."

Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet Ru Meiqi, dark and apprehensive. "Everything doesn\'t match with Si Zhening\'s character. If, as you had said—he truly has Alexithymia—don\'t you think that the past behavior the serial killer showed has too much \'emotions\' in it?"

Ru Meiqi\'s expression was blank as Jin Renguang\'s words slowly registered in her mind. 

Everything didn\'t match.

The serial killer\'s motive, his tendency to challenge the police by showing off his victims as well as the crazy, psychopathic way of his killing. "You mean…" 

"Kmeulchian5862…" Jin Renguang scribbled on his notes and murmured under his breath. "Wang Chengbing has used a lot of algorithms to figure out what this username means. However, what if the serial killer also used a childish way to fool us? There is no pattern, no algorithm, no special arrangement at all. What if…this is a blatant way for him to tell us his identity?"

"Wait, slow down." Ru Meiqi held his hand. "Look at me, Renguang. Take a deep breath and focus. Do you know what you look like right now?"

Crack! Jin Renguang snapped the pen into two with his bare fist. "I…" He reached out to touch his own face and only realized that he had been grinning maniacally. His pupils dilated and he took in a shaky breath. "...Am I getting too carried away again?"

"Yes." Ru Meiqi let out a sigh of relief. "It\'s good that you have come to your senses. Let\'s think slowly, alright?"

Jin Renguang buried his face into his palms and heaved a long sigh. "I\'m sorry." He rubbed his face roughly and when he blinked again, his face had returned to the usual stern and somber look. "I shouldn\'t be distracted. The most important thing right now is to apprehend Si Zhening and rescue Jiang Jinyan as soon as possible."

"You\'re right." Ru Meiqi gave him a smile. "Renguang, I say if…if Si Zhening isn\'t here then—"

"Captain!" An excited voice came through from the walkie talkie. "There\'s a garbage collector who lives around here. He said that when he collected a few junks in this area a few days ago, he saw a person who looked like Si Zhening!"

Jin Renguang and Ru Meiqi glanced at each other. Finally, the first crucial clue popped up!

In a timely manner, Team 1 who scouted Si Zhening\'s junior high school reported back. "Captain, we have finished scouring the area. There\'s no sign of Si Zhening and Jiang Jinyan. This is definitely not the place."

"Alright." Jin Renguang answered. "Gather here immediately. We will proceed to break in as fast as possible."

"Yes, sir!"

Jin Renguang closed his notes and reassembled the gun. He offered Ru Meiqi a dauntless smirk. "Are you ready, Officer Ru?" 

Ru Meiqi caught the gun he threw and strapped it toward the holster around her waist. She returned with the same provocative smile. "Right back at you, Captain Jin."

Countdown until the time\'s up: 17 hours 45 minutes 20 seconds.

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A/N: A familiar username is brought up again. Kmeulchian5862, what kind of secret is hiding behind this username?