How You Can Sue Me for My Crimes in Dreams

Does murder need a reason?

Does it?

It does!

In modern society, where power is concentrated in the law, murder requires a reason.

A reason that outweighs the price of breaking the law!

”No one kills without a reason, not even the severely mentally ill!”

Xu Huo spoke up again.

The mentally ill have no reverence for the law; they don’t see the consequences. From their perspective, it’s normal to kill someone they don’t like.

And simply not liking someone is their reason. Since they don’t fear the law, their reasons can be trivial.

But an ordinary person fears the law, so their reason must be heavy!

”Whether the killer is an ordinary person or not, we have to treat him like one for now.”

”This son of a bitch must have a motive for killing.”

An image appeared in Xu Huo’s mind: on the left, the reservoir from the first crime scene; on the right, the village.

”At the first crime scene, his reason for killing might have been some sort of conflict. Broadcasting the victim’s cry for help over the radio was also because of this so-called conflict.”

”But after the first murder, his objective changed.”

”In other words...”

”His reason for killing changed, too!”

If you ignored certain factors, you could treat these as two completely separate cases.

The inconsistencies in the killer’s thinking were baffling!

”What reason?” Li Jianye frowned.

”And what conflict?”

The killer wasn’t motivated by money or lust, and the second crime scene wasn’t a crime of passion, either.

So what on earth was it for!?

No one just kills someone for no reason.

Imagine a complete stranger standing in front of you—no past connection, no present grudge. Would you really risk the death penalty, leaving your parents with no one to care for them, your wife a widow, and your child in a single-parent home, just to kill him!?

It makes no sense. The logic just doesn’t add up.

But if there was a motive...

If it wasn’t for money, lust, or passion, then what benefit could possibly come from killing a middle-aged farm woman!?

Everyone at the scene fell into deep thought. Brows furrowed, and the air filled with the sounds of sighs and sharp inhales.

This case...

On the surface, there was nothing to see. It was a pool of stagnant water; even if you had a theory, there was no way to find a breakthrough.

What was his goal?

As everyone sat with knitted brows, lost in thought, Xu Huo stood up.

”Let’s go check the second crime scene.”

Li Jianye didn’t object. They had returned to the station because there was too little information at the second crime scene, but unfortunately, it seemed trying to deduce things from the station was useless now.

Xu Huo wanted to go back to the scene to see if they’d missed anything.

But unfortunately...

The moment they stepped out of the station, they found the entrance blocked.

A huge crowd of people was swarming outside. Seeing Li Jianye, they immediately grew agitated.

”Captain Li! Captain Li! Excuse me, regarding the online rumors about the corpse’s returning spirit, do you...”

”Captain Li, could you please tell us the nature of this midnight radio incident? Could it really be the legendary...”

”What are your thoughts on the netizens’ speculations online?”

”Have the police found the person based on the radio’s distress call? Is the caller still alive...?”

”...”

Before they could even fully open the door, reporters and paparazzi shoved a forest of boom mics and cameras with massive lenses right into Li Jianye’s and Xu Huo’s faces.

A crowd of reporters had gathered outside, most of them from radio companies.

Li Jianye’s face darkened, a furious fire churning in his gut.

These people were smart. They weren’t obstructing the investigation or going to the crime scenes. Instead, they had all gathered at the station entrance, asking questions about the supernatural, ready to ambush whoever came out!

And they weren’t even asking about the case’s progress or details!

Instead, they were deliberately pushing the sensational, suspense-filled angle of a ’midnight spirit’s return’!

There was nothing to be done. The case’s popularity had exploded after the second broadcast. Forget Jiangsan City—the entire Haiyun Province was in an uproar. Whichever media outlet could get a piece of the story would see their ratings and popularity soar!

With tens of thousands of people witnessing it live on the radio, the speed at which public opinion was fermenting was no joke...

The most crucial part was... Li Jianye had no foolproof way to put a stop to this!

”You haven’t slept in almost three days, kid. The crime scene can wait. Go get some rest first.”

Li Jianye took a deep breath and pushed his way through.

Hearing this, Xu Huo finally realized just how sore and swollen his eyes were.

That, combined with the constant use of his energy-draining Skill, had left him utterly exhausted.

’The two deaths were two days apart. If that’s a pattern, the third call most likely won’t come until the night after tomorrow.’

He let out a turbid breath and, forcing himself to stay alert, walked toward the holding cell area.

At 7 PM, just before Xu Huo’s consciousness finally faded, only a few questions remained in his mind.

’The killer... why did he murder the farm woman, Zhao Lian?’

’What is his real motive!?’

...

...

Xu Huo was jolted awake by the noise.

Night, 10 PM sharp. Xu Huo’s eyes shot open. He paused for a moment on the bed, his ears twitching at a sound. Without the slightest hesitation, he got up and walked out.

The moment he stepped out of the holding cell area, his vision was filled with the blue and red flashing lights of countless police cars under the night sky.

Innumerable police officers were swarming out, piling into the vehicles.

”What happened!?”

Shock was written all over Xu Huo’s face.

Hearing the voice, Li Jianye turned. His eyes, bloodshot from lack of rest, fixed on Xu Huo.

”The third murder...”

”It’s happened!”

The third murder... it’s happened!?

Xu Huo’s pupils contracted violently.

The killer was a day earlier than last time!

”Let’s go!”

...

...

「September 30th, 10:45 PM.」

Sishui County, on the edge of the suburbs. The flashing blue and red lights illuminated the night as rows of police cars lined the roadside.

Li Jianye stared at the body before him—the body of a victim revealed by the killer himself, who had proactively contacted the radio station. He felt a sense of unreality.

It was a beggar.

A beggar who had been murdered and left to rot under a bridge.

This was the third murder scene!

He... had killed a day early!

Dozens of officers expertly set up a police cordon, weaving through the area!

Xu Huo was in a bit of a daze. In his eyes, the flashing lights began to blur, as if threatening to overwhelm his vision.

The killer... what on earth is he trying to do?

Three murder scenes. The first might have involved a conflict, but the second and third... what was his reason for killing them!?

Moreover, the first murder was completely different from the second and third. Why the change?

A farm woman with a closed social circle and a beggar who lived by panhandling—how could they have possibly offended him?

They couldn’t have!

Logically, a case is identified as a serial killing because you can find a common thread among the victims.

The killer’s changing methods must be related to this common thread.

This common thread would also evolve, pushing him to commit the third murder a day early!

But... where was the common thread in this case!?

None of the information matched. Aside from the method of killing being vaguely similar, these could have been three separate cases!

And the three victims didn’t know each other. It was impossible for them to have made a mortal enemy of the same person in different places!

You could even say... the motive, the reason for the murders, had nothing to do with these people. At least, the fundamental reason for the deaths of the second and third victims wasn’t about them at all!

Then why kill?

The motive for killing, the commonality between the three murders, the ultimate goal, the changing element that made the killer accelerate his pace...

At that moment, a thousand thoughts raced through Xu Huo’s mind. His pupils were unfocused as he retreated into his own world. He was mentally exhausted, but his train of thought was surprisingly clear, without a single knot.

”A murder case has only three perspectives: you, me, and them. In other words, the killer, the victim, and third-party factors.”

”If we eliminate the victim and the killer himself, that leaves...”

”A third-party factor. One that evolves, one that would make the killer speed up his murders. That would be...”

Suddenly, Xu Huo froze.

In a flash of insight, he felt as if he had grasped a mythical pillar that grew, and grew, and grew—propping up the heavens and piercing the darkness!

In that instant...

Xu Huo’s pupils contracted violently. Everything, all the clues, connected in his mind to form a single, complete line.

”I’ve found it!”

”What?” Li Jianye asked, startled by the sudden outburst.

”I’ve found his tell!”

Xu Huo’s face was ashen, his expression terrifyingly grim.

He understood. He understood just what kind of thing they were facing.

”This son of a bitch...”

”This lunatic!!!”

This was a madman...

A completely unhinged madman!

A flicker of confusion appeared in Li Jianye’s eyes. Frowning deeply, he pressed him.

”What tell!?”