How You Can Sue Me for My Crimes in Dreams

The killer was someone incredibly meticulous about time.

It was a common trait among scouts.

And he was no exception.

But...

’In the afternoon, the killer murdered the dean of students and then vanished.’

’More than half a day has passed since this afternoon, and the killer hasn’t done a thing. There can only be two reasons for that.’

’First, certain conditions haven’t been met, so he doesn’t have the opportunity or the means to act yet.’

’Second, he’s already made his move, but the police just haven’t found out yet.’

At the crematorium, Xu Huo sat on a bench, his mind racing.

The time was now exactly midnight.

Half an hour passed, but there were still no clues.

’If the killer hasn’t appeared because of the first reason...’

’...then what are these conditions he’s waiting for?’

’It would take some kind of hard-and-fast condition to stop his revenge, but...’

The killer’s objective was clear: murder.

The most basic requirement for killing was to be able-bodied, a condition the killer clearly met.

The dean of students, Cheng Yu, the second dump site—they all proved he was capable.

He had already killed... What else could possibly be stopping him from killing again?

It didn’t make sense.

It was like finishing a meal and then claiming you didn’t know how to eat.

’Is it because the next target is special?’

’No, for him, who involved in this case would require special conditions to be met before they could be killed?’

Xu Huo’s brow furrowed.

He began to run through the list of survivors in his head.

’There were only three from the private academy, and they’re all dead.’

’His grudge against the people from the public school isn’t as strong. Even if he were going to kill them, there’s no reason he would’ve waited this long.’

’There are no ”hard-and-fast conditions” to speak of.’

’Besides, between the afternoon and evening, our manpower hadn’t been assigned to every single home. He definitely had opportunities to strike.’

’But since the dean of students, there’s been nothing...’

The people he wanted to kill were definitely all connected to this case.

The only potential exception was the factory owner, the mother of the deceased Liu Wen.

But unlike the others involved in the explosion, she had paid compensation. It wasn’t much, but it was by the book.

If he wanted to kill her, he would have done it when he got out of the service.

If it wasn’t her...

’Then that brings me back to the original question.’

’The most likely targets are Cheng Yang and the few people from the public school.’

’But he could have killed them this afternoon... and he didn’t.’

Xu Huo fell into deep thought.

”Captain Qian, in the investigation, are there any other people involved?”

He looked at Qian Hua.

Qian Hua, who had been dozing off beside him, heard this and fought to stay alert.

”Nope.”

”The case file is clear. Everyone related to it is accounted for—perpetrators and victims from both incidents. We haven’t missed anyone.”

Hearing this, Xu Huo’s brows furrowed even tighter.

’No one else?’

’Then what in the world is he waiting for?’

’What about the second possibility? That he’s already made his move and the police just haven’t found out?’

’Unlikely. If he did something to the former students, the officers who arrived on scene tonight would have definitely noticed.’

”Strange... what is he waiting for?”

Xu Huo muttered, lost in thought.

Time passed, minute by minute, second by second.

In the blink of an eye, it was one-thirty.

”Advisor Xu, you should get some sleep. You’ve been up for two days straight...”

Qian Hua, who had been taking turns resting with Li Jianye, suggested to Xu Huo.

Xu Huo shook his head, his expression grim.

”He’s very meticulous about his timing.”

”The police have everything locked down tight right now. We’re just holding out for reinforcements. Once they arrive—which will be in the daytime—he’ll have no chance to kill anyone without exposing himself.”

”And even if he’s willing to be exposed, it’ll be too late.”

”Tonight is his last chance!”

”I know it, and he knows it.”

”Which means...”

”Something is going to happen tonight!”

Xu Huo said with conviction.

The killer wouldn’t just let his last chance go to waste.

”We have to stay vigilant.”

Hearing this, Qian Hua didn’t insist anymore.

Everyone fell silent.

Until...

2:30 AM.

Still, there were no new leads.

Xu Huo looked at his watch, his brow furrowed.

Three and a half hours until six...

’What on earth is he waiting for?’

’Or have our patrols tonight really left him with no openings?’

Xu Huo took a deep breath and continued to wait silently.

...

「Three in the morning.」

Three hours left until dawn.

Xu Huo’s brow was knitted, and he found himself checking his watch more and more frequently.

...

「Three-thirty in the morning.」

Xu Huo got up and went outside, watching the moon sink toward the horizon.

...

Until...

「Four in the morning.」

Just as everyone was nodding off, their minds foggy with exhaustion...

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion ripped through the air like a clap of thunder. The massive shockwave blasted outwards, jolting everyone from their sleep.

The world outside flashed white for an instant, a brief, indistinct flare in the darkness.

Xu Huo’s eyes snapped open and he shot to his feet.

”It’s happening!”

He stared fixedly outside.

Beside him, Qian Hua and Li Jianye shot up, a reaction born of pure muscle memory.

They both looked dazed for a moment, but snapped into focus an instant later.

”What happened!?”

”Report! Squad One, Squad Two, Squad Three, report your status!”

”What was that explosion just now!?”

Li Jianye’s voice rang out as he snatched the walkie-talkie, urgently demanding intel.

STATIC...

”Chief, it’s a bomb!”

”The explosion came from the direction of Cheng Yang’s house! He’s the father of the victim, Cheng Yu!”

A bomb...

’It went off?’

’Right. With his skills, making a few bombs wouldn’t be difficult. He could probably even cobble together a gun.’

But...

”Cheng Yang!?”

”He did all this just for Cheng Yang!?”

Xu Huo froze, utterly bewildered. His mind reeled, an instinctual alarm blaring that something was wrong.