"What?! Dead?! How did he die?!"

"I don't know."

Jia Feng really didn't know because even the hospital experts couldn't figure it out.

On the second day after I escorted Chen Jiafei back to the police station, Shen Guochang started feeling unwell with headaches and fever, later showing symptoms of vomiting, chills, and full-body shivers. So, under strict police protection, the Shen family took him to the hospital.

The on-duty doctor's preliminary diagnosis was malaria. They drew blood to look for malaria parasites while administering antimalarial medication.

Strangely, the malaria parasite was not found in two blood tests, and the antimalarial medication had no effect. Shen Guochang's fever soared to 41 degrees Celsius, and he began talking nonsense and hallucinating, saying he saw Chen Jiayi standing behind a wall with a bloody face and Xiaoya lying under the bed with disheveled hair.

The Chen family thought he was possessed and, despite the doctor's objections, brought in a master to exorcise the evil spirits. During the exorcism, Shen Guochang started convulsing and then went into a frenzy, smashing a cup over the master's head.

The police invited experts from the provincial hospital, who preliminarily diagnosed central nervous system infection and sepsis. Antibiotics were used, and they planned to test Shen Guochang's blood for antibodies and perform a lumbar puncture. However, Shen Guochang was frequently convulsing and in a delirious state, extremely uncooperative. With police assistance, the doctors forcibly sedated him to begin the examination.

The first blood antibody test revealed no issues, and a lumbar puncture was scheduled for the next day.

Unfortunately, early the next morning, Shen Guochang died.

The Shen family caused a huge commotion in the hospital, bringing a coffin and setting up a memorial hall, insisting that Shen Guochang was killed by incompetent doctors. They demanded an explanation from the hospital, and several attempts by the police station to mediate were unsuccessful, even resulting in the hospital director's glasses being knocked off.

"Heh, the Shen family is really tough. Captain, how do you think this will end?" Jia Feng said.

"Hmph, how will it end? With compensation, of course. The Second Hospital is going to bleed money this time." Chen Lili sneered, with a tone of disdain and satisfaction.

I didn't join the discussion because I knew I was in big trouble. As the person in charge of the 927 case, not only did I fail to solve the case, but the murderer also completed another predicted killing. It looked like my tenure as deputy captain was over.

The subsequent developments unfolded just as Chen Jiafei had said—"If it could end like this, how great that would be."

Whenever you feel like you've been struck by lightning on a clear day, trapped in a quagmire, don't be discouraged or cry, because there's always a bigger disaster waiting to follow.

Officer Liu and I arrived at the city bureau building and entered the city bureau chief's office for the first time in our lives.

The chief of the city bureau, Director Zhang, handed his phone over expressionlessly. Officer Liu, with a grim face, took the phone and grabbed the back of my head, making me look at the screen.

On it was Lin Kexin's first-time report, not on TV, not in the newspaper, not in new media. In her report, Lin Kexin not only described this predicted murder but also vividly described the 926 case from two years ago.

More frightening than the report's content was that it received 390,000 likes, 70,000 comments, and 110,000 shares.

"How could Xiao Lin do this? It makes our work so passive. Quickly contact the TV station, we can't let her continue like this." A deputy director beside us said with deep regret.

"It's no use. Lin Kexin has already resigned. The TV station has no control over her now." Director Zhang said, "Xiao Lin and Chen Jiayi are good friends. This time she's determined to oppose us. Even Director Lin can't control her anymore and has severed their father-daughter relationship."

Officer Liu and I hung our heads, not daring to make a sound.

Director Zhang turned his tired head: "You two have worked hard, take a rest. Someone else will take over your work."

So we rushed here in the middle of the night just to hear a "suspension" notice? I was in a daze when Officer Liu patted me, signaling to leave with him. I gave an "oh" sound, bowed to apologize to the leaders, and walked out of the director's office.

Then I turned back.

"Director Zhang, I have an idea."