On one side of the door: newly minted accomplices, their "cooperation" freshly sealed.
On the other: the imminent arrival of the police, representing law and order.
Time had become the ultimate luxury.
Qin Jiu released Shen Mian's hand. The fleeting, artificial warmth was instantly replaced by the room's chill. Without a moment's delay, he began moving with the efficient precision of a finely tuned machine.
"Listen, we have less than ten minutes," his voice was cold and sharp again, each word like the cocking of a gun. "The police will first confirm the body and seal the scene, then conduct preliminary interviews with adjacent rooms and personnel present today. Our goal isn't to create a perfect scene, but to create a plausible 'point of contradiction'—to make them believe a third person was involved."
He strode quickly into the living area, his eyes scanning the body and its surroundings like lasers.
"First, the entrance." He pointed towards the foyer. "Shoe covers, gloves—we haven't used any, but the 'ghost' did. Find the shoe cloth provided by the hotel, use a corner to pick up a trace of dust from the outside of the door frame, crumple it into a ball, and toss it into the bottom of the corner trash bin. This suggests someone lingered here briefly and attempted to clean up."
Shen Mian immediately complied. As a forensic doctor, she knew all too well what such minute fibers and dust meant in the eyes of a forensics team.
"Second, perspective." Qin Jiu moved to a spot behind and to the side of the body. "The victim's posture indicates he was facing towards the bedroom. The 'ghost' attacked from behind. So, where would the 'ghost' have been observing from before the attack?"
His gaze shifted to the shadows of the short hallway leading from the living room to the bathroom.
"There," Shen Mian understood instantly. "It offers a view of the whole living room and allows for a stealthy approach when the victim's back was turned."
"Smart." Qin Jiu's approval held no warmth. "Go. Make a slight, barely noticeable indentation on the carpet there, just the front half of a foot. Use your shoe sole, brush it lightly. Mind the pressure—it should look like someone stood there briefly, not stomped."
Shen Mian followed his instructions, using her professional knowledge to fabricate the trace with skill. A profound sense of absurdity washed over her: here she was, a forensic doctor, being guided by a criminal mastermind to stage a scene she would normally be tasked with analyzing.
"Third, and most crucial—the 'ghost's' exit." Qin Jiu walked towards the suite's main window. It was a heavy floor-to-ceiling pane opening onto a narrow, decorative balcony. They were on the eighteenth floor; climbing was impossible.
"This is the eighteenth floor. He couldn't have left this way. So, he must have exited through the door, but without being clearly captured on camera." Qin Jiu pulled the curtain aside. The harsh morning light illuminated his stern profile. "We need a 'time discrepancy' and a 'perspective gap'."
He pointed towards the door. "The police will pull the hallway footage. But their initial focus will be the timeframe around the estimated time of death. What we need is for the 'ghost' to appear much earlier and 'disappear' in a blind spot."
"How... how do you know the blind spots?" Shen Mian couldn't help asking.
Qin Jiu glanced back at her, his look making her feel she'd asked a foolish question.
"High-end hotel surveillance layouts follow patterns. Fire escapes, service elevator entrances, some staff corridors—they're natural blind spots or have poor coverage. That screenshot I sent you was from a camera near the fire escape; awkward angle, low resolution, perfect for our 'ghost'."
He took out his own phone and tapped it quickly a few times.
"I've already fabricated a short video clip showing a figure matching the 'ghost's' description. It will appear in the fire escape camera footage around 3 a.m., well before the time of death. This will muddy the waters, make them think the killer infiltrated early and was lying in wait inside the hotel."
A chill ran down Shen Mian's spine. In such a short time, this man had not only conceived the entire plan but had already planted part of the "evidence"! His resources and cunning were unfathomable.
"Now, the final step," Qin Jiu walked up to her, looking directly into her eyes, his tone brooking no argument. "Forget you're a forensic doctor."
"What?"
"Forget your expertise, forget your composure. From now on, you are an ordinary woman, severely frightened and dependent on her husband. The slightest hint of a professional reaction will be a red flag for Lu Yoyo and her colleagues. Fear, panic, disorientation—that's the state you need to be in. Can you do it?"
Shen Mian looked into his seemingly all-penetrating eyes and nodded firmly.
She had no other choice.
The guide to staging the scene had been delivered. All that remained was to follow his script and perform in this life-or-death play.