Chapter 294: A World Without Me! (9)

Listening to Lin Ranhai’s confession, Chen Mo couldn’t help but frown.

His story seemed driven more by self-preservation than by the truth.

He would need to compare it with the results of Su Yaxi’s interrogation to learn the whole truth.

Seeing this version of himself, so vigilant and unwilling to be swayed, the real Chen Mo was deeply moved.

’If my pre-transmigration self had suddenly learned this news, I probably would have reacted the same way.’

The scene before him began to change again.

Chen Mo had begun interrogating Su Yaxi.

It had to be said, Su Yaxi was tight-lipped and refused to admit to anything. So much time had passed, too.

Even if they knew she was there at the time, it would be incredibly difficult to prove she had done it.

What’s more, they couldn’t even prove she was at the scene.

But Su Yaxi never would have guessed that Lin Ranhai had saved their entire chat log from that day.

It was no wonder Lin Ranhai had been so cautious. If the truth ever came out and Su Yaxi tried to pin everything on him, he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself. He had to keep something for leverage.

But even when Chen Mo presented the chat logs from that day, Su Yaxi remained a brick wall.

Because that day, Su Yaxi had used her mother’s tone and identity to command Lin Ranhai.

To break through this lie, he needed to get Su Yaxi’s mother, Lin Shiyu, to testify.

And he had to do it without letting her know it would affect her daughter.

Otherwise, if she committed perjury, it would be even easier for Su Yaxi to extricate herself.

Because there wasn’t a single piece of hard evidence proving Su Yaxi was involved in the case.

Even finding the murder weapon would be useless; the fingerprints on it had been wiped clean long ago.

Don’t be fooled by Su Yaxi’s young age at the time; she was incredibly meticulous in her methods.

While Su Yaxi was still being held for mandatory cooperation with the investigation, Chen Mo immediately found Lin Shiyu to ask about the chat logs from the day of the incident.

Since Lin Shiyu was completely in the dark and hadn’t done it herself, she naturally denied any involvement with the chat’s content.

Chen Mo immediately brought the video recording of the interview back to Su Yaxi, but unexpectedly, the girl’s psychological fortitude was abnormally strong.

She didn’t care at all. She stuck to her story that it had nothing to do with her. If her mother denied it, then maybe her mother was lying.

It was a baseless accusation. Who could prove she was the one who sent the messages?

Lin Ranhai’s testimony alone was completely useless.

While a confession from a death row inmate naturally carried some weight, the fact that this matter involved a child like Su Yaxi made it difficult to believe.

It was truly hard for anyone to believe.

And Lin Ranhai had little physical evidence to offer. After all, when the crime occurred, practically no evidence was left behind.

The torrential rain had washed everything clean.

And the surveillance cameras had all been deliberately avoided.

The only murder weapon had long since disappeared. Even if it were found, it wouldn’t have the slightest trace connecting it to Su Yaxi.

The case was a complete dead end.

Even if they had tracked down Su Yaxi the day after the murder ten years ago, it would have been difficult to convict her, let alone now, a decade later.

Chen Mo’s colleagues all agreed that even if everything Lin Ranhai confessed was true...

...convicting Su Yaxi within the current legal framework was simply impossible.

For Chen Mo, who had suddenly learned the truth and lost his purpose, this gave him a new reason to live.

Before, he had dedicated the rest of his life to investigating Su Yuqing’s case.

Now, he would dedicate the rest of his life to searching for any clue that could convict Su Yaxi.

Even if it wasn’t for Su Yuqing’s case, if she committed any other crime, Chen Mo was determined to stay on her tail for good.

Based on the completeness of Lin Ranhai’s confession, as well as his demeanor and facial micro-expressions while testifying, Chen Mo felt his statement was highly credible.

On the other hand, there was Su Yaxi. Even with her strong psyche and her refusal to talk, her micro-expressions couldn’t lie.

During the interrogation, she repeatedly displayed micro-expressions that were clear indicators of lying.

But under the current legal framework, these micro-expressions were not admissible as evidence.

They could only serve as a presumptive factor for the police during their investigation.

Without concrete evidence, everything else was useless.

But in truth, even Lin Ranhai himself didn’t know who was truly responsible for Su Yuqing’s death. Whether it was necessary to consider Su Yaxi the true culprit was another matter entirely. One could only say that many different forces pushed things along, leading to this tragic outcome.

But this was good in a way. At least now, after learning the truth, this world’s Chen Mo had a reason to live on and keep fighting.

Watching these scenes unfold, the real Chen Mo felt a wave of emotion.

To deal with an outlaw like Su Yaxi, there seemed to be only one path.

If he chose to operate within the legal framework, as long as she didn’t commit another crime, he would basically never be able to touch her.

’It seems that whether it was before or after I transmigrated, there’s just no good way to deal with this deeply cunning girl,’ Chen Mo lamented inwardly.

But the moment he thought this, a jolt shot through Chen Mo’s mind. He suddenly realized something.

’Before transmigration? If I transmigrated, then who is this version of me acting in this world right now?’

The moment he returned to that rainy night, Chen Mo thought he had transmigrated.

But thinking about it carefully now, perhaps their consciousnesses had merely synchronized.

What had already happened could not be changed. Everything in this world was already set in stone.

But somewhere in the vast universe, a better world had to exist.

"Perhaps after all these difficult days, you deserve a moment of reprieve."

Looking at his other self, who had once again fallen into an exhausted sleep, Chen Mo reached out and gently touched his head. He hoped that he could have a good dream about his own world—even if it was just a dream, it might bring a drop of sweet relief to his weary mind.

The instant Chen Mo touched the head of his other self with this simple wish...

...a jade pendant on his own body suddenly lit up.

The next moment, Chen Mo felt a soft, gentle hand caressing his cheek.

As he slowly drifted awake, Chen Mo suddenly felt as if a lifetime had passed.

He suddenly looked in a certain direction, but there was nothing there...

"You’re awake?" Su Yuqing’s gentle voice sounded by his ear.

Chen Mo shook his head and slowly sat up from Su Yuqing’s lap. He paused for a moment, taking in the faint, reassuring fragrance of the person beside him, then immediately replied in a low voice, "No."

He then clung to Su Yuqing even more, hugging her close and resting his head against her soft chest to go back to sleep.