C18 A Pungent Perfume

Lu Xuanxin was taken aback to see Chen Fan.

She furrowed her brow and addressed him, "Prof. Wang, what brings you here?"

Chen Fan shook his head, forgoing any subtlety, and got straight to the point.

"I heard from Tan Jingyao that Faang Liude has passed away?"

It was clear that Chen Fan had come for this reason.

Having witnessed Chen Fan's capabilities, he knew better than to underestimate him.

Lu Xuanxin decided not to hold back this time and laid out the case details.

Faang Liude had been killed by a concealed weapon, which was found lodged in his chest. The scene of his death was his own home, and it was his wife, Xu Hui, who had found him.

At the time, Xu Hui was out, having taken their child to school. Upon her return, she discovered Faang Liude dead.

Upon hearing this, Chen Fan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sorting through his thoughts.

Truthfully, it wasn't the right time for Faang Liude to die, especially since Feng Yuxiu was no longer around. How could Faang Liude have possibly encountered trouble?

Observing Chen Fan's reaction, Lu Xuanxin paused momentarily before standing up, appraising him with a discerning gaze.

"Prof. Wang, don't you think you're a bit too curious about these matters?"

If Chen Fan held a similar position to hers, she might understand his interest. But as a mere professor, his concern for these cases seemed quite out of the ordinary.

Chen Fan was well aware of Lu Xuanxin's cautious nature, so her probing questions didn't surprise him in the least.

Opening his eyes, Chen Fan gave a nonplussed shrug and met Lu Xuanxin's gaze.

"I'm not after anything. All I want is for these kinds of situations to stop happening in the world. Isn't that what you want to see as well, Officer Lu?"

They locked eyes, neither breaking the silence.

After an extended impasse, Lu Xuanxin finally nodded and headed for the door.

"Fine, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. You're after the details, aren't you? Then come with me. I'll show you exactly what transpired."

Are we heading to the crime scene?

Without hesitation, Chen Fan followed Lu Xuanxin out. They quickly reached Faang Liude's house, which was cordoned off, with a crowd of onlookers and guards preventing anyone from entering or leaving.

Observing the scene, Lu Xuanxin turned to Chen Fan and remarked, "Faang Liude met a rather gruesome end. If you're scared, feel free to wait here."

Chen Fan smirked at her comment, his face a picture of nonchalance.

"If you, a woman, aren't scared, why should I be?"

Lu Xuanxin's eyes narrowed as she retorted sharply, "Never underestimate a woman. They're capable of things beyond your wildest imagination."

With that, Lu Xuanxin strode ahead. Chen Fan wanted to respond, but she didn't give him the chance to speak, so he had no choice but to follow.

He never underestimated women; in fact, he held them in high regard. But he believed that as a man, he should live up to the responsibilities and be a role model for what a man ought to be.

Inside, Chen Fan found a body lying beneath a sofa—it was Faang Liude. His upper garments had been torn off, leaving only his trousers. His torso was riddled with knife wounds, blood seeping from each one, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.

The grim sight deepened the gravity on Chen Fan's face. He had known Faang Liude was dead and had thought that nothing he did could change the outcome. But now, he dismissed that notion; this was clearly not Feng Yuxiu's handiwork. Feng Yuxiu sought competition, not this level of brutality.

But the person who had killed Faang Liude... there was a touch of madness in it, an extreme kind of madness.

"Additional mission: uncover the truth behind Faang Liude's death. Reward: a random self-defense weapon. Will you accept the mission? The reward will be issued upon mission completion."

Hearing the unexpected announcement, Chen Fan sighed, a look of resignation on his face.

He wasn't keen on accepting, but Faang Liude's death was peculiar, and now that he was here, it would be inappropriate to simply walk away.

Accept the mission!

"Congratulations, Shadow, on successfully accepting the additional mission!"

Chen Fan pursed his lips and walked toward Faang Liude. As he drew near, a pungent scent assaulted his nostrils—a perfume so potent it was dizzying.

Even Lu Xuanxin couldn't help but frown at the overwhelming fragrance.

She touched her nose and then turned to Chen Fan, saying, "This was the scene when I arrived. I'm just as clueless about what happened here."

"However, my guess is that the perfume didn't belong to the victim."

The scent was intense, and if it hadn't come from the victim, it wouldn't have been so overpowering. But they had overlooked a crucial detail.

Faang Liude was the epitome of a straight man, one who never cared for such fragrances. Not even his wife, Xu Hui, could sway him in this regard.

How could a man like him possibly wear perfume?

Chen Fan turned to Lu Xuanxin with a quizzical lift of his eyebrows. "Are you suggesting that a woman might have killed Faang Liude?"

If Lu Xuanxin herself found the scent unacceptable, how could any man?

But this was mere speculation. The truth would only emerge from a thorough investigation.

Chen Fan stopped beside Faang Liude and reached out to examine the hidden weapon embedded in his chest—a weapon resembling a nail. He was certain it wasn't left by Feng Yuxiu; Chen Fan was all too familiar with Feng Yuxiu's choice of tools.

Straightening up, Chen Fan was about to share his thoughts with Lu Xuanxin when something caught his eye.

With a furrowed brow, he walked over to the window.

There, amidst the debris, lay a shard of glass, roughly the size of a fingernail.

Chen Fan picked up the shard and sniffed it, immediately recognizing the familiar scent.

It was unmistakable.

If this wasn't the scent of the perfume, then what was it?

Chen Fan turned to Lu Xuanxin, who had clearly noticed his discovery. She approached and silently observed the shard in Chen Fan's hand.

After a moment, he retrieved a bag from his pocket and promptly placed the item inside. Once the item was securely stored, Lu Xuanxin lifted her gaze to peer out the window.

Outside, there remained a hole.