"Mr. Ye, are you suggesting that you have already identified this intersection?" The previously silent Ilt finally spoke, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he inquired, "This intersection... is it the Security Corps you refer to?"
"Indeed, it is the Security Corps," Xiao Mu Yu replied coldly, nodding. "Upon meticulously examining the case records of the deceased documented by the Security Corps, I stumbled upon a rather intriguing phenomenon."
"That is to say... it appears that all the victims slain by Jinx had left behind varying degrees of clues related to them within the Security Corps, such as... the recently deceased Baron Cleo," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly. "This Baron Cleo seems to have no connection to the Security Corps, nor does he have any prior criminal record with them. However, upon deeper investigation, one can easily uncover a case he committed a month and a half ago that left a record within the Security Corps."
"That is... with the assistance of his butler, he brutally murdered a young girl from a civilian district," Xiao Mu Yu continued coldly. "Of course, this case was not documented by the Security Corps, as his butler managed to erase all traces remarkably well, leaving virtually no leads. The Security Corps had no inkling that Baron Cleo was the murderer; had it not been for the criminal record left by Jinx, you might have regarded this as a mere case of a missing child."
"Thus, when the parents of the missing girl reported to the Security Corps, despite some initial investigation, you ultimately found nothing," Xiao Mu Yu remarked coldly. "At that time, the entire focus of the Security Corps was on apprehending Jinx; you could hardly afford to expend excessive energy on what appeared to be an ordinary case of a missing child, especially since such abductions occur frequently in Maple Snow every year."
"Consequently, you hastily closed the case, categorizing it as a standard abduction, and due to the lack of focal points, even if you wished to investigate, there was little to pursue. Thus, such cases often end in obscurity," Xiao Mu Yu stated icily. "Yet, you failed to anticipate that Jinx had been quietly observing the entire intelligence network of the Security Corps."
"This case, which you deemed unworthy of attention, quickly captured her interest. As I mentioned, the notion that two lines can exist without an intersection is a paradox. Once a crime is committed, no matter how adeptly the perpetrator conceals the relevant clues, there will inevitably be blind spots they cannot account for; after all, only the Creator Goddess could erase every trace of her passage."
"Therefore, although Baron Cleo's butler endeavored to eliminate all traces, he ultimately fell victim to Jinx, who followed the residual clues to find him. The subsequent events unfolded simply," Xiao Mu Yu continued coldly. "Baron Cleo and his butler were, as expected, slain by the so-called 'Justice Enforcer Jinx.'"
"Upon discovering this lead, I temporarily set aside Jinx and began meticulously searching through all related case files, seeking connections between the documented criminal events in the Security Corps and the victims slain by Jinx. As anticipated, I uncovered a wealth of corroborative evidence," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly.
With a frigid expression, he tapped the white line connecting the circles labeled [Victims] and [Security Corps] on the blackboard, stating coldly, "The earliest victim at Jinx's hands, Lord Naisario, followed by the subsequent deaths of Baron Yorvo, Minister Lisara, Lady Oclan, and the repeatedly elusive criminal Clinko..."
"Among all those slain by Jinx, aside from those already documented by the Security Corps, who could not be prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, every other victim at Jinx's hands can be traced back to relevant case records or clues within the Security Corps' files," Xiao Mu Yu remarked coldly.
"At this juncture, I was already fairly certain that Jinx was indeed intertwined with the Security Corps," Xiao Mu Yu said, his expression still icy as he rubbed his forehead. "However, this alone only indicates that Jinx has access to information from the Security Corps..."
"And this is something many high-ranking nobles within Maple Snow can accomplish, as the Security Corps does not hold a particularly high position within the judicial system. Many influential nobles can issue commands that the head of the Security Corps cannot refute," Xiao Mu Yu continued coldly. "Take, for instance, the aforementioned Lord Naisario."
"Though merely a lord, he is the nephew of Duke Afalio, and with the Duke's protection, the Security Corps dared not prosecute him despite having ample evidence of his crimes, including murder, assault, and abduction, until Duke Afalio withdrew his favor," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly.
As the chilling and unfeeling words left his lips, an awkward atmosphere enveloped the search department, with everyone lowering their heads in embarrassment, unable to meet his icy gaze.
However, Xiao Mu Yu paid no heed to their discomfort, continuing with his cold tone as though discussing trivial matters, "As I mentioned, the Security Corps, due to its low standing in the judicial system, is utterly powerless in the face of pressure from the upper echelons... Thus, for the great nobles, the so-called Security Corps is merely a façade; they fear only the royal guard."
"Since the Security Corps would not dare to challenge these great nobles, if Jinx were indeed among them, she would have countless methods to acquire intelligence from the entire Security Corps without detection," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly. "Moreover, it is not solely the great nobles who can achieve this; even ordinary officials with a modicum of influence within the judicial system can easily do so."
"Consequently, searching for Jinx among these individuals presents an overwhelming challenge," Xiao Mu Yu remarked coldly. "To narrow down the scope, I sought assistance from Miss Shyvana, the commander of the royal guard stationed in Maple Snow, acquiring records of heinous crimes committed by nobles documented by the Security Corps."
"These records are of low confidentiality; many details are not considered secrets even among the upper echelons of Maple Snow. After comparing these records with those of the Security Corps," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly, "I discovered that among the dozens of nobles documented by the royal guard, only three had fallen to Jinx, while the remaining nobles continued to thrive."
"It should be noted that, according to the laws of the Empire, each of these nobles is guilty of crimes deserving of execution by guillotine multiple times over," Xiao Mu Yu remarked coldly. "However, due to their elevated status, even the imperial family cannot easily act against them, allowing them to evade justice."
"I believe that had Jinx been aware of their existence, these individuals would undoubtedly have been her primary targets," Xiao Mu Yu asserted coldly. "Yet, the fact remains that even after six months of Jinx's presence in Maple Snow, these nobles continue to live freely, leading us to a crucial conclusion—Jinx's status is certainly not high, and she is most likely an ordinary citizen."
"For in the records of the royal guard, the misdeeds of these great nobles are hardly secrets within their circles. If Jinx were a noble, even the lowest-ranking lord, at least two-thirds of those documented would have met their demise," Xiao Mu Yu stated coldly. "Her lowly status prevents her from being privy to these so-called secrets that are not secrets among the upper nobility."
"Thus, we can ascertain that Jinx is indeed a commoner, and one closely connected to the Security Corps," Xiao Mu Yu concluded coldly.
"Um... I understand that Jinx must be a commoner, but why are you so certain of her significant connection to the Security Corps, Mr. Ye?" Galleon interjected, unable to contain his curiosity after hearing Xiao Mu Yu's analysis. "Even if she is merely an ordinary person, obtaining information from the Security Corps isn't insurmountable, is it? The Security Corps isn't as tightly guarded as a military installation, with personnel on duty day and night."
"After hours, the Security Corps is hardly staffed, and at that time, even a commoner with a moderately elevated social standing could feasibly abscond with case files," Galleon remarked. "Essentially, achieving this would require at least a third-tier level of capability, wouldn't it?"
"Ah... indeed, as long as one possesses a strength exceeding the third tier, Jinx could effortlessly pilfer most information from the Security Corps," Xiao Mu Yu replied coldly, nodding. "However, I trust you have entertained the possibility that Jinx could steal information from the Security Corps, given that the initial victims were among the few documented criminals with notorious records."
"Um... you are correct, Mr. Ye," Ilt, the former head of the search department responsible for the Jinx case, sighed. "After the death of Lord Naisario, I suspected Jinx might have accessed the Security Corps' information, considering the rather lax security in the records management room. We even set a few traps based on this suspicion, but ultimately found nothing. Moreover, the subsequent victims had no prior records with the Security Corps, leading us to abandon that line of inquiry."
"Looking back, it seems we were initially on the right track, but our negligence led us astray. Sigh..." The middle-aged man sighed. "It appears the reason we have failed to capture Jinx for six months lies within ourselves; once the direction is flawed, no amount of effort will yield results."