Chapter 8 Buy Insurance?

Many things are just like that, beforehand one might be oblivious, but afterward, they become as wise as Zhuge Liang.

Many clues might seem unrelated, but if one already knows the outcome and reasons backward from there, everything appears to fall into place.

"Uncle?" Seeing Meng Lang's odd expression and behavior, Xiao Yu timidly called out.

Meng Lang then realized he still held the neighbor's vegetables in his hand.

"Uh, you might not know this, but Uncle and you are neighbors, I live in 303." Meng Lang said, smiling and pointing upstairs.

Sure enough, Xiao Yu's mouth instantly formed a cute 'O' shape, "So you're the 'next-door uncle' landlady mentioned?"

Meng Lang's mouth twitched, "You mean 'the creepy uncle next door'? I heard her. How else would I know your name?"

Xiao Yu paused for a second, then covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, "That must be because the landlady doesn't understand you, Uncle. I think you're a good person."

Facing the "good guy card," Meng Lang wore a helpless expression, "Why is it that despite our similar ages, she is 'sister' but I am 'uncle'..."

"So... should I call you 'brother'?" Xiao Yu tilted her head quizzically.

"No, you call her 'auntie'!"

"Giggle giggle giggle!"

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked up the stairs.

Just as they disappeared at the stairwell, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness.

Watching the direction in which the two disappeared, the corners of a mouth slowly stretched, revealing a sinister white smile...

...

Meng Lang did not choose to pursue immediately.

A murder that hadn't even happened yet, even if he did bring the killer to the police station.

Then what? Under what charge would he arrest him?

Would he say, "I can tell at a glance this guy is a murderer, but the crime will happen in two days?"

Chances are the murderer would get off scot-free, while he might be taken for ice-cold lunacy.

So, Meng Lang decided to keep silent for the time being.

From what the book suggested, since the adversary could fabricate a series of incriminating evidence against him, they must possess not only a ruthless method but also considerable forensic and anti-forensic skills.

This kind of adversary would definitely be tough to deal with. If he spooked the enemy, he might end up becoming the target himself.

Meng Lang's advantage lay in the fact that the enemy was in the open while he was in the dark.

The enemy only considered him a scapegoat, but in reality, he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The other was the prey, and he was the hunter!

...

At the entrance to 302.

"Here you go!" Meng Lang handed the vegetables to Xiao Yu.

"Thank you, Uncle!" Xiao Yu took the bag but made no move to open the door; instead, she quietly looked at Meng Lang.

Meng Lang was taken aback, then he understood and couldn't help but chuckle.

He took out his keys and jingled them, then opened the door to 303 next door.

"See, Uncle didn't lie to you. Little Carrot Top, your wariness is quite high."

Although this little girl seemed naively simple, she had a maturity beyond her peers, which both surprised and saddened Meng Lang.

After all, a child bathed in love never grows up, while a child lacking love matures too early...

Seeing that Meng Lang truly was the resident of 303, Xiao Yu smiled shyly and then took out her key, clumsily unlocking her door.

"Xiao Yu, why have you come back so late? Hurry and cook, I'm starving..." A woman's voice came from inside upon hearing the door open.

"Okay, Sister! I'll get right on it!"

"Bang!" The door to 302 closed, leaving Meng Lang disheveled amidst the wind.

So Xiao Yu not only was responsible for buying groceries but also for cooking?

What in the world kind of sister was that?

Meng Lang's mind conjured up the image of an evil plump sister lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, munching on sunflower seeds, while Xiao Yu, in a small apron, stood on a stool stirring the pot in the kitchen...

Could it be... this sister was actually a stepchild?

The real-life Cinderella story!

But speaking of which, a sister like this... I'd very much like to have one too...

Looking at the door to 302 and recalling Xiao Yu's timid smile, Meng Lang felt even more determined to save the girl.

A girl with such a hard fate did not deserve to die tragically as described in the book!

Meng Lang could have chosen to walk away from everything, facing a ruthless and cold-blooded killer where any involvement could be extremely dangerous.

Simply moving out of this rented place would keep him away from any murder case or the threat of prison.

It was the simplest, most direct, and safest way to change his fate.

But... Meng Lang couldn't overcome the hurdle in his heart!

The Meng family's ancestral teaching was, "Life is what I desire, and so is righteousness; if I cannot have both, I will forsake life for righteousness!"

Since everything began because of me, let all the sins and misfortune befall upon me!

...

Meng Lang returned to his room.

He took out "My Struggle," which he had hidden at the very bottom of his wardrobe.

To his disappointment, the book had not undergone any changes since the last time; not even the ink showed any signs of fading.

Meng Lang furrowed his brows in thought.

Perhaps simply identifying the existence of the murderer was not enough to change the future?

Or maybe the "update" for this edition of the book required a cooling-off period? Did the butterfly need more time to fly?

At this thought, Meng Lang immediately remembered that he had received this autobiography yesterday evening, and its first "update" must have occurred around noon today.

Could noon be a significant time point?

Hmm! Highlight this!

Meng Lang decided that he would observe the book carefully at intervals to figure out its "update frequency."

If the autobiography "updated" daily, weekly, or even monthly, then he must cherish every opportunity to glimpse into the future...

He flipped through "My Struggle" again, trying to find more clues to change his fate.

After some time pondering, Meng Lang had largely figured out the correct way to use this miraculous "autobiography."

Without doing anything, the future would definitely not change.

So, he needed to formulate a meticulous plan that could most likely turn the future around and execute it before the "autobiography" changed.

Then, according to the "future" feedback given by the autobiography's updates, he would correct the plan, step by step, changing his miserable destiny.

If the "future" acquired was still not satisfactory, then he would repeat the above process; if once was not enough, then twice, and if twice was not enough, then three times, until eventually he achieved an ideal "perfect life"!

As for what an ideal "perfect life" was, Meng Lang hadn't yet decided.

But at the very least, it should not be spent in prison...

The process was a bit like the PDCA cycle commonly seen in modern enterprise production management.

The PDCA cycle stands for Plan, Do, Check, and Act.

After one cycle, if the product produced is not ideal, then production parameters are adjusted, and the cycle is executed again, correcting mistakes over and over until achieving the most perfect product.

Although the scenario is different, the principle remains the same.

Many thanks to the beautiful university mentor for her guidance in life!

...

Half an hour later, Meng Lang finally extracted the most critical content regarding the murder case from the entire text of "My Struggle."

[Just when I was proud of my achievements, ready to reach for greater heights... Xiao Yu died!]

[The street surveillance, fingerprints on the door, the weapon and bloody clothes beside the corpse, and the hairs and skin flakes left behind by the killer...

Yes, all the evidence pointed toward me!]

[No eyewitnesses, no alibi, and no one's sympathy, the public opinion was overwhelmingly against me.]

After analyzing the extracted information, Meng Lang reached some conclusions.

The murder must have taken place shortly after he made his first fortune, which was not long after the stock market crash.

The evidence against him in the case included: street surveillance, fingerprints on the door, the weapon and bloody clothes beside the corpse, his own hairs and skin flakes at the scene of the crime, the absence of eyewitnesses, and the lack of an alibi...

"Street surveillance..." Meng Lang stroked his chin, suddenly thinking of something, and immediately felt a twinge in his teeth.

"It wasn't today's scene of me walking with Xiao Yu that got recorded, was it?"

Normally, after a murder, the internal surveillance of the community would be checked to see if Xiao Yu had interacted with any strangers recently.

As the next-door neighbor and a stranger who had interacted with Xiao Yu, he undoubtedly would be listed as a "major suspect"!

Even his actions today, when he took the initiative to help, could be interpreted by the police as evidence of "proactively approaching the victim."

Could it be that the killer exploited these "innate conditions" and chose me to be the "scapegoat"?

"Then... what about the fingerprints, the weapon, the bloody clothes, and the hairs and skin flakes? Surely I wouldn't have left those at the scene myself, right?"

After frowning and pondering for a long time, Meng Lang's eyes suddenly brightened with a vague idea.

That left another crucial keyword... public opinion!

Given the vicious nature of the murder case, especially since the victim was a 6-year-old girl and the method was extremely brutal, Meng Lang could roughly imagine what the public reaction would be, even with his hypothalamus.

Online witch hunts, cyber violence... With such public outrage, the immense pressure from media and public opinion would undoubtedly cause a significant disturbance to the judicial process.

Even the police would feel the pressure from all sides to close the case as quickly as possible.

In such a case, even if there were some doubts and loopholes in the case, they would likely be obscured by the surging public sentiment!

Could it be... this was one of the reasons the killer resorted to such brutality?

A chill ran down Meng Lang's spine.

Undoubtedly, this killer was a cunning, sly, and terrifying character with an in-depth understanding of criminal investigation, case assessment, judicial procedures, and even manipulating public opinion!

After all, Meng Lang was just an ordinary person. Facing such a formidable opponent, it was impossible to say he wasn't scared.

"Should I buy some insurance for myself then?"