Dean had always thought this was a rather humorous affair.

To murder and still be able to spend one's final years comfortably in a modern prison built by the government, using taxpayers' money, was undoubtedly the darkest joke on the victims. Because the families of those victims were also silently paying taxes for the criminals who killed their loved ones to enjoy 'humane' imprisonment.

On this issue, in the United States Federation, only seventeen states had abolished the death penalty, while the remaining thirty-three states retained it, which aligned more closely with Dean's preferences.

Suddenly, Dean let out a surprised sound.

He blinked his eyes and took another look at the sentencing document for Xiami: the death penalty!

The execution date was set for April 12, 2001—the day after tomorrow!

The only difference was that in the past, the death penalty had been carried out by hanging. Now, out of humanitarianism, they used lethal injection with potassium chloride to execute criminals.

This was completely different from Dean's previous life!

"EH..."

Dean put down the file, walked to the window, and faced the morning sun. Looking down at the sparse crowds and vehicles, a faint melancholy touched his heart.

It is, after all, a parallel world...

This inexplicable emotion came quickly and left just as fast.

In his previous life, Dean was cold-blooded and numb. His body was alive, but his soul had died.

This time, however, he had family, love, and friendship; he was a person of legitimate status, with a bright future ahead.

There was nothing in his past life worth reminiscing about!

Adjusting his emotions, Dean continued to read.

The general record of the case concluded with Xiami's sentencing.

Next was some information on Xiami.

Xiami, a Commonwealth citizen, was thirty-two years old, a taxi driver, and unmarried. His photo showed a man with a bald head, a hooked nose, and a typical Commonwealth appearance. He belonged to the sort that would go unnoticed in a bar at a glance.

Only his gaze while wearing prison clothes and standing in front of the height chart for his mugshot caught Dean's slight attention.

That gaze... seemed somewhat triumphant?

In this world's Commonwealth, where there was capital punishment, this fellow's crimes virtually guaranteed his doom. Imprisonment meant his life was on a countdown, awaiting the conclusion of the trial process with death.

Under such circumstances, what was he so pleased about?

Dean made a mental note of this detail and continued flipping through the file.

Following Xiami's information were some crime scene photos taken three years earlier.

In the photos, close-ups depicted the tragic deaths of the villa's male and female owners. The female owner, in particular, was a mess of blood and flesh. Her dress was dyed blood-red, and she lay curled up on the bloodstained tiled floor. Her skin was torn yet still connected, not completely severed, resembling a blood lotus blooming in stark white and red—an intensely shocking visual impact.

The wounds told a story: Resolute, experienced, crazed!

Dean had no doubt that the murderer, Xiami, had definitely not killed for the first time! This guy had a wealth of 'chopping' experience. It was the lack of any hesitation or softness during the act that resulted in such a brutally clean crime scene!

By comparison, the male owner's death seemed 'calmer': his eyes were wide open, eyeballs bulging, tongue slightly protruding, a flax-colored rope around his neck—a classic case of strangulation.

Suddenly, Dean's gaze sharpened, focusing on two bloodstains on the left side of the male owner's chest. The bloodstains were not large, shaped like peeled segments of an orange pressed onto the surface. Such marks are typically made by a blunt instrument when, due to insufficient force, it fails to cause deep injuries—an axe, for instance.

Dean looked at the state of the female owner's body, then at the two wounds on the man's chest, and a hint of a smile spread across his face.

He understood why Carol had given him this file.

These local detectives are incompetent. This case clearly involves two criminals, not just Xiami acting alone! So, Carol wants me to uncover the other criminal?

"Interesting."

Dean's interest was piqued. He picked up the last sheet of white paper and began to read.

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