Hearing Dean's words, Xiami showed not the slightest hint of surprise. He sneered, "What does it matter if you bunch of idiots have discovered something? You will never know who he is, but..." Xiami's voice paused, and he licked his lips. "If you're willing to spend a night with me, I wouldn't mind giving you some hints."

Dean remained silent.

God damn it! This asshole is really disgusting! Right now, he truly wanted to blow this vile creature away with a single shot!

Seeing Dean remain silent, Xiami stretched out his finger, rubbing it against the railings. Pointing to some residual 'goo,' he said, "You dogs of the queen, don't you often preach about Spirit in the media? I can tell you, on the queen's birthday, my good buddy is going to make a big splash in the news. If you're willing to lick this stuff off, I can give you a hint as well." He cocked his head, watching Dean. "On one side is the queen's honor, on the other, your own dignity. Hahahaha, I'm really curious about what you'll choose!"

BANG!

The sound of a bullet striking steel provided the response.

Dean's face darkened as he holstered his gun. He opened the prison cell door with its broken lock and, under Xiami's bewildered gaze, stepped in front of him, grinning. "I choose your mom!"

WHOOSH!

The punch was fierce.

From outside, Carol only saw the afterimage of Dean's right hand flash. Then, Xiami's body flew as if struck by a car. His right cheek caved in, and he soared into the air before crashing heavily against the toilet in the back.

With a loud CRASH, the entire cell shook.

Looking at Xiami, twitching as he hung on the wooden partition of the toilet, Dean was still not satisfied. He grabbed the iron bed, brutally tore off a hollow steel pipe, and began a merciless beating.

By the time the prison guards regained their senses and rushed into the cell, Xiami's body was like a lump of dough beaten out of shape. He no longer resembled a human being, with air only going out and none coming in. Especially that mouth. The blood-stained teeth scattered everywhere testified to just how much Dean hated Xiami's filthy mouth!

"Buddy, you're in big trouble now!" The guard meant to sound fierce, but when he saw Dean holding a blood-dripping steel pipe, the words that came out were more of a whispered complaint.

CLANG!

Dean dropped the still-dripping steel pipe and shrugged. "Don't worry, we'll handle this, right, Carol?"

Carol glanced at Xiami's 'meatloaf' hanging on the toilet partition with some disgust. She shook her head and said, "Dean, your methods are too crude. The opposition's lawyer has been watching us closely. Unless you can resolve this case today, even I can't make the prison cooperate with us!"

If they weren't held liable, the prison naturally wouldn't offend the special service team over a single criminal. But when it came to issues of liability, no one was willing to take the fall for others.

"One day?" Dean stepped through the splattered blood, approached the newspaper-covered wall Xiami was plastered against, and smiled. "If all goes well, we should wrap this up before we clock out!"

Carol walked up to Dean, following his gaze to the newspapers on the wall and inspecting them. The contents were a mishmash of reports, some incomplete due to clipping, making it unclear why Xiami had plastered them there.

"Is there information on these?"

"Yes!" Dean nodded. "But not on the front. It's on the back! If I'm not mistaken, the backside of each newspaper corresponds to a different crime!"

Upon hearing this, the exceptionally intelligent Carol immediately understood.

Even after being arrested and sentenced to death, Xiami had never given up his accomplice. If at first it was out of loyalty, it certainly wasn't later on. Judging by Xiami's condition, it was clear he hadn't had an easy three years and was nearly driven insane.

What made him keep mum? Recalling the previous 'crime legacy,' Dean speculated it must be that after Xiami was imprisoned, his accomplice, his 'apprentice,' hadn't disappointed him. That's why Xiami clenched his teeth, refusing to voluntarily give up his accomplice and thus avoid the death sentence.

After all, if he spoke out, at most his death sentence would be converted to a lifetime in prison—the outcome would be more or less the same. But if the accomplice stayed alive, then Xiami's story and will would live on through the accomplice's growth!

To avoid exposing their relationship, Xiami naturally couldn't contact his accomplice directly. So, to prevent Xiami from giving him up, the accomplice had to find a way to tell Xiami: 'I've been growing. I haven't let you down!'

And that channel could only be these newspapers.

Thinking of this, Carol's gaze toward Dean filled with admiration. IQ doesn't equate to logical reasoning. This man in front of me is so formidable!

"How about it?" Dean asked, interrupting Carol's musings as he saw the expressions changing on her face.

Carol didn't speak, instead answering Dean with her actions. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her slender, pale arms. She bent down, picked up the steel pipe Dean had thrown on the ground, and held it with both hands. Indifferent to the blood dripping onto her shoes, she walked over to the still-groaning Xiami and raised the pipe high.

WHACK!

Once, twice, thrice... The flung blood left streaks on the wall, forming a bizarre pattern akin to a geometrical shape.

It was evident that Carol wasn't very strong, but she applied a nearly consistent amount of force each time, demonstrating strong control.

The young prison guard had never seen such a scene. He shivered, his hand reaching for his waist, terrified that these two lunatics, in their frenzy, would turn on him next!

I can't do this anymore, I'm too exhausted! After about a dozen hits, Xiami still hadn't stopped breathing. Carol gave up.

Wordlessly, she tossed the steel pipe aside. Panting heavily, she yanked a button off her clothes and accurately threw it into the mouth of Xiami, who was still alive and spitting blood.

Upon contact with liquid, the button sparked dazzlingly, and flames erupted from Xiami's mouth, creating 'mouth fireworks' about half a meter tall.

After a few moments, a strange, meaty smell filled the entire cell. As for Xiami, even his head had melted into a blackish-red lump.

Carol, seemingly encountering the smell for the first time, started retching violently.

The young prison guard, who appeared more experienced, stared fixedly at where Xiami's head used to be, at the still-reacting 'tree of white flames,' unmoving.

Dean was about to praise him.

THUD!

The young prison guard's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight to the floor, having fainted from fear.

Dean had no choice but to carry them out, one in each arm.

Carol's button was magical. Although it created a flame-like combustion reaction and released intense heat, it didn't trigger the smoke detectors overhead. This spared them the hassle of dealing face-to-face with the prison higher-ups.

Anyway, the man had died in prison. Regardless, the prison would have to bear some responsibility. So, whether they liked it or not, they could only hope Dean and Carol would resolve Xiami's case quickly. This would shift the defense attorney's focus, allowing the prison to arrange Xiami's 'suicide.'

The newspapers Xiami had stuck to the wall were all from the last three years. After leaving the prison, Dean and Carol cross-referenced the newspapers and quickly uncovered the secrets Xiami had hidden.

Everything was as Dean had hypothesized. Each newspaper, in its corresponding section, reported a crime!

April 15, 1998: an innocent elderly person was attacked with a stone and died tragically in a corner of a park.

June 7, 1998: an innocent teenager, on his way to school, was assaulted by a masked individual with a baseball bat. He fell into a coma and became a vegetable.

...

One case after another. The attacks started with the elderly and children, then progressed to adult women and strong men. The weapons evolved from stones at first, to knives in the end... Connected, they depicted the transformation of a weak-willed person into a serial killer.

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