Chapter 81

He Ping was very concerned about Jiang Deming's death. Apart from mere curiosity and the fact that the deceased was someone related to him, there was another crucial point: he was unsure whether Jiang Deming's death was directly related to his own rebirth. In his previous life, he had no idea that Jiang Dezhi had an older brother, nor did he know about Jiang Deming. Therefore, he also didn't know if Jiang Deming had been killed at this time.

In his previous life, on this day, his father had already been taken to the detention center, and his mother was busy dealing with a lot of aftermath, with no spare time to discuss a murder case that was no longer closely related to her. At that time, He Ping was still in a state of confusion, struggling with the teachers and classmates at school who were distancing themselves from him and pointing fingers. He had no energy to deal with other matters, and he didn't understand the situation back then.

In his previous life, Jiang Dezhi was very ambitious, and He Ping had always suspected that he had connections with some people in the political circle, though he hadn't delved into it. If this were the case, it would mean that Jiang Deming wasn't killed in his previous life and was still alive. Therefore, Jiang Deming's death now must be due to the butterfly effect caused by He Ping's rebirth. The actions he took after being reborn had already altered the original course of history, leading the world down a different path.

Regardless of the situation, He Ping wanted to see the scene with his own eyes. So he ran north and soon arrived at the Kangning community where the incident occurred. As he approached, He Ping slowed down. The crime scene was still sealed off, and the police had set up a cordon to prevent anyone from entering. Even the deceased's wife and children had to stay elsewhere for the night, with police guarding the door.

However, this was not a problem for He Ping. Fortunately, Jiang Deming's home was on the first floor. Although there were police officers on duty at the door, no one was around in other areas. The first-floor windows had security bars, making it impossible for ordinary people to enter, but He Ping could use his special ability to enter the house through the balcony smoothly.

The room was in a mess, with signs of a struggle. In the center of the living room, there was a large bloodstain. Although Jiang Deming's body had been taken away for autopsy, it was clear that he had fallen here. The struggle marks were most evident here, with the TV screen smashed and a large hole in it, glass shards scattered on the table and floor, and a pot of orchid overturned in the corner. The living room was in complete disarray.

Of course, He Ping had no training in criminal investigation techniques. Although he knew a bit about collecting footprints, fingerprints, bloodstains, and biological samples from TV shows, he couldn't apply this knowledge in real life, and he didn't have the appropriate tools. Moreover, even if he could collect sufficient evidence, whether it could be analyzed and how long it would take were uncertain in this era.

However, He Ping had his own method. One of his special abilities was time, and the first skill was "replay." Initially, He Ping didn't think this skill was useful, so he didn't allocate skill points to it when he first learned a skill. It wasn't until he reached level two, with extra skill points and no urgent need for other skills, that he learned the replay ability.

Replay, in simple terms, allowed him to see a part of what had happened within a certain range and a specific time frame, presented as a holographic illusion. With his current skill level, he could choose any one hour within the past 24 hours to replay, and the range was a sphere with a radius of five meters, centered on him.

It was now the early morning of May 30th, and the incident occurred on the morning of May 29th, still within the replay time frame. Without hesitation, He Ping activated the replay function. He chose 8:00 AM on May 29th as the starting point. Although he didn't know the exact time of the incident or when the police were called, Jiang Deming's wife had to take their son to school, which, based on the distance, should have been around 7:30 AM. Jiang Deming left for work at 8:30 AM, so the incident likely occurred during this period. The murderer would have waited until Jiang Deming was alone at home before taking action, making 8:00 AM a suitable time.

As the replay began, the scene before He Ping's eyes changed. The light became bright, as it was early summer, and the sun had already risen. The mess in the living room disappeared, returning to its state before the incident. It seemed the murder hadn't happened yet at this time. He Ping immediately recognized the person sitting on the sofa, watching TV and drinking tea—it was Jiang Deming, who had come to conduct a surprise inspection at Dongfang Hardware that day!

At this moment, Jiang Deming looked relaxed, but He Ping could see a hint of worry in his eyes. He was well aware of the situation with his brother Jiang Dezhi. The large number of controlled knives intended to frame He Xiangdong didn't appear in the Dongfang Hardware workshop but were found in Jiang Dezhi's home in a bizarre manner. Even Jiang Deming, who was mentally prepared, was shocked, let alone Jiang Dezhi's family, who were completely unprepared.

The time quickly reached 8:05 AM, and there still seemed to be no abnormality. Jiang Deming, who had finished his tea, was no longer paying attention to the TV. He was deep in thought, seemingly pondering something. Just as He Ping was getting impatient and wanted to speed up or adjust the time, there was a knock on the door. Jiang Deming, whose thoughts were interrupted, was annoyed and shouted, "Who is it?"

"Director Jiang!" a voice came from outside the door, "It's me, Director Jiang!"

Hearing this voice, Jiang Deming's annoyance increased. He stood up, muttering to himself, and went to open the door. He Ping, upon hearing the voice, was deep in thought. The voice seemed familiar, but before he could recall where he had heard it, Jiang Deming had already opened the door and let the person in. He Ping was momentarily stunned when he saw who it was—it was Old Zhang, the security guard who had recently resigned from Dongfang Hardware and was an informant for Jiang Dezhi!

How could it be him? He Ping was confused. Old Zhang should have only had a slight connection with Jiang Dezhi. How could he be involved with Jiang Deming? Could it be that after Jiang Dezhi's incident, Old Zhang had nowhere to go for his payment and wanted to find Jiang Deming to resolve it? But he should have known that the job wasn't completed. How could he demand payment in such a situation? It made no sense.

"Director Jiang, please, let me go!" But Old Zhang's words contradicted He Ping's guess and left him even more puzzled, "I don't want to be involved in this anymore. I don't want the money, and I don't want the job. I only ask that you let me go and give me a chance to live!"

[PS: Third update of the day!]