I was the lead investigator on the serial murder case. The day before the killer was to be sentenced to death, I provided The Court with proof of his alibi.

The victims' families gathered at the entrance to the Police Department, carrying buckets of paint and demanding an explanation.

My boyfriend Shane Grant's childhood sweetheart, an intern detective named Yana Sterling who called herself a "Corpse Whisperer," defended me with tears in her eyes.

"My senior didn't do it on purpose! She was probably coerced by the killer into providing false evidence. Please, everyone, you have to believe her."

"As her closest Closed-door Disciple, I'll convince her to see the error of her ways. I'll make sure the killer is brought to justice."

「Three days later, on the day of the killer's execution.」

The victims' families, joined by media reporters, swarmed my apartment building until it was completely surrounded.

When I didn't show my face, everyone assumed I'd fled to escape justice.

Not until two weeks later, when a farmer looking for his chickens on Blackwood Mountain discovered human remains.

I was revealed to the public as the seventh body in the serial murder case.

Shane Grant stared at my gruesome corpse and broke down on the spot, his eyes bloodshot as he interrogated Yana Sterling.

"Aren't you the Corpse Whisperer? Didn't you say the killer was dead? Then why is she dead! Why did the killer murder her?!"

...

「Three days after the killer's execution.」

A group of people pushed open the door to my apartment.

A foul stench hit them in the face. The walls of the entire apartment were smeared with sewage and scarlet paint.

A rat scurried across a corner, and Yana Sterling's face went pale with fright.

My boyfriend, Shane Grant, quickly took her hand, his voice soft as he comforted her.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

A colleague behind them sneered at the trashed apartment. "Don't tell me Captain Lockwood actually skipped town to avoid her sentence," he joked. "This place looks like it's been robbed."

Hearing this, Shane Grant strode into the room, his sharp gaze sweeping across it.

Just as he noticed a shattered picture frame on the floor...

Yana Sterling's eyes flickered, and she excitedly squeezed Shane Grant's hand.

She looked at Sam Shaw and loudly refuted him.

"Nonsense! My senior isn't that kind of person. She just made a careless mistake and is hiding for a bit."

"Once everyone has calmed down, she'll show up on her own."

"Besides, the case is closed now, isn't it? When we do see my senior, we shouldn't be too hard on her."

At her words, the worry in Shane Grant's eyes gradually froze, turning cold.

His gaze fell on my photograph, which had been slashed with a knife by the victims' families. His tone was icy.

"Careless? A Chief Detective committing perjury for a killer, taking bribes to help him escape justice."

"If not for her past record, her death would be no great loss."

Sam Shaw, emerging from the bedroom carrying a thick stack of files, quickly chimed in.

"That's right, Yana, you're just too kind-hearted. You even pleaded her case to The Chief."

"Have you forgotten how Cheryl Lockwood targeted you when you first joined?"

Yana Sterling lowered her head, a wronged expression on her face. She looked troubled, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.

Seeing her distress, Shane Grant's heart ached for her. He gently stroked her head and said soothingly:

"Don't overthink it. This is all Cheryl Lockwood's own doing. It has nothing to do with you."

"Also, have you finished writing your speech?"

"You were the biggest contributor to solving the serial murder case. Don't let irrelevant people distract you. Just focus on preparing. Be good."

At his words, Yana Sterling nodded obediently.

Her gaze fell on a grimy brown teddy bear in the corner of the sofa.

She walked over, picked it up, and gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Brother Shane, isn't this the bear you gave my senior? She didn't take very good care of it. Look, it's all damaged."

Shane Grant stopped Yana's hand as she reached for a tear on the bear's back, then tossed it aside.

The disgust in his dark eyes was unconcealable.

"Don't touch it. It's filthy."

As I heard them go downstairs, I bent over, wanting to pick up the teddy bear.

But my hand passed straight through the brown teddy bear's body.

'The relief in my eyes turned to disappointment.'

'If only Shane Grant had looked a little closer, he would have found the severed finger inside.'

'And known that I was dead.'

My soul followed them back to the station.

A colleague saw the mountain of files in Sam Shaw's hands and couldn't help but sneer. "Where'd you dig up all this trash? Oh, wait, looks like it belonged to Captain Lockwood."

Sam Shaw walked to his desk, sat down, and rubbed his sore shoulder.

"Tell me about it. Dozens of pounds of files for a single case."

"Yana solved the case with a single sentence, but in Cheryl Lockwood's hands, it was all-night stakeouts and fishing bones out of the sewer."

"The killer was caught, but she worked herself to death over it."

Yana Sterling, who had just walked in, had clearly overheard them. A hint of shy pleasure flickered across her rosy cheeks.

"Oh no, my senior helped a lot, too. If it weren't for..."

Before she could finish, the two men cut her off with cold glares.

"Don't even say it. Cheryl Lockwood is a disgrace to this department."

"I knew she was bad news the moment she was promoted. And just as I expected..."

"Tch. A bootlicker! An accomplice!"

He then spat into the trash can beside him.

...

After parking his car, Shane Grant frowned as he looked at the dirtied items inside.

"Hasn't Cheryl Lockwood's transfer order come through yet? Why are you throwing all her stuff out?"

A colleague rolled their eyes and said snidely,

"She has the gall to come back? Isn't she afraid of being eaten alive?"

Shane Grant pursed his lips, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

And I stared at the commendation banner, the trophy, my credentials... all in the trash can.

'A dull ache spread through my heart.'

I remembered that trophy and commendation banner. We'd gotten them seven years ago, after Shane Grant and I cracked a rape-and-murder case—our first as detectives.

Back then, his face had been flushed with excitement, his gaze resolute as he looked at me.

And said with a completely straight face,

"Cheryl Lockwood, let's make a bet: whoever makes Chief Detective first has to buy the other dinner."

'Too bad people change.'

Yana Sterling, standing beside him, ignored the filth and stench.

She reached right into the trash can with her bare hands, pulled out the trophy, and cradled it in her arms.

"Don't you dare say bad things about my senior! She's the best, the very best person I know."

The colleague scoffed, taunting her with a contemptuous tone.

"Yana, have you forgotten what Cheryl Lockwood did to you?"

"She smeared your name just to steal credit, and you're still defending her? You're too kind for your own good."

The hesitation in Shane Grant's eyes hardened into indifference.

With a cold expression, he snatched the trophy away, stomped it flat under his foot, and threw it back into the trash can.

"From this moment on, I don't want to hear a single thing about Cheryl Lockwood. Mention her again, and I'm docking your pay."

Yana Sterling averted her gaze, the corners of her mouth twitching with a victor's smile.

My hands, hanging at my sides, clenched into fists as I stared at the "Corpse Whisperer" nameplate on the desk.

My expression turned colder by the second.

Ever since Yana Sterling was assigned to partner with me on the serial killer case, she had always been one step ahead, revealing the truth—from the motive to the clues left by the killer—before I could.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence.

But then the killer claimed his fourth victim. After I had spent two weeks working myself to the bone to finish the field report and was about to submit it, Yana Sterling's clear, bright voice drifted out of the office. The content of her report was, once again, identical to the document in my hand.

My face went pale. When I met her unwavering, confident gaze, it seemed impossible.

In the face of our colleagues' confusion, she simply smiled.

And scratched her head, feigning embarrassment.

"Heh, you know how there are people with special gifts, right? Well, one type is called a Corpse Whisperer. They can talk to the dead at a crime scene. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to crack cases so fast!"

I grabbed her, angrily exposing her lie.

"You're lying! There's no such thing as superpowers in this world! You're just malicious!"

"If you can talk to the dead, why can't you just name the killer?!"

...

Yana Sterling, looking like a wounded fawn, shrank into Shane Grant's arms with a pitiful expression.

"Ouch! My senior, you're hurting me."

"We Corpse Whisperers only get the clues in advance; we can't predict the future."

I sneered.

"So your clues are identical to mine?"

"The fourth body had ligature marks on the neck and bruising on the back of the head. The cause of death was asphyxiation, a conclusion drawn from the forensic doctor's autopsy results."

"You haven't even seen the body, so how could you know that?"

Yana Sterling shook her head, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

At the sight of this, Shane Grant impatiently snatched the printed report from my hands and began flipping through it.

After a long moment, he looked at me in disappointment.

"When did you become so jealous? We're all colleagues. It's no big deal to lose."

As soon as he finished speaking, our colleagues clamored to look, their eyes widening in shock.

"Heavens, this report is identical to Captain Lockwood's!"

"She uncovered the truth in a single day. This Corpse Whisperer stuff is that incredible?"

"My god, Captain Lockwood's been a detective for ages, and she can't even beat a rookie!"

Listening to their cold taunts as I met Yana Sterling's innocent gaze, I gritted my teeth, convinced there was more to it than that.

'She must have found a way to know the contents of my case report beforehand.'

To prove my theory, I poured all my time into the case, forgetting to eat or sleep, desperate to catch the serial killer before Yana Sterling and vindicate myself.

...

When the fifth body turned up, I led my team to survey the scene all night.

In the 110-degree weather, I didn't even have time for a sip of water.

Just as I was about to submit the report on my computer...

...I saw Yana Sterling walk out of The Captain's office, looking utterly triumphant.

"What's wrong? Worried I'd steal your thunder, so you went solo? Too bad you were still one step behind."

"I already handed the report to the boss."

My heart sank. I rushed into the office.

Yana Sterling's presentation was on the screen. Every line, every sentence, was identical to mine.

"How could this be..."

I stared hard at Yana Sterling as she walked in after me, trying to find the slightest crack in her expression.

But she just shrugged and shook her head, the picture of innocence.

"My senior, I know you hate me for stealing your honors."

"But the abilities of a Corpse Whisperer far surpass those of ordinary people. You're simply no match."

My mind went blank. I couldn't possibly understand how this had happened.

Ultimately, Yana Sterling leaped past me to become the second-in-command of the department.

And now, in the main hall, Sam Shaw and Yana Sterling were still discussing where to vacation after the awards ceremony.

Shane Grant, however, said nothing, simply getting back into his car with a lighter in his hand.

It was rare to see him frown.

He only ever showed other emotions in front of Yana Sterling.

When he faced me, he was usually expressionless, the very picture of an ice-cold grim reaper.

I floated closer to him, a scarlet point of light flickering at my fingertip.

I saw his call log from two weeks ago.

It lasted for exactly thirty seconds—no more, no less.

'It seemed like Shane Grant was waiting for my call.'

I soon discovered I was getting ahead of myself.

...

With a stony expression, Shane Grant blocked my number.

Nearby, Yana Sterling slowly approached, holding a small strawberry cake.

In the dark of the night, the eyeshadow on her lids was garishly bright.

"Brother Shane, my senior always used to celebrate your birthday with you. Let me be the one to accompany you this time."

In the shadows, Shane Grant's dark eyes were deep and unreadable.

Meanwhile, I sat cross-legged on the car's roof, silently watching the two of them share a passionate kiss inside the cabin.

A suffocating tightness gripped my heart.

'So, it turns out that even after you die, your soul can still weep.'

My mind couldn't help but drift back to the discovery of the sixth body in the serial murder case.

I was clutching a mountain of handwritten case files.

But the front of the Police Department was already cordoned off with police tape.

A horde of reporters, with their cameras and mics, was blocking the entrance.

In front of the cameras, Yana Sterling held a microphone, excitedly announcing that the killer had been brought to justice.

Flowers and commendation banners filled the entire lobby.

I frantically demanded to know where Yana Sterling had gotten the case report.

'I had been investigating in secret, so who could have leaked it?'

But Shane Grant shoved me aside. My feet slipped, and I tumbled down the stairs.

A piercing pain shot through my entire being.

Yana Sterling looked at my bleeding forehead and immediately burst into tears, as if she were the one who'd been wronged.

"My senior, I deduced who the killer was on my own."

The colleagues protecting her from behind also chimed in with scornful remarks.

"What's the matter? Has Captain Lockwood gone mad with jealousy?"

'Of course I was going mad.'

'How could even the mistakes be the same!'

Clutching my injured arm, I struggled to my feet and could no longer hold back my fury. I roared at her,

"Yana Sterling, I don't care how you managed to replicate my case report."

"But I'm telling you, that conclusion was just a theory, and it's wrong! The real killer is still at large."

My words fell into a stunned silence.

I gritted my teeth and stepped toward her, one deliberate step at a time.

My eyes met Yana Sterling's, who was clearly forcing herself to hold my gaze.

"The killer is cunning. He set up a smokescreen that made me misjudge the situation. The person you arrested is just a scapegoat..."

Suddenly, a flash of insight cut through my chaotic thoughts.

'I knew where Yana Sterling had gotten my report.'

But before I could finish speaking, she cut me off with a tearful cry.

"My senior, what's gotten into you?"

"The investigation showed that the killer suffered from childhood trauma, which led to a twisted psyche. He opened a fried chicken shop to make his crimes easier, breaking into homes to murder and dismember his victims."

"This is the truth we both figured out. You can't just blindly defend the killer because you're afraid I'll steal your credit!"

I frowned, opening my mouth to retort.

But a sharp pain suddenly exploded in my lower back, and I was sent flying by a powerful kick.

At some point, the victims' families had stormed in.

They had heard every word of my exchange with Yana Sterling.

A dozen or so people surrounded me, grabbing my hair and slapping me, one blow after another.

They slapped me until I saw stars, my mind going blank.

"You bitch! How dare you try to get the killer off the hook for some worthless fame!"

"So that's why you dragged the investigation on for weeks! You were just trying to cover up the facts!"

"Tch. You lapdog!"

The crowd dragged me out of the lobby. In front of all the media, they broke my arm, leaving my body covered in bruises.

The assault only stopped when The Chief intervened.

On Yana Sterling's insistence, my evidence was dismissed as a fabrication, and the supposed killer was shot and killed.

But two weeks later, a seventh dismembered body turned up on Blackwood Mountain, on the outskirts of the city.

And "I" was finally revealed to the world.