The Gifted Man in Hiding: A Civilian Consultant

[Crime Investigation Genius + Cold Case Solving + High-IQ Criminals]

Three years ago, at twenty-two, Lu Yan was the youngest specially appointed criminal investigation consultant for major cases in a provincial public security department nationwide.

With his razor-sharp deductions, he solved dozens of major cold cases across the country, and his future looked bright.

The cross-regional, multifaceted criminal syndicate Guixu infiltrated the internal networks of the political and legal systems to tamper with electronic case evidence. It fabricated files accusing him of dereliction of duty and branded him a pariah in the profession.

His mentor died in a fall from a building after being falsely accused. The entire special investigation team was disbanded, and Lu Yan was blacklisted throughout the field.

To stay alive while lying low, tracing the source of the conspiracy, and gathering evidence, Lu Yan voluntarily took leave from the psychology department at Nancheng University and went into hiding in a rented apartment in the old town.

He had no authority to investigate cases. He never set foot on the front lines of criminal investigations and never showed up at crime scenes.

Instead, he quietly sent investigative leads and questions about physical evidence to the Nancheng Criminal Investigation Unit through anonymous, rotating internet cafe IP addresses and the police’s public tip line.

Zhao Lei, a forthright criminal investigation squad leader whose casework was otherwise unremarkable, used this steady stream of anonymous tips to crack one locked-room mystery and major public-opinion case after another. The official media hailed him as “Nancheng’s Sherlock Holmes.”

No one knew that the famous detective adored by the whole city had been following the lead of a hidden civilian genius all along.

Su Wan, a junior law student from a family of police officers, was the first to see through his disguise. Her curiosity gave way to quiet understanding, and she took the initiative to conceal his identity and protect him.

Shen Zhiwei, a cool and composed forensic doctor who knew every secret inside Guixu, was his only strategic ally. Fu Jingshen, an undercover inspector on a special assignment from the provincial department, joined forces with him after a battle of wits.

Crime must be punished by law. The lives of the people matter more than any truth.