It was already past 2 a.m., and everyone was exhausted, so there was a moment of silence without further
discussion.
Brother Huang wiped the board clean and summarized the situation again.
Currently, we can confirm: First, Tao Xianyong was murdered.
The amount of blood at the scene, the different stages of decomposition on the corpse, and the shape and
angle of the skull fracture all indicate inconsistencies with the presented scenario.
We still need to wait for the autopsy report for specific results.
Second, the killer likely had a key to Tao Xianyong's house and could come and go freely.
The killer lacked sufficient professional knowledge. Despite having a lot of time to prepare, they didn't
clean the scene thoroughly.
Third, the cleaner and the security guard are currently not major suspects.
After discussion and analysis, they ruled out two wrong answers, leaving no options.
It was quite sudden.
Forensic doctor Zhang said goodbye and went back to rest and write his report.
He Chuan Zhou handed her cup to the person in front of her: "Is there any hot water? Get me a cup of
coffee."
Brother Huang said, "Don't drink anymore, it's getting late."
Everyone looked at He Chuan Zhou, waiting for her to assign tasks. She just slowly put the cup back on the
table and then nodded to Brother Huang.
Brother Huang understood, put one hand on his waist, and said, "Xu Yu, go to the traffic team tomorrow and
apply for the surveillance footage near Guangyuan Community to confirm the exact date Tao Xianyong returned
home. Also, compare it with the community's surveillance footage to see if it's accurate. Then have the tech
department unlock Tao Xianyong's phone and apply for his communication records. From the lock screen, it
looks like he only received a few missed calls from the cleaner and a dozen advertising messages over the
days he was dead. I'm not sure if the killer deleted the records or if he rarely used the phone."
Xu Yu responded, "Okay."
Brother Huang said, "Then you three, go investigate the relationships of these three key people again
tomorrow. Even if the security guard isn't the killer, we might find a breakthrough from him."
"Alright."
"Some statements need to be confirmed again. Continue visiting people tomorrow to see if there are any
eyewitnesses. Also, re-check the surveillance points in the community." Brother Huang clapped his hands and
said, "Everyone's tired today, get some rest, tomorrow's going to be busy."
The group slowly got up.
Zhao Zhixin, moving his chair, couldn't help but ask, "The things the cleaner and security guard were
looking for, could they be related to this case? What exactly were they looking for?"
He Chuan Zhou didn't answer directly. While putting on her coat, she asked, "Would you casually pay a
cleaner who barely works a 4000 yuan monthly salary?"
Zhao Zhixin, with a blank expression, said, "I don't have as much money as Tao Xianyong to burn."
"He definitely didn't have money to burn either," He Chuan Zhou laughed. "It's either to buy a life or buy
silence."
"The things they want to hide are usually those. Not valuable items. Tao Xianyong rarely went there, so it's
unlikely to be important documents. Seeing those two acting so secretive but not overly scared, they
probably already handled it," Brother Huang sighed, pulling out a cigarette and slowing his pace to the
door. He blinked hard to relax his tired eyes, creating a row of forehead wrinkles, and said casually, "But
we don't have any evidence at the moment, so let's put it aside. If we find any clues later, we can give
them to the neighboring anti-narcotics team and see if they can give us any surprises."
Zhao Zhixin nodded blankly, "Oh..."
Everyone felt like they just closed their eyes for a moment, and city A had already brightened in the
not-so-bright morning light. The rain had stopped, but the leaves on the roadside were still wet,
occasionally dripping water and making passing pedestrians shiver.
He Chuan Zhou went home briefly, and when she arrived at the division, Brother Huang wasn't in the office.
Xu Yu told her, "We've contacted the deceased's family. They came early, and Brother Huang just went over."
He Chuan Zhou, with no expression on her face, said "Hmm" and reviewed the community's surveillance footage
from last night with Xu Yu. Seeing it was almost time, she got up to find Director Feng.
It turned out Director Feng wasn't in the office either.
He Chuan Zhou stood aimlessly in the corridor for a while, her shadow slanting behind her. After a moment,
she prepared to leave, but coincidentally, she ran into a few familiar faces in the stairwell.
Her right eyelid twitched appropriately, and she walked towards them.
The middle-aged man comforting Tao Siyue in a low voice stopped speaking and looked over. He didn't
recognize He Chuan Zhou at first, but seeing Tao Siyue staring at her, he looked at her again, then
recognized the name on her badge and exclaimed, "Is she a police officer from your station?"
Brother Huang replied calmly, "This is our Captain He. What's the matter?"
He Chuan Zhou initially planned to walk past them, but stopped upon hearing this, looking at the woman in
front of her, and said, "Director Feng, I was just looking for you."
Director Feng quickly said, "Hmm, come to my office."
The hallway lighting wasn't bright, and some colleagues occasionally passed by with documents, noticing the
unusual atmosphere and curiously glancing back.
Everyone's expressions were obscured by shadows, making them hard to read.
He Chuan Zhou slightly lowered her head, hands in her pockets, but her feet remained still.
Within seconds, the dark figure in her peripheral vision indeed turned towards her. Tao Siyue asked,
"Zhaolin said you're a police officer now. Are you handling my father's case?"
For the first time, He Chuan Zhou's gaze fell on her face, openly scrutinizing her.
Without makeup, her face was paler than remembered. Wearing heavy winter clothing, her limbs didn't look too
thin, but the exposed wrist was almost fleshless, and her cheeks were somewhat hollowed.
She looked more haggard than deeply grieving. Tao Siyue's features naturally had a gentle, delicate look,
with soft eyes, making her appear pitiful.
Though they hadn't seen each other in years and the other still resembled her past self by seventy to eighty
percent, the feeling of reunion wasn't as intense as He Chuan Zhou imagined, just a wave of unfamiliarity.
Seeing her silence, Tao Siyue turned to Director Feng, "I don't want her handling my father's case."
He Chuan Zhou laughed mockingly, "Do you think this is a restaurant where you can place orders? Do you want
a list to choose from?"
The man next to her immediately got angry, "How can you talk like that? Is this how a detective should
behave?"
"This is a public security bureau, and this is our Major Crimes Squad Captain," Director Feng's previously
gentle expression turned stern and unapproachable, "Regardless of your request, shouldn't you give a
reasonable explanation?"
The man pointed at He Chuan Zhou's nose and sneered, "She knows why!"
Brother Huang grabbed his wrist and pushed his hand down.
Pointing at his leader's face like that was disrespectful.
He Chuan Zhou's gaze and expression remained calm, speaking in her usual indifferent tone, "I know, so I'm
indeed not interested. Just not sure if Ms. Tao knows."
Tao Siyue's nostrils flared slightly, her facial muscles tensing, hinting at a defensive posture. She looked
back at He Chuan Zhou, opened her mouth to respond but couldn't find the words, finally shifting her eyes to
the hallway.
He Chuan Zhou calmly explained, “Do you know how a detective investigates a murder case? They investigate
the victim's social relationships, what the victim did, and who they might have offended. They confirm the
killer's motive, whether it was for money or revenge. In modern information systems, all traces left behind
will be uncovered. Investigating the killer is also like reviewing the deceased's short life. So, people who
have done bad things should indeed fear death.”
Tao Siyue took a deep breath and looked at her again.
He Chuan Zhou looked directly at her, a faint smile on her face. “Fear comes from two sources: the act of
dying itself and one's past life.”
Although she didn’t say the rest, Tao Siyue seemed to hear her whispering in her ear:
Can your father withstand an investigation?
Tao Siyue, lost in thought, quietly said, “What does this have to do with me?” She seemed indifferent.
Director Feng waved his hand and walked away first. This time, He Chuan Zhou turned and followed.
Once they were in the office with the door closed, Director Feng asked, “Did you say you had something to
discuss?”
He Chuan Zhou said, “I wanted to suggest that Brother Huang handle Tao Xianyong’s case. The Guangyuan
community has comprehensive security facilities and is not in a remote location. The killer left quite a few
clues, and we already have a general direction for the investigation. It’s not difficult to solve by
reviewing the surveillance footage and identifying the relevant people. I have other cases to solve and
can’t devote all my energy to this case.”
Director Feng nodded, “That’s fine. It will be quieter for you.”
The window on the side was open, and from He Chuan Zhou’s angle, she could see a camphor tree outside. Most
of the leaves had fallen in this season, far from the lushness of summer.
After speaking, He Chuan Zhou inexplicably stared at the tree.
Director Feng waited for a moment and then asked, “What are you thinking?”
He Chuan Zhou smirked, “I’m wondering what life looks like.”
Director Feng hesitated, then stepped closer and patted her shoulder. Before she could say anything, He
Chuan Zhou had already regained her usual steadfast demeanor and said nonchalantly, “Just joking. I’ll be
going now.”
---
Brother Huang returned to the office, and Zhao Zhixin had bought breakfast, inviting him to eat quickly.
Brother Huang strode over, grabbed the dumpling Zhao Zhixin had just unwrapped, and shamelessly said, “I’m
starving.”
Zhao Zhixin didn’t mind and helped him open the plastic bag, placing it in front of him. He glanced at the
door and asked, “Where’s Captain He?”
“Talking with Director Feng.” Brother Huang, satisfied with the food, teased, “You’re quite concerned about
Captain He, huh?”
Zhao Zhixin said, “Not really.”
After a couple of bites, Zhao Zhixin added, “Captain He seems quite reliable.”
Brother Huang nearly spit out his food. He thought, “This kid has such good grades, he shouldn’t be dumb,
right? How could he just now realize this?”
The fact before him was only now being concluded?
“Isn’t that obvious? There aren’t many female detectives in investigations. For someone as young as Captain
He to reach this position, do you really think it’s just about good education, relevant professional skills,
and good looks?”
Zhao Zhixin felt something was off, stared at Brother Huang for a few seconds, and suspiciously asked,
“Brother Huang, you haven’t told me what happened to the former leaders who mentored Captain He.”
Brother Huang thought he was going to say something serious: “Isn’t it obvious? They either got promoted or
transferred, otherwise how would Captain He have risen? You have no sense of humor for a young person.”
Zhao Zhixin was greatly disappointed and exclaimed, “What? That’s it?”
He felt somewhat let down. He even thought this mundane answer didn’t match Captain He’s stature.
Brother Huang, biting into a soup dumpling, asked curiously, “What were you expecting?”
It is hard to describe.
Mainly, Huang Chaozhi had scared him earlier, making him subconsciously feel that Captain He’s image wasn’t
so socialist, maybe not so civilized and harmonious.
Zhao Zhixin hesitated, “I feel like Captain He... has too much authority. She’s not actually fierce, but
when she looks at you expressionlessly, you get a chilling sense of crisis. She seems like someone who would
be a dungeon boss.”
Brother Huang’s eyes twinkled with barely contained amusement. He leaned in and asked, “Is it like the
feeling you have right now?”
Zhao Zhixin sensed something and dared not look back. Instead, he lowered his head further.
But a pair of hands appeared in his peripheral vision, pressing on his shoulders. He felt the person move
closer, less than half a meter behind him.
The two across from him had expressions of enjoyment, especially Xu Yu, whose shoulders shook as she choked
on her soy milk, bending over to cough under the table.
Zhao Zhixin slowly turned, raising his gaze with despair, looking from the collar of her shirt to her face
in slow motion.
He Chuan Zhou’s half-closed eyes looking down had an oppressive force.
Zhao Zhixin made a new discovery: compared to her expressionless face, He Chuan Zhou’s fake smile was even
more terrifying.
He awkwardly forced a smile, “Hehe.”
He Chuan Zhou’s smile deepened, this time a genuine, amused one, softening her sharpness and making her
appear much more gentle.
He Chuan Zhou took a step back and said to the two across from them, “Remember to pay for the meat.”
Brother Huang cheerfully accepted, nodding, “This meal’s on me. Eat more, Zhixin, it’s a loss if you eat too
little.”