Chapter 139

Because they discovered the initial crime scene, Lu Weibing came again to borrow Lijian.

Originally a bit sluggish, Lijian now perked up. It wanted to redeem itself.

However, upon reaching the wooden house, Shi Tingyu’s heart sank at the sight inside.

“This house is too clean.”

Normally, an abandoned house for many years shouldn’t be this clean. Even the simple wooden bed frame, if not for Xie Lin reaching out to touch it, one couldn’t see any dust with the naked eye.

At this level, it couldn’t have been more than three days since the house was cleaned.

It’s feared the perpetrator cleaned up after the crime.

Lijian was on the verge of depression; the scent it now smelled was even fainter than the one it had smelled on the female corpse.

Xie Lin was an old public security officer who had handled several major cases. Seeing the scene now, he knew there weren’t many clues available.

“If this was two days earlier, maybe using a military dog would still have some use. Now, I’m afraid not.”

Lu Weibing also found it tricky. “Is the perpetrator exceptionally sharp-minded? Their mental resilience is too strong. After killing someone, they can still logically clean up the scene.”

“Such a person must be caught; otherwise, who knows how many more will suffer.”

Shi Tingyu heard from the onlookers that Xie Lin discovered a faint drag mark leading to the wooden house from where the female corpse was found, indicating it wasn’t the primary crime scene.

The excessively clean condition of the wooden house further confirmed this. Xie Lin had asked around the village earlier; no one had been to the wooden house recently. Its cleanliness was clearly the work of the killer.

Moreover, with the current freezing weather, no one would be foolish enough to engage in such activities in the snow and ice.

“The killer doesn’t care about the victim’s life but values their own. They wouldn’t risk freezing to death in the snow just for the sake of pleasure.”

Currently, without the luminal reagent for detecting bloodstains and with inadequate forensic methods and tools, the investigation was fraught with difficulties.

Just as people began to think the case might end up unsolved, the police station received a witness.

More accurately, a suspected witness.

It was Kang Hong, a seven-year-old child from the cattle shed of the Wanghe Squad.

Kang Hong lived in the cattle shed with his father. His father used to be a teacher in the city but was brought down by students, leading to his divorce from Kang Hong’s mother, who didn’t even want the child because her family couldn’t support him.

Lu Weibing put on a kind smile and asked Kang Hong, “Are you Kang Hong? Can you tell me what you saw that day?”

Although Lu Weibing didn’t inherit all the sternness of his grandfather, there was some shadow of it, at least in his height, which made the child retreat when he approached.

Accompanying him was Kang Hong’s father, Teacher Kang.

Teacher Kang had caught a cold a few days ago from the snow during Chinese New Year, and he was now feeling a bit better today when he learned about the rape and murder of the educated youth.

He was deeply saddened when he found out the victim was Liu Li because she had been his student and was a very good and obedient student.

Even during the student rebellions back then, Liu Li didn’t participate. At that age, when youthful righteousness prevailed, even if she didn’t want to criticize the teacher, when her classmates called for it, most would join in regardless of their own wishes.

Yet Liu Li could withstand the pressure and didn’t join the group in mocking others. That was truly remarkable.

Kang Hong’s ability to come forward as a witness this time was also facilitated by Teacher Kang.

On the morning Liu Li disappeared, Kang Hong went to the foot of the mountain to search for food.

Teacher Kang had a fever, so Kang Hong secretly sneaked out because their household food was running low. He hoped to find something edible at the foot of the mountain.

It was foggy that morning, not very bright yet. It was at that time Kang Hong saw a man coming down from the mountain.

According to Kang Hong, the man’s expression was fierce, and he was approaching Kang Hong when he got scared. Only when he heard someone else approaching on the road did the man run away.

Kang Hong didn’t tell anyone about this incident, but the next day, someone pushed him into the river.

Luckily, someone passed by and rescued Kang Hong.

Fortunately, Kang Hong was rescued shortly after being pushed into the river, and he quickly drank hot ginger soup when he returned home, avoiding illness.

Facing Teacher Kang, Kang Hong cried incessantly, saying someone had pushed him.

But he was just a child from the cattle shed, and the head of the Wanghe Village Squad didn’t continue the investigation, only saying the child had accidentally fallen into the river due to playing around.

Teacher Kang was furious; he knew his son wouldn’t lie. Although the head of the village squad didn’t pursue it, he was determined to find the person responsible.

Despite his illness, Teacher Kang persisted in questioning his son thoroughly.

From whether he had any conflicts with others to whether anyone treated him badly, he asked everything that might provide a clue.

Kang Hong mentioned many things, big and small, and even talked about encountering someone at the foot of the mountain. However, at that time, Teacher Kang didn’t pay much attention.

Only later, upon hearing about Liu Li’s case, did he connect the two incidents. It seemed his son had seen the perpetrator.

The child said someone had pushed him. Now thinking about it, it was highly likely the perpetrator was trying to silence him.

At this realization, Teacher Kang couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

Now that his son was still alive, it was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Whether for the sake of his deceased student or to protect his son from harm in the future, he had to come to the police station.

Seeing Kang Hong scared of the tall and imposing Lu Weibing, Xie Lin took over and questioned him.

Xie Lin was older and had a friendly demeanor. When Kang Hong saw him, he relaxed a lot.

He first chatted with Kang Hong, upgrading his address to “Xiao Hong” to make him more comfortable, before formally asking, “Xiao Hong, do you still remember what the man at the foot of the mountain looked like?”

Kang Hong widened his eyes, a hint of fear flashing in his clear gaze. “He was tall, very frightening, his eyes wide open, fingers so long, he was going to choke me.”

As if recalling a bad memory, tears began to gather in Kang Hong’s eyes.

Xie Lin immediately comforted him warmly, with Teacher Kang also encouraging him from the side.

Once Kang Hong calmed down, Xie Lin continued, “Xiao Hong, did you see what clothes he was wearing? Did he have any moles or scars on his face, or anything that looked different from others?”

After thinking for a while, Kang Hong nodded, then shook his head. “He was wearing black clothes, and his face… his face…”

He furrowed his brows, filled with anxiety. But he couldn’t describe it; he seemed to have forgotten what the man’s face looked like.

It was like he had a mole, yet maybe he didn’t.

The police officers anxiously watched from the side, eager to help him remember.

But ultimately, Kang Hong couldn’t provide any reliable information again.