This is another news story that Zhang Peicai was relatively famous for during his lifetime. With the rise of the food delivery industry, many unscrupulous merchants who don’t even know how to cook fast food have started selling it. The source of these foods is the bosses who make meal kits for delivery. This Mr. Wang is the owner of a well-known meal kit company in Nancheng. Many people from other places also purchase from him.

Most of these meal kits use the cheapest, uninspected ingredients, are crudely made, and pose significant safety risks. However, Mr. Wang uses strong seasonings to cover up the taste of these rotten ingredients and has captured the market at a low price, seeking huge profits.

After Zhang Peicai tracked and reported on this undercover, it quickly gained attention from relevant authorities, and Wang Qichao’s company was shut down. Naturally, Zhang Peicai became a target of hatred.

“Do you know what news he was investigating recently?”

Du Ruoxin shook her head, “I’m not sure, but it should be something sensational. Doing this kind of thing is like stepping on stairs. You always hope that the next level of stairs is higher than the current one. The higher you go, the more difficult it becomes.”

Fu Linjiang recorded these clues, preparing to inquire about them later.

The entire questioning process took about thirty minutes. Following Du Ruoxin, Zhang Peicai’s younger brother, Zhang Mingxuan, was questioned.

Zhang Mingxuan, thirty years old, operated a small online store selling red wine. He enjoyed wining, dining, whoring and gambling, wandering all over without an upright appearance. However, having just lost his brother suddenly, he was in an anxious state due to the unexpected death in the family. Sitting in the interrogation room, Zhang Mingxuan’s chestnut-colored hair was disheveled, his swollen eyes resembling walnuts, and his face clearly showing signs of exhaustion.

After summarizing the basic information, Fu Linjiang went straight to the point, first inquiring about Zhang Peicai’s personal situation. Everything was similar to what was reported when they called the police. Zhang Mingxuan kept emphasizing that they must find out who killed his brother. Compared to Du Ruoxin, Zhang Mingxuan evidently had a different emotional connection with his brother, who had depended on each other since childhood.

Fu Linjiang asked, “According to Du Ruoxin’s feedback, Zhang Peicai had received death threats via text messages and letters?”

Zhang Mingxuan said, “Most of those people were just talking. Many of them just wanted to give my brother a beating to let off steam. I warned my brother to be careful, but he didn’t take it seriously. I even suspect that my brother wanted someone to do it.”

Lao Jia, recording in his notebook, couldn’t comprehend, “What do you mean by that?”

“My brother said that if something really happened, it would be big news,” Zhang Mingxuan said, his eyes slightly red. In Zhang Peicai’s eyes, nothing was more important than news.

At this point, Zhang Peicai had indeed become the sensational news he spoke of.

“Do you know the name Wang Qichao?” Fu Linjiang asked again.

“He seems to be the owner of a food processing factory, right? He once threatened my brother and then I don’t know,” Zhang Mingxuan, being just a younger brother, didn’t have much contact with his brother after they separated, and he was not as informed as Du Ruoxin about these matters.

Lao Jia interjected, asking, “How is the relationship between your brother and your sister-in-law?”

“You’re not suspecting my sister-in-law, are you?” Zhang Mingxuan immediately shook his head. “My sister-in-law? Impossible. Although she is my sister-in-law, it has always been my brother who let her down. Many times, my sister-in-law could only get information about my brother’s whereabouts from me. Such a situation is probably unbearable for any woman.”

Seemingly to prove his point, he opened his phone and showed Fu Linjiang their chat history. Almost every few days, Du Ruoxin would inquire about Zhang Peicai’s situation.

Watching from the observation room, Song Wen furrowed his brows slightly. Du Ruoxin’s caring behavior now seemed completely different from her indifference during the interrogation.

Fu Linjiang spoke, “The information you provided doesn’t exclude suspicion. In the cases we handle, there are even instances where the suspect reports the case themselves.”

Zhang Mingxuan widened his eyes at this statement. “You’re not suspecting me too, are you?”

Fu Linjiang was just bluffing him, “Currently, it’s only the initial investigation stage. We will quickly find the suspect. What your brother was investigating before his disappearance, the more information you provide, the more helpful it will be to solve the case. For example, did your brother have any unusual behavior before he went missing? Did he meet anyone? Go anywhere?”

“Oh, yes…” prompted by this, Zhang Mingxuan remembered something. “Before my brother went missing, he once went to the city’s largest library and spent a long time looking through old newspapers. Borrowing books from the city library is unlimited, but to check past records, you need assistance from the staff, which is time-consuming and laborious. Each card has a limit on the number of times you can use it. I know about this because he used up his borrowing limit and then obtained a card using my ID.”

“Old newspapers?” Fu Linjiang’s pen paused lightly. The city library in Nancheng was the most comprehensive collection of various newspapers. Wanting to review past news, it was undoubtedly the most suitable place. As long as it was borrowed, there would be a record, making this piece of information quite useful.

Afterwards, with a pair of reddened eyes, possibly due to lack of sleep or the effects of long-term drinking, Zhang Mingxuan suddenly lowered his head. His hands clenched on his knees as he said, “I feel like my brother’s death might be related to a woman…”

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Zhang Mingxuan continued, “About a month ago, I occasionally saw my brother. I saw him with a pretty woman.”

“Do you suspect your brother of having an affair?” Fu Linjiang asked.

Zhang Mingxuan shook his head, “I just saw him walking with a beautiful woman.”

Huang Chen frowned, “Then why do you suspect your brother’s death is related to her?”

Zhang Mingxuan said, “Because my brother was working at that time. He saw me but pretended not to recognize me, meaning this woman might be related to what he was investigating.”

This logic did make sense. If what Zhang Mingxuan said was true, then this woman might be a breakthrough.

Fu Linjiang asked, “Anything else special? What is the woman’s name? How old is she? What does she do?”

“Short hair, around 1.6 meters tall? She had a good figure.” Zhang Mingxuan tried to recall, but it seemed like he failed. He shook his head, “I only saw her back. My brother, for things he hadn’t clarified, would absolutely not reveal anything. For people like them, information is money. Leaking information sometimes means losses in the hundreds of thousands or even millions. So, even I only know about the existence of a woman. I don’t know her last name, appearance, or how much she is related to what he was investigating.”

Fu Linjiang frowned slightly. This woman was not mentioned in Du Ruoxin’s questioning earlier. He asked, “How much more do you know about this woman?”

Zhang Mingxuan shook his head, “Nothing more.”

Lao Jia seemed a bit annoyed, “Your description is too vague. How are the police supposed to find her?”

Zhang Mingxuan muttered, “I’m just telling you what I know. If everything was clear to us, what would the police be investigating?”

Fu Linjiang didn’t dwell on this point. He looked up and asked again, “Do you know if your brother left any exposing letters this time?”

“Are you also waiting for that big news?” Zhang Mingxuan spoke, “My brother only trusts himself. It’s impossible for him to tell me what he was investigating or if he left any information. We have to wait until the moment the emails are sent. I think the real killer must be terrified now, afraid that their secrets will be exposed to the public.”

This email was like a balloon suspended over Nancheng, ready to explode at any moment.

After Zhang Mingxuan left the interrogation room and returned to the large office, Fu Linjiang sighed, “I don’t know how much useful information these testimonies have provided.” Up to now, they still had no obvious clues, and the case had no leads.

Song Wen said, “Have the traffic cameras near the disposal site been checked?”

Zhu Xiao looked troubled, “They’ve been checked, but it’s a remote area, and the small roads in and out don’t have cameras. The main road nearby has too much traffic.”

Lao Jia sighed, “I read a few reports written by the victims in the morning. Some reports even had a surprising twist, like one where he wrote about a prestigious school principal taking bribes. But later it was found out that someone couldn’t get into the school, deliberately retaliated, and even though it was clarified, the principal still resigned. Can you blame him for hating him? There are several cases like this. I estimate that more than three or five people might have wanted him dead.”

Fu Linjiang said, “Next, I’ll go ask the library about the newspapers he borrowed.”

Song Wen nodded, “Continue the investigation. Find out more about Wang Qichao and the woman mentioned earlier.” With that, Song Wen turned to Zhu Xiao and asked, “What about the deceased’s phone records and credit card information?”

Zhu Xiao handed over some documents, “The last call records on his phone match the testimonies of those witnesses. The last usage was half a month ago, and there has been no activity since. I suspect he had another phone. Also, in the last few months, there are some expenses on his credit card, including some luxurious items for women. It feels like… gifts for a girlfriend.”

Song Wen looked through the credit card records, and indeed, as Zhu Xiao mentioned, there were sudden significant expenses on Zhang Peicai’s credit card in the past few months. He purchased various luxurious items for women, including jewelry, and there was also an increase in dining expenses. These traces indicated that Zhang Peicai had been in the city for the past few months, and the mysterious woman had indeed been part of his life.

From various pieces of information, it seemed they could find some leads. However…

Song Wen furrowed his brows. A person, a living person, who eats, sleeps, travels to many places, talks to many people, goes online, and knows many individuals – comprehensively retracing all these interactions and details was an immensely complex task.

They had started the investigation, but it felt like they were spinning their wheels in a fortress, without finding a breakthrough.

The whiteboard about the case was already set up, covered with relevant photos. The vacant lot they found was evidently just a dumping ground. Due to the rain during the day, the signs of the dumping had been mostly washed away, and no footprints were left. The actual crime scene was still unknown.

Looking at the photos taken by Fu Linjiang and his team, one showed the moment the body was discovered. From that angle, the victim’s head was facing downward, and his hands were bound. Song Wen stared at the knot, recalling Lin Xiuran’s words from the previous night. After careful examination, he felt that the knot looked somewhat familiar. He said to Lao Jia, “Lao Jia, go find Xu Yao from the evidence department. Ask her to check the database for similar knots in previous cases.”

With all the tasks assigned, the desks around Song Wen were now empty, making his corner look conspicuous.

Police work was busy – checking, questioning, following various leads, and reasoning through possibilities. However, Song Wen felt uneasy, like there was something missing around him. It wasn’t until he absentmindedly looked up for the nth time at the empty seat nearby that he realized it was because Lu Siyu was absent.

Song Wen found this feeling quite strange, as if he couldn’t solve the case without Lu Siyu, or as if… from the beginning of this case, some part of his soul was left with Lu Siyu. Why else would he feel so restless?

TN
“In their last moments, people show you who they really are. So in a way, I know your friends better than you ever did. Would you like to know which of them were cowards?”