Chapter 119 - 111: Looked Down Upon...

The police had traced their investigation to a woman—one who had committed suicide.

She had dropped out of school a few weeks before Cheng Yu transferred and died shortly after, a perfect fit for the police’s search profile. The probability of her family being the killers was extremely high!

But...

"That family died a long time ago. Been dead for a while now, maybe half a year."

Listening to the voice of the woman speaking from behind the cracked-open door, the officers all swallowed hard, a dry feeling in their throats.

’Dead long ago...’

"Is her family still around? I mean her parents, relatives, brothers, sisters!" Li Jianye couldn’t hold his patience, his face hardening as he asked urgently.

"They’re gone. Seems like her parents were never in the picture to begin with."

The woman thought for a moment before adding,

"Oh, right. Her father was killed in a hit-and-run when she was in middle school. There was a huge compensation payout afterward. Because of that, a whole bunch of old folks started teaming up to go get hit by cars on purpose..."

"No sisters, either. She was an only child."

"Relatives, friends... I’ve never heard of any. Seems she didn’t have them. My grandma said that when it came time for the funeral, hardly anyone showed up."

No one?

Not a single blood relative!?

’So, if we assume the girl is the motive, but everyone connected to her is dead...’

’...who would still be killing on her behalf?’

Would you just see a murder victim, not even knowing what they looked like, and be overcome by a powerful desire to avenge them?

No, you wouldn’t.

That brought them right back to the original question.

What in the world was the killer’s relationship to her!?

"What about friends? A lover?"

Xu Huo asked, frowning at the person before him.

"I wouldn’t know. I only moved in not too long ago."

The woman shook her head after a moment of thought.

"You should probably ask my grandma."

With that, she pushed the door open, and only then did Xu Huo and the others get a clear look at her.

She was a girl with delicate features and a striking appearance. Her frame was slender, almost frail, and she exuded a faint, pleasant fragrance. However...

...her body was not whole.

"What happened to your legs?"

Xu Huo paused, his eyes falling to the wheelchair beneath her.

Before, when her head had been visible from behind the door, it had been at the height of the doorknob; they had assumed she was just stooping.

But that wasn’t the case. She was sitting.

Suddenly, Xu Huo paused and turned his head to the side.

He noted the elevator, which meant she was able to get around on her own.

"It’s nothing. A car crash. Happened on the highway. The car caught fire, and by the time they pulled me out, I was paralyzed."

The woman said this with a self-deprecating laugh, wheeling herself back to make room.

It was just enough space for the officers to enter.

"Grandma, the police are here,"

she called out softly. Xu Huo and his men paused, exchanged a look, and then stepped inside.

As he passed her, Xu Huo glanced her way and sniffed the air subtly.

There were large burn scars on her face, clearly from a fire.

She carried a faint, pleasant scent, which on closer inspection was floral.

’She must keep flowers. Her identity is suspect...’

Xu Huo made his internal assessment in a single glance, then looked away and took in the living room.

The apartment was in an excellent location, bright and airy. It was five in the afternoon, and the twilight strained through the windows, casting a haze over a bookshelf that made the books upon it seem centuries older.

The sofa was neat and tidy, its fabric embroidered. A lazy cat on it opened one eye, shot Xu Huo a disdainful look, flicked its tail, and went back to sleep.

A warm light filled the entire room.

An old woman approached from the side.

"Police? What are police doing here?"

The old woman was leaning on a cane, her heavy-set frame stooped over. Her short hair was neat, and the wrinkles on her face sagged.

Xu Huo looked at her and was about to speak, but she just kept walking forward, feeling her way along, not flinching even when she was about to bump right into him.

"Sorry, my grandma’s in her seventies. She has cataracts, so she can’t see very well."

The young woman gave Xu Huo and his men an apologetic look.

She wheeled herself over to the old woman’s side and explained something in a low, soft voice.

"Oh, so that’s what this is about."

The old woman’s face showed dawning comprehension. She turned and quickly ushered them toward the sofa.

"Officers, please, have a seat. Don’t just stand there."

Xu Huo gave his men a meaningful look.

Two of the officers took the cue and went to stand guard outside, leaving the door open.

This was standard procedure. During house calls, there were never fewer than two officers—one to conduct the interview, one to stand guard, and body cams recording the entire time.

The policy originated from an old case where a female suspect falsely accused the arresting officer of rape.

Since the officer had been alone at the scene, there was no evidence to prove his innocence, so...

After that, what had been an optional guideline became a mandatory, locked-in rule: all house calls required multiple officers, and body cams had to be on and recording.

"You’re here about Xiao Miao, aren’t you? Sigh... that poor child..."

The old woman felt her way to a seat on the sofa, sighed, and began to ramble.

Xu Huo nodded, casting a sideways glance at the younger woman.

The woman had apparently given up on going out. She was humming a song as she watered some plants with a small watering can. The smile on her face was radiant, and even the burn scars couldn’t hide her beautiful eyes.

"Yes. Could you tell us about Shen Miao?"

Xu Huo looked away from the young woman and nodded at the grandmother.

"That child had such a bitter fate. Her mother died during childbirth. Her father, who drove a truck for a living, was killed in a traffic accident."

"She was just about to take her college entrance exams, and then she killed herself. Threw herself into the river. By the time they found her, her body was all bloated from the water..."