Chapter 181 137: The Deceased's Identity! Clues from 6 Years Ago

"Go investigate."

At his words, Li Jianye and the others got up to leave.

But before he reached the door, Li Jianye paused, turned back, and asked quizzically,

"Aren't you coming with us?"

"I have a few things to take care of."

Xu Huo shook his head, giving a noncommittal answer.

He paused for a moment, then spoke to Qian Hua, who was also getting up.

"Captain Qian, stay behind for a moment."

Qian Hua froze. He stood silently in place for a moment before walking back over.

Li Jianye's gaze shifted back and forth between the two men. He scratched his head and muttered, "How strange," as he walked out.

A moment later.

The office was completely silent.

Only Xu Huo and Qian Hua remained.

The two of them were silent for a long time, not a sound breaking the stillness, until...

"What do you think? The two who are left... how are they doing now?"

Xu Huo lit a cigarette. The tip glowed red, and wisps of white smoke curled into the air.

He sat in his chair, watching Qian Hua in silence.

'How are the remaining two doing now?'

Qian Hua didn't answer.

"The killer works fast."

"He committed the first murder in the early hours of the first, the second occurred that night, and he killed the third person on the second."

"Today is the fourth."

"It's been almost forty-eight hours since the night of the second. For a killer like this, how many people do you think he could murder in that time?"

Qian Hua still said nothing.

Xu Huo paid him no mind and continued, "If it were me, there's a very high probability those two are already dead."

"And if they aren't, they're not far from it."

"In other words, five lives... and if you include the case from six years ago, that makes a total of seven..."

'Seven lives...'

'How many cases like this are there in the world!?'

Qian Hua's expression flickered.

"Advisor Xu, this..."

"In the case from six years ago, how many people actually died?"

Xu Huo stubbed out his cigarette, his eyes fixed on him.

"Your eyes are giving you away."

"Ever since we finished reviewing the court files, you clearly haven't been all there."

"I can pull the official court records myself, so what's bothering you isn't what's written in them."

"If it *is* related to the files, then it must be information that's not on the surface."

"That case from six years ago..."

"What really happened!?"

Qian Hua looked like he wanted to speak, but then thought better of it, struggling with his words.

After a long silence, he finally took a deep breath and spoke in a low, heavy voice.

"Six years ago, I had just become captain of the Criminal Investigation Division. That case passed through my hands right after I took the position."

"It's true that two people died."

"The manner of death in the report is also true."

"But when I looked into it, I found that the case wasn't exactly as the official record described."

"On that street, which was like a food market... the fallout wasn't just two deaths. The Zhang Family's methods were brutal, and the number of people they affected was far greater than just two..."

Qian Hua said, his voice laced with helplessness.

"But when I tried to dig deeper, word came down from the court that stopped me in my tracks."

"The case was closed."

'Case closed at light speed?'

Xu Huo frowned. "What kind of connections did the five victims have?"

"No, that's not right... If they had connections, how could they have ended up like this!?"

'If they didn't...'

A thought seemed to strike Xu Huo. He paused, his eyes narrowing.

"Then why?"

Qian Hua was silent for a moment, then uttered two words.

"Civilization Award."

The two words hung in the air.

In the next instant, the office was silent once more.

Xu Huo rested his forehead in his hand. Things were starting to make a bit of sense.

The Civilization Award, as the name suggests, is given to cities deemed "civilized."

'What's that award good for?'

'It's a very big deal.'

First, it's a huge boost to a city's public image. Second, it comes with preferential policies from the higher-ups, not to mention tax benefits, government funding, and so on.

It's a comprehensive upgrade across the board!

To win the award, a city is judged on three main criteria.

Appearance, economy, and public morality.

Meet the standards for urban appearance, economic fundamentals, and public decency, and you can win!

"That period was a critical time for the review, but you know the situation in Linlan City. Our economic fundamentals were barely passing, and because we were just scraping by, there was no money to improve the city's appearance."

Qian Hua shook his head.

The economy dictates the job market, and the job market dictates the living environment.

In a province that relies on tourism and has a mediocre economy, what kind of jobs are there for the average person?

Not many, so...

"The city management office got desperate. The pressure was passed down the chain, eventually landing on people like the Zhang Family."

"And that's when the incident happened."

At this, Qian Hua sighed.

"Later, the higher-ups sent investigators. The city management office was scrutinized, and a few people... disappeared."

"With the case officially closed and so much time having passed, the official record has remained unchanged to this day."

"As for the finer details..."

"I don't know them."

Qian Hua shook his head. This was all he had managed to find out back then.

He had discovered that other people were affected, but he couldn't prove any additional deaths, so it didn't impact the court's verdict.

But now, with the appearance of this third victim...

...the claim that 'no one else died' is starting to fall apart!

However, the most puzzling part is...

"What is the relationship between the victims from six years ago... and the killer in this case?"

Xu Huo asked suddenly.

"Is there anything in the files?"

Qian Hua shook his head. "Nothing. Not a single mention."

"The vegetable vendor who died had a son, but according to our checks, he disappeared long ago. It's almost certain he's dead."

"Twenty-one years ago, the vendor's son and daughter-in-law were starting a business in Penglai City when a dispute born of jealousy broke out. The daughter-in-law killed three people in a rage. She was arrested in mid-1982, sentenced in early 1983, and executed in 1985."

"After his wife was imprisoned, the son fell into a deep depression and was never heard from again. Some say he became a beggar; others say he died."

"But regardless, the chances of him being the killer in this case are minuscule!"

If he didn't return six years ago and wasn't there to witness what happened, it's basically impossible for him to know the truth.

After all, even Qian Hua only has a vague, incomplete picture of what went on.

And without knowing the truth, there would be no motive to kill. Why?

Because from a legal standpoint, the perpetrators were sentenced.

Even if the sentences weren't what people wanted, they were still sentenced. The sense of injustice wouldn't be great enough to fuel the kind of rage we're seeing in this case.

And that's not even getting into the specific skills this killer possesses.

"A person has to feel they've been personally wronged for this kind of monstrous rage to well up inside them."

"But to feel wronged, you first have to know the whole truth—know that you *are* the wronged party."

"The case file from six years ago has no information about the son being involved. That means it has to be someone else."

Xu Huo said slowly.

He looked at Qian Hua.

"What about the other victim, the woman who sold flowers?"

"She was an orphan," Qian Hua replied, shaking his head.

'An orphan...'

'Even less likely that someone would be avenging her.'

'Is this like the last case? A "golden cicada sheds its shell" trick, like with Shen Miao?'

No, the hospital has detailed and complete records on her. That can't be faked.

'Then who is the killer?'

"Judging by the killer's ability to scale the exterior wall at the second crime scene..."

"...if he hasn't had professional training, then he must be young to have the physical prowess to pull that off."

"In other words, the killer is... young?"

"Let's tentatively put him in his twenties."

Xu Huo murmured to himself.

Being a thief requires a high level of physical fitness. An ordinary burglar is one thing, but for a killer of this caliber to maintain his methods, his body must be in its prime.

Factoring in stamina and other elements, the killer can't be too young, but he definitely isn't old either.

"So, you're saying..."

"Of the two original victims, one had no family at all. The other's son is most likely dead, her husband passed away, and her daughter-in-law was executed in prison..."

"And now, some young man in his twenties is carrying out a revenge plot for that case from six years ago?"

Xu Huo's brows furrowed deeply.

"And he must fit the profile of someone who feels 'wronged'—meaning he has to know he's on the side of the victims..."

"If that's the case..."

"Who is this person?"

"Who could he possibly be!?"