Chapter 709: Heartbreak!

The news brought by Qin Fei.

To Chen Xiao, it was no less shocking than Wen’s sudden disappearance.

He couldn’t quite understand why Cao Xiuyuan left such a list of visits for Dou Zhihai.

There was nothing wrong with the list itself.

Dou Zhihai was originally going to visit those people.

But the crucial point was that something happened to Dou Zhihai while he was visiting those people.

That made the list provided by Cao Xiuyuan very meaningful.

As the leader of the special task force, why would he arrange a task for the deputy leader’s subordinate?

Was it for unified coordination, or did he have some other intentions?

They had just reached a consensus with Cao Xiuyuan and Sun Zhou, making the special task force seem like an unbreakable unit.

But in less than two hours, another issue arose.

Chen Xiao suddenly felt that the ancient saying, "To manage internal troubles before external threats," was indeed a wise maxim.

With this thought, Chen Xiao returned to the office first and looked up Dou Zhihai’s profile.

The latter was 24 years old this year, slightly older than Chen Xiao.

He was a new officer who had been in the criminal investigation field for less than two years.

However, from some of his deeds, it was clear that Dou Zhihai was very active in his work.

Being active indicates a strong drive for progress.

If one has a strong drive, then Sun Zhou, as his superior, should pay more attention to him, as long as there are no rifts between them or other individuals with special statuses intervening.

Therefore, Sun Zhou also brought Dou Zhihai along this time.

However, upon seeing another piece of information about Dou Zhihai, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but pause.

Dou Zhihai’s life trajectory was somewhat similar to that of Cao Xiuyuan.

Both grew up in single-parent families.

Neither had any special background.

The so-called special background refers to the fact that neither had any family members working as police officers.

They both entered this field step by step after graduating from police academy.

The most similar aspect was that Dou Zhihai also had a childhood sweetheart with whom he grew up loving.

It was as if Cao Xiuyuan’s template mirrored Dou Zhihai’s future.

Dou Zhihai was also originally scheduled to marry his childhood sweetheart this December.

Unfortunately, that grand wedding might never take place.

Looking at the profile, Chen Xiao took out his phone and dialed a number.

The moment the call connected, an extremely haggard female voice came through the earpiece:

"Hello, who is this?"

"Hello, I’m Chen Xiao, a fellow officer with Officer Dou in the special task force. You’re at Zhushan now; have you seen him?" Chen Xiao inquired.

There was a brief pause on the other end, then she responded:

"Oh, it’s Advisor Chen. I’ve seen him. Others have mentioned the people from your special task force to me."

"My condolences."

"How can I grieve? Such a good person, full of life, just gone like that, like a dream. But this dream, it won’t wake up."

Chen Xiao sighed.

The one truly affected by Dou Zhihai’s death was not Sun Zhou, nor was it the special task force.

It was his family and loved ones.

However, Su Yuzhu also knew that Chen Xiao’s call was about the incident, so she didn’t let that low, sorrowful emotion linger.

"Advisor Chen, you must have something to ask me, right?"

"After Officer Dou left Jingzhou to investigate with Captain Sun at Xiaozhuang South Town, did you have any contact with him?"

"Yes, he almost messaged me every day to let me know he was safe. But last night, when I messaged and called, he didn’t respond."

"Did he ever mention anything about the special task force in your conversations?" Chen Xiao asked again.

Su Yuzhu hesitated: "Advisor Chen, what aspects of the special task force are you referring to? Zhihai, though just a regular officer, was very disciplined. He knew what could and couldn’t be said."

"Don’t worry, we’re not investigating him. I’m just personally interested in his affairs. As for what was discussed, did he mention anyone in the special task force to you?" Chen Xiao deliberately eased his tone.

Su Yuzhu seemed to relax as well:

"He did mention it, but only the leader and deputy leader. It was only after arriving in Zhushan that I learned who the leader and Advisor Chen were."

"I see. When you talked, who did Officer Dou like to discuss with the most?"

"Of course, Captain Sun. He was very grateful to Captain Sun. After starting his police career, he always said Captain Sun was his guiding light. He was fortunate to meet a leader and mentor willing to guide him."

"Aside from Captain Sun?"

"Then it would be your special task force’s leader. He seemed to admire the leader greatly, saying he was the most impressive officer he’d ever encountered in his police career, more than... "

Su Yuzhu didn’t finish her sentence, but Chen Xiao understood.

It was this conversation that made Chen Xiao vaguely feel there should have been significant contact between Dou Zhihai and Cao Xiuyuan after joining the special task force.

The true nature of Cao Xiuyuan was something Chen Xiao couldn’t judge.

But he knew that when a veteran in any field meets a newcomer with a similar life story, a sense of mutual admiration is inevitable.

This feeling, accurately speaking, is triggered by the desire to recapture one’s past self.

Chen Xiao pondered for a moment and continued: "In your conversations, did he mention anyone else in the special task force?"

"No, just Captain Sun and the leader. I did ask once, but he said he couldn’t talk much, so I didn’t press further."

"I see..."

While speaking, Chen Xiao noticed Qin Fei appearing at the office door.

So he found an excuse to end this not-so-critical call.

Seeing him put down the phone, Qin Fei curiously asked, "Who were you calling?"

"Dou Zhihai’s fiancée."

Qin Fei was surprised: "Asking about the special task force’s matters?"

"Yes, after Dou Zhihai joined the special task force, he seemed to have quite a bit of interaction with Cao Xiuyuan beyond the routine." Chen Xiao replied.

Qin Fei frowned slightly, "That shouldn’t be the case. Brother Xiuyuan isn’t someone who quickly gets familiar with others. It’s rare to see him have much interaction with officers from other units."

"You haven’t looked closely at Dou Zhihai’s profile, have you? Their experiences are somewhat similar. Both from single-parent families, both entered the police field step by step on their own, and both have a fiancée who, like Captain Cao’s wife, is a childhood sweetheart."

Qin Fei paused: "I see, so does that mean there’s a possibility that Brother Xiuyuan created a detailed list of visits to help Dou Zhihai?"

Chen Xiao didn’t respond immediately.

He began recalling the scene upon knowing the news of Dou Zhihai’s death.

What he remembered most was Cao Xiuyuan’s shocked expression and the emotional impact of the reported work errors.

But upon deeper thought, there seemed to have been another emotion in Cao Xiuyuan’s eyes at that moment.

That emotion seemed to be... regret? Or perhaps, lament?