Chapter 1151 - 589: Suspect Locked In! (Part 2)

Only knowing that Li Hui’s household registration is in Houshan Village, but the village is built along the mountain with scattered houses, he didn’t have any specific information on which household.

Qin Feng opened the car door and stepped out, casually pulling out an unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tore off the plastic, and took out a few sticks, clutching them in his hand, smiling as he approached.

"Gentlemen, taking a break?" He offered each of them a cigarette, showing a very humble attitude, "I’d like to ask you about someone, does our village have a Li Hui? I’m a friend of his, came from the city to discuss some business matters with him."

The elderly men were initially squinting at him, a stranger, but upon seeing the cigarettes offered, their expressions eased a bit.

One of the old men, who was wearing a straw hat, took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, looking up to ask, "Doing business? Buying fish?"

Qin Feng’s heart gave a sudden jolt at this remark, but he kept his face unruffled, merely nodding with a smile, "Yes, yes, buying fish."

"Ah!" The old man slapped his thigh, "Then you’ve come just in time today! Li Hui’s fish pond is being emptied today, they’re draining the water right now, probably in an hour or so they’ll start netting. You can head directly there, he’ll definitely be there."

The stone in Qin Feng’s heart dropped, his smile becoming even more genuine, as he handed over another cigarette, eagerly asking, "Sir, this is my first time in the village, how do I get there? Could you point the way?"

"Drive forward, follow this road straight until you reach a fork and turn right."

"After turning right, turn left, on your left will be a red brick house, right there—"

The old man raised his hand and pointed into the distance, "Just follow the road by the red house and go straight, down a small slope, and that’s their fish pond."

"Alright, thank you gentlemen so much!"

Qin Feng thanked them repeatedly, turned back and quickly walked to the car, opened the door and sat inside, "Mr. Chen, Director Hou, I’ve found out."

"This Li Hui is indeed a fish farmer, and today his fish pond is being cleared, he’s right by the pond."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Earlier it was mentioned that the suspect might have a fishy smell, this seems to match perfectly now."

"For someone who’s been farming fish for years, having a fishy smell is completely normal, this feature matches completely."

Director Hou nodded, thoughtfully saying, "Putting this together, everything aligns well. Looks like our earlier judgment was not off."

Mr. Chen turned his head, speaking sincerely, "Captain Zhang, it’s really thanks to your support for Guangling this time, without you guys, who knows how much more roundabout this case would have taken."

Director Hou smiled as he chimed in, glancing at Jiang An, "In my view, in Jiang An’s eyes, there’s no case that can’t be solved."

"No matter what complex issue it is, he can always find a clue."

Jiang An quickly waved his hand, showing a slight helpless smile on his face, "Director Hou, you’re flattering me again."

"I don’t have such capabilities, it’s just good luck and everyone’s collective effort."

"If you keep saying this, I won’t dare to sit in this car anymore."

The car started quickly, and following the route Qin Feng inquired about earlier, they drove along the village road.

The village paths were even narrower than the road leading into the village, the car twisted and turned, passing the red brick house, then descended a gentle slope.

In the distance, Qin Feng saw a large group of people gathered on an open area ahead, men and women, young and old, standing by the fish pond in small groups, all staring into the water.

The fish pond wasn’t big, the water had been mostly drained out, leaving blackish-brown mud exposed at the bottom, with only a shallow layer of water remaining in the center, where fish backs could be seen faintly breaking the surface.

"That should be the place." Deputy Director Chen Guan said in a low voice.

To avoid alerting anyone prematurely, the driver parked the car at a hidden corner, about a hundred meters away from the pond, beside a row of abandoned pigsties and a neatly stacked pile of firewood.

The three teams, according to the pre-arranged plan, approached the fish pond from three different directions.

If all dozen people rushed over at once, it would indeed be too conspicuous, separating naturally made more sense.

The attention of everyone by the pond was focused on the water, just like in rural childhoods watching adults catch fish, the shallower the water, the more vigorously the fish flopped on the surface, the people on the bank watching intently, occasionally shouting, "That one’s big! That one’s big!"

Qin Feng, with three plainclothes officers, pretended to join in the excitement, slowly mixing into the crowd.

He sidled up to a middle-aged woman standing on the bank, lowered his voice, and casually asked, "Ma’am, can I ask which one is Li Hui? We’re looking to buy some fish."

The woman turned her head to glance at him, then looked at the people behind him without much thought, raised her hand to point across the pond, "What’s the rush, the fish haven’t been scooped up yet."

"See? Over there— the one in the water working with the water pump, that’s Li Hui."

Qin Feng looked in the direction she was pointing.

On the opposite side of the pond near the embankment, a man was half-squatting in the water, his pant legs rolled up to his thighs, bare-chested, bending over manipulating a water pump.

The man looked sturdy, with broad shoulders, thick hair, and the muscle lines on his arms were clearly visible under the sunlight.

Qin Feng withdrew his gaze, slightly turned his head, and signaled with his eyes to the two officers beside him.

The three exchanged a silent look, Qin Feng asked in a voice only the few of them could hear, "How about it, do you have the confidence?"