Chapter 973 - 500: Departing for Guangbei Investigation (2)

"Even in situations like passing notes or writing love letters, which are relatively innocent?"

The old lady still shook her head, with a certain firmness in her tone: "I’ve never heard of it."

"There were playmates from childhood, but it was all just child’s play, nothing to do with emotions."

Zhang Biao leaned forward slightly, "Ma’am, please think carefully again."

"Even fragments are fine—like whether she ever had mood swings because of a certain boy, or frequently mentioned someone’s name?"

"Or, was there anyone who pursued her but was rejected by her?"

The old lady lowered her eyes, her clasped hands tightened.

After a long while, she raised her eyes, "No, really no."

"All these years, she’s never brought any other boy home, the only one she brought back to introduce us to was Zhang Yong."

"Beyond that...I can’t remember anything."

He paused for a moment and then continued to ask the old lady several other questions, but most of them were situations already understood, with not much new information.

An hour later, the four stood up to leave.

Just as they turned to walk away, the old lady suddenly stepped forward and tightly grasped Zhang Biao’s hand.

Her calloused hands trembled slightly, her voice choked: "Mr. Zhang, please...please catch the murderer as soon as possible."

"My daughter Jiang Qin... her body is still in the funeral home, has not been laid to rest for ten whole years."

As she spoke, tears uncontrollably rolled down her cheeks, "In these ten years, not a day has gone by without feeling like my heart was cut."

"She didn’t have her father’s love growing up, I raised her through hardships on my own, but who would’ve known... who would’ve known she’d go before me..."

Looking at the tear-stricken appearance of the old lady, Zhang Biao’s heart suddenly wrenched.

Despite experiencing many scenes of life’s separations over the years, each time facing the grief of family members, that weight and helplessness still hit him hard.

He took a deep breath, holding the trembling hand of the old lady, his gaze earnest and steadfast: "Ma’am, rest assured."

"We, as criminal investigators, have a duty to solve cases and catch the culprits, to give the victims a closure, and peace to the living."

"This case in Dongcheng City has been unresolved for ten years, we’ve never forgotten it."

"To be honest, I review the case file every year and have been constantly looking for new breakthroughs."

"This time, the provincial division sent expert support from the technical team, I feel confident."

"Please trust us, we will do our utmost to bring the truth to light."

After listening, the old lady’s tears fell even more incessantly, her voice hoarse: "Okay... okay... I entrust you all with this."

After saying goodbye, Zhang Biao and others opened the car door and got in.

The car was momentarily silent, only the low hum of the engine.

The car slowly drove out over a hundred meters, a young officer softly asked: "Captain Zhang, where to next?"

Zhang Biao pondered for a moment: "Let’s go to Guangbei Electronics Factory."

"Although the elderly just said her daughter never mentioned dating, young people’s relationships don’t always involve parental knowledge."

"Jiang Qin worked there for nearly two years, we can’t let go of this lead easily."

"However, Guangbei City is over three hundred kilometers from here, shall we report to the bureau first?"

"No worry," Zhang Biao pulled out his phone, the screen’s light reflecting off his serious face, "I’ll call Old Director Lu."

At this moment, in Director Lu’s office.

His phone rang, he looked down, the caller displayed as "Zhang Biao," and he pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Director Lu."

"We just visited Jiang Qin’s parents at her hometown, but the elderly could provide limited information, concerning her life outside, especially in terms of relationships, they weren’t very aware."

"As of now, this line doesn’t yield more valuable clues."

Director Lu furrowed his brow slightly: "What’s your next move?"

"According to past investigation records, Jiang Qin worked for two years in Guangbei City, not a short span."

"We speculate during that time she might have had romantic experiences, or formed some relationships."

"Therefore, we’re planning to leave immediately for Guangbei, focusing on scrutinizing her life trajectory in those two years, to see if we can find new breakthroughs."

Director Lu pondered for a moment, then instructed: "Alright, set out quickly."

"Be safe on the road and keep in communication."

"If you need assistance from local law enforcement for the investigation, contact me anytime, I’ll coordinate."

"Understood, Director Lu. I’ll report any progress promptly."

After hanging up, Director Lu placed the phone on the table, looked up at Director Hou and the young detective Jiang An sitting across.

"Zhang Biao is heading to Guangbei, focusing on checking Jiang Qin’s interpersonal relationships, especially regarding emotions in those working years."

Director Hou slightly nodded, chiming in: "Nowadays, it’s common for young people to work away from home, easily forming new social circles; and romantic relationships tend to be more complex."

"Guangbei indeed is a point worth digging into deeply."

Director Lu raised his hand to massage his brows, seemingly recalling something: "After the incident back then, we did send people to Guangbei, especially to the electronics factory where she worked."

"But after investigation, no evident contradictory clues were found."

Then, his gaze slowly returned to the hefty files opened before him.

The question Jiang An raised earlier—about the assumptions regarding entry and exit points—still hung in the air and on everyone’s mind.

Director Lu gently brushed his hand over the scene map in the files, continuing: "Until now, we’re still unable to make a clear judgment about the case’s entry and exit points."

"Years ago, repeated inspections of the walls on-site truly didn’t show clear signs of climbing or crossing, so for this entry and exit point..."

He paused and didn’t continue.

Hearing this, Jiang An listened intently, nodding as he focused his gaze on the case files.

"Director Lu, Director Hou, concerning the site investigation images in the case files, they’re quite comprehensive, I plan to spend more time carefully scrutinizing each detail."

"That’s fine." Director Hou slightly nodded, "Given the case is ten years old, even if the site remains unchanged, the surrounding walls must have deteriorated due to years of exposure to weather, making it hard to restore the original appearance."

After a brief pause, Jiang An suddenly raised his eyes and asked: "Is that site... still preserved to this day?"

"Yes." Director Lu took over, his voice lowered slightly, "After the tragedy happened, that house was originally prepared for the two young people’s marriage; after the incident, the family dared not go near, let alone live in it."

"Moreover, since the case hasn’t been fully solved, the family keeps a thought in mind, so voluntarily preserved the site, leaving a memory or waiting for the truth."

After a pause, he continued to supplement: "If Mr. Jiang now wants to take a direct look, the conditions are indeed in place."

"However, given the many years that have passed, much evidence may have naturally faded or become eroded by the environment, difficult to recognize."

Jiang An raised his gaze from the files, looked at the two, and solemnly said: "I want to thoroughly study these original site images, scrutinize every detail."

"Afterwards, I believe it’s necessary to return to the site—even if many traces are no longer there, personally standing in that space, feeling the atmosphere, layout, and vibe of those years offers an intuition entirely different from viewing images on paper."

Director Lu listened, responded solemnly: "Alright, then take your time with the materials."

"Once you’re done, I will accompany you to revisit the death scene."