CH 231

Everyone’s changes had reasons behind them. These reasons could be as simple as the breakfast they wanted to buy being unavailable due to heavy rain, so they had to settle for a bun they didn’t like. Or it could be the determination to study hard and excel academically after being ridiculed at school. However, if it wasn’t for an alien swapping Shen Lian’s brain, her sudden leap in academic performance would undoubtedly be due to her strong internal drive for learning.

Although Lin Chen could ignore this change and attribute it to a genius girl suddenly developing a passion for studying, he instinctively believed that the reason behind Shen Lian’s transformation was very important.

“Did anything happen during Shen Lian’s transition from junior high to high school?” Lin Chen asked.

“What aspect are you referring to, A’Chen Gege?” Wang Chao asked, holding his computer.

“Involving changes in relatives or schoolmates, such as homicides, car accidents, major illnesses, especially mental illnesses, and so on.”

Time was running out. Xing Conglian got out of the car to escort Mr. Xiao Zhan into the entrance of the chemical plant, appearing very cautious. Lin Chen saw Xing Conglian patting the other person’s shoulder and saying something before quickly returning to the car.

As Lin Chen turned his head, before he could speak, with just a glance, Xing Conglian answered on his own, “I told Xiao Zhan that someone would come to protect him later.”

“He must be scared to death.”

“He’s quite timid,” Xing Conglian said helplessly.

The teenager sat in the back seat, continuously talking while checking some records. “Parents are healthy, only mother had a cold once. As for relatives at home… That’s a broad range. Are you referring to several generations of relatives?”

Thinking of Shen Lian’s “attack” target, Lin Chen said, “Grandparents.”

Xing Conglian had already restarted the car. His driving speed wasn’t as urgent as before. Instead, he seemed relaxed. He even turned on the car stereo and played a serene violin piece.

There were many abandoned construction sites on the outskirts, overlayed with long grass basking in the perfect sun. The violin music mixed with the sound of Wang Chao typing on the keyboard made Lin Chen feel drowsy. He suddenly remembered that a similar scene seemed to have occurred before.

They were driving down the highway with dense reeds all around as time was tightening… What did Xing Conglian do back then? It reminded him of when they had a bowl of braised beef noodles together, sitting on the car hood, enjoying the breeze.

Lin Chen abruptly woke up. Xing Conglian was still in the driver’s seat, saying, “Hey, what do you feel like eating later?”

Lin Chen looked at Xing Conglian helplessly. The more urgent the situation, the more relaxed Xing Conglian seemed to be.

“Wang Chao, how about going to a restaurant?”

“No, no, we’re in a hurry. Boss, don’t add to the chaos,” Wang Chao said anxiously. “A’Chen Gege, it seems like there weren’t any significant incidents, as you mentioned, during that year. Shen Lian’s grandparents were still alive that year, and there were no major events at school…”

Wang Chao incessantly began recounting the suspicious accidents that occurred at Shen Lian’s school, while Lin Chen gradually closed his eyes, his face calm and serene.

“A’Chen Gege, what should we do next? Should we continue investigating Shen Lian’s past experiences during that period? What if she suddenly had a miraculous improvement in her academic performance due to taking some divine elixir?”

Xing Conglian cleared his throat, and Wang Chao immediately fell silent.

The temporary investigation hitting a dead end left the young man restless. In reality, Lin Chen knew what Wang Chao wanted to say but didn’t verbalize it. Now that they only had three hours left, did they really need to delve too deeply into Shen Lian’s past? Moreover, even if they discovered why Shen Lian had changed so drastically, would it truly help them resolve the crisis they currently faced?

Looking at the grassy roadside ahead, Lin Chen said to Wang Chao, “The reason I think we should investigate Shen Lian’s past and the reasons behind her psychological transformation is simply because it’s the only area I excel at in this case. Besides that, I can’t find any other breakthrough points.”

“Ah, no, A’Chen Gege, I didn’t mean it that way. I never said you were useless!” Wang Chao hurriedly clarified.

Lin Chen said seriously, “Perhaps I didn’t express myself clearly. I don’t think I’m useless. What I meant was that with enough proficiency in any field of study, you can find your own breakthrough points. For example, computers for you or psychology for me.”

Wang Chao was dumbfounded.

Xing Conglian laughed as if he was satisfied with his statement. “No, no, he is still far behind you.”

Surprisingly, Lin Chen felt more at ease and smiled, saying, “It’s always good to be modest.”

“What should we do next?”

“I want to investigate everything that happened to Shen Lian during her transition from junior high to high school,” Lin Chen said decisively.

“But wasn’t Wang Chao already investigating all of that?” Xing Conglian asked.

“I want to focus on the events that occurred at Shen Lian’s school; with her teachers, classmates, relatives, neighbors, the bus she frequently took, the route she took home, and even the bookstore she often visited. We need to investigate every place and person related to Shen Lian.” Lin Chen opened his eyes and looked firmly at the astonished Xing Conglian.

However, after the brief astonishment, Xing Conglian became surprisingly relaxed and at ease. He calmly called the teenager’s name, “Wang Chao!”

“Wang Chao is online. Sir, may I ask what you need?” Wang Chao responded promptly.

“Follow your A’Chen Gege’s orders,” Xing Conglian said.

Wang Chao quickly replied, “I can search the police network for all the files related to Shen Lian’s activities within her scope. It’s a small matter. However, some things can only be obtained through interviews, which I can’t do!”

As soon as Wang Chao finished speaking, he began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

Xing Conglian said to Lin Chen, “Investigating the internal network alone won’t be comprehensive enough. I’ll assign some people to conduct on-the-ground investigations.”

Lin Chen nodded. “Try to be discreet and not alert anyone…”

Xing Conglian made several phone calls, assigning tasks. The investigation would involve Shen Lian’s former teachers, classmates, friends, and neighbors, covering almost all of Shen Lian’s social network from that period.

Ground investigations were time-consuming and resource-intensive work, and Lin Chen was well aware that they might not yield immediate results for the investigation he desired. In this extremely tense situation, Xing Conglian was still willing to listen to him and undertake this task. Setting aside personal feelings, the trust Xing Conglian bestowed upon him was the utmost trust a superior could give to a subordinate. Lin Chen leaned against the car window, contemplating many of Xing Conglian’s strengths, but the most prominent one was undoubtedly his unwavering trust in people. Even when they were complete strangers, Xing Conglian dared to trust Lin Chen’s judgment. The same was true when he sent Mr. Xiao Zhan and spoke to the young man. Perhaps even earlier, Xing Conglian had placed trust in many people he wasn’t familiar with, including Wang Chao.

Therefore, it didn’t take long for Wang Chao to naturally lean against his seatback and proudly say, “A’Chen Gege, I’ve found all the information you requested—over 280 files. Do you want to take a look?”

Lin Chen glanced at the time; not much time had passed since Xing Conglian made the calls.

Xing Conglian seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the number of leads. “Comrade Xiao Wang, how did you manage to find over 280 files? That’s a lot. Your professional skills seem to have declined a bit.”

“A’Chen Gege, you should quickly tell the boss how many cases can be found when investigating regional crime records. This quantity is unpredictable!” Wang Chao retorted.

Lin Chen nodded.

Wang Chao looked at his boss and continued proudly, “Do you want to review them later, or should I show you now? I’ve organized them in chronological order.”

Wang Chao’s face revealed an expectant expression, hoping for praise.

But Xing Conglian remained silent. Lin Chen placed his hand on Xing Conglian’s right arm and gently patted it. “What do you think, Captain Xing?”

Finally, Xing Conglian said, “Wang Chao, have someone retrieve the written case files and bring them to the office. Mobilize some officers to review the files.”

“We still need to review the written case files?” Wang Chao took a deep breath. “Over 280 files—that’s an enormous workload!”

“Well, who found so many cases?” Xing Conglian countered.

Lin Chen said, “It’s necessary. The digital archives from that time might not be complete, and without reviewing the physical case files, we might miss important clues.”

……

Approximately twenty minutes later, they arrived at the police station.

Over 280 case files were brought to the police office. Due to the manhunt for Shen Lian, the police force was already short-staffed. However, Xing Conglian still assembled a team of ten officers at the police station to review the case files.

Xing Conglian pushed open the office door, with Lin Chen and Wang Chao following behind.

Inside the office, apart from the officers who were urgently assigned, there were over a dozen large boxes of case files.

Lin Chen nodded to the officers and got straight to the point. “Today, I’ve called you all here to review some case files. We’ll use a pass-and-screen method. Please form a circle and sit down, maintaining an arm’s distance between each other. If you come across a case file that you find suspicious, place it on your right side. If you think the lead is useless, place it at the back. And so on.”

Xing Conglian solemnly said, “Go and find chairs.”

The ten officers went out one after another and soon returned, seating themselves in a circle according to Lin Chen’s instructions. Wang Chao began distributing the case files. At that moment, one officer spoke up, asking, “What kind of case file would be considered suspicious?”

Lin Chen said, “This search is likely different from the traditional method of finding case files based on leads. We don’t have specific leads; only general keywords. Please identify case files that might be related to these keywords: ‘Shen Lian’, ‘murder’, ‘cruelty’, ‘violence’, ‘drugs’, ‘alcohol’, ‘mental abnormalities’, and so on.”

“Understood. Cases possibly related to mental abnormalities?”

“Not only that, we need to search more meticulously,” Lin Chen said.

Xing Conglian opened the case file in his hand and sternly scanned the faces of each subordinate. “Be serious. We don’t have much time to start over.”

The officers nodded heavily, indicating their understanding.

In the spacious office, the ten or so people sat in a circle, and not a single word was spoken. The silence in the room was palpable. The only sound was the rustling of paper as thick pages were turned, like waves crashing against the shore, endless and infinite.

Lin Chen also sat within the circle, focusing on the case file in his hand. It detailed a violent assault that occurred late at night during that year, in a location near Shen Lian’s residence.

He examined it carefully, from the time the police were dispatched, the responding units, the forensic examination report, and even the chain of evidence. He meticulously filtered every word in the case file with his eyes. Afterwards, he placed the case file behind his chair.

Xing Conglian sat to the right of Lin Chen, and as Lin Chen placed the case file, he caught a glimpse of the case file in Xing Conglian’s hand. It was a burglary that took place on a street where Shen Lian had previously resided. The burglar had the misfortune of entering the home of a retired boxer, with predictable results.

The number of case files on the right side of the chairs kept increasing. The second, third, and more case files were passed along. Lin Chen placed another excluded case file behind his chair and casually picked up a new one from the right side. He opened it—unexpected death, unidentified victim.