Chapter 210 - Chapter 210: A Clue?

Chapter 210: A Clue?

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“What’s the matter?” Zhou Qiang quickly responded to Su Xuan’s words. “Chen Canjun already has a solid alibi. Even if there are some ethical concerns, he truly didn’t have the chance to commit murder. You’re not still suspecting him, are you?”

In reality, aside from Su Xuan’s search for evidence against Chen Canjun, Zhou Qiang had been trying to find evidence against the other two people involved, but they had come up empty-handed.

The strange part of this case centered around Chen Jianguo. According to the video, it appeared that he accidentally fell into the river. However, there were fingerprints on his body, and after forensic examination, it was clear that he had been tightly restrained before his death. The person who had held onto his limbs had used a lot of force, leaving deep marks even after his death.

Yet, the few suspects they had identified so far had mostly been cleared of suspicion. So, who was it? Who had committed the act? The police were becoming increasingly puzzled.

“Chen Canjun has a solid alibi,” Zhou Qiang stressed.

But Su Xuan shook his head. “I firmly believe that Chen Jianguo was murdered by him. Just because we haven’t found the killer yet doesn’t mean it was an accidental death. The handprints on his ankles were undoubtedly pulled down by someone. The killer has hidden themselves well, to the point where we can’t locate them now.”

Su Xuan’s expression grew serious.

Upon hearing Su Xuan’s words, Zhou Qiang, who had been contemplating what to say, fell silent for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Uh… Su Xuan, don’t you think this situation could potentially have… other outcomes as well?”

Su Xuan looked up, puzzled by Zhou Qiang’s mention of “other possibilities.” He didn’t quite understand what Zhou Qiang was getting at.

“Look,” Zhou Qiang continued, “Chen Jianguo was already by the riverside, right? There was no one else around him. The surveillance footage clearly shows that he accidentally fell into the water, leading to his drowning. But we also see these fingerprints on the victim’s body. Could it be… some unknown factor? Like a doppelganger or something?”

Zhou Qiang seemed to realize that his words were stretching the bounds of reason, and his voice grew softer as he spoke. By the time he mentioned the possibility of a doppelganger, his voice was barely audible.

Su Xuan couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. “What on earth are you thinking?”

“We should trust science, you know?” he continued. “I mean, come on! We’re both police officers. Aren’t you a bit too old to be entertaining such supernatural ideas?”

Even though Su Xuan had successfully time-traveled and possessed a system, he remained a staunch believer in science. He simply couldn’t care less about notions like doppelgangers or the supernatural.

“This has to be a man-made incident,” Su Xuan stated firmly. “It can only be man-made. It’s just that the killer has concealed themselves well, and we haven’t discovered them yet. Don’t scare yourself.”

“Let’s go. We’ll continue searching for clues,” Su Xuan said, preparing to get up and leave. However, Zhou Qiang stopped him.

“Wait a moment! Even if you don’t think it’s a water ghost…” Zhou Qiang began. “Our haphazard search isn’t yielding any results. Maybe we should look for clues systematically.”

Su Xuan halted in his tracks, considering Zhou Qiang’s words. “You have a point…”

However, even with the intention to search systematically, it wasn’t that simple. The case itself appeared to be a mystery, and finding clues wasn’t straightforward.

Su Xuan and Zhou Qiang nearly wore themselves out searching, but they eventually discovered something unusual. First, Su Xuan and Zhou Qiang happened to visit Chen’s family during the funeral while the other was attending the burial. Chen Jianguo and Chen Canjun’s families were closely related as brothers, and they were using Chen Canjun’s home for the funeral, setting up over a dozen tables.

Su Xuan and Zhou Qiang were dressed casually, not in their police uniforms, but in plainclothes. Only those who knew them, like Lan Xiaofen and Chen Jiahui, recognized them. Chen Jiahui’s opinion of Su Xuan had plummeted since the day he had brought her husband to the police station, and now she looked worried when she saw him approaching.

“Sergeant Su, what brings you here today?” Chen Jiahui asked. “Are you suspecting someone from our family again in my brother’s murder?”

She pointed at herself and continued, “Do you suspect me now? You must have seen it on your surveillance cameras that I was in town when my brother had his accident.”

As she spoke, Lan Xiaofen also approached. Her face initially showed fear upon seeing Su Xuan but quickly turned to anger.

“Officer, do you still insist that my husband was murdered?” she said. “Yet you can’t produce any evidence now. Why are you here today? It’s my husband’s funeral, and I don’t want to see you. Your presence annoys me!”

At the beginning, when she first heard that the police believed her husband was murdered, Lan Xiaofen was somewhat relieved. It gave her a sense of comfort, considering her husband had drowned after a fight they had. She thought that if he was killed by someone else, it wouldn’t be her fault.

However, as days passed with no leads or evidence, and with her son returning home, Lan Xiaofen had grown increasingly frustrated. She now wished that the police officers would stay away from her.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lan Xiaofen,” Su Xuan began, “We’re here today just to conduct another examination. Don’t worry; it won’t affect Mr. Chen’s body or the funeral.”

Su Xuan spotted Lan Xiaofen first, and he noticed a hint of unease in her eyes when she saw them. Initially, they had only come to take a look, but Su Xuan decided to stay a bit longer after those words.

After finishing his statement, Su Xuan saw the puzzled look on Zhou Qiang’s face and whispered to him, “What are you doing? Weren’t we just here to observe? If you act like this, what will we do later?”

In response, Su Xuan grabbed Zhou Qiang and pulled him aside. “Hold on, I have a feeling something’s not right when Lan Xiaofen saw us today. She seemed reluctant to have us here.”

Zhou Qiang shook his head, “Isn’t that expected? We’ve been searching for so long without finding any leads. She probably thinks we’re unreliable. But you want to stay here…”

Zhou Qiang gestured towards the nearby crowd, “They’re all having their meals right now. Are you sure about this?”

Su Xuan, however, was fixated on someone who had just appeared. He smiled and said, “Of course, it’s perfect. Didn’t we just find a lead?”

Zhou Qiang looked around, puzzled.. “Where’s the lead? Why didn’t I see it?”