Free Web NovelChapter 249: Chapter 246 A Tree_1
Liu Yongxin’s eyes were slightly sore as he patted Zhou Ning’s shoulder once again.
"Pull yourself together. I believe the ministry had already taken notice of the issues with Guanghai Pharmaceutical Group following the Beishan Group incident, but they were hoping that the situation would ferment, waiting for the moment they had concrete evidence to strike decisively. The deaths of these three individuals can be considered the best breakthrough.
We’re not responsible for external political negotiations, nor are we capable of handling them. Internally, this case is of utmost importance. Although Wang Guanli is dead, we still need to find the most compelling evidence to prove whether he was the murderer of those deceased. That’s what you should be focusing on. Get your spirits up and concentrate on the case; don’t let Mr. Hu and the others down."
Zhou Ning nodded at Liu Yongxin, acknowledging his concern. Although his master’s abilities were not on par with Li Chengbin’s, his love and care for Zhou Ning were unmatched.
"Don’t worry, Master. I can adjust my mindset. Regarding the evidence, I’ll need to wait for the lab results. Moreover, I plan to revisit the primary scene of Fang Wenjie and Qin Xuejin’s deaths. After all, considering the sequence of receiving the cases, I feel the investigation of the scene was not stringent enough."
Liu Yongxin let out a breath, seeing that Zhou Ning’s expression was still relatively normal and felt somewhat relieved, managing a smile as he spoke.
"That’s good, then. Let’s go to your office."
They arrived on the third floor and had just entered the office when Cui Lili pushed the door open and came in.
She walked straight up to Zhou Ning and placed several reports before his eyes.
"After receiving the samples at noon, I searched through the evidence of Huang Shenlei’s criminal activities from back then and found some items, including the clothes and pants Wang Guanli wore when he was captured, which had the bloodstains of the last victim on them, specifically from the gunshot wound on his left thigh.
I collected the blood samples and compared them to sample number 104 collected from the rooftop of Guanghai Pharmaceuticals Group and the endomyocardial blood just taken from the deceased. They all match and belong to the same person."
Zhou Ning quickly flipped through the reports, which included photos of the evidence from that year—the clothes and pants. It was a surprise to find these items, and it genuinely excited Zhou Ning.
"Sister, this evidence is crucial. With this, we can confirm that Wang Guanli is the murderer of Zhang Yinan."
Cui Lili grunted twice but didn’t retort at Zhou Ning.
"Hmph, the machines were almost smoking, Zhao Xinli called me seven or eight times. I was about to block him. Do you have any samples to submit today?"
Zhou Ning considered for a moment then shook his head, replying:
"Not for today, but we’re planning to conduct a second inspection of the primary scenes for the other two victims of the 1.29 case. If there’s something to send for testing, we’ll discuss it tomorrow."
As Cui Lili glanced out the window and saw that the day had darkened, she wanted to persuade Zhou Ning but ended up holding her words back.
"I’m off then. Call me if there’s a lab result!"
After Cui Lili left, Mr. Zhao had already prepared the investigation kit. He knew Zhou Ning was feeling oppressed, and only being absorbed in work would keep his mind from wandering. Zhao had no choice but to accompany him since Xu Dayuan was always so impulsive.
"Are we leaving now?"
Zhou Ning raised his hand.
"Let me take a look at Wang Guanli’s autopsy report. Has Zhu Xingxing finished summarizing it?" frёewebnoѵēl.com
Zhu Xingxing handed the report to Zhou Ning, standing nervously by his side.
After looking through the report once, Zhou Ning noted that the details were recorded accurately, some even more meticulously than he had spoken of. The autopsy report also included the photos from Wang Guanli’s pre-execution medical check-up and had marked information for comparison.
However, some aspects were different from Mr. Qu’s summary, notably the teratoma in the lungs, which was marked with its discovery and progression, and the abrasions on the femur, which had been sustained during the arrest from a gunshot, initially looking like a groove but now covered with callus.
Zhou Ning nodded his head.
"Well done. Make a copy of the lab report Sister Cui brought, attach one copy to the back of Wang Guanli’s autopsy report, and another in Zhang Yinan’s report. You and Sun Gaotie stay behind. If Xu Da calls requesting a blood draw or fingerprint collection, comply with that. Mr. Zhao, today Yang Xuetong will accompany me to Qin Xuejin’s home."
Zhou Ning looked at Liu Yongxin then continued:
"Master, shall I arrange for someone to take you home?"
Liu Yongxin waved his hand, raising his phone.
"Xu Dayuan asked for my help to take those two financial investigation experts over to their place. After that, I’m leaving on my own. Don’t worry about these matters. Get to work!"
Zhou Ning knew that Xu Dayuan must be busy with interrogations, as both Ren Guangzhi and Ren Jingmin had already been captured. According to the list provided by the ministry, many influential figures required interrogation. Although most of the questioning was conducted by people sent from the ministry, suspects related to these three deceased still needed to be interrogated by them.
"Let’s get going!"
...
Half an hour later.
Beizhai Street Rose Court.
The three got out of the car and headed straight to Qin Xuejin’s home, where guards were stationed. Seeing that it was the members of Zhou Ning’s team, their faces lit up with smiles.
They greeted them and opened the door quickly; the two had the decency not to follow in.
After getting geared up, Zhou Ning went straight to the living room window, from which he could see Fang Wenjie’s home perfectly.
These two individuals, in the eyes of outsiders, divorced because Qin Xuejin was imprisoned and Fang Wenjie disdained Qin Xuejin’s actions, therefore wanting to distance herself from him.
However, what was the actual reason? Zhou Ning could sense something at this moment. Qin Xuejin didn’t want to drag Fang Wenjie down with him, and especially didn’t want her to be involved in the affairs of Beishan Group.
The apparent estrangement was nothing more than a ruse to deceive others. Perhaps Qin Xuejin had indeed come into contact with some secrets of Beishan Group, but it was not convenient to deal with him directly. Instead, they took a roundabout approach, starting from Fang Wenjie.
Yet, nothing useful was found on Fang Wenjie, and since Qin Xuejin had been constantly looking for her, this matter couldn’t be concealed for long, which led to action being taken against Qin Xuejin.
Thinking about the storage disk sewn into Qin Xuejin’s arm, Zhou Ning turned around to survey the room.
Mr. Zhao and Yang Xuetong had already gone for a second survey. On the living room floor, white chalk outlined the position of Qin Xuejin’s body.
The murderer had slit Qin Xuejin’s throat with a single stab, inflicting no more threat than a kick to the leg, evidently not holding out much hope for finding anything on him.
Does that mean someone has searched Qin Xuejin’s home multiple times but found nothing?
The more Zhou Ning thought about this, the more he squinted his eyes, feeling that this was the most likely scenario. freeweɓnovel.cøm
If this analysis held true, then the information Qin Xuejin controlled was definitely not just what was provided on the storage card. After all, it was now certain that the photos on the storage card were taken by Zhang Yinan, and perhaps the card was given to Qin Xuejin by Fang Wenjie.
Therefore, Qin Xuejin had never revealed until his death that he had hidden something. Not even the person who killed him knew what it was, and it was not found in his house.
Zhou Ning looked around; aside from the bloodstain on the living room floor, the room could be said to be very tidy.
With such minimalist decor, there weren’t many special storage spots, high-end sofas, oil paintings, platforms, table lamps, projectors, a tree. Other than these, there was nothing else in the entire living room.
Zhou Ning checked under the sofa cushions and the bottom of the sofa. There were no signs of sewing or reopening. The throw pillows were made of genuine leather and had no zippers or the like.
As for the oil painting, Zhou Ning stepped on the edge of the platform, took down the oil painting, which was sealed with tape on all four sides of the back, with wax sealing marks on it. The handwritten English name and date beneath the wax suggested it was unquestionably painted by a 19th-century artist.
Zhou Ning closed his eyes. Just now, he had entered the room from the murderer’s perspective to search. If he were Qin Xuejin, with such an obviously simple room, where could a storage card be hidden?
Outside?
Impossible, a storage card left outside would quickly degrade without protection and become unreadable.
The study and the bedroom?
Those would have been the main focus of the searchers, who probably would have even lifted the floorboards. Zhou Ning glanced at the edge of the living room floor.
Because the living room floor also showed signs of being dismantled a second time, and if not replaced by the same batch, the color would differ due to wear over time, those two places were also unlikely.
Could it be the bathroom, like inside the water tank?
At this thought, Zhou Ning walked from the platform to the split-level corridor, just as he saw Mr. Zhao and Mr. Yang coming out of the rooms on both sides, both shaking their heads.
"We’ve done a grid search, shook out every book, every piece of clothing, even dismantled the computer case. Nothing was found in the kitchen, study, or guest room."
Mr. Zhao shook his head, water droplets on his hair, and spat disdainfully.
"I’ve meticulously checked the master bedroom, the walk-in closet, both washrooms, and the bathroom. I’ve searched the drains, water tanks, purifiers, and water softeners, but found nothing. I also noticed pry marks by the window sills and inside the safe in the master bedroom’s walk-in closet."
Zhou Ning nodded.
"I saw signs of the living room floor being laid a second time, and I think someone has searched his house more than once, but to no avail. Don’t worry, I believe we will find something.
"Moreover, Qin Xuejin would’ve hidden things to save his life. He must have hoped the police would find these evidences if anything happened to him. It’s just that our current search method might be wrong," Zhou Ning said, then walked to the doors of the study and the two bedrooms and peeked inside. He noticed that all the rooms shared a uniform style with minimalist design, an upscale and generous design that mixed white and light brown.
In the instant Zhou Ning turned around, he abruptly stopped.
Seeing Zhou Ning’s pause, Mr. Zhao came over, curiously peering into Zhou Ning’s eyes.
"What’s up, Zhou Xiaozhou? Did you think of something?"
Yang Xuetong also stopped, as the squad leader’s observational skills were astonishing and his perspective on issues was extremely intricate. It looked like he was adopting Qin Xuejin’s viewpoint.
Without a word, Zhou Ning spun around and looked again at the study and bedrooms.
"The colors, the colors are different. The overall design of the rooms combines white and light brown, which looks cozy and simple. But standing here, it feels like something is missing compared to the living room. What’s missing is that tree, the green color. I think the item is hidden under the tree."
The three of them rushed to the living room to see the massive plant pot. Yang Xuetong was uncertain, wondering whether they needed to break the pot or pour out the soil.
Kneeling in front of the large plant pot, Zhou Ning grabbed a spade from inside it and began digging from the edge toward the center. On the third scoop, a storage card wrapped in cling film was unearthed.
Mr. Zhao’s eyes widened in excitement, and he eagerly grabbed the storage card.
"Wow, this actually worked, we found it!"
