Chapter 25 The Real Culprit Dies

Su Xiaonuan's RV veered onto the shoulder due to inertia and came to a sudden stop.

She sat in the driver's seat, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

My heart was pounding wildly in my chest, like a drumbeat, almost bursting out of my throat.

A chill ran through my body, and my back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

She slowly and stiffly turned her head and saw the hellish scene through the rear window.

Just a hair's breadth... just a tiny bit more... If she hadn't reacted quickly, she would be the one bleeding profusely among that pile of scrap metal right now...

The piercing sirens and ambulance horns approached from afar, quickly enveloping the scene.

Traffic police set up a cordon, and medical staff went to check, but quickly shook their heads.

Lu Zheng's car also sped over and came to a sudden stop not far away.

He pushed open the car door and practically ran over, his face unusually tense and anxious.

When he saw Su Xiaonuan standing unharmed beside the car, though her face was a little pale, his tense jawline relaxed slightly, and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

He strode over to Su Xiaonuan, looked her up and down, and asked in a barely perceptible hoarse voice, "Are you alright?"

Su Xiaonuan shook her head, her voice a little dry: "I'm fine..." She raised her hand and pointed to the pile of horribly mangled scrap metal, her throat tightening, "...that person, that's him. Suspect in 1203."

Lu Zheng looked in the direction she pointed and saw the horrific scene and a large amount of blood. His brows furrowed tightly.

He went up and spoke briefly with the traffic police and forensic doctor at the scene, confirming the driver's death and initial identification.

He walked back to Su Xiaonuan's side, rubbed his temples, and wore a complex and indescribable expression on his face.

The suspect, who had been pursued for so long and had troubled the entire team, died in such a dramatic and unexpected way.

"An accidental traffic accident. Preliminary investigation indicates brake failure in the truck." Lu Zheng's voice was somewhat low. "It seems it truly is fate."

Fate? Su Xiaonuan looked at the pool of blood that had not yet dried, her feelings a mixture of emotions.

This man, who brutally murdered his wife, framed his brother, and even tried to take revenge on her, ultimately died in another accident.

Is this another form of retribution?

The case of 1203, which was rife with domestic violence, deception, and murder, ended abruptly with the murderer's accidental death, bringing it to a bloody close.

Lu Zheng arranged for a policewoman to accompany Su Xiaonuan back to give her statement, and reminded her to be careful. He then stayed behind to continue handling the aftermath of this major traffic accident.

Su Xiaonuan sat back in her RV, looked out the window at the busy police officers and flashing police lights, and slowly drove away.

I couldn't quite describe my feelings as either light or heavy.

The guilty have been brought to justice; we should be happy.

But this method makes people feel like they have a lump in their throat, neither able to breathe nor able to breathe properly.

She shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

At least, one source of danger has been eliminated.

[Ding! High-ranking criminal (sin value 68) has been detected dead. Reward: +200 Merit Points. Current Merit Points: 1880.]

[Weekly mission (Assist in apprehending a criminal with a crime value of ≥50) has been completed! Reward: 700 Merit Points have been issued!]

Current merit points: 2580.

The system's notification tone was cold and objective, providing the final settlement for everything.

On the other side, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Lu Zheng was organizing the final report on case 1203, but he was not in a relaxed mood.

Although the real culprit, the domestic abuser, has died unexpectedly, and the case can be considered closed, some details still feel like tiny burrs, making it impossible to feel completely at ease.

As he walked out of the office with the documents in his hand, he bumped into two police officers who were escorting Huang Mao's father, Zhang, to change his detention cell.

Although Zhang was not the direct murderer of the woman surnamed Li, his crimes of illegally imprisoning his brother, impersonating her, and attempting to defraud her of real estate are enough to give him a hard time.

In the instant they passed each other, Lu Zheng keenly noticed that when a police officer routinely informed Zhang that "your brother died in a traffic accident," Zhang's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

A look of sadness and disbelief quickly spread across his face, and he even squeezed out two tears, his voice choked with sobs: "How could this be... my brother... sob sob..."

The performance was so convincing that it fooled almost everyone.

But Lu Zheng's vision was incredibly sharp.

Just as Zhang lowered his head and pretended to wipe away tears, Lu Zheng clearly saw that the corners of his mouth turned up extremely quickly and uncontrollably!

It was a fleeting, heartfelt smile, full of pride and relief!

Although it only lasted a fraction of a second, and was quickly replaced by a grief-stricken expression, Lu Zheng was certain that he had not misread it!

A chill instantly shot up Lu Zheng's spine!

What if... what if none of this was an accident?

Who benefits most from the death of a domestic abuser?

It wasn't his deceased wife, nor his good-for-nothing blond nephew, but Zhang, the twin brother of his "husband," who was about to face punishment but whose crime didn't warrant death!

His brother is dead, Li's real husband is dead, and the ownerless property—as the only known blood relative—does this give him room to manipulate things? Especially given that the fact that his brother murdered his wife is conclusive and there are no other first-order heirs?

Previously, all attention was drawn to the domestic abuser, who was considered the mastermind.

But what if Zhang is the one who's hiding even deeper?

He knew about it from the beginning, and might even have secretly orchestrated it? Including that "accidental" traffic accident...

Lu Zheng was startled by his own conjecture and broke out in a cold sweat.

But he had no evidence.

The truck driver's brakes did indeed fail due to a lack of long-term maintenance of the vehicle, and it all seemed like a coincidence.

He could only watch helplessly as Zhang was led away, his back view appearing as if shrouded in an unfathomable shadow in Lu Zheng's eyes.

Back in his office, Lu Zheng was still unable to calm down.

He hesitated for a long time before finally picking up his phone and dialing Su Xiaonuan's number.

Although it was just unfounded speculation, he felt it necessary to remind her.

Once Zhang is released from prison, he will likely return to apartment 1203.

And Su Xiaonuan, the person who once ruined their plans, is likely to become his target again.

"Hello, Officer Lu?" Su Xiaonuan's clear voice came from the other end of the phone, and she seemed to be in a good mood.

“Su Xiaonuan,” Lu Zheng’s voice was somewhat low, “There’s something… it’s just my personal speculation, there’s no evidence, but you must keep it in mind.”

He tried to convey his suspicions to Su Xiaonuan as concisely as possible, including that fleeting, chilling smile.

Su Xiaonuan listened with her mouth slightly agape, not quite understanding what was happening for a long time.