Chapter 48 48 It really is like the kind of hatred for evil in martial arts novels...

After racking his brains for a while, Guan Xia came up with another possibility. Looking at Ji An, he asked, "Since Feng Xingping has a strong alibi, could it be possible that he hired someone to commit the murder?"

"Hiring a killer?" Pang Le was stunned. "Who? Zhang Weiyan?"

Ji An did not answer. He looked at Guan Xia and then at Pang Le, his expression thoughtful.

Guan Xia belatedly realized that upon meeting Ji An, he had asked her to look up the identities of Zhang Weiyan and Feng Xingping, but hadn't shared any information about the case with her. She quickly said, "Well, I saw a report about a case online a while ago, and the accompanying picture reminded me of something."

Guan Xia described the scenes in the video to Ji An, and explained her concerns about why she did not report it directly to the police but did so instead.

Ji An listened attentively. After Guan Xia finished speaking, he thought for a moment before saying, "Your testimony does indicate a certain degree of suspicion about Feng Xingping, but it's certainly not enough to reopen the case. Police investigations rely on substantive evidence, and eyewitness testimony can only be a guide to solving the case."

"Even though we have a new direction for investigation, we can't restart it." Pang Le couldn't help asking.

Ji An said, "Current cases and backlog cases are quite different. During the investigation of a current case, we collect all possible clues related to the case, unravel them, and verify and eliminate them from multiple sources. We're not afraid of having too many clues, but we're afraid of having no clues. Backlog cases, on the other hand, are cases where every available investigative method and approach has been exhausted, reaching a dead end and running out of options. And backlog cases aren't simply abandoned if they can't be solved once. Provincial departments and municipal bureaus organize special backlog case investigations almost every year. Any unsolved homicide case will be brought up repeatedly. Experts from across the city, and even the province, gather to discuss each backlog case and try to find a new direction. If any new criminal investigation technology emerges domestically, it's immediately applied to the backlog cases."

Ji An spoke carefully, and Guan Xia and Pang Le also listened attentively, but the more they listened, the more confused they became. "Since they attach so much importance to the backlog of cases, shouldn't they immediately restart it because of the emergence of a new direction?"

Ji An said, "If new substantive evidence emerges, then we'll naturally reopen the case immediately. But the problem is that this new direction is based on Guan Xia's testimony. You have to understand that human memory is subjective. Another point is that reopening an investigation and reopening an old case are two different things. A reopening involves one or two people verifying new clues, while reopening an old case means mobilizing all available resources until nothing more can be found or the case is solved."

Guan Xia and Pang Le both understood now, "So, what we are doing now...isn't it unnecessary?"

Ji An said: "In fact, Lu Tingfeng and I did the same thing after we left the police force."

When talking about Lu Tingfeng, Guan Xia thought of the reason why Pang Le had asked someone to investigate Lu Tingfeng's withdrawal from the police force. Since Ji An did the same thing as Lu Tingfeng, it meant that she also left for a similar reason. I just don't know what case she was investigating.

Guan Xia just thought about it in her mind but didn't ask it out loud. She agreed very much with what Ji An said. As long as they got along for a long time, Ji An would tell her sooner or later. The most important point was that even if he told her, she might not be able to help now. The most urgent thing was to accumulate experience with Ji An.

Guan Xia quickly turned her attention back to the current case.

"Could it be a hired murder?" Guan Xia asked Ji An again, looking at him. "Since I drew the sketch accurately, and you were able to find the identity information based on the sketch, my memory is reliable. But the problem is that the two people don't know each other, and Feng Xingping has an alibi. This is the only option I can think of."

"Did Zhang Weiyan hire someone to kill someone?" Pang Le scratched his chin. "I remember Sister Ji said just now that Zhang Weiyan is unemployed and relies on odd jobs to make a living. He probably doesn't have that much money to hire someone to kill someone, right?"

Hearing the words "Ji Jie", Ji An glanced at Pang Le, then shook his head and said, "It's indeed unlikely. Since Zhang Weiyan had a grudge against the murdered family of four, he must be the police's main suspect. Naturally, they checked his bank statements and found no problems before they ruled him out as a suspect."

Pang Le had a strange expression on his face. "Could it be that Feng Xingping hired someone to kill someone? I've only heard of people killing strangers for money, but I've never heard of people paying money to kill strangers."

Guan Xia only thought about it for a moment and felt that it was a bit too outrageous.

Ji An said, "Given Feng Xingping's financial status, he certainly has the means to hire someone to kill someone. I can check his bank statements."

Guan Xia then thought of something else and asked Ji An, "Oh, Sister Ji, when you were investigating Zhang Weiyan, did you find out if the four people who died in that case I told you about had any grudges against Zhang Weiyan? And why did Zhang Weiyan commit suicide by jumping into the river?"

Ji An said, "From what I've found, the four deceased were actually related to Zhang Weiyan. The oldest male deceased was named Zhang Hongda, the younger brother of Zhang Weiyan's father. In 2006, when Zhang Weiyan was 17, the two attended a relative's wedding together. On the way home, Zhang Hongda fell into the water while drunk. Zhang Weiyan's father, Zhang Hongxue, tried to save him, but Zhang Hongda was rescued, while Zhang Hongxue drowned."

Pang Le was a little surprised. "So, Zhang Weiyan did have a motive to kill. Then what happened next? Zhang Hongxue died trying to save Zhang Hongda. Didn't Zhang Hongda take care of his nephew Zhang Weiyan?"

Considering the life-saving grace, any normal person would not ignore the remaining family.

Ji An shook his head and said, "From what I've found, that's not the case. On the contrary, because of Zhang Hongxue's death, Zhang Hongda kicked Zhang Hongxue's wife out of the auto repair shop they jointly owned, claiming she was an outsider. As a result, Zhang Weiyan had no money to go to college and had to work to support his family right after graduating from high school."

Pang Le couldn't help but curse, "This guy is too cruel, isn't he? No wonder Zhang Weiyan hates him. Who wouldn't hate him? This is like their whole life has been changed. If Zhang Weiyan had been able to go to college, he would be better off now than relying on odd jobs to make a living."

Guan Xia pressed the issue, "In 2006, Zhang Weiyan was 17 years old, so Zhang Hongxue would have been in his 40s. Where were their parents? Was there no one to take care of them?"

Ji An said, "Zhang Hongxue and Zhang Hongda's mother died early. Because Zhang Hongda was always sweet-talking and good at talking, their father always favored the younger son."

Guan Xia understood. "No wonder Zhang Hongda is so cruel. What about his father? Is he doing well now?"

Guan Xia's tone was full of sarcasm. Ji An said, "A few years after Zhang Hongxue's death, their father also passed away due to illness."

"Oh," Pang Le sneered, "This is karma. If I hadn't been so partial, how could I not have lived for many years after my eldest son passed away?"

"Then why did Zhang Weiyan commit suicide?" Guan Xia asked, "Is it related to Zhang Hongda?"

Guan Xia clearly remembered that the date when Zhang Weiyan jumped into the river to commit suicide and met Feng Xingping was December 19, 2020, and the date when Zhang Hongda's family of four were killed was January 29, 2021. It was only more than a month before and after, so it is hard not to suspect that the cause of the suicide was caused by Zhang Hongda again.

Sure enough, Ji An said, "Zhang Weiyan's wife suffered a cerebral infarction in December 2020 and needed to be admitted to the ICU after surgery. Zhang Weiyan had borrowed money from all his relatives and could only go to Zhang Hongda to borrow money, but he obviously didn't get it."

"So, Zhang Weiyan's wife is dead?" Pang Le's expression was complicated. "No wonder he was so depressed and wanted to commit suicide."

Guan Xia put herself in his shoes and thought about it, and sighed, "It seems that Zhang Weiyan is actually quite kind. He would rather commit suicide than harm others."

Guan Xia couldn't help but sigh as she spoke. Although four people were already dead and it was wrong for her to think this way, she still couldn't help but think that if Zhang Hongda had any conscience, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

After figuring out the grudges and hatred between Zhang Weiyan and the family of four who were murdered, Guan Xia solved some of her doubts, but she still didn't understand what was going on in this case. Could it be that Zhang Weiyan's experience was too miserable, and Feng Xingping felt very sympathetic during the comforting process, so he paid money to hire someone to avenge Zhang Weiyan?

This does correspond to the clues provided by the system interface, but no matter how I think about it, it seems a little unreasonable. Would someone really do this for a stranger?

Guan Xia was in a state of panic and could only hope that Ji An would seize Xingping's bank statements.

Pang Le's face wrinkled up as he thought about it, and he suddenly muttered, "Come to think of it, if Feng Xingping really hired someone to kill him, it really does sound like what the heroes in martial arts novels who hate evil with a vengeance would do, fighting violence and upholding justice."

Pang Le started to think divergently again, but Guan Xia was struck by lightning and suddenly remembered something.

"Justice, justice..." Guan Xia murmured to herself. Her intuition made her feel that she had missed something, and she began to desperately recall the memory fragments that the system had played.

Sure enough, after playing it again, Guan Xia quickly found what she had overlooked before. It was a small pendant on the zipper of a backpack that Feng Xingping swung when he sat down next to Zhang Weiyan. Guan Xia only caught a quick glance at it at the time, and the system did not prompt her. The red frame on the two faces completely took away Guan Xia's attention. If Pang Le had not inadvertently reminded her this time, Guan Xia would not have thought of it at all.

Finally finding what she was looking for, Guan Xia anxiously asked Pang Le, "Do you have paper and pen?"

Pang Le was too familiar with Guan Xia's state, and immediately agreed and jumped up, "Yes, yes, I'll get it for you."

Pang Le ran to a desk in a few big strides, opened the drawer and took out a pack of unopened A4 paper. He tore open the outer packaging almost violently, took out two sheets and ran back with a pen.

"Here you go." Pang Le put the thing in front of Guan Xia and didn't sit down. He just stood there looking at Guan Xia expectantly.

Guan Xia took advantage of the fact that the system was still running and quickly drew on paper. Soon, he drew the pendant as close to the original as possible based on the paused video screen.

"Look at what this is?" Guan Xia placed the drawn paper between the three of them.

Ji An and Pang Le immediately poked their heads over to look.

Without hesitation, Pang Le said, "Is this... an angel? An angel of judgment?"

Ji An observed carefully without saying anything.

Pang Le said: "I had an ex-boyfriend who liked all kinds of games and comics. He had a poster at home that looked very similar to this one. I can't remember it wrong. I even asked him specifically, and it was the Angel of Judgment."

Guan Xia doesn’t play games and doesn’t read comics much, so she really doesn’t know.

Guan Xia looked at the painting and pondered. The pendant was not big, only two-thirds the size of an adult woman's palm, but it was made very finely. The metal texture and the patterns on the wings and the human figure were lifelike. The human figure had its eyes closed and was holding a sword in both hands. Although Guan Xia didn't understand these things, he could see that the price of this pendant was definitely not cheap.

"This can't be a coincidence, right?" Guan Xia looked at Ji An. "A man wearing a pendant called the Angel of Judgment asked a suicidal person if he wanted revenge, and the enemy actually died more than a month later."

Although no evidence linking Feng Xingping to the case has been found yet, Guan Xia feels that all this alone is enough to make Ji An, the veteran detective, smell the scent of the murderer.

In fact, it was indeed so. Ji An's eyes lit up and he said with certainty, "As long as it involves a murder case, there is no such thing as coincidence. We don't have any evidence against Feng Xingping yet, but as long as we keep an eye on him and investigate, we will definitely find evidence."

After saying this, Ji An took the two sketches off the whiteboard, picked up the one Guan Xiaxin had drawn, and left in a hurry. When he reached the door, he remembered to add, "I'll contact you when I have news."

As the door slammed shut, Guan Xia and Pang Le looked at each other, and almost at the same time, they breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in their chairs.

"It seems we've found a breakthrough in this case," Pang Le said. "Angel of Judgment? Justice? I thought this kind of thing only existed in novels and TV dramas, but I didn't expect it to actually exist in real life."

Guan Xia didn't say anything, but couldn't help muttering in her heart, this is reality for you, but for her this is a world fusion of criminal investigation and literature, everything is possible.

Pang Le touched his chin and said, "Are you saying Feng Xingping was alone? Or is there an organization? If there is an organization, then the reason why Feng Xingping was not at the scene is clear. It could be that he gave the order and others carried it out."

Guan Xia recalled Feng Xingping's appearance and said hesitantly, "It's unlikely. He seems to be only 27 years old this year. He is so young. If there really is an organization, can he become a core backbone at this age?" Based on her experience of reading so many novels, it is unlikely.

Pang Le disagreed. "What's wrong with being young? Young people dare to think and act. Otherwise, how can we explain why he asked about revenge but he didn't kill anyone?"

Guan Xia thought for a moment, "Is it possible that, besides Feng Xingping and the murderer who killed Zhang Hongda's family of four, there is a third person in this organization?"

Pang Le took a deep breath and said, "Hiss, it's really possible. It seems that you have unearthed something big this time."

Guan Xia also had this premonition, but she didn't know whether Ji An's investigation would go smoothly and whether he could find real evidence that would allow the police to reopen the backlog case.