Chapter 2

Shi Qian's eyes widened slightly, and he nodded for him to continue. Xiao Yuncheng's slender fingers gently pressed against the corpse's skin, pulling his eyelids open slightly. Shi Qian also noticed that Zhang Ming's pupils weren't dilated to the degree they would during a drug addiction attack. During a drug addiction attack, the addict would experience intense pain in the body, their pupils strangely shrinking to the size of a pinhole, and their level of madness was no less than that of the infected people in those zombie movies.

"Where's the medical examiner? Take him back immediately for an autopsy. Have the trace examination check the footprints, fingerprints, and DNA on the car. This person might not just be a drug addict."

Everyone immediately got busy. Xiao Yuncheng looked down at his phone and realized it was already 5 o'clock in the evening.

Xiao Yuncheng opened the car door and got in. He lifted up his sweaty hair, revealing his sharp and handsome facial features. His appearance was very impactful, with high brow bones and deep eye sockets, which made people's hair stand on end when they looked at him.

He glanced at Wu Tong, who had just boarded the car, his suspicions undisguised. Wu Tong also noticed his gaze, but said calmly, "Captain Xiao, are you doubting me?"

"I'll give you a chance to convince me, otherwise,"

Xiao Yuncheng narrowed his eyes dangerously and threatened, "You will become the biggest direct suspect in this case."

Wu Tong sighed, looked at Xiao Yuncheng, and asked sincerely: "Didn't you see that he was unconscious after you got in the car?"

"What's the meaning?"

Xiao Yuncheng asked. He really didn't notice it when he first got in the car, but when the man started twitching, it was only about two minutes after he got in the car.

"I suggest you check that truck."

Wu Tong only finished his last sentence and then fell silent. Xiao Yuncheng knew that he had no reason to suspect him. He had no time or motive to commit the crime, so he had no time to do anything.

Xiao Yuncheng glanced at Wu Tong suspiciously, and drove towards the Municipal Bureau with suspicion in his heart.

Wu Tong sat upright in the interrogation room, with a policeman in front of him constantly asking questions. Outside the glass window behind the policeman, Xiao Yuncheng stood there straight, staring at Wu Tong's face, as if he was unwilling to miss any slight reaction.

"What happened at that time? Why did they have a conflict? Please tell us what you saw."

"I was getting a checkup at the hospital. As soon as I came out, I heard people screaming and shouting, 'Murder has happened!' I went over to see what was happening and stopped them. That was it. I don't know anything else."

Xiao Yuncheng watched Wu Tong's reaction to the question without blinking. He was very calm, even gentle.

"My Xiao, what do you think?"

Shi Qian saw Xiao Yuncheng's serious face and hesitated for a moment before asking.

"He didn't lie, he really didn't know."

Just as Shi Qian was about to leave, Xiao Yuncheng stopped him again: "Go ask someone to get me the surveillance footage of the intersection where we came back."

Wu Tong left the Municipal Bureau after the interrogation. Xiao Yuncheng was still sitting on the bench in the interrogation room, looking through the transcript he had just made.

"Captain Xiao, I've sent people to the crime scene to look for clues."

Xiao Yuncheng rested his hand on his cheek, pen in hand, pondering something. He reflected on the entire case, a wave of doubts rising in his mind. Why would the deceased have assassinated someone else? Did they have a grudge? Or was he simply seeking to bring someone down? His instincts, always a detective, told him there was more to the story. There had to be something going on, but he had no clues.

Xiao Yuncheng was sorting out the files and events by himself. He stretched and reached out to take his cell phone. It was already 8 o'clock in the evening.

Xiao Yuncheng put away the things in his hands and opened the office door.

Xiao Yuncheng stared at the transcript spread out on the table, something was not right... Xiao Yuncheng thought.

None of this seemed to connect the dots. Everything happens for a reason, but this case, no cause could be found. Everything was just a process with no beginning or end. His mind flashed back to the scene at the hospital, the image replaying before him like a slideshow, finally settling on a single, crucial point of contradiction: Wu Tong.

Xiao Yuncheng sat up and pressed the power button on the left side of the computer, logged into the intranet, and typed Wu Tong's name in the search bar.

Wu Tong, 23 years old, is a well-known professional painter. He was born in a remote and unknown mountain village. His name began to appear frequently in this circle because a painting he drew at the age of 11 was auctioned.

Xiao Yuncheng read line by line and finally found the most unreasonable part: why didn't he have any information about his guardian?

Xiao Yuncheng searched twice in disbelief, but still couldn't find any information or even the guardian's name.

At this time, there was a knock on his office door and Shi Qian stuck his head out.

"Ahem... well, what?"

"No clues yet?" Xiao Yuncheng picked up his phone and checked the time. Nearly an hour had passed since he left the interrogation room. Shi Qian walked in, plopped down on the sofa, and said, "The forensic doctor just reported that there are many tiny pinholes and scratches on the inside of Zhang Ming's arm. They also found his own skin tissue between his fingernails."

Xiao Yuncheng wiped his chin and concluded: So he was indeed addicted to drugs at that time.

"Shi Qian."

Shi Qian exclaimed "Ah" when he heard this and looked at Xiao Yuncheng.

"What do you think of Wu Tong?"

Shi Qian thought about it and replied, "He's a good-looking guy, uh...quite gentle. What's wrong? Is there something wrong with him?"

"I'm not sure. Find someone to check his registration records at the Second Hospital. Also, check what he did in the past three days. Send all the records to me."

Shi Qian made an "OK" gesture and teased, "I just thought you were attracted to her."

In response, Xiao Yuncheng kicked him.

Xiao Yuncheng was still thinking when his cell phone suddenly rang again.

"Got it? Okay, I'll go over now."

Five minutes later, Xiao Yuncheng appeared in the technical department's office.

"The deceased's name is Zhang Ming, 28 years old, from Heilongjiang Province. He was a worker at the local Kangyuan Construction Company and was married. His wife, Miao Yuanyuan, 25, was a makeup artist, but she stopped working six months ago when she became pregnant. This is the deceased's cell phone records. After cracking the password and checking his call records, we found a major clue."

Xiao Yuncheng looked at the large screen on the wall, which displayed the mobile phone call records. There was a number at the top that had been called nearly 50 times by the owner of the phone.

"We investigated the number and found it was no longer in use. The SIM card might have been destroyed."

Xiao Yuncheng stared at the phone number for a long time before finally asking, "Where's the autopsy report?"

"Just given it by the forensic doctor."

Xiao Yuncheng took the autopsy report, and the results clearly stated that this person not only took drugs, but also had AIDS.

"Go check immediately which hospital the deceased went to three days ago!"

The technical department was extremely busy. Everyone was trying their best to find clues to solve the case, and no one dared to relax.

"Captain Xiao, we've found him! The deceased was registered at the People's Hospital at 1:48 PM on the 17th!"

Everyone looked up at the words, and Xiao Yuncheng immediately took his men and drove to the People's Hospital. It was rare for a group of police to suddenly rush into the hospital, and it immediately attracted the attention of many people.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

Although the doctor at the front desk was startled by the scene, he still greeted him warmly. Xiao Yuncheng slammed the file on the table and said to the doctor in a deep voice, "The Nanyuan City Public Security Bureau is investigating a case. We need this person's medical registration and examination report from your hospital at noon on the 17th of this month. Please cooperate."

The doctor didn't hesitate and immediately called the dean to assist the police in the investigation. They quickly found and printed out the files. Back at the police station, Xiao Yuncheng slammed the files on the table and said to the officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, "Go find Chen Hao for questioning right now! I think I know what's going on."

The police car roared away with its sirens blaring. Xiao Yuncheng pinched his brows, and at this moment his cell phone started vibrating wildly again.

"Captain Xiao, we've found Wu Tong's examination time and records at the Second Hospital... He did undergo an examination there before the incident, and the results were..."

"cancer."

Xiao Yuncheng's mind went blank. The word "cancer" replayed in his mind dozens of times, flashing a dazzling light, shining on Wu Tong's reflected face without a smile like a flashbulb. He finally understood where the unnatural gentleness of Wu Tong came from.

"I'm the victim! Why are you trying me?! Go try that psychopath!!!"

When Xiao Yuncheng arrived, there were already a lot of people gathered at the door of the ward. Xiao Yuncheng pushed his way through the crowd and squeezed in. The victim was sitting on the bed and roaring angrily. The police next to him didn't dare to say anything for fear of angering him. They just kept trying to comfort him, but the man refused to listen and just kept telling the police to get out.

"Captain Xiao, he refuses to cooperate with us."

Xiao Yuncheng replied without even looking up: "I can do it."

At the same time, Wu Tong held a cotton swab in his hand, and the doctor beside him was packing up the medicines and tools, and telling Wu Tong the precautions of taking the medicines. However, Wu Tong's attention was on the noise outside the door.

"What's going on out there?"

"ah?"

The doctor was interrupted in the middle of his speech. He glanced outside the door before saying, "Ah, it seems like the police are here to investigate some case?... I'm not quite sure."

Wu Tong nodded, said goodbye to the doctor and walked towards the crowd.

Xiao Yuncheng approached the bed and leaned over to stare at the man swearing. After he finished, he said leisurely, "Your name is Chen Hao, right?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Hao glanced at Xiao Yuncheng standing beside him, then pointed at him and cursed, "What can you do to me?! Why don't you go after the person who wanted to kill me, but come here to interrogate me? Are you fucking sick?!"

"Do you know why you are being interrogated?" Xiao Yuncheng pulled out a chair and sat down, with one leg raised and resting on the knee of the other leg, his hands on his chest in a rather lazy posture. He looked up at Chen Hao.

"Because the person who wanted to kill you is dead."

Chen Hao was stunned, his pupils trembling slightly, but he immediately recovered his composure and raised his voice, saying, "You come to interrogate me now that I'm dead? You think I killed him? I'm a wounded soldier!"

Xiao Yuncheng raised the corners of his lips and smiled at him: "Did I say you killed him?"

"So what exactly do you want?"

Xiao Yuncheng took a file from the police, flipped through it and looked at it for a long time. He leaned back and asked in a calm voice, "Why were you assassinated?"

Chen Hao found it extremely amusing. He glared at Xiao Yuncheng, his eyes filled with mockery and disdain: "How should I know? Maybe that idiot is completely crazy and wants to drag people to their deaths?"

"Then why do you think he chose you?"