Chapter 71 He is my husband
When Huo Nanchen woke up, his hand instinctively reached to the side, only to touch the cold, hard sheets.
He took out his phone; the last message was still the one Lin Xili had sent the night before.
The sky outside the window was already bright.
Working through the night is bad for your health, especially for such high-intensity on-site investigations.
Huo Nanchen frowned, got up to wash up, and the man in the mirror had a calm expression. He quickly changed his clothes and went out.
He went to his usual breakfast shop near his dormitory and bought several kinds of steamed buns, soy milk, and millet porridge, then walked towards the entrance of the Justice Bureau.
Just as I reached the building entrance, an official vehicle with an investigation license plate drove in.
The car door opened, and Lin Xili was the first to get out.
She was wearing a reflective survey suit, which was covered in mud and dust. There were two conspicuous dark circles under her eyes, and she looked exhausted.
"Xi Li." Huo Nanchen took a few steps to greet him.
Lin Xili was pressing her throbbing temples when she heard that familiar soft call and looked up.
She paused, her gaze falling on the conspicuous insulated bag in his hand. "Why are you here?"
Huo Nanchen handed over the warm bag, saying, "No matter how busy you are at work, you have to take care of your health. I bought a few extra portions, so you can share them with your colleagues and eat them while they're hot."
"good."
Lin Xili took the bag containing breakfast and smiled at her.
Huo Nanchen felt a pang of heartache seeing the weariness on her face, but he knew it was part of her job.
"Then you go ahead with your work, I'm going to the hospital." With that, she turned and left.
His concern was always just right, without causing any burden to anyone.
Lin Xili stared at his back for a few seconds until two heads came closer to her before she came to her senses.
"Hey, isn't this the handsome guy from the dessert shop the other day?" Brother Wang grinned mischievously, his bloodshot eyes brimming with gossip. "Now I see him clearly, he really is handsome, and he even brought you breakfast?"
Brother Li winked and winked at him, "Boyfriend?"
Lin Xili withdrew her gaze, glanced at the two who were practically pressing their faces against hers, and replied calmly, "Not my boyfriend."
Just as the two were about to show a relaxed "I knew it" expression, they heard her add a sentence.
"It's my husband."
Brother Li nearly bit his tongue: "Sir...?"
"When did you get married? How come there wasn't a single word? Our forensic department is known as the intelligence agency!"
Brother Wang exaggerated even more, clutching his chest and taking two steps back, "It's over, it's over! Our monastery finally got a goddess, and before we've even had a chance to properly worship her, she's already taken! We can't live like this anymore!"
Lin Xili waved the breakfast in her hand: "Alright, there's some for you too."
"Wow, there's even a share for us! Looks like we single guys haven't been forgotten after all!" Brother Wang's expression immediately changed, and he happily reached out to take it.
A few jokes instantly broke the gloomy atmosphere brought on by staying up all night.
While stuffing a steamed bun into his mouth, Brother Li still wouldn't give up: "When exactly did you get the marriage certificate?"
"It was almost eight months ago, and I hadn't been transferred yet."
Lin Xili gave a brief explanation, then picked up her things and started walking inside.
Back in the dormitory, Lin Xili fell asleep almost immediately upon hitting the bed.
But the string of professional responsibility remained taut, and she woke up precisely in less than four hours.
The cold water splashed on my face, and the foggy feeling in my brain finally subsided a bit, making me feel much more alert.
When I returned to the lab, Brother Li and Brother Wang were already there.
The three men, all sporting identical bruises under their eyes, exchanged a glance, their bitter smiles tinged with a hint of ruthlessness.
That pile of physical evidence is still waiting for them to identify and analyze it, to speak for themselves.
At noon, before the test results were even available, Wen Qing called first.
"Xi Li, there are new findings from the autopsy." Wen Qing's voice sounded somewhat tense.
"Pang Long died around 10 p.m. on the 7th. Importantly, in addition to the external injuries, a high concentration of methamphetamine was detected in his stomach."
Methamphetamine.
Almost simultaneously, Wei Dongyang also responded.
"Found it." Wei Dongyang said urgently, "There's a tofu pudding shop on the only road leading to the desolate Longtan beach."
"The boss confirmed that a young man ordered five servings of tofu pudding the day before yesterday evening."
Five portions.
They came right up against Pang Long and his four henchmen.
Lin Xili immediately laid out all the other plastic bowls and spoons she had brought back from the scene and redid the trace extraction.
Saliva stains, fingerprints, and chemical reactions on the bottom of plastic bowls caused by prolonged exposure to specific environments...
The data jumped across the computer screen, gradually piecing together a clear timeline.
Lin Xili stared at the screen and said, "The five of us only got together the night before last."
"Based on the energy released from the consumption of fast food containers and mineral water bottles, as well as the levels of garbage distribution, these people have been there for a full seven days."
Except for the last night, they always took turns in pairs.
They take turns on duty for seven days.
That barren beach was nothing but rocks and sand; what was there to warrant them taking turns watching it?
The methamphetamine in Pang Long's stomach...
Lin Xili grabbed her phone and dialed Wei Dongyang's number.
"Captain Wei, they are guarding the things."
Wei Dongyang clearly realized this as well: "I've been thinking about this too. Going to such a complicated place is definitely not just for sightseeing."
"There's something in Pang Long's stomach. Could it be that they buried methamphetamine there?"
“Very likely,” Lin Xili said with certainty. “All the clues point to this.”
The moment those four words were uttered, the atmosphere in the entire criminal investigation team instantly became tense.
Without hesitation, Wei Dongyang immediately mobilized his men, equipped with metal detectors and small excavation equipment, to enter the Longtan River beach a second time.
This time, they started searching around the bloodstain and the bushes where the body was hidden.
The machines roared, and mud and sand flew everywhere.
However, the riverbank had been turned upside down, and apart from a few rusty aluminum cans and construction debris, not a single hair had been dug up.
Forget about drugs, there wasn't even a proper container.
Wei Dongyang wiped the sweat from his face, his brows furrowed as he looked at the pile of mud in front of him.
"Did we go the wrong way? Then what are these bastards guarding here for?"
When Lin Xili, Brother Wang, and Brother Li arrived, this was the scene they saw.
Lin Xili stood at the edge of the pit, looking at the sand and soil that had been turned upside down, and fell into deep thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com