Er Laizi's heart sank suddenly, feeling as if that sharp gaze had seen right through him!
He knew that if the investigation continued, Xu Mingli would not be able to hide, and he, as an accomplice, would be exposed sooner or later!
His worst fears came true!
Xu Xinghe stood in the crowd, feeling both surprised and delighted.
It has finally been confirmed that he was the murderer, and there is finally hope that Jiang Linchuan's name can be cleared!
Political Commissar Wang stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the villagers present. His voice boomed, "Everyone, quiet down! Expert Chen has determined that the deceased did not commit suicide; it was murder! The murderer not only killed someone but also staged the scene and attacked our soldiers last night in an attempt to destroy the evidence! This is no longer a simple village dispute; it's a heinous case involving the harm of soldiers!"
His gaze fell on Er Laizi in the crowd, and his tone became more serious. "In order to find the murderer as soon as possible, Expert Chen needs to conduct an autopsy to extract more clues. Think about it, every day the murderer is not caught, this village becomes more dangerous. Who wants to live in the same village as a murderer? Who can guarantee that the next victim won't be their own family member?"
These words struck a chord with the villagers, and voices of agreement immediately rose from the crowd.
"Yes! We must find out the truth! We can't let the murderer hide in the village!"
"I support an autopsy! Only when the murderer is caught sooner can everyone feel at ease!"
Erlaizi, however, jumped out like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, spreading his arms to block the coffin. "No, absolutely not! My father is already dead, how can I let him get stabbed again? I don't agree!"
He was terribly panicked. Once the autopsy was performed, more traces related to Xu Mingli might be found, and then he, as an accomplice, wouldn't be able to escape either!
Political Commissar Wang frowned, and his tone turned cold. "Er Laizi, this isn't a matter of whether you agree or not. This is a serious criminal case. In order to find out the truth and catch the murderer, an autopsy is a necessary procedure! Even if the King of Heaven himself came, the autopsy still had to be done!"
“That’s right, Er Laizi, how can you be so insensible?” Grandpa Zhang couldn’t help but speak up. “Your father died under mysterious circumstances. Only an autopsy can find the murderer. This is to avenge your father!”
"Of course! Don't you want to catch the murderer?"
Er Laizi's face turned pale instantly. He wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Lian Xiao, who suddenly approached.
Lian Xiao wore a military overcoat, stood tall, and had a cold gaze.
He walked a few steps to Er Laizi, and before the other could react, he grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and dragged him to the back of the crowd.
Erlaizi, who is 1.6 meters tall, is like a little chick in Lian Xiao's hands. His feet are off the ground, and he can only kick his legs wildly. He has no way to resist.
"You, let me go! I'm going to sue you!" Er Laizi shouted as he struggled.
Lian Xiao scoffed, his voice full of disdain. He deliberately lowered his voice, making sure only Er Laizi could hear him, "Sue me? Go ahead and sue me. Let me tell you, this autopsy must be done today. If you dare to cause trouble again, I'll beat you up right now! Anyway, I have connections in the military, so even if I beat you up, no one can do anything to me."
He applied a little force, and Er Laizi immediately winced in pain, his previous arrogance vanishing instantly.
He saw the fierce look in Lian Xiao's eyes and knew that the other party was not just trying to scare him.
If he were really beaten, he wouldn't even have a place to reason with them.
Erlaizi's struggles gradually weakened, and his voice softened, "I, I won't make a fuss anymore... I agree to the dissection, okay? Let me go..."
Lian Xiao then released his grip, and Er Laizi fell to the ground with a thud, coughing for a long time while clutching his neck, no longer daring to utter another word of dissent.
Political Commissar Wang glanced at the dejected Erlaizi, then looked at the villagers. "Alright, that's settled then. Expert Chen, please prepare for the autopsy now. The military will cooperate fully to ensure the safety of the scene."
Expert Chen nodded. "There are no suitable conditions here. Take the body back to the military headquarters and have an autopsy performed at the hospital."
The villagers are still talking about it.
"That's terrifying..."
"That's right, I don't even dare to go out at night!"
"Who did this heinous thing? They should just turn themselves in!"
Erlaizi sat on the ground in the corner, looking in the direction of the coffin, his heart filled with despair.
This is it, once the autopsy is performed, everything will be exposed.
Political Commissar Wang appeared in front of him at some point. "Er Laizi, if you know anything, you'd better say it now. Otherwise, once the experts have dissected your father's body, conducted an autopsy, and caught the murderer, it will be too late for you to speak."
Erlaizi swallowed hard. Who said an autopsy could definitely find out?
Although he didn't understand the intricacies of the matter, nor did he know what an autopsy actually looked for, there's always a chance of something going wrong!
He won't admit it until the very last moment!
Unless the evidence is presented to him!
"I don't know. If I had known, I would have said so already. That's my father. Would I just stand by and watch someone kill him?" Erlaizi stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "No matter how you investigate, I'm convinced that Jiang Linchuan killed my father. If it weren't for him, none of this would have happened. Don't even think about getting away with this!"
After saying that, he turned and ran.
If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he would wet his pants in fear!
A soldier immediately followed, saying, "Political Commissar, I'll go check on him."
Xu Xinghe came to Political Commissar Wang's side and breathed a sigh of relief. "Commissar, if we can prove that Erlaizi's father was murdered, will that clear Jiang Linchuan of suspicion?"
"Yes." Although the murderer has not yet been found, there is good news. The most important thing has been solved. Commissar Wang rarely showed a smile. These days, he has been very worried. "When Erlaizi's father died, Erlaizi and Jiang Linchuan were both at the military headquarters. They did not have time to commit the crime."
"As long as it can be proven that it was murder, then it can be proven that Erlaizi's father's death had nothing to do with Jiang Linchuan from beginning to end, not to mention the claim that he committed suicide because of bribery. Moreover, this incident can also prove that someone maliciously slandered Jiang Linchuan and maliciously smeared the military!"
Not far away.
A figure darted into the village.
Feng Qiushi gasped in shock when she saw Xu Mingli's pale face and bluish-purple lips, and the cup in her hand clattered to the ground. "Are you...are you alright?"
"Quickly... hot water, food, and painkillers, hurry!" Xu Mingli's voice was hoarse as he leaned weakly against her, his breathing heavy.
He endured two days on the mountain, but caught a cold and fever, and his wounds were getting more and more painful. He simply couldn't take it anymore.
Fortunately, experts from the capital arrived today, and the villagers all went to the mourning hall to watch the commotion, so he dared to take advantage of this time to sneak back from the back mountain via a small path.
If he stays on the mountain any longer, he'll really lose his life.
Feng Qiushi dared not delay and quickly called his stand-in to help.
The two men, one on each side, helped Xu Mingli to the kang (a heated brick bed) in the small house, and then began to boil water and cook.
Xu Mingli was delirious with fever, but he still forced his eyes open. His Adam's apple bobbed. "Have the experts... found out yet?"
Feng Qiushi paused, his face turning pale instantly.
Upon hearing that the experts had arrived, she immediately went out.
Upon hearing the word "murder," she was so frightened that her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, and she ran home without daring to stay any longer.
When Xu Mingli asked her about it, her voice trembled. "The investigation...the experts said it wasn't suicide, it was murder. They also said they need to perform an autopsy to find more clues!"
“Murder…” Xu Mingli’s eyes widened suddenly, then closed weakly again. Why wasn’t even God on his side?
He went to great lengths to stage the scene, but in the end, he was still caught.
The dizziness brought on by the high fever grew stronger and stronger, Xu Mingli's consciousness gradually blurred, and finally he completely fell into darkness...
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