Chapter 32 There is a problem with fingerprints
The police car drove slowly, and the tires made a slight squeaking sound as they rolled over the snow. Yu Hao held the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes fixed on the front, with a tired look on his face. In the passenger seat, Sun Wei withdrew her gaze from the window and secretly glanced at the man next to her. "Master is right." Yu Hao suddenly spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "Regarding Liu Feng's matter, we may have overlooked the most crucial thing." Sun Wei nodded lightly. Just now at Qin Guoan's house, the words of the old detective were like a heavy hammer hitting their hearts. Qin Guoan was obviously busy with a big case recently, but he didn't mention it, so Yu Hao and Sun Wei didn't ask. "If you really think Liu Feng was framed, then go back to the evidence itself. Forged fingerprints will always leave flaws." The master's words left a very deep impression on Yu Hao, "There must be a difference." The heater in the car was turned on very high, but Yu Hao still felt a chill crawling up his spine. He thought of the fingerprints on the dagger - clear and almost perfect, with every line fully presented... "It's like it was deliberately printed." Yu Hao muttered to himself. Sun Wei turned her head: "What?" "Fingerprints." Yu Hao's voice suddenly became hurried, "Under normal circumstances, when holding a knife to commit a crime, the fingers will slip and deform due to the force. But Liu Feng's fingerprints are too complete, like..." "It's like he pressed it or printed it with a very light object." Sun Wei continued his words, her eyes slightly widened. The two looked at each other, and both saw a look of sudden enlightenment in each other's eyes. Yu Hao slammed on the brakes, and the police car stopped on the side of the road. He took out his mobile phone and quickly dialed Lu Chao's number: "Re-identify the fingerprints on the murder weapon in the Wang Shun case, and focus on checking the strength of the lines. It is a heavy grip instead of a light grip. There is an essential difference." After hanging up the phone, Yu Hao breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in his seat. Sun Wei looked at him quietly. Lately, the dark circles under Yu Hao's eyes have been getting darker, and the stubble on his chin hasn't been shaved off, making him look exhausted. She knew it wasn't just the case. "Want to get some coffee?" Sun Wei suggested softly. "You've been working all day and all night straight. Do you really have to keep going like this?" Yu Hao shook his head and restarted the car. "Let's go back to the bureau and wait for the fingerprint test results." Sun Wei said nothing, just shook her head. The police car slowly drove into the Nan'an Village section. Yu Hao unconsciously slowed down, his eyes scanning the bus stop on the side of the road. Just then, a familiar figure came into view—Luo Xin was getting off the bus...
The police car drove slowly, and the tires made a slight squeaking sound as they rolled over the snow.
Yu Hao gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, a look of fatigue on his face. In the passenger seat, Sun Wei withdrew her gaze from the window and quietly glanced at the man beside her.
"Master is right." Yu Hao suddenly spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "Regarding Liu Feng's matter, we may have overlooked the most crucial thing."
Sun Wei nodded gently. Just now at Qin Guoan's house, the old detective's words hit them like a hammer.
Qin Guoan was obviously busy with a major case recently, but he didn't mention it, so Yu Hao and Sun Wei didn't ask.
"If you really think Liu Feng was framed, then go back to the evidence itself. Forged fingerprints will always leave flaws."
The master's words left a deep impression on Yu Hao, "There must be a difference."
The heater in the car was on high, but Yu Hao still felt a chill creeping up his spine.
He thought of the fingerprints on the dagger—they were so clear and almost perfect, with every line fully visible...
"It's like it was printed on purpose." Yu Hao muttered to himself.
Sun Wei turned her head: "What?"
"Fingerprints." Yu Hao's voice suddenly became urgent. "Normally, when holding a knife to commit a crime, the fingers will slip and deform due to the force. But Liu Feng's fingerprints are too complete, like..."
"It's like he pressed it on or he used something very light to print it on." Sun Wei continued his words, her eyes slightly widening.
The two exchanged glances, each seeing a look of sudden realization in the other's eyes. Yu Hao slammed on the brakes, and the police car stopped on the side of the road.
He pulled out his phone and quickly called Lu Chao. "Re-examine the fingerprints on Wang Shun's murder weapon. Focus on checking the strength of the lines. Is it a heavy grip or a light grip? There's a fundamental difference."
After hanging up the phone, Yu Hao breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair.
Sun Wei looked at him quietly. Lately, the dark circles under Yu Hao's eyes had grown darker, and he hadn't had time to shave the stubble on his chin. He looked exhausted.
She knew it was more than just the case.
"Would you like to go get some coffee?" Sun Wei suggested softly. "You've been working all day and all night straight. Do you really have to keep going like this?"
Yu Hao shook his head and restarted the car: "Let's go back to the bureau first and wait for the fingerprint identification results."
Sun Wei didn't say anything, just shook her head.
The police car slowly drove into the Nan'an Village section. Yu Hao unconsciously slowed down and glanced at the bus stop on the side of the road.
Just then, a familiar figure came into view - Luo Xin was getting off the bus. She was wrapped in that cotton coat, and her hair was a little messy due to the wind.
Yu Hao's fingers tightened subconsciously. Then, he saw a well-dressed man walking quickly towards Luo Xin and reaching out to stop her.
The man seemed to be saying something, Luo Xin took a step back with a look of disgust on his face, and then the two men began to entangle.
Yu Hao's foot was already on the brake, and his other foot was about to step out of the car. But at that moment, a tall figure rushed out of the alley and pushed the man away. It was Sun Yong.
The following scene unfolded before Yu Hao's eyes like a slow motion: Luo Xin held Sun Yong's arm, and the two stood side by side, like a pair of partners jointly resisting foreign enemies.
The well-dressed man said something, and Sun Yong had already swung his fist out.
Yu Hao slowly retracted his foot. He sat in the driver's seat, watching Sun Yong escort Luo Xin away, their silhouettes gradually blurred in the snow.
An indescribable emotion spread in my chest, neither anger nor sadness, but a deep fatigue.
Sun Wei looked at him and asked, "Do you want me to get out of the car and find out what's going on?"
Yu Hao sighed and closed his eyes. After a moment, he whispered, "Forget it, let's go back to the team." He gripped the steering wheel tightly and started the car again.
In the rearview mirror, the couple had disappeared deep into the alley.
"That man..." Sun Wei hesitated.
Yu Hao didn't answer. He stared straight ahead as the police car drove smoothly out of Nan'an Village.
Sun Wei looked at Yu Hao's tense profile and felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
She wanted to say something, but she didn't know where to start. In the end, she just sighed softly and turned her gaze to the street scene that was constantly receding outside the window.
The police car drove into the city, and the neon lights cast a blurry halo in the snow.
"Captain Yu, you guessed right." Lu Chao's voice was filled with excitement. "There's something wrong with the fingerprints on the dagger. Normal gripping marks should show sliding and deformation, but this fingerprint is too complete. It must be caused by handling the handle with care. In addition, we found a negative feature. Captain Yu, what do you think it is?"
"I don't know." Yu Hao said in a low voice.
"It's the direction. Judging from the current fingerprint direction, the murderer was holding the dagger in the forward direction, that is, the thumb was close to the handle. But from the actual situation at the scene, the murderer was clearly holding the knife in the reverse direction, that is, the thumb was close to the end of the handle, so he inserted it directly into the chest of the deceased. So from these two points, it can be confirmed that Liu Feng was framed." Lu Chaoyue became more and more excited as he spoke, and finally he just laughed out loud.
"Okay, I understand. You can handle the rest." At this time, the car had already driven into the yard of the Criminal Police Brigade. Yu Hao turned off the car, closed his eyes, and leaned quietly on the seat with no expression on his face.
"Do you want to go find her?" Sun Wei suddenly asked.
Yu Hao opened his eyes and met Sun Wei's clear gaze. Her exquisite face was as white as snow, and her eyes, bright in the dim car, shone with genuine concern.
"No need." Yu Hao shook his head and said softly, "She has the right to choose her own life."
Sun Wei wanted to say something, but finally just nodded.
The lights in the technical department were still on, and it was obvious that Lu Chao was still there organizing the final report. As long as the fingerprint incident could be denied, Liu Feng's murder would no longer be established.
In this way, it can be regarded as an explanation to Uncle Zhang, Zhang Li, and even Liu Feng.
Yu Hao walked quickly towards the laboratory, leaving all his previous thoughts behind.
Devoting oneself to work can often make one forget the troubles in life...
*
Luo Xue walked out of the bus with her schoolbag on her back, and Luo Xin followed closely behind her.
The library stood in front as usual. Luo Xue said goodbye to her mother and walked up the stairs. Luo Xin waited until his daughter entered the library before leaving.
Luo Xue entered the library and looked out the window until her mother got on the bus, then she walked in with peace of mind.
For the past two days, the face of the man in the gray coat had been appearing in her dreams. His question, "Who is your father?" had been piercing her heart like a thorn. But every time she saw the dark circles under her mother's eyes growing darker, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Likewise, Luo Xin never mentioned the man who had suddenly appeared. Whenever her daughter fell asleep, she would sit by her bed, gently stroking Luo Xue's hair, her eyes scanning the girl's increasingly distinct features—there was indeed a shadow of that man there. This realization made her stomach twist.
In the past two days, Luo Xue never met Sun Lei in the library or the Children's Palace again. It was as if the always taciturn boy had suddenly disappeared.
"Could he be scared?" Luo Xue muttered softly, then shook her head.
There was never any fear in Sun Lei's obsidian eyes, even when facing a man who was much taller than him.
The glass door of the library reflected her pensive face. Luo Xue suddenly made up her mind to go to Sun Lei's house tomorrow. This thought made her feel a little relieved, and she even hummed a song as she pushed the door open.
*
Xiao Yan rubbed the purple corners of his mouth, and his figure in a suit and tie cast a long shadow under the street light.
Call the police? That would be embarrassing.
A senior executive of a foreign company was beaten by a street vendor. How can he survive in the circle if this matter gets out?
He spat and crushed the snow on the roadside with his expensive leather shoes, as if this could vent his anger.
These past two days I always felt like there were eyes staring at me from behind, but every time I turned around suddenly, I saw only my own shadow swaying under the streetlight on the empty street.
He sneered, he was really obsessed with the mother and daughter.
Luo Xin was such a pure college student back then, but now she has fallen to the point of working in a KTV and even found a man who sells things on the street.
Thinking of this, he felt a sour feeling in his stomach, not sure whether it was anger or some inexplicable loss.
Turning into the shortcut leading to the International Hotel, Xiao Yan frowned in disgust.
The alley was dimly lit, with debris piled up in the corners and a faint smell of rotten water wafting through the air.
If he didn't want to get back to the hotel quickly, he wouldn't even want to set foot in such a shabby place.
Suddenly, there was a "whoosh" sound beside his ear, and a black shadow whizzed past his temples, followed by a loud "bang" and porcelain fragments flying everywhere.
Xiao Yan froze in place, his pupils suddenly contracting - a ceramic flowerpot shattered in front of his feet, and wet soil splashed on his trouser legs.
He slowly raised his head. The windows of the old residential building were dark, like countless pairs of scrutinizing eyes.
Fifth floor? Sixth floor?
It's impossible to tell where it fell from.
His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and his back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. If he had been even half a step faster, his head would have exploded.
"Whose flowerpot is that! You know it almost killed someone!" Xiao Yan cursed loudly, but his voice trembled uncontrollably.
Several passers-by gathered around after hearing the noise. Some took out their mobile phones to take pictures, and some pointed upstairs, but no one knew where the flowerpot came from.
Xiao Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and took out his cell phone with trembling fingers.
This time, he dialed the police station without hesitation: "I want to report a crime! Falling objects almost killed me!" His voice regained its usual arrogance. "Do you know who I am? I'm Chinese American. If something happens here, can you afford it? This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"
After hanging up the phone, he quickly left the scene. He always felt that there were eyes in the dark, coldly watching his every move.
When he turned the corner, he looked back for some unknown reason - there seemed to be a figure flashing by at the end of the alley, but when he looked closely, there was nothing.
"Damn it..." Xiao Yan muttered and quickened his pace, not caring that his expensive leather shoes were stepping in the snow.
It wasn't until he walked into the hotel's magnificent lobby and was surrounded by the warm air-conditioned wind that he felt a little relieved.
The receptionist greeted him with a smile. Xiao Yan nodded reluctantly and walked straight to the elevator.
The elevator door reflected his pale face and messy hair. How could he look like an elite in his daily life? Xiao Yan couldn't help but frown.
Returning to his room, he locked the door and drank two glasses of whiskey before his trembling hands calmed down.
Outside the window, the city lights were still bright, but Xiao Yan always felt that there was something lurking in the darkness, ready to pounce at any time.
He drew the curtains, checked the door locks again, and then slumped down on the sofa.
His phone suddenly vibrated. It was an email from the company secretary, reminding him of the multinational meeting tomorrow morning.
Xiao Yan threw his phone aside in annoyance, and suddenly realized that he had not encountered a single smooth thing since he met Luo Xin and her daughter.
"What bad luck..." he muttered, pouring another glass of wine. The alcohol burned his throat, but it couldn't dispel the tingling sensation.
Was that flowerpot really just an accident?
Thinking of this, a sense of terror spread throughout my body.
Compared with my own life, that little girl's life experience is nothing.
I'm leaving this unlucky place right now and never coming back...
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