Chapter 18 [VIP] The Family Annihilation Mystery (2)

Chapter 18 [VIP] The Family Annihilation Mystery (2)

It was indeed unreasonable for an intern to be searching for this long-sealed case file, and Meng Siqi felt somewhat awkward. If she were to leave now, Lu He would certainly become suspicious of her; but if she claimed that Captain Han had asked her to find it, it might imply that the second team was secretly investigating a case from the first team.

Her mind had never worked so quickly before. In the end, what came out of her mouth was just a simple, slightly nervous greeting: "Hello, Captain Lu!"

It would have been better to say nothing at all.

Lu He did not respond. He slowly removed the "Red Lacquer Case" file, causing a cloud of dust to rise, momentarily obscuring their vision.

This seemed like a good opportunity to slip away. Without much thought, she turned to leave. Unexpectedly, Lu He walked around from the other side of the shelf, and his deep, powerful voice echoed in the empty space: "Meng Siqi!"

She was startled, never having imagined that Lu He would know her name.

She slowly turned around and managed a strained smile. "Captain Lu knows me."

"Why are you looking for this file?" Lu He stood tall and straight, his eyes no longer as sharp as before, but with a hint of probing interrogation.

His features were distinct, and in the dimly lit archive room, the lines of his face appeared even sharper. His deep-set eyes seemed like the sea, less imposing than when they first met, instead somewhat warm and calm.

There was no escaping this topic.

"Uh..." She quickly spun a story, pausing for a moment before saying, "Captain Lu, there was a family annihilation case yesterday. I was just trying to find similar cases from the past... Unfortunately, I didn't find any!"

"Oh—" Lu He responded with a faint acknowledgment.

The tone of that "oh" was unclear, but Meng Siqi sensed it wasn’t simple. However, staying any longer would surely reveal something. She immediately said, "If there's nothing else, Captain Lu, I'll be going."

Lu He did not respond. His gaze was steady, and his thin lips moved as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

Meng Siqi gave a casual smile and walked out. As she wrote in the logbook, she noticed her palms were sweaty.

Actually, this wasn't a big deal. Why had she been so flustered? Perhaps it was because this man always had a scrutinizing presence.

After returning the files, Meng Siqi got a general idea of the current progress of the case. Zhu Gongyou, the male victim, was the financial manager of a steel company. In July of this year, the finance department suddenly caught fire, and Zhu Gongyou had come to the bureau for questioning.

At that time, the second team was responsible for the arson case. Zhu Gongyou’s testimony was that the fire was caused by old wiring in the office during the hot summer. The second team did check the wiring in other offices at the company and found that a fire was possible, so the case was not pursued further.

Now that Zhu Gongyou had been murdered at home, the recent fire incident could not help but raise suspicions. Was it related to his death?

Han Changlin reassigned tasks, sending Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan to investigate the company where Zhu Gongyou worked, while Zhao Leiting and Meng Siqi were tasked with gathering information around the victim's neighborhood.

In the morning, Zhao Leiting led Meng Siqi around the neighborhood. She held a map, marking points as they walked. She noticed that the neighborhood had four entrances—east, south, west, and north—and the victim's home was near the east entrance. This meant that if the murderer sought convenience, they likely entered through the east gate, making the eastern area a prime target for investigation.

They thoroughly questioned nearby shops and residents about any suspicious individuals in recent days but found no leads.

After returning at noon, Meng Siqi reviewed the morning's inquiries. In the afternoon, she planned to expand the search area.

Sitting near the door, she saw Tang Xiaochuan rush into the office with a newspaper, seemingly in a hurry, heading straight for Han Changlin.

Soon after, she was startled by Han Changlin's furious voice: "Who the hell did this? How could this be published?"

She immediately put down her pen and looked over. Han Changlin's veins bulged on his forehead, his anger evident. It was clear he was extremely upset.

The next moment, she saw Han Changlin storm out with the newspaper, followed by Tang Xiaochuan, who said, "Calm down, Captain Han."

Zhao Leiting returned from the restroom, confused, and asked Meng Siqi what happened. She shook her head, guessing that the newspaper had published something related to the ongoing investigation.

Sure enough, seconds later, a loud bang and angry shouts came from the neighboring office: "Who the hell let the journalist in?"

"Are you all dead?"

With several roars, someone admitted their mistake: "Captain Han, yesterday, that woman was wearing a forensic uniform. We didn't notice her entering. When she started taking photos, we confiscated her camera, but she had secretly switched cameras."

"You're all useless!"

Moments later, Han Changlin returned, still furious, and slammed the newspaper on Zhao Leiting's desk. "Zhao Leiting, go to the newspaper office with Meng Siqi and retrieve the remaining photos at all costs!"

"Yes, Captain Han. We'll leave right away."

In the car, Meng Siqi opened the newspaper. It was today's Shixin Evening News, which had been published last night. An entire page was dedicated to the murder of Zhu Gongyou's family.

The red headline "Family Annihilation Tragedy" was striking and disturbing. Inside were two photos: one of Zhu Gongyou lying in a pool of blood, and another of the female victim, You Meihua, taken from a distance.

Although the photos were in black and white, the blood appeared lighter, and the images were somewhat distorted, but they were still unsettling.

At the end of the article, a sentence read: "More details will be revealed tomorrow."

So Han Changlin believed more photos existed, prompting him to send them to retrieve them.

Upon arriving at the newspaper office, they stated their purpose directly. The names of the reporter and proofreader were listed, but not the photographer. It was likely that the reporter and photographer were the same person.

Fifteen minutes later, Meng Siqi's guess proved correct. The reporter was also the photographer.

In the reception area of the newspaper building, a woman in her late twenties, dressed in a red, elegant suit with wavy hair and bright red lipstick, smoked a cigarette nonchalantly and said, "Yes, I took the photos."

"Ms. Wen, do you realize your actions have caused serious repercussions?" Zhao Leiting warned her sternly.

Wen Huizhi extinguished her cigarette in the ashtray and countered, "Young comrade, I don't see how my actions caused any serious repercussions. Our organization has always cooperated with your police bureau. What I did was reasonable."

Zhao Leiting replied firmly, "Impersonating a forensic officer, entering a restricted crime scene, and photographing the victims' privacy—how can you call that reasonable?"

Wen Huizhi licked her lips. "If fines are involved, I'm willing to pay for those photos."

Zhao Leiting almost rolled his eyes. Glancing at Meng Siqi, he stood up and said in a measured tone, "Ms. Wen, you'll need to come with us to the police station."

"No," Wen Huizhi suddenly became agitated. "What did I do wrong? The right to know is a legitimate right of every citizen. Providing truthful reports to the public is part of that right..."

Zhao Leiting was momentarily speechless, his Adam's apple bobbing sharply.

"Ms. Wen!" Meng Siqi pushed the newspaper forward and reminded her, "Do you think this is also a factual report?"

Her finger pressed on a part of the article, which Wen Huizhi had written herself. She must have known exactly what she wrote. In the newspaper, Wen Huizhi claimed that the deceased, Zhu Gongyou, was the financial manager of the steel company and might have made enemies due to financial reasons, leading to his murder.

Wen Huizhi looked at the newspaper and said with a composed tone, "As journalists, we certainly need to analyze the case. Otherwise, wouldn't we be losing the spirit of cultural freedom? This summer, there was a fire in the finance department where Zhu Gongyou worked. Do you think that was just a coincidence? Based on various signs, it's not unreasonable to think that Zhu Gongyou might have made enemies at work."

"Do you know that solving a case requires evidence?" Zhao Leiting sat down abruptly, causing the chair to creak. It seemed he was already at his wit's end, especially when facing such a sharp-tongued woman.

In response to Zhao Leiting's questioning, Wen Huizhi instead revealed a hint of disdainful smile, more pronounced by her thick red lips. She calmly pulled out a golden box from her pocket and used her long red nails to draw out a thin cigarette.

"I'll calm down with a cigarette; that's fine, right?" Wen Huizhi nonchalantly took out a lighter.

Meng Siqi remained calm. As Wen Huizhi lit her cigarette, she spoke slowly, "Ms. Wen, perhaps your brainstorming or your verbal prowess promotes your so-called cultural freedom, but do you realize that the murderer might also be reading this newspaper, reading your report? Your words might provoke them into even more extreme actions, leading to another tragedy!"

Wen Huizhi blew out a smoke ring, pausing with the cigarette between her fingers, her eyebrows slightly lowered as if listening attentively.

Meng Siqi continued sternly, "And the next victim could be your friend, your family member, or even yourself! You live in this city, and you're a well-known single woman. Do you think the murderer might recognize you?"

She delivered the last sentence with force, and Wen Huizhi's expression shifted from arrogance to a darker shade. She swallowed slowly, showing no sign of further argument.

Zhao Leiting couldn't help but glance at Meng Siqi, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

After a moment, Wen Huizhi nodded, but her tone still carried some defiance, "Yes, you're right. I can put this article on hold for now."

She said "for now," perhaps only conceding temporarily under police pressure.

Zhao Leiting quickly added, "We hope you'll hand over all the photos you took yesterday."

"I only took those two photos. Besides, you took my camera away."

Zhao Leiting shook his head helplessly, "Think again. Really just those two photos? If you cooperate, we'll return your camera."

Wen Huizhi sighed and pulled out a crumpled paper ball from her pocket, placing it on the table, "Here's the film roll. It's all exposed. You can take it."

Zhao Leiting collected it, "Good. We'll check it back at the station."

On the way back, Zhao Leiting grumbled while driving, "This Wen Huizhi really needs a lesson!"

Meng Siqi lazily replied, "It's their job, and she's caught up in it. But still... she's a bit too arrogant."

Zhao Leiting glanced at her, smiling, "I think your lecture to Wen Huizhi was impressive. You've got skills!"

"So, you think I'm useless?"

"No, no, you're very capable. Really, I'd be happy to assist you and follow your lead, helping you achieve your great ideals."

"Spare me!" Meng Siqi couldn't help but laugh.

Zhao Leiting drove seriously, and Meng Siqi turned her head to see his profile illuminated by the sunlight through the car window. His short, neat hair and heart-shaped face made him look younger than his age.

He was sunny and had dimples when he smiled, reminiscent of an active sports committee member in school. He had a high nose bridge and bright eyes, making him quite handsome.

"I have a question," Zhao Leiting turned half his face to meet Meng Siqi's gaze, hesitating before looking back at the road, "How did you know Wen Huizhi is a single woman?"

"Women's intuition."

"Pfft!"