Chapter 48 Really Like Those Righteous Heroes in Martial Arts Novels…

Chapter 48: It really does resemble those wuxia novels where heroes punish evil...

After racking her brain with random thoughts for a while, Guan Xia considered another possibility and asked Ji An, "Since that Feng Xingping has a solid alibi, could it be a case of a contract killing?"

"A contract killing?" Pang Le blurted out. "Who? Zhang Weiyan?"

Ji An didn’t answer immediately. She glanced at Guan Xia and then at Pang Le, her expression thoughtful.

Guan Xia suddenly realized that she had asked Ji An to investigate Zhang Weiyan and Feng Xingping’s identities as soon as they met but hadn’t shared any details about the case with her. She quickly explained, "Actually, I came across a report about a case online and remembered something from the photos that came with it."

Guan Xia described the video footage to Ji An and also explained her concerns about why she hadn’t gone directly to the police but had taken this approach instead.

Ji An listened attentively. After Guan Xia finished, she thought for a moment and said, "Your testimony does suggest that Feng Xingping is somewhat suspicious, but it’s still not enough to reopen a cold case. The police work based on solid evidence; witness testimony can only provide investigative directions."

"Even with a new investigative direction, they still won’t reopen it?" Pang Le couldn’t help but ask.

Ji An explained, "Active cases and cold cases are handled differently. In active cases, investigators gather all possible clues, piece them together, verify multiple angles, and eliminate possibilities. They worry more about having no leads than having too many. Cold cases, on the other hand, have exhausted all available investigative methods and reached a dead end. But that doesn’t mean they’re abandoned. Provincial and municipal police departments almost every year organize special task forces to review cold cases. Any unsolved homicides are repeatedly revisited, with experts from across the city or even the province gathering to discuss each case and try to find new angles. Whenever new forensic techniques emerge domestically, they’re immediately applied to cold cases."

Ji An spoke in detail, and Guan Xia and Pang Le listened carefully, but the more they heard, the more confused they became. "If cold cases are taken so seriously, shouldn’t they be reopened immediately when a new lead appears?"

Ji An said, "If new concrete evidence emerges, they would indeed reopen immediately. The problem is that this new lead is based on Guan Xia’s testimony. Human memory is subjective to some extent. Also, re-investigating and re-opening a cold case are two different things. Re-investigation involves one or two people verifying new clues, while re-opening a cold case means devoting significant manpower and resources until the case is either solved or all avenues are exhausted."

Now Guan Xia and Pang Le understood. "So, what we’re doing now… is actually useful?"

Ji An said, "In fact, after Lu Tingfeng and I left the police force, this is exactly the kind of work we’ve been doing."

Mentioning Lu Tingfeng reminded Guan Xia of the reason Pang Le had investigated why Lu Tingfeng left the police force. Since Ji An was doing the same kind of work, she likely left for similar reasons, though Guan Xia didn’t know which case she was investigating.

Guan Xia kept that question to herself and didn’t ask. She really liked Ji An’s earlier statement: given enough time together, Ji An would eventually share her story. More importantly, even if she did, Guan Xia might not be able to help right now. The priority was to learn the ropes by working with Ji An.

Guan Xia quickly refocused her attention on the current case.

"Could it be a case of a contract killing?" Guan Xia looked at Ji An and brought it up again. "Since I accurately drew the sketches and you were able to identify them based on those sketches, it proves my memory is reliable. But the problem is, the two don’t know each other, and Feng Xingping has an alibi. The only possibility I can think of is this."

"Zhang Weiyan hiring a hitman?" Pang Le scratched his chin. "I remember Sister Ji saying earlier that Zhang Weiyan is unemployed and makes a living doing odd jobs. He probably doesn’t have enough money to hire a hitman, right?"

Hearing the term "Sister Ji," Ji An glanced at Pang Le before shaking her head. "It’s indeed unlikely. Since Zhang Weiyan had a grudge against the murdered family of four, he would’ve been a key suspect. The police would’ve checked his bank statements and cleared him after there were no issues."

Pang Le made a face. "Then it couldn’t be Feng Xingping hiring a hitman, could it? I’ve heard of people killing strangers for money, but never someone spending money to kill for a stranger."

Guan Xia thought about it for a moment and also found it pretty unlikely.

Ji An said, "Given Feng Xingping’s financial situation, he certainly has the means to hire a hitman. I can look into his bank statements."

Guan Xia then remembered something else and asked Sister Ji, "By the way, Sister Ji, when you investigated Zhang Weiyan, did you find out what grudge the four victims I mentioned had against him? And why did Zhang Weiyan jump into the river to kill himself?"

Ji An said, "From what I found, the four victims were actually related to Zhang Weiyan. The oldest male victim was named Zhang Hongda, the younger brother of Zhang Weiyan’s father. In 2006, when Zhang Weiyan was 17, they attended a relative’s wedding banquet together. On their way home, Zhang Hongda drunkenly fell into the water. Zhang Weiyan’s father, Zhang Hongxue, went to save him. In the end, Zhang Hongda was rescued, but Zhang Hongxue drowned."

Pang Le was surprised. "So Zhang Weiyan did have a motive to kill. What happened after that? Zhang Hongxue died saving Zhang Hongda—didn’t Zhang Hongda take care of his nephew Zhang Weiyan?"

From the perspective of a life-saving debt, any normal person would’ve felt obligated to look after the remaining family.

Ji An, however, shook her head. "From what I found, he didn’t. Instead, after Zhang Hongxue’s death, Zhang Hongda claimed that Zhang Hongxue’s wife was an outsider and drove her out of the auto repair shop the two families co-owned. As a result, Zhang Weiyan couldn’t afford college and had to start working right after high school to support his family."

Pang Le couldn’t help but curse. "That guy is heartless! No wonder Zhang Weiyan hated him. Anyone would. It completely changed his life. If Zhang Weiyan had been able to go to college, he’d be doing much better than odd jobs now."

Guan Xia pressed further, "In 2006, Zhang Weiyan was 17, so Zhang Hongxue would’ve been in his 40s. What about their parents? Didn’t anyone intervene?"

Ji An said, "Zhang Hongxue and Zhang Hongda’s mother died young. Because Zhang Hongda was smooth-talking and charming from a young age, their father always favored the younger son."

Guan Xia understood. "No wonder Zhang Hongda was so heartless. What about their father? Did he live well afterward?"

Her tone was full of sarcasm. Ji An said, "A few years after Zhang Hongxue’s death, their father also passed away from illness."

"Hmph," Pang Le sneered. "That’s instant karma. If he hadn’t been so biased, he wouldn’t have died so soon after his eldest son."

"Then why did Zhang Weiyan kill himself later?" Guan Xia asked. "Was it also related to Zhang Hongda?"

Guan Xia clearly remembered that Zhang Weiyan’s suicide attempt, where he encountered Feng Xingping, occurred on December 19, 2020, while the murder of Zhang Hongda’s family of four happened on January 29, 2021—just over a month apart. It was hard not to suspect that Zhang Hongda was again the cause of the suicide.

Sure enough, Ji An said, "In December 2020, Zhang Weiyan’s wife suffered a cerebral infarction. After surgery, she needed to stay in the ICU. Zhang Weiyan had already borrowed money from all his other relatives and had no choice but to ask Zhang Hongda for help. Clearly, he didn’t get it."

"So, Zhang Weiyan’s wife died?" Pang Le’s expression was complicated. "No wonder he couldn’t take it and wanted to kill himself."

Guan Xia imagined herself in his position and felt a pang of sympathy. "From this perspective, Zhang Weiyan was actually quite kind. He’d rather kill himself than harm others."

Guan Xia couldn’t help but sigh. Although four people were already dead, and it was inappropriate to think this way, she couldn’t help but feel that if Zhang Hongda had had even a shred of conscience, he wouldn’t have met such an end.

Having clarified the grudges and grievances between Zhang Weiyan and the murdered family of four, Guan Xia had resolved part of her confusion but still couldn’t figure out how the case unfolded. Could it really be that Feng Xingping, moved by Zhang Weiyan’s tragic story during their conversation, sympathized so deeply that he paid to have hitmen exact revenge for him?

This would indeed align with the clues provided by the system interface, but no matter how she thought about it, it seemed somewhat unreasonable. Would someone really go to such lengths for a stranger?

Guan Xia’s head ached from thinking. She could only count on Ji An investigating Feng Xingping’s bank statements.

Pang Le’s face was also scrunched up in thought when he suddenly muttered, "You know, if Feng Xingping really did hire hitmen to kill them, it’s kind of like something a chivalrous hero from a wuxia novel would do—eliminating evil and upholding justice."

Pang Le was letting his imagination run wild again, but Guan Xia felt as if she’d been struck by lightning, suddenly remembering something.

"Justice, justice..." Guan Xia murmured to herself, an intuition telling her she’d overlooked something. She desperately tried to recall the memory fragments the system had played.

Sure enough, upon replaying it, she quickly found what she’d missed before: a small keychain dangling from the zipper pull of a backpack Feng Xingping had slung over his shoulder as he sat down next to Zhang Weiyan. Guan Xia had only caught a glimpse of it at the time, and the system hadn’t highlighted it, focusing the red frame entirely on the two faces and capturing all her attention. Without Pang Le’s unintentional reminder, she would never have thought of it.

Finally finding what she was looking for, Guan Xia urgently asked Pang Le, "Do you have paper and a pen?"

Pang Le was very familiar with this state of Guan Xia’s. He immediately jumped up and said, "Yes, yes! I’ll get them for you."

Pang Le hurried over to a desk, opened a drawer, pulled out a pack of unused A4 paper, almost violently tore open the packaging, grabbed two sheets and a pen, and ran back.

"Here." He placed the items in front of Guan Xia and remained standing, watching her expectantly.

Seizing the moment before the system’s image faded, Guan Xia quickly sketched on the paper, doing her best to reproduce the keychain as accurately as possible based on the paused video frame.

"Take a look at this. What is it?" Guan Xia placed the drawing in the center between the three of them.

Ji An and Pang Le immediately leaned in to look.

Almost without hesitation, Pang Le said, "This is... an angel? A Judgment Angel?"

Ji An observed carefully without speaking.

Pang Le said, "I had an ex-boyfriend who was really into all sorts of games and comics. He had posters at home that looked a lot like this. I’m sure I remember correctly; I specifically asked him. It’s the Judgment Angel."

Guan Xia didn’t play games or read comics much and genuinely didn’t know.

Guan Xia studied the drawing. The keychain wasn’t large, only about two-thirds the size of an adult woman’s palm, but it was incredibly detailed, made of metal, with wings and a human figure rendered vividly. The figure had its eyes closed, holding a sword with both hands. Even though Guan Xia wasn’t knowledgeable about such things, she could tell this keychain couldn’t have been cheap.

"This can’t be a coincidence, right?" Guan Xia looked at Ji An. "A person carrying a keychain named ‘Judgment Angel’ asks someone contemplating suicide if they want revenge, and the enemy actually dies just over a month later."

Even though they hadn’t found any evidence linking Feng Xingping to the case yet, based on all this, Guan Xia felt it was enough for an experienced detective like Ji An to smell a rat.

Indeed, that was exactly the case. Ji An's eyes lit up as she spoke with conviction, "As long as it involves a murder case, there's no such thing as coincidence. We don't have evidence against this guy Feng Xingping yet, but if we keep investigating him closely, we will definitely find proof."

After saying this, Ji An took the two sketches off the whiteboard, along with the new drawing Guan Xia had just made, and rushed out. It wasn't until she was outside the door that she remembered to add, "I'll hit you up when I have news."

With a bang as the door closed, Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged glances, almost simultaneously letting out a sigh of relief as they leaned back in their chairs.

"It seems like this case has finally found a breakthrough," Pang Le remarked. "Judgment Angel? Justice? I thought this kind of thing only existed in novels and TV dramas. I never expected to see it in real life."

Guan Xia remained silent but couldn't help muttering to herself: To you, this is reality, but to me, this is a Detective Novel fusion world—anything is possible.

Pang Le stroked his chin and added, "Do you think Feng Xingping is acting alone, or is there an entire organization behind him? If it's an organization, then the reason Feng Xingping wasn't at the scene makes sense. He could have given the order, and someone else carried it out."

Guan Xia recalled Feng Xingping's appearance and hesitated before saying, "That seems unlikely. He's only 27 this year. If there really is an organization, could someone that young already be a key player?" Based on her extensive experience reading novels, it didn't seem likely.

Pang Le, however, had a different opinion. "What's wrong with being young? Young people are the ones who dare to think and act. Otherwise, how do you explain him asking whether revenge was wanted, but not being the one who carried out the killings?"

Guan Xia thought for a moment. "Is it possible that besides Feng Xingping and the murderer who killed Zhang Hongda's family of four, there's a third person in this organization?"

Pang Le sucked in a breath. "Hiss, that really could be the case. If so, your discovery this time might have uncovered something huge."

Guan Xia had the same premonition. She just wondered whether Ji An's investigation would go smoothly and if she would find hard evidence that could prompt the police to reopen the cold case.