Chapter 305: X Emerges

The excavation of the bodies was still ongoing. Peng Sijue preliminarily determined that the time of death was two days ago, and the cause was internal bleeding from stab wounds to vital organs.

The police searched the dilapidated house. In one relatively intact room, they found a half-burnt banknote. Lin Qiupu examined it and said, “This bill was issued just last month. The bank should have records; we can trace its origin.”

Apart from the banknote, the room contained some leftover food packaging, mostly canned goods, and a filthy bed. The cans beside the bed had been used as ashtrays, and another can contained numerous used condoms.

Chen Shi commented, “This thieving couple seemed quite affectionate.”

“Stop guessing! You’re good at handling murder cases, so go check the bodies,” Lin Qiupu said.

“Old Peng is worth two of me. I’ll look around this room,” Chen Shi replied.

As he pushed open a broken door, he noticed two rings attached to it and some rust on the floor. Squatting down to inspect, he said, “This door was locked with chains. Was someone confined here?”

“The time traveler?” Lin Dongxue speculated.

“You’re catching on quickly!” Chen Shi praised with a smile.

They entered the room, which had one high window blocked by a collapsed wall, making it dark and without any lighting.

Even in broad daylight, they needed their phone lights to see.

The room reeked of sweat, mildew, and ammonia. In a corner, Chen Shi found a wooden bucket filled with excrement, poorly constructed and leaking. On the other side, there was a mattress with sweat stains and a faucet on the wall. Chen Shi turned the faucet, and rusty water sputtered out.

“This is a prison, likely used to hold the time traveler,” Chen Shi said.

“Looks like he was here for quite a while. How did he get the gold ingot?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Chen Shi closed the door and ran his hand along the bottom, “The gap here is quite large. It could have rolled in, and he hid it… He probably escaped somehow, but his mental state was already compromised.”

These were just guesses. The forensics team arrived to thoroughly collect evidence.

Two hours later, they returned to the station for a brief case discussion. DNA analysis confirmed that the excrement matched Wang Haitao, meaning he was the one confined there.

The identities of the two deceased were uncovered. The man was a habitual criminal named Daniu, 27, involved in petty crimes since his teens. The woman, Cuihua, was a former hostess with a history of drug arrests.

Notably, the female thief had a postmortem finger amputation, and Peng Sijue found gold particles near the severed finger, suggesting that some of the stolen goods were taken by another accomplice.

Chen Shi speculated, “I think X took the money. The gold items were probably sold off long ago. The murder was to silence them. Even if you find the stolen goods, you won’t trace it back to him.”

Lin Qiupu asked, “Did the killer leave any clues?”

Peng Sijue said, “We found some hair, several shoe prints, and a few fingerprints, but the characteristics aren’t clear enough to match anyone in our database unless we find the person.”

Lin Qiupu remarked, “The behavior of this thieving couple aligns with typical robbers—they sell the stolen goods locally and flee with the cash. But why was Wang Haitao kidnapped? What was the point?”

Chen Shi said, “If there was no profit, these three wouldn’t do such a thing. There had to be a significant gain!”

“Kidnapping?”

“I don’t think it’s a kidnapping. Robbing and then kidnapping? That’s too risky. If it was a kidnapping, there would have been a report by now. Have there been any kidnapping reports?”

“If not kidnapping, what was the point of confining someone?”

“Wang Haitao and the missing X must be connected somehow… Let’s ask him directly.”

Lin Qiupu, wary of Wang Haitao’s incoherent babbling, said, “Will he talk?”

“Take him back to the scene!” Chen Shi suggested.

Lin Qiupu decided to investigate the whereabouts of the gold while Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong took Wang Haitao back to the scene, warning them to be careful and not let anything happen to him.

As they left the meeting room, a forensic officer showed Peng Sijue a report. Peng Sijue called out, “Captain Lin, new findings.”

“What’s up?” Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi turned back.

“In the burial pit, we found some burnt fabric fragments that weren’t completely destroyed. New DNA was found on these fragments, which doesn’t match Wang Haitao or the thieving couple. Traces of this DNA were also found on the weapon, though in small amounts. We also found several nylon threads with this person’s DNA.”

Lin Qiupu immediately caught on, “Nylon threads? Blood-stained fabric? This person must be injured and stitched themselves up. Check local pharmacies for any suspicious purchases of painkillers and antibiotics.”

Chen Shi, puzzled, said, “So this person is X. But if they weren’t involved in the robbery, how did they get hurt?”

“That’s easy. During the internal conflict, the thieving couple fought back,” Lin Qiupu explained.

“Were there any traces of X’s blood at the scene, apart from these?”

Peng Sijue replied, “No, the suspected crime scene only had trace amounts of the couple’s blood.”

With more questions than answers, Chen Shi, Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and Wang Haitao set out, facing a two-hour drive. Along the way, Wang Haitao marveled at the modern city’s scenery. As they approached the derelict buildings, he became agitated, shouting, “Let me out! Let me out!”

In the backseat, Xu Xiaodong struggled to restrain him. Lin Dongxue noted, “He must have been here before.”

“Let me out! Let me out!” Wang Haitao yelled.

Despite his frail appearance, he showed surprising strength, kicking the car door, much to Chen Shi’s dismay.

The car had just been repaired after being wrecked by Wang Sunxu, and he didn’t want it damaged again.

“Alright, alright, we’ll let you out!” Chen Shi said, trying to calm him down.

They pulled over, and as soon as Wang Haitao’s feet touched the ground, he tried to run. Xu Xiaodong grabbed him, but the poor quality of his tattered outfit caused it to tear, exposing his backside as he fell into the dirt.

“Ew!” Lin Dongxue quickly turned away at the sight of his exposed rear.