Chapter 795 Suspect Surrenders

After dinner, Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi returned to the station together, surprised to find a breakthrough in the case. Fingerprints found on the ashtray matched those of Liu Feng, a subordinate of Lie Guoxiao, with a record dating back to his arrest years ago for assaulting a police officer.

This development was almost too good to be true. Before making any arrests, they discussed their next steps. Chen Shi commented, “Based on your description of the case, it sounds like this Lie Guoxiao guy came to appraise the painting himself. Then his man, Liu Feng, broke in late at night, killed the pawnshop owner, and took the painting. What’s the point? Was it just a quick cash grab?”

Lin Dongxue added, “Perhaps the murder and theft were solely Liu Feng’s doing and not orchestrated by Mr. Lie.”

Lin Qiupu interjected, “Hold on. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Right now, we have no evidence linking this painting to Lie Guoxiao. I think we should pay a visit!”

“No need. Checking the authenticity of an ancient painting is easy. Each piece is unique, and buyers and sellers can be traced,” Chen Shi remarked.

This suggestion was sensible. So, the police called several auction houses in the city. One confirmed handling the painting in question. It had been sold by a Hainanese tycoon named Shen Liqun to a collector named Chen Liqun.

Upon hearing this name, Lin Qiupu found it hard to believe. “Shen Liqun is the current owner of this painting? Then who sold the painting to him, and why would his own painting end up in his shop?”

“Perhaps the pawned painting was a fake?” Lin Dongxue guessed.

Lin Qiupu retrieved the ledger brought from the scene. It detailed the items pawned, including descriptions of their condition, weight, authenticity, etc. There was no indication that the painting was fake, according to Mr. Shen’s meticulous records.

Alternatively, the painting might have changed hands secretly before finding its way back to Shen Liqun through this unconventional means, only to be stolen again by the intruder that night.

“How valuable is this painting?” Lin Dongxue found a photo online. “It’s just a black and white landscape with clouds. Looks similar to other ink wash paintings.”

“You say that with such confidence. Ink wash paintings are always black and white,” Chen Shi mocked. “Look up its auction price from back then.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of money!” Lin Dongxue was shocked. “With that kind of money, you could eat roast fish for a lifetime.”

Lin Qiupu paced, pondering their next move. “Let’s go arrest Liu Feng. His fingerprints are on the murder weapon; there’s no reason not to bring him in for questioning.”

No one knew where Liu Feng was, but Lie Guoxiao was easy to locate. Lin Qiupu called him, and Lie Guoxiao agreed without hesitation. “I, Lie, have always been a law-abiding citizen. I will send my son, Feng, to the police station to surrender and cooperate fully with your investigation.”

Lin Dongxue was amazed. “For such a powerful guy, he sure is cooperative.”

“This old man has always been polite when dealing with officials. I remember a few years back when some of his men got into a fight at a nightclub, injuring someone. The next day, they turned themselves in. One even took the blame and is still in jail,” Lin Qiupu recalled.

“His men? Taking the blame? These terms make him sound like a mafia boss,” Lin Dongxue puzzled.

Shrugging, Lin Qiupu replied, “Team Three has been keeping an eye on Lie Guoxiao. An unofficial leader, he owns several companies, has billions in assets, and has many wealthy and powerful connections in Long’an. It’s not normal! But he hasn’t left any evidence for the police yet and remains just a powerful old man.”

“I’d like to say something as a seasoned driver,” Chen Shi raised his hand.

“Go ahead!”

“I often hear passengers mention this name. Among the common folk, he’s considered the most influential mafia boss in Long’an right now, like XX in northeast China in the 1990s or XXX in Hong Kong in the 1980s. But what I hear is mostly rumors. Either this guy is attracting attention or he’s genuinely low-key evil.”

“No matter what, our Second Team doesn’t need to deal with him,” Lin Dongxue stated firmly.

“I think in a place like Long’an, where crime rates are high, it’s not surprising that a tumor like him would emerge,” Chen Shi offered his opinion.

“Don’t just make baseless claims. How can you say that the crime rate in Long’an is high!” Lin Qiupu was annoyed at the irresponsible comment. “Just last Wednesday morning, there were no serious crimes. The public safety here is much better than in XX!”

“Bro, why do I feel like you’re giving me an example to prove the opposite?” Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly.

Frowning, Lin Qiupu said, “Get back to work!”

“I guess this case doesn’t need me. I’ll head back. Yueyue is about to take her exams…” Chen Shi said as he left.

“Go on then!” Lin Qiupu waved impatiently.

As Chen Shi walked out, a man smoking a cigarette walked in, casually saying, “Is anyone here? I want to surrender!”

Seeing Chen Shi, he curiously looked him up and down. “Have we met before?”

“Maybe I’ve beaten you up before!” Chen Shi joked. “Go over there to process your surrender. No need to be polite.”

Liu Feng kept looking back nervously as he entered an office, thinking he recognized this big uncle from somewhere.

After completing the surrender formalities, Liu Feng was taken to the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu asked, “On May 12th, yesterday evening, where were you and what were you doing?”

Liu Feng scratched his cheek. “Do I need to surrender myself to the criminal investigation team for this?”

“Just be honest.”

“I was at home browsing some unsuitable adult websites, including…”

Lin Qiupu slammed the table and picked up a photo of the deceased. “Have you seen him?”

Liu Feng squinted for a moment and said, “He’s the owner of that pawnshop. It seems his surname is Shen.”

“What did you do to him from midnight until three in the morning last night?”

“What did I do to him?” Liu Feng chuckled. “Maybe I dreamed about him while I was sleeping! No, Officer, I don’t understand your questions at all. I turned myself in for something that happened last night.”

“Why did you turn yourself in?”

“I beat up Mr. Shen yesterday afternoon. That’s what happened.”

“How did you beat him?”

“With my fists first, then with an ashtray,” Liu Feng chuckled.