Chapter 468: The Gun Is Found

Early in the morning, Chen Shi walked into the tech department carrying a bulging plastic bag. The team greeted him cheerfully, “Wow, Chen, did you bring us breakfast again?”

“Sorry to disappoint…” Chen Shi opened the bag to reveal a heap of household trash. “I need you to analyze this. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

Everyone was speechless. Peng Sijue frowned and said, “You just bring a bag of trash without any formalities and ask for an analysis? Do you think this is your personal lab?”

Chen Shi clasped his hands together, smiling. “Peng, do me a favor!”

Seeing the dark circles under Chen Shi’s eyes, Peng Sijue knew he had probably pulled an all-nighter. Sighing, he instructed his team to sort and analyze the trash.

Chen Shi watched as they sifted through the garbage. Amidst the usual items, there was something unusual—a freshly printed red “Fu” character, typically used for Chinese New Year. He handed it to Peng Sijue, “Peng, can you test this?”

“This material is difficult to extract fingerprints from.”

“Difficult, not impossible.”

“You and many other officers seem to think our tech team has a magic button that instantly gives results without considering the process or effort involved.”

“Stop complaining. I’ll buy you food. What do you want?”

Peng Sijue sighed, taking the “Fu” character from Chen Shi. “Nothing too greasy.”

“Got it!”

Chen Shi returned with a bag of breakfast. Meanwhile, some results had come in. From some smooth surfaces, they had extracted two sets of fingerprints. One set matched those found on the teacup at the crime scene.

These fingerprints likely belonged to Mrs. Song, increasing her suspicion, but fingerprints on a teacup weren’t decisive evidence.

While waiting for more results, Chen Shi met with Lin Dongxue and the others. Seeing his weary face, Lin Dongxue asked, “Did you stay up all night again?”

“Just the usual. I’m still young and can handle it,” Chen Shi laughed nonchalantly.

“I don’t want to become a widow, you know!”

“Alright, I promise, just this once. I’ll catch up on sleep after we finish this morning.”

Everyone gathered and reported their findings. Mrs. Song’s family had significant financial transactions last April and May. About 400,000 yuan was withdrawn for a tumor hospital. Additional treatments later cost tens of thousands more, borrowed from relatives and friends.

Hearing this, everyone was surprised. Lin Dongxue remarked, “They seem so poor, yet they had 400,000 yuan in savings. Unbelievable!”

Xu Xiaodong said, “Maybe they were just pretending to be poor!”

Chen Shi said, “I don’t think they were pretending. That money wasn’t enough for the treatment. It was likely meant for something else.”

Others shared what they found about the family. Lao Zhang discovered that Mrs. Song and her husband had few contacts with their daughter. Instead, the deceased and his parents had more communication with Shi Wanjun.

This seemed odd, and everyone looked to Chen Shi for his analysis. But Chen Shi yawned, “I know. Let’s leave it for now. I’m too tired. Tomorrow is the funeral, and all the relatives and friends will be there. We’ll go too.”

“Are we going to make an arrest?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“No, there are things I want to clarify in front of both families. I’ll reveal my thoughts then.”

“So, you already have answers? That’s not fair!”

Chen Shi yawned again, “I’m exhausted. I need to sleep now.”

Lao Zhang suggested, “It’s dangerous to drive when you’re this tired. Why not rest in the officers’ dormitory? I’ll let my apprentice know.”

“Thanks.” Chen Shi was on the verge of collapsing.

After napping in the dormitory, Chen Shi felt refreshed despite the foul smell in the shared space. As he contemplated his next meal, Peng Sijue called, “We found something. Lin Dongxue and the others are already on their way. Want to join us?”

“What did you find?”

“We found the gun!”

Chen Shi’s eyes widened. Through investigating Shi Wanjun’s ID, they found a rented apartment. The police found a gun with a silencer on the table.

This was big news. Even Lin Qiupu came. In the small, dusty apartment, Lin Qiupu held the gun, excitedly saying, “No doubt, this is a Russian-made Makarov pistol, the missing sixteenth gun.”

Chen Shi said, “But it’s also the murder weapon in this case. We can’t hand it over yet.”

“I understand. I just came to confirm. You keep it. I’ll report back to the chief.”

The apartment was a mess. Forensic officers found many skin flakes and hair samples. On the way back, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue visited Mrs. Song’s family to collect their fingerprints and DNA. The couple cooperated.

Back at the station, the analysis confirmed that the DNA in the apartment was indeed related to the couple. Chen Shi, looking at the report, asked, “What about the fingerprints?”

“There were no fingerprints in the apartment.”

“A room full of skin flakes and hair, but no fingerprints?”

“Yes, and the gun was wiped clean. Also, traces of the victim’s blood were found on the silencer. This gun is likely the murder weapon, but we can’t yet determine who fired it.”

“Someone wants us to think the apartment’s owner fired the gun.”

“Wants us to think…”

“Let’s not dwell on that. What about the results from this morning’s analysis?”

Peng Sijue handed Chen Shi another report. The “Fu” character had three sets of fingerprints, two likely belonging to the couple.

Hearing this, Chen Shi smiled, “They tried to cover up and ended up exposing more.”

“I can’t go to the funeral tomorrow. Can you tell me the truth now?”

“No, I’ll reveal everything tomorrow. It’s more dramatic that way.” Chen Shi winked.

“You sly dog.” Peng Sijue sneered at his theatrics.

Chen Shi patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep my phone on and livestream the whole thing for you.”