CHAPTER 344: CHAPTER 170: THE MURDER WEAPON FOUND (REQUEST FOR SUBSCRIPTION AND MONTHLY TICKETS)_2

"Why?"

"How should I put it... That morning, just as I opened my door, I happened to see his dad passing by in front of my shop, heading towards the village. He seemed to be in a hurry, and even though I called out to him twice, he didn’t respond."

"So, if he really needed a missing document, he could have sent it to the city during the day. Why would he need to rush back in the dead of night to fetch it?"

"Did you ask him this question?"

"No, it’s someone else’s family matter. It’s not my place to ask. But I guess he might have come back specifically to get some folk remedy for the child."

The shop owner said, with a difficult expression, "I don’t really know how to describe him. He’s my classmate, about thirty years old, but he’s really single-minded."

"I used to advise him that he should follow the doctor’s treatment for the child. At least they’re more professional than we are, right? But he insisted that surgery was too risky and that the anesthesia would affect the child’s intelligence. The whole family went around looking for some folk remedies."

"As a result, the child’s illness wasn’t cured, and all the money he made over the years as a contractor was spent on this... When I learned that he urgently needed to return to the city and heard his ride was waiting for him in town, I took him back to the town on my way."

After receiving this clue, Luo Fei immediately called Zhao Donglai after leaving the repair shop.

"Captain Zhao, I suggest we summon Zhou Guohua and his son immediately. Additionally, I’d like to request a search of Zhou Guohua’s house."

With the testimony from the repair shop owner, Zhao Donglai did not object, "Okay, you can take the village officials with you. I’ll send the search warrant to your phone shortly."

"Understood."

Luo Fei then informed Liao Xingyu and others.

Eventually, it was decided that Luo Fei and Liao Xingyu would lead members from Teams One and Two to search the Zhou family, while the others stayed in town to continue the investigation.

The group made another trip to the local village committee. After presenting the search warrant, several village officials cooperated fully and immediately accompanied them to Zhou Guohua’s house.

In the presence of several village officials, they brought a locksmith from the town to unlock the door of Zhou Guohua’s home.

Upon opening the door, they were greeted by a vivid sea of green.

Due to long-term neglect, the yard was overgrown with weeds, leaving almost no place to step.

Luo Fei stood at the entrance and casually scanned the area. His gaze suddenly fixed on the ground beneath an orange tree by the courtyard wall.

"He Xin, go to the neighboring houses and borrow two hoes. Dig under that tree and see if anything’s there."

Seeing the soil continuously emitting black gases, Luo Fei wasn’t in a hurry to search inside for evidence.

After giving instructions, he immediately pushed aside the weeds and walked towards the spot.

Liao Xingyu followed behind him.

"Luo Fei, what’s wrong with this piece of land?"

"Hmm."

Seeing him nod, Liao Xingyu couldn’t help but wonder.

Luo Fei’s intuition was amazing—could he really tell there was something wrong with the land at just a glance?

Without explaining anything, once He Xin brought the hoes, Luo Fei pointed to a spot and had Zhang Wei and He Xin start digging.

After a few digs, He Xin felt the hoe hitting something.

"Wait a minute!"

He immediately stopped Zhang Wei, then crouched down to dig with his hand. Soon, a corner of a cloth emerged, its original color nearly unrecognizable.

The two worked together and quickly unearthed a bundle, which looked like it could be a bedsheet.

When they opened the bundle, inside was a child’s jacket, two rusty vegetable knives and a dagger, and a small tiger toy.

Almost at a glance, Liao Xingyu and the others confirmed that the jacket and toy belonged to Zhou Kaieri.

Because when the child went missing, his grandmother had described these items.

Liao Xingyu was instantly excited.

He looked at Luo Fei in disbelief, "Wow Luo Fei, how did you know something was buried here?!"

At this question, Zhang Wei and others were equally curious.

Luo Fei had already thought of an explanation. He calmly pointed to several burned incense sticks stuck in the ground nearby, "It’s simple, they couldn’t be paying tribute to a tree, right?"

If not a tree, then it had to be a person.

But paying tribute to deceased relatives can be done at their grave; why do it at home? Unless they dare not go to the person’s tomb for the rites.

Understanding this, Liao Xingyu gave Luo Fei a thumbs-up, "Brilliant, Luo Fei, your observational skills are amazing!"

"Team Leader Liao, I’ll leave this to you. I’m going to check the back of the yard."

"Okay, go ahead... Gao Ang, hurry and get some evidence bags. He Qiang, help disperse everyone and seal off this courtyard immediately."

"And Lin Jie, when you’re photographing and recording, make sure to get close-ups of these two knives. I suspect they might be the murder weapons. Su Yang, call Captain Zhao now and update him on our findings."

Under Liao Xingyu’s coordination, everyone efficiently went about their tasks.

He Qiang, the officer, went to the onlookers.

Earlier, so many people came to open Zhou Guohua’s door, attracting quite a few curious villagers.

At this moment, they were gathered around, discussing the items the police had unearthed.

He Qiang had to use quite a bit of persuasion before scattering them.

Meanwhile, Zhao Donglai, having received Su Yang’s call, was equally excited.

If they’ve really found the murder weapon, the case is more than half-solved.

He immediately called Li Jun.

"Li Jun, Luo Fei and the others seem to have found the murder weapon at Zhou Guohua’s house. Go there with your team, bring the items back for comparison, and also take Zhou Guo’an to identify if the clothing dug up belongs to Zhou Kaieri."

"Received."

Following the order, Li Jun immediately called the members of Team Three to gather.

They first picked up Zhou Guo’an from Team Four, then went to Team Two at Zhou Guohua’s place.

At the moment, Zhou Guohua and his son’s guilt seemed almost certain.

Moreover, since Zhou Guo’an would need to identify the evidence, there was no point in keeping it a secret. Once in the car, Li Jun briefly explained the situation and their suspicions.

Such an absurd thing, Zhou Guo’an couldn’t believe it at first and kept repeating that it was impossible during the journey.

However, when Liao Xingyu presented the child’s jacket and toy dug from the ground, he seemed struck by lightning.

Had it not been for Li Jun supporting him, he might have collapsed.

"Yes, this is Ruirui’s clothing. It was a bit chilly that morning, and his grandmother made him wear a jacket. This toy is Ruirui’s favorite. Officer, where did you find these items?"

Zhou Guo’an’s eyes were red, clinging to a faint hope that there had been a mistake.

How could these things have been unearthed from his elder brother’s house?

He was Ruirui’s uncle and had never offended him; surely, he couldn’t have been so cruel!

"Uncle Zhou, please try to stay calm... These items were unequivocally dug from your elder brother’s house by us."

Zhou Guo’an’s mind went blank.

After a long pause, he erupted in anger, "Zhou Guohua, you beast..."

Once reassured, Li Jun said a few more words before heading back to the city with the evidence.

Luo Fei and Liao Xingyu meticulously searched Zhou Guohua’s place inside and out once more, but unfortunately, they found nothing else of use.

Finally, everyone regrouped in town, preparing to return.

Back at the police station, Luo Fei and his team went to Zhao Donglai’s office to report the situation.

Afterward, Zhou Fan asked, "Captain Zhao, where are Zhou Fan and the others?"

"When you told me evidence was found at the Zhou’s place, I instructed the local police to detain the Zhou family. Zhou Fan and his team went to apprehend them."

"I see."

Just then, Zhao Tian knocked and entered.

"Captain Zhao, the comparison results have just come in."

"According to the initial autopsy report, Zhou Kaieri’s chest had been cut open by a sharp weapon, and the heart removed with another sharp instrument."

"The comparison with the two knives found by Leader Luo matches the wounds on Zhou Kaieri’s body, confirming them as the murder weapons."

"Unfortunately, the sheet outside had been buried too long, and no useful clues could be extracted from it."