[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-chasing-the-criminal-case":3,"chapter-chasing-the-criminal-case-chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-63":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Chasing the Criminal Case",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2328831,4554,"Chapter 63: Protector of Demons","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-63",63,"\u003Cp>Just after 9 a.m., Old Li, an avid angler, felt his hook snag something heavy by touch; he gently tested it and sensed the object was extremely heavy. He carefully reeled in the rod, pulling it inch by inch toward shore—when suddenly! The heavy sensation vanished! The tremendous upward force lost its target, and the rod whipped out of the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Li shook his head in disappointment, lamenting the lost opportunity—but when he saw what the hook had caught, his spine turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a piece of black fabric; upon closer inspection, it resembled the material of a popular cotton jacket this year. Old Li, who spent every day by the river, felt something was wrong—the river surface was completely visible, with no floating objects at all! That meant the fabric was on the riverbed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The implications were terrifying. Old Li didn’t dare delay—he quickly packed his gear and ran to the nearest phone booth to call the police.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 9:30 a.m. on the 20th, in the interrogation room of the Jiangnan Branch, Tao Xiaoyong sat pale-faced, staring at the floor, lips tightly sealed, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opposite him, You Xinfang picked up his thermos, took a small sip of steaming tea, and said sternly: “Tao Xiaoyong! Speak! Who’s your accomplice? Why did you kill Shao Tianyang? What did you do with the rest of his body parts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his arrest, Tao Xiaoyong had said not a word. Given You Xinfang’s usual methods, he’d already given him special “attention”—but this case was too high-profile; every step of the investigation and interrogation had to be fully documented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You Xinfang had no choice but to use the “wearing-down” tactic. He believed that even if Tao were a stone, he’d make that stone speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The victim was quickly identified due to Shao Tianyang’s social status: he was the youngest son of Shao Junfeng, owner of Zizhen City’s Tian’an Construction Company. A month ago, this boy called home saying he’d be traveling to Thailand with a friend. Shao Junfeng knew his son’s nature—he assumed the boy had hooked another girl and was off chasing pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such behavior was routine for Shao Tianyang. Shao Junfeng didn’t care, especially since the boy had called a few times during that period—each time just bragging about how much fun he was having before hanging up. Shao Junfeng didn’t bother with him, let him run wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Tao Xiaoyong’s arrest did things turn alarming: police found a severed head in his refrigerator, but no missing persons report matched the identity. After the body identification notice was issued, the Shao family thought it resembled Shao Tianyang. To confirm his safety, they called him—but this time, no one answered. When they called again, the phone was turned off. The family panicked. Re-examining the identification notice, they grew more certain—it was indeed their youngest son, Shao Tianyang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, You Xinfang didn’t tell them Shao Tianyang had been dismembered—considered a small mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forensic examination of Shao Tianyang’s body revealed he was killed first, then his limbs were severed—a method nearly identical to the January 10 case. The same perpetrator was likely responsible, which was precisely why the city bureau had merged the two cases for investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the victim confirmed as Shao Tianyang, finding the murder weapon and the primary crime scene would be enough to convict Tao Xiaoyong—even if he never spoke. Meanwhile, at the Jiangdong Branch, Lu Haoxuan had located the stolen Happy 125 motorcycle belonging to Xiao Fang. A witness had clearly seen the girl who left with Xiao Fang that night. Once the composite sketches of the fence and the girl were ready, if they linked to Tao Xiaoyong, his confession would be inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So You Xinfang wasn’t in a hurry. For him, this case would be closed soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jian, transferred to the city bureau, maintained the same stance: one statement, one attitude—he admitted guilt. “I did it all alone. Sentence me. Execute me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun stopped bothering with him. From the few surveillance cameras near the Third Middle School, investigators painstakingly reviewed footage, cross-referencing every student photo provided by the school—until, at last, their efforts paid off. In the grainy video, they spotted a face that didn’t belong to any student: a beautiful girl with a ponytail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ponytailed girl was one of the few people who had interacted with He Jian. Gao Jianjun further noticed her backpack bore a striking resemblance to the bag Wu Yuhe used to carry money. The way she carried it suggested it was heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more exciting: the direction the girl disappeared in the footage matched the direction He Jian glanced just before he attacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This ponytailed girl was a key figure. Was she He Jian’s accomplice? Coupled with the female hair and scent found in the cage where He Jian held Wang Heshan, investigators grew more convinced: she was highly suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jian’s background was quickly investigated. Detectives found “He’s Pork Shop” in Luojia Camp, Jiangdong District. Inside his meat freezer, they discovered plastic bags identical to those used at the January 10 dumping site. Of course, such bags were common—most vendors used them—but so many coincidences together couldn’t be accidental.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Freezer. Matching bags. Pork fragments on Xiao Fang’s body parts…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Jianjun promptly relayed this to the “Exorcist” task force. When Lu Haoxuan heard, he was thrilled. As an experienced veteran detective, he agreed with Gao Jianjun: He Jian was likely linked to other cases—and the most suspicious was the January 10 dismemberment case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once suspicion arose, evidence must confirm it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the entire task force focused on gathering more evidence, another piece of news arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the Qingjiang River in Jiangdong District, sand mining had not yet expanded widely; the river lay silent. Especially in winter, aside from seasoned anglers like Old Li, the banks were deserted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Qingjiang now, a small patrol boat from the water police station carried several officers—the very ones who’d received Old Li’s call. After seeing the fabric he’d hooked, they too found it suspicious and prepared to dive for retrieval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their dive uncovered another brutal murder case. Zizhen City’s New Year would surely be anything but peaceful.\u003C\u002Fp>",1034,"2026-06-20T19:35:30.807Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","95a55d43cfcfb1d53b9019942488749d0bc884e6eed7753b2a42de3db4c9e855","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-64","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-62",276,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchasing-the-criminal-case-cover.jpg"]