Chapter 477: Extortion

"Done!" Xu Mo picked up the sketchbook on the table and showed it to Han Fei.

Han Fei took the sketchbook: "Let's go check this person's identity."

The two left the room where the corpse was stored, one ahead of the other.

Comparing the face Xu Mo drew in the sketchbook, they queried the Police system.

The match came up quickly; the person Xu Mo sketched was someone named Xiang Jun.

"Pull up Xiang Jun's file for me to see," Han Fei said to the officer handling the query.

The officer immediately complied and retrieved Xiang Jun's detailed information.

Xiang Jun, male, thirty‑three, from a small county near Yangcheng, has a criminal record, carries a life on his back, and was released from prison just over half a month ago.

The officer also found Xiang Jun's intake photo, a half‑body shot that captured the tattoo on his arm, which matched exactly the tattoo on the arm of the unidentified male corpse.

Seeing this, Han Fei could confirm that the deceased was Xiang Jun; the tattoo in his intake photo was identical to the one on the corpse.

No wonder the missing‑person database had no record of Xiang Jun—a person who had been locked up for so long, his disappearance without a report is understandable.

"Just released and already killed? Could it be revenge by the victim's family?" Han Fei murmured.

Xu Mo, listening nearby, also nodded: "I think that possibility can't be ruled out."

At that moment, the officer retrieving Xiang Jun's details suddenly spoke up.

"Uh... Han Team, Team Leader Xu, look, Xiang Jun's bank card has multiple incoming records; the earliest was half a month ago, right when he was released, the latest just three days ago, and all transfers came from the same card number, totaling about two hundred thousand."

Hearing the officer, the two instantly sensed something off and turned to the computer screen.

A newly released man receiving over two hundred thousand from the same card number? Something's definitely wrong here!

"Find out who transferred this money to him," Han Fei said.

"Okay."

The officer immediately queried the bank card that sent money to Xiang Jun.

The search revealed that the sender was Liang Youping, who had disappeared three days earlier.

Now that's interesting.

Xiang Jun and Liang Youping know each other? Do they have financial dealings?

A person who was almost mistaken by the police for the deceased actually knows the real dead man!

This can't be a coincidence.

Xu Mo's intuition told him that the missing Liang Youping must be linked to Xiang Jun's death.

The money sender vanished, the recipient died... what's the connection between them?

Xu Mo furrowed his brow, thought for a moment, and actually came up with a plausible possibility.

"Han Team, I have an idea," Xu Mo said. "When Liang Youping first sent money to Xiang Jun, Xiang Jun had just been released; after the last transfer, Xiang Jun died shortly thereafter. This shows a link between Liang Youping and Xiang Jun's death—Xiang Jun was likely killed by Liang Youping."

"Look at the timing of Liang Youping's transfers: the first was half a month ago, then almost every three to five days he sent money to Xiang Jun, continuing up to the period before Xiang Jun's death."

"This is extortion. Liang Youping didn't want to keep sending money; he thought Xiang Jun was demanding endlessly, so he killed Xiang Jun to put an end to it."

Han Fei followed Xu Mo's line of thought, considering that Xu Mo's hypothesis was likely correct.

The idea makes sense.

After Xiang Jun's release, he repeatedly extorted Liang Youping; Liang Youping couldn't stand it any longer, so he killed Xiang Jun.

"But here's a doubt: why didn't Liang Youping report the extortion?"

"Why not report it..." Xu Mo subconsciously echoed Han Fei's words, also finding it puzzling.

After a few seconds, both seemed to have an epiphany, eyes widening with sudden insight.

They glanced at each other and said in unison, "Xiang Jun holds a lever over Liang Youping!"

Moreover, that leverage must be crucial.

Otherwise Liang Youping wouldn't even dare to report it; the leverage Xiang Jun held over him couldn't be exposed, especially not to the Police, so he forced himself to comply, repeatedly sending money to Xiang Jun.

It was precisely because this leverage was so vital that Liang Youping developed murderous intent toward Xiang Jun; a dead man's mouth is the strictest.

"Xiang Jun spent ten years in prison, ten whole years without seeing daylight. What kind of leverage could he possibly have over Liang Youping after a decade? What leverage could still be used to blackmail someone for money after ten years, and cause the other to go so far as to kill?" Han Fei asked Xu Mo.

Xu Mo blurted out without hesitation, "Murder!"

"Xiang Jun was imprisoned precisely for murder; if the life he carries on his back happens to also involve Liang Youping, then everything fits."

"Right!" Han Fei nodded. "It must be that way. Ten years ago, Xiang Jun and Liang Youping killed someone together; for some reason afterward, Xiang Jun didn't turn Liang Youping in, but instead, after his release, immediately sought him out to use that leverage to demand money."

"Liang Youping feared the leverage Xiang Jun held, so he didn't dare report it, swallowing his resentment and continuously sending money, but he didn't anticipate Xiang Jun's insatiable appetite—every few days demanding more, like a bottomless pit. Perhaps to completely rid himself of Xiang Jun's continued demands, or to bury the secret only they knew, he chose murder."

That also explains Liang Youping's bizarre disappearance.

After committing murder and discarding the body, he fled with his sister‑in‑law to avoid capture.

I can understand running away after murder, but why escape with his sister‑in‑law instead of his wife? Xu Mo muttered inwardly.

"Use Tianyan Search to check Liang Youping's current location!" Han Fei told the officer.

Since the suspect is already pinpointed, the next task is to arrest him.

The officer immediately used Tianyan Search to locate Liang Youping.

It turned out that the last time Liang Youping was captured on surveillance was just two days ago.

"Han Team, Team Leader Xu, the last time Liang Youping was seen on camera was two days ago, near the airport; after that, he hasn't been captured."

"Two days without any surveillance?" Han Fei instinctively felt something was off.

At that moment, the Police Station received another emergency call.

The caller reported that, by the roadside near the airport, two corpses had been discovered...