Chapter 611

The road intersection in front of the village had already been cordoned off with police tape, and the blue-red warning lights flashed silently, casting the damp asphalt into an eerie, kaleidoscopic glow.

Old Ye, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the City Bureau, stood beside Wu Qin's corpse, his brows knotted tight.

The coroner had just finished a preliminary examination.

He reported in a solemn tone: 'Captain Ye, she was killed by a single gunshot. The shooting distance was very close, no more than ten meters. Time of death was probably within the last half hour.'

Captain Ye said nothing, then led others to Wu Qin's home to check the situation.

The front door stood open.

On the living-room dining table sat an unwashed noodle bowl, and on the chair was a patch of moisture almost dried up. From this one could tell that the person who had been sitting there eating noodles had a wet backside.

Captain Ye then entered the bedroom to check the situation.

He saw the bed in disarray.

And a familiar mixed male-female scent lingered.

Captain Ye put on gloves again, picked up the pile of tissues from the trash can and examined them. As expected, Wu Qin had been intimate with someone before her death.

One of his subordinate detectives wondered aloud: 'Captain Ye, could it be rape then murder?'

……!!!

Captain Ye furrowed his brow, not hastily dismissing the suspicion. Given his knowledge of Wu Qin, when faced with a death threat she would not have resisted.

Moreover, there were no signs of struggle or fight in the house.

Therefore the possibility of rape followed by murder is low.

It is more likely that Wu Qin consented.

But this matter concerns Wu Qin's reputation, and also Chen Shaokang's dignity. Chen Shaokang is no longer the lowly patrolman he once was; he is now a deputy section-level leader in the Provincial Department.

Anything that would damage Chen Shaokang's face must not be spoken carelessly.

'First, seal off the scene and collect evidence.'

Captain Ye gave a brief order, turned and went out to make a call, reporting to his superior Liu Minghui the situation here: one, Wu Qin had been tragically shot dead; two, Wu Changsheng had escaped capture once again.

The time was already six in the evening.

In the City Bureau's command center, Lin Dongfan and Chen Shaokang were staring at the electronic map covered with dense police deployment markers, analyzing whether this dragnet still had any loopholes.

Meanwhile, Liu Minghui stepped aside to take the call and listen to Ye's report.

A moment later.

Liu Minghui looked as if struck by lightning, his face ashen to the extreme, clutching a nervous heart as he walked toward Lin Dongfan: 'Director Lin…'

'Speak up if you have something to say, don't hem and haw!'

Lin Dongfan continued to stare at the police deployment map, not even glancing at Liu Minghui.

Liu Minghui steeled himself and replied: 'We were a step late, and let Wu Changsheng get away again…' He hadn't finished speaking when Lin Dongfan and Chen Shaokang both turned their gazes toward him.

Staring at Liu Minghui, they felt apprehensive.

'Damn it, if she's dead she's dead, there's no escaping it.'

'When Captain Ye's team arrived at the scene, Wu Qin had already been brutally shot, dying on the spot, and Wu Changsheng's whereabouts are unknown.'

As soon as his words fell, the entire command center fell into dead silence.

Especially Chen Shaokang, whose face visibly darkened with sorrow upon hearing that Wu Qin had been tragically shot; although they were divorced, Wu Qin was still his son's biological mother.

Seeing Chen Shaokang's low spirits,

Lin Dongfan hastily called Liu Minghui aside: 'What are you Haishan Police good for? You mobilized the whole city's forces to hunt him down, yet you let Wu Changsheng escape again and even cost a life!'

As this reprimand drilled into his ears, Liu Minghui felt utterly innocent.

He thought: 'After Wu Changsheng fled the ship, the subsequent series of pursuit operations—you, Director Lin, also participated in directing the deployment, and we didn't catch him; can that be blamed on me?'

Of course, such grumbling could only be muttered silently in his heart.

'Director Lin, after we received Wu Qin's alarm call, we immediately dispatched personnel, truly not daring to delay even a second.'

'Political Commissar Liu, shouldn't I, on behalf of the Haishan citizens, present your bureau with an Item? To commend your outstanding performance in the manhunt for this Class A fugitive! Not only did you successfully misjudge Wu Changsheng's escape route, but you also thoughtfully delivered the informant, Ms. Wu Qin, straight into his line of fire?!'

Lin Dongfan's reprimand grew more and more impassioned, turning into a roar by the end.

Liu Minghui, scolded until his scalp went numb, stood frozen like a log, unable to move, only able to move his lips: 'There is also something embarrassing…'

'Speak!'

'Before her death, Wu Qin had slept with someone. That man is very likely Wu Changsheng. Yet there were no signs of rape in the room, and Wu Qin even cooked him a bowl of noodles. Based on these factors, we preliminarily conclude that the sexual encounter was consensual on Wu Qin's part.'

'What do you mean by saying these things?'

'I want to say that Wu Qin reported the incident afterward purely to claim that 100,000 reward. She seriously underestimated Wu Changsheng's counter‑investigation abilities, thereby bringing about her own demise. Thus, responsibility for Wu Qin's death does not lie entirely with the police; she herself bears some fault for mishandling the situation.'

Having said that, Liu Minghui turned his head to glance at Chen Shaokang, who was walking away with heavy steps toward the door, pulling out a cigarette as he went.

Lin Dongfan also witnessed this scene and couldn't help but chide Liu Minghui in a low voice: 'Couldn't you have waited until he left to say these things? Why must you say them now!'

Hearing this, Liu Minghui frowned and remained silent.

He thought: 'I've been scolded by you like a grandson, with every pot dumped on my head, and you won't even let me drag a colleague into my misery.'

Just as both sides fell silent.

A police officer ran over to report: 'Director Lin, Political Commissar Liu, the crime scene has no surveillance equipment, so for now we cannot trace Wu Changsheng's escape route.'

'Pull the traffic surveillance from nearby main roads, examine it frame by frame!' Lin Dongfan angrily ordered: 'Dig three feet deep if you have to—I want him dug out!'

The officer, frightened, dared not say more, and glanced at his direct superior, Liu Minghui.

Liu Minghui frowned resentfully: 'Why are you looking at me? Hurry up and go!'

Heh, another disgruntled soul. As the officer turned and left, his belly full of resentment, he thought: 'If I ignore you and don't seek your opinion, and later wait for Director Lin to leave, you'll surely have me killed!'

At the entrance of the command center.

Comrade Chen Shaokang, slumped against the wall, was silently puffing on a cigarette. In just that short while, three cigarette butts lay on the ground.

Lin Dongfan walked over to him and, helplessly, comforted: 'Are you really that upset? It can't be that bad. Although she cuckolded you once more before her death, this is the last time—believe me.'

"!!!"

Squatting at the wall's base, Chen Shaokang had smoked so many cigarettes that his gloomy mood had almost eased, but upon hearing Lin Dongfan's advice, he suddenly felt a sorrow as great as a dead heart.

What do you mean 'cuckolded again'? I'm already divorced, alright!

And also...

What do you mean 'this is the last time'? People are dead, how could there be a second time? That's just like taking off your pants to fart—I believe your asshole!

Chen Shaokang slowly exhaled a wisp of melancholy smoke: "The kid is still in preschool; if one day he asks me for his mom, what should I do? I'm worried about this."

"There's nothing to worry about; just find him another mom." Lin Dongfan also lit a cigarette, lowered his stature and squatted side by side with Chen Shaokang: "I think what you should really worry about is gossip. Your wife cuckolded you again before she died; if this gets to the preschool, won't the kids mock your son?"

"!!!"

In silence, it seemed as if another knife stabbed into Chen Shaokang's heart with a puff.

Chen Shaokang glumly took a puff of smoke, so worried he felt lifeless: "Boss, if you really don't know how to comfort people, then don't. Your way of comforting will literally kill people."