Chapter 357

Jiang Yuan, Mu Zhiyang, Liu Jinghui, and others stepped out of Ma Zhongli's front gate under the blazing sun.

They had arrived in the afternoon, had dinner, examined the bodies, and now it was nearly afternoon again—equivalent to wasting an entire day.

Everyone was a bit tired, but their spirits remained high.

At the car, Mu Zhiyang asked, "Where do we go next?"

"The investigation is essentially complete," Jiang Yuan said, looking at Liu Jinghui—he was a senior official from the provincial bureau, after all, and deserved due respect.

Liu Jinghui thought for a moment and said, "I also think we have enough leads. The suspect won't suddenly appear. Next, we need to conduct systematic searches. Let's go to Chi Yong City Bureau and meet with them to brief them?"

"Then the rest of you rest."

Jiang Yuan had brought this group out for investigative convenience, but they weren't needed now.

Liu Jinghui didn't mind and simply said, "Mu Zhiyang can come along—he can run errands."

"Got it!" Mu Zhiyang replied with unhesitating eagerness.

The case was already showing clear direction—why wouldn't he be proactive? Afraid of taking on too much credit later?

When Jiang Yuan's group arrived at Chi Yong City Bureau, the investigative meeting was already underway.

Liu Zhengwei greeted the brigade commander, hurriedly stepped out to meet them, and brought only Yuan Ben with him.

After a warm handshake, Liu Zhengwei's expression remained relaxed as he smiled and asked, "I heard you've got new leads?"

"Yes, we have a small hypothesis."

Jiang Yuan said. The safe was a guess; the method to open it was a guess—naturally, it had to be presented as a hypothesis.

Liu Zhengwei feigned delight and chuckled, "Then tell me about it."

Liu Jinghui, who had spent twenty years "guiding" investigations across prefectures and counties, began simply: "We found a mark at the scene resembling a miniature safe, similar in size. We questioned the victim's relatives and close friends and confirmed she indeed owned one. The safe is now missing from the scene—we suspect the killer took it."

Liu Zhengwei nodded. This still aligned with the home invasion robbery theory. He himself now had slight doubts about this approach.

Just moments ago in the meeting room, Senior Detective Feng's argument had been highly persuasive. Over the past few years, nearly all mass murder cases stemmed from family disputes: fathers killing their sons' families, sons killing their fathers and stepmothers, sons-in-law killing their in-laws.

Money was often involved, but it was never the primary motive.

Of course, this level of summary didn't prove that only relatives could commit mass murders.

But it did prove that mass murders motivated purely by theft were rare.

Such cases might occur frequently abroad, but in recent years, they've been uncommon in China.

Liu Zhengwei thought this but didn't dare say it outright, so he smiled and replied, "Director Liu's perspective is an excellent direction."

"Do you have other ideas regarding the investigative direction?"

Liu Jinghui was sharp—he'd spent twenty years as a field investigator. He instantly sensed Liu Zhengwei's shifting attitude.

Police officers deceive suspects during investigations, but in real life, they often Lande such tactics.

Once exposed, Liu Zhengwei awkwardly smiled and said, "Indeed, we're currently prioritizing the suspect as a relative who used violence due to emotional issues."

"Who came up with that brilliant idea?" Liu Jinghui asked bluntly.

Liu Zhengwei chuckled, "Everyone's free to speak—it's just based on analysis of recent mass murder cases."

"As long as it wasn't a superior who proposed it," Liu Jinghui cut him off, then added, "All recent mass murder cases were carried out by single individuals."

A three-person operation is incomparable to those cases."

Liu Zhengwei froze. He hadn't studied the matter in depth, but hearing Liu Jinghui speak, his mental balance shifted immediately.

Indeed, a three-person crime and a single-person crime are entirely different. One person can act out of emotion; three people can too—but did Ma Zhongli's family deserve that much hatred?

Murder isn't trivial. A mass murder means the killer is guaranteed immediate execution—it's not a decision made lightly.

If motivated by theft, the killers might have killed in the heat of the moment due to the victims' resistance, then decided on mass murder.

But if motivated by personal vendetta, the intent was always to kill—there's no such thing as "accidental" death. The motive becomes insufficient.

"Also, if the killer is a relative seeking vengeance, why would they rummage through the house and take the safe? Too time-consuming, and unnecessary, right?" Liu Jinghui didn't need to elaborate further—Liu Zhengwei understood.

A relative acting out of emotion wouldn't ransack the house for valuables. It's illogical—like a father slaughtering his entire son's family, then searching every room for money. Unless the house contained martial arts manuals or rare treasures.

Liu Zhengwei's expression grew serious as he asked, "So Director Liu's suggestion is we follow the safe's trail?"

"Essentially. The key is how to open the safe."

Liu Jinghui recounted his earlier discussion with Jiang Yuan, prompting Liu Zhengwei to nod repeatedly.

"This is indeed a viable direction."

Liu Zhengwei agreed, "I'll inform the brigade commander first."

"We'll head back now."

Liu Jinghui didn't want conflict—they were all here to do their jobs. He added a final warning: "I don't know Chi Yong's policies, but if gas cylinders are registered, they'd be easier to trace. Either way, the search must be swift—otherwise, even if we find a lead, the killer might escape."

Liu Zhengwei nodded vigorously.

Liu Jinghui grabbed Jiang Yuan's arm and turned to leave.

Liu Zhengwei returned to the meeting room and recounted the conversation in detail.

The room, which had been debating Senior Feng's theory, fell silent.

The brigade commander hesitated.

He grunted, "There's some merit to it." No one else objected.

Proposing an investigative direction is easy; committing firmly to one is not to be questioned.

Soon after, officers from the Chi Yong City Criminal Investigation Brigade fanned out across districts, questioning individuals who had recently used or purchased gas-cutting equipment.

It was a meticulous, grueling task.

Hundreds of officers spent a day and a half covering every outlet in Chi Yong—but the results were grim.

Three words summed it up: "Nothing!"

"Looks like this direction is a dead end."

The brigade commander invited Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui to the meeting and showed them the investigation results.

Jiang Yuan felt it was like saying, "The enemy was just too cunning."

The group re-entered the discussion on investigative directions.

Jiang Yuan closed his eyes and carefully recalled every detail of the case.

Frankly, the case's difficulty wasn't in gathering information—it was overwhelming.

The key issue was narrowing the scope and locating the killer's trail.

"I recommend continuing to investigate surrounding counties and towns of Chi Yong." This time, Jiang Yuan didn't wait for them to reach a conclusion—he stood by his earlier stance.

The brigade commander hesitated. "That's a huge area."

"I know."

Jiang Yuan's voice was clear.

He understood the pressure this brigade commander faced—but solving cases was never easy.

Mass murder cases never have easy arrests.