Chapter 354: Sitting at Home

Standing to one side, Liu Zheng gestured toward Li Xuewu; he was quite delighted that his student had encountered such an opportunity.

After the motorcade started, Yu Huaiyou asked about Li Xuewu's past experiences and personal situation.

Upon learning that Li Xuewu's father-in-law was Gu Haitao, he burst into laughter.

Li Xuewu did not hide these matters in front of Yu Huaiyou; he said what needed to be said and did not shy away from his family situation.

The gap in rank between Yu Huaiyou and him was too vast; there was no need for Li Xuewu to be on guard.

Besides, if he didn't say it now, it would be awkward to talk later when they met; who was he looking down on?

Furthermore, Li Xuewu had no intention of relying on his father-in-law's influence, so he wasn't afraid to mention this relationship to a leader of this level.

Otherwise, if this matter reached Gu Haitao's ears, it would make the Gu family think Li Xuewu was aloof or falsely pretentious.

Having Li Xuewu acknowledge his father-in-law through Yu Huaiyou's mouth would, on the contrary, make the Gu family happy.

The motorcade proceeded smoothly all the way to the western suburbs shooting range. The range officers had already prepared the site, and the motorcade parked directly near the area.

Li Xuewu jumped out of the car, laughing and joking with Yu Huaiyou, and they walked together toward the shooting range.

The four large trucks that followed, loaded with glass, arrived directly at the right side of the target positions.

The double-layered glass, identical to that in the auditorium, was installed piece by piece into wooden frames and then fixed onto the target stands.

Li Xuewu looked at the size of the glass and asked the shooter who had followed behind if he could hit it.

The shooter looked at the glass and said with some difficulty, "It's not easy to aim."

Li Xuewu looked left and right, ran to the side of the field to the range commander holding a small red flag, tore a piece off the flag, and ran back to the target position.

"This."

Li Xuewu shook the piece of red cloth in his hand and said, "I'll fix this behind the glass; you go and try."

As he spoke, he used a clip to attach the red cloth behind the glass.

The shooter stood at the farthest firing position, took a look, and then gave Li Xuewu a gesture indicating it was okay.

Yu Huaiyou and the others had been standing to the side watching.

Li Xuewu and Li Zhengfeng checked the firearms to be used for shooting and then found identical ammunition.

"Let's start from 100 meters."

After Yu Huaiyou and the others led the trainees to a safe position behind, Li Xuewu pointed at the glass and instructed the shooter.

"Why?"

Li Zhengfeng didn't know why they were starting from 100 meters.

Li Xuewu said to Li Zhengfeng, "Let's first test the crack pattern effect produced by close-range shooting."

Li Zhengfeng knew this was to verify the idea he had proposed, and that was exactly what Li Xuewu meant.

Didn't you want to see my ability? I must make you convinced.

"Bang!"

After aiming, the shooter shattered the glass on the target stand with one shot.

When Li Xuewu led the experts to inspect the scene, Li Zhengfeng looked at the shattered glass fragments on the ground, and his brows furrowed instantly.

It was indeed as Li Xuewu said: in close-range shooting, the degree of shattering for both pieces of glass was uniform, and the degree of misalignment was not as severe as the glass from the crime scene.

Li Zhengfeng pursed his lips and stood up, supporting his knees with his hands. Just as he was about to speak to Li Xuewu, he saw that this kid had already turned his head away.

"Change the glass, move the target position 30 degrees to the left!"

Li Xuewu had already seen the result of the glass shattering, so he didn't waste time and had the security personnel change the target immediately.

Upon returning to the preparation position, Yu Huaiyou asked Li Xuewu, "Why are we still at this position?"

Li Xuewu grinned, showing his white teeth, and said, "Just testing. What if the expert is right? Anyway, we have to start from the beginning and push forward, it won't delay things."

Yu Huaiyou looked at Li Xuewu, then at the expression on Li Zhengfeng's face as he walked back, and knew that Li Xuewu was competing with Li Zhengfeng.

It was only nine o'clock, there was still time, and Yu Huaiyou also wanted to see the experimental results—whether it was indeed close-range shooting on the street—so he didn't raise any objections.

As they spoke, Li Xuewu waved his hand, having the prepared security guards fix all the glass target stands onto the target positions.

Subsequently, four more shooters came out to participate in the experiment.

Following a segment every ten meters, they conducted shooting experiments at three angles: 30 degrees left, 45 degrees, and 75 degrees.

Good heavens, gunshots rang out continuously on the range; those installing the glass targets couldn't keep up with the shooting experiments.

And every time a shot was completed, it was Li Xuewu and Li Zhengfeng and others who went to check the shattering effect of the glass.

After the 100-meter and 200-meter shooting experiments were completed, Li Zhengfeng was already convinced.

"Comrade Li, it was I, Old Li, who underestimated you. I apologize to you here."

"Hehehe."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I am Comrade Li, and you are also Comrade Li. Since we are all comrades, I think this apology is unnecessary."

"No, no, no, I was in the wrong..."

Li Xuewu waved his hand, smilingly stopping Li Zhengfeng's words, and said, "I am a practitioner, and you are a theorist. Practice supports theory, and theory summarizes practice. I will need to learn more from you in the future."

Having finally obtained this opportunity, Li Xuewu wasn't just doing it to show off.

Don't look at how polite this old man is being to him now; in reality, he is a big shot, the chief engineer of the Light Weapons Research Institute.

Li Xuewu had long had his eyes on him. Setting such a big trap couldn't just be for the sake of a reputation as a "divine detective"—how much was that worth?

In the eyes of Liu Zheng and the trainees, Yu Huaiyou was the opportunity, but Li Xuewu didn't lack such opportunities at all.

If he wanted opportunities, he could just run to his father-in-law's house more often; why tire himself out here?

Science and technology are the primary productive forces of society.

This old man now represented the vanguard of contemporary light weapons research science and technology.

Plucking a few hairs from this old man would also be worth some silver, right?

Seeing that Li Xuewu spoke earnestly and didn't look like he was sulking, Li Zhengfeng also smiled and said, "That's good. I hope Comrade Li will support me more in the future."

"Hahahaha."

Li Xuewu grabbed Li Zhengfeng's arm and laughed, "I actually have some ideas about light weapons. After this case is over, I'll visit you, and we two can have a good chat."

"Oh?"

Li Zhengfeng's eyes lit up when he heard Li Xuewu's words. In fact, the institute would also listen to feedback from frontline combat personnel.

But the quality of soldiers was limited now, and the suggestions reflected were sometimes not that precise.

Li Zhengfeng was very interested in Li Xuewu's ballistic experimental thinking and thirst for knowledge regarding actual combat.

Seeing Li Xuewu take the initiative to close the distance, he also smiled and nodded in agreement.

Yu Huaiyou and Liu Zheng, standing to the side, exchanged a glance, then smiled and said to Li Xuewu and the other, "One Old Li, one Little Li, hahahaha, aren't they just like father and son?"

As they spoke, he also said to Li Xuewu, "Learn more from Professor Li; he is a leading figure in our military industry, haha."

Li Xuewu was the type of person who would climb even if there was no ladder, and if there was no ladder, he would cut down a tree to make one just to climb.

Seeing Yu Huaiyou personally set up the ladder for him, how could he let this opportunity slip by?

"Isn't that so? It's like the flood washing away the Dragon King Temple. Seeing that you are younger than my father, I should call you Old Uncle."

As he spoke, he very formally held Li Zhengfeng's hand and said, "Old Uncle, your nephew was impolite. I apologize to you!"

Watching Li Xuewu about to bow, Li Zhengfeng caught him with one hand.

What was this situation? They were just talking about being comrades, and now they were talking about being uncle and nephew?

If Li Xuewu had started this, he could have brushed it off, but these words were spoken by the department leader to unite the two of them.

If he said no, wouldn't that be undermining unity? It would also make Yu Huaiyou lose face.

Fine, if he had to acknowledge it, he would. Anyway, after today, he wouldn't be able to find him again.

"Hahaha, this young man looks good. He'll be fine in the future."

As he spoke, he pulled Li Xuewu along to look at the new round of shooting results.

Li Xuewu looked at Li Zhengfeng, who was walking with his head down and avoiding his gaze, and of course, he knew what Li Zhengfeng was thinking.

Hehe, who was the last one to play this "openly repair the plank road, secretly cross the Chencang" game with him?

Huaqing Vice President Li Congyun?

What Li Congyun, that's our Uncle Congyun!

Li Shun, on duty at the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, felt inexplicably flustered.

When young people go out, they usually make friends of the same age. If they get along well, they become sworn brothers.

At this time, sworn brothers also call their brother's parents "godfather," which means Li Xuewu's sworn brothers would have to call Li Shun godfather.

In fact, Old Biaozi and the others called him that; they called Li Shun and Liu Yin godfather and godmother.

The more sworn brothers, the more godchildren the old folks have.

But this second son of Li Xuewu was strange; he only had these four sworn brothers from childhood, but he started finding god-younger-brothers for Li Shun!

This was truly Li Shun sitting at home, with younger brothers falling from the sky.

Looking at this, this year there was even more of a posture of "years increasing, life increasing, blessings filling the universe, and brothers filling the door."

Listening to the "clack-clack" sound of the glass, he watched the pile of glass on the truck diminish.

After shattering a truckload of glass, Yu Huaiyou was also getting a bit anxious, smoking a cigarette and running a few trips with Li Xuewu and the others.

"How much longer?"

Li Xuewu looked at his watch and said, "It's only a little over 200 meters now, and we are steadily pushing forward."

Steadily pushing forward meant they hadn't found a similar shattering effect yet.

Yu Huaiyou also knew that this kind of experiment couldn't be rushed, so he nodded to signal Li Xuewu and the others to continue, and then went to the back.

Just as the glass on the second truck was bottoming out, and just as the logistics personnel who followed felt their hearts aching as if they were shattering along with the glass.

"Wait a moment!"

Li Xuewu waved his hand, signaling the operator who was about to move further back to wait.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Li Xuewu standing on the target position looking left and right, Li Zhengfeng couldn't help but run over as well.

"The shattering bias of this target position is a bit similar."

As he spoke, Li Xuewu pointed his finger at the crack pattern of the first layer of glass and said, "The direction of the force is somewhat similar."

Li Zhengfeng looked carefully, and the experts at the other target positions also crowded over to look.

Finally, after summarizing everyone's opinions, it really was somewhat similar.

Yu Huaiyou, who had walked over, heard the conversation between the few and said, "For this position, shoot another set. Both trucks are already in, we don't mind a little more!"

After Li Xuewu and these people retreated to the preparation position, the shooter conducted the shooting experiment again according to the angle specified by Li Xuewu and the experts.

"That's it!"

Li Zhengfeng, who had run to the target position first, said quite excitedly, "The angle of the first layer should be in this range."

With the experts measuring with rulers, Li Xuewu conducted experiments starting from 380 meters within a 30-degree angle range.

It wasn't just the few pieces of glass Yu Huaiyou mentioned; after the glass on the second truck was shot out, they unloaded a few more pieces from the third truck before Li Xuewu found similar bullet holes and crack patterns.

"It should be this position."

Li Zhengfeng nodded and said, "It can't be wrong. It's already very similar to the glass from the crime scene."

Li Xuewu turned his head and said to Yu Huaiyou, "Shoot a few more pieces."

Yu Huaiyou looked at the serious Li Xuewu and nodded, saying, "You're in charge here."

"Then shoot!"

Li Xuewu arranged for the security personnel to continue installing glass on the target stands, and the trainees watching from afar were already uncontrollably excited when they saw the movement here.

But the tense atmosphere at the target position made everyone hold their breath again, waiting for the final experimental result.

"Fire!"

Following the order issued by the commander waving the small red flag that was about to be torn to shreds, the shooters fired another volley.

"Go."

Li Xuewu took the lead and ran toward the target position, followed by the group of experts, and Yu Huaiyou and the case-handling personnel also surrounded them with the trainees.

Li Xuewu, surrounded by the crowd, carefully compared the shattering situation of the glass. After adjusting the angle, the shattering effect at this angle already matched the glass from the crime scene.

Moreover, they experimented three times in a row at this position, and all had this shattering effect.

"Report!"

Li Xuewu turned around and said to Yu Huaiyou and the group of case-handling personnel who had been waiting for a long time, "At a position 425 meters from the shooting location, the bullet's shattering effect matches."

"Good!"

"Oh~"

"Found it!"

Hearing Li Xuewu's report, the group of trainees first boiled over, cheering for Li Xuewu's victory.

This was not Li Xuewu's victory alone; this was the victory of the entire trainee class.

At this moment, Li Xuewu was not alone!

He was not alone!

Yu Huaiyou was also very excited, his excitement overflowing in his words. He held Li Xuewu's and Li Zhengfeng's hands and laughed "Hahaha," saying, "Well done!"

Li Xuewu also happily shook hands with Yu Huaiyou, and shook hands with Li Zhengfeng and the group of experts.

Now Li Xuewu and the group of experts had a sense of "meeting with a smile and forgetting past grudges."

"Go."

After the cheering, everyone turned their eyes to Yu Huaiyou.

Yu Huaiyou was also in high spirits at this moment, waving to the crowd and saying, "Go, go back, find that location, and welcome our final victory!"

"Good!"

The key window to solving the case was suddenly opened, and the road ahead was already smooth.

The motorcade drove back quickly. Even the logistics personnel who were cleaning up the glass and reloading the trucks didn't care; everyone just wanted to find that location right now.

"Squeak~"

The motorcade didn't return to the Auditorium Hotel. While in the car, the experts had already found the relevant residential range on the map.

So now the motorcade stopped directly on Nanchang Street, and the group of case-handling personnel and trainees jumped out of the cars one after another.

"Listen to my command!"

Wang Xueren stood in front of the organized team, held the map, pointed at the circle on it, and said, "Everything within the range of this circle must be inquired about and investigated. We have sufficient personnel, so we aren't afraid of not catching this fish. Please be sure to investigate carefully, pay attention to safety, but also pay attention to the methods and approaches when visiting."

Everyone knew this without him saying it; no one here was a fool.

"According to the previous team divisions, set off now!"

Following Wang Xueren's order, the crowd unfolded their investigation around the range of this circle.

And Li Xuewu, who hadn't participated in the trainee grouping earlier, began to slack off openly and honestly at this moment.

Liu Zheng, Yu Huaiyou, and the other leaders didn't mind Li Xuewu standing with them, puffing away on cigarettes.

With the right direction and no hesitation in using police force, the case naturally proceeded very smoothly.

The local residents were not like the pedestrians near Changan Street, who were full of confusion.

Someone claimed that they did indeed hear someone shooting that morning, and it was several shots.

Several shots?

This type of gun, although difficult to trace the source, wasn't something just anyone could have.

When the situation was reported back, Yu Huaiyou's brows furrowed tightly, and he told Wang Xueren, who was in charge of command, to pay attention to safety.

And he required everyone to be prepared with weapons; if there was any sudden situation, they were to fire warning shots immediately.

Receiving Yu Huaiyou's arrangements, the case-handling personnel became even more vigilant, conducting a search and inventory of firearms in the nearby area; all firearms and their usage situations had to be clearly investigated.

Like peeling silk from a cocoon, screening layer by layer, it was like a heavenly net being cast down—who could escape it?

"Report, it seems we found it!"

Hearing Wang Xueren's report, Yu Huaiyou stared and asked, "What do you mean by 'seems'?"

Seeing that there weren't many people at the scene, Wang Xueren reported, "We investigated the usage of all firearms within this range. We didn't pay attention to that house originally, but a student said he saw his classmate standing in the courtyard firing a gun."

"Where?"

Knowing that Wang Xueren was being so hesitant, there must be a situation, so Yu Huaiyou furrowed his brows and asked directly.

Wang Xueren looked around, walked to Yu Huaiyou's side, and whispered, "Director Li's house."

"Which Director Li?"

Seeing Wang Xueren's hesitant manner, Yu Huaiyou was also anxious.

Wang Xueren looked into Yu Huaiyou's eyes and leaned into Yu Huaiyou's ear...

"Oh?"

Hearing Wang Xueren's whispered report, Yu Huaiyou was also stunned for a moment.

This Director Li was no ordinary figure; this was...

Just as he was furrowing his brows and thinking, he suddenly saw Li Xuewu standing to the side, smoking a cigarette and laughing and gesturing with Li Zhengfeng.

"Li Xuewu! Come here!"

Hearing Yu Huaiyou call him, Li Xuewu was stunned for a moment, then responded, "Here!"

He then said to Li Zhengfeng, "Old Uncle, I'll go over there for a moment. We'll continue our chat later."

"Go quickly, go quickly."

Li Zhengfeng was about to be annoyed to death by Li Xuewu, but he couldn't avoid Li Xuewu now; wouldn't that be "using someone when facing forward and not using them when facing backward"?

Seeing Li Xuewu leave, Li Zhengfeng hurriedly opened the car door and hid inside.

"Leader."

Li Xuewu walked up to Yu Huaiyou and stood still.

Yu Huaiyou nodded, pulled Li Xuewu to the side, and told Li Xuewu about the situation Wang Xueren had just reported.

And Li Xuewu listened earnestly, not saying a word.

After he finished speaking, Yu Huaiyou looked at Li Xuewu, who was still looking at him, and couldn't help but smile.

Li Xuewu also followed with a smile.

This damn thing, the pants were already off, just waiting to get on the bed, and he still needed him?

There must be a situation; only a fool would climb onto the bed without knowing what was going on.

What if Jia Zhangshi was lying on the bed?

Yu Huaiyou patted Li Xuewu's shoulder, closed the distance between the two, and roughly explained Director Li's situation to Li Xuewu.

Seeing Li Xuewu look up at him, Yu Huaiyou said with a smile, "Isn't this just a coincidence? Your father-in-law was also a staff officer in the Korean War; the two are close comrades-in-arms. It's more convenient for you to go; it won't be so stiff."

"I will definitely carry out the leader's order."

Seeing that after he finished speaking, Li Xuewu said just that, Yu Huaiyou also grinned.

This damn Gu Haitao was famous for being loyal and upright; how did he find such a fox-like son-in-law?

"Hehehe, Comrade Xuewu."

Yu Huaiyou patted Li Xuewu's shoulder and said, "Don't have any burden; it's just a simple case investigation."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Yes, I will definitely strictly carry out your order."

"Hmm~"

Seeing that this kid Li Xuewu had an "oil and salt won't enter" appearance, he pulled Li Xuewu to the side again.

"I know you have difficulties, tell me about them."

Li Xuewu looked into Yu Huaiyou's eyes and then smiled, "My mother-in-law said that when I'm done with my work, she'll arrange for me to meet my parents. Gu Ning and I are in a free-love relationship, and we still lack a matchmaker. I've long wanted to ask you, but I was afraid you were busy with work."

"Oh! This is a good thing!"

Yu Huaiyou was also hooked by Li Xuewu's words. He had just told Li Xuewu that he had a friendship with Gu Haitao, and now Li Xuewu was bringing up personal matters.

From the perspective of a private relationship, Li Xuewu and he were now acquaintances. If he were to refuse to be the matchmaker now, wouldn't he be shooting himself in the foot?

From the perspective of organizational relations, Yu Huaiyou was the leader of Li Xuewu's superior's superior... anyway, he was the leader.

Now that Li Xuewu was asking for the organization's care, how could Yu Huaiyou not agree?

Yu Huaiyou looked at Li Xuewu and said, "No matter how busy work is, I am still willing to do the favor of being a matchmaker for an excellent cadre. Don't worry, I'll go talk to your father-in-law!"

"Hehe."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Since you've agreed, then Director Li will be able to agree too."

"Oh?"

Yu Huaiyou looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "What will Director Li agree to?"

Li Xuewu blinked and said, "Being a matchmaker. This is a major life event for me, so I have to be cautious. My mother-in-law dotes on her daughter, so the more matchmakers, the more of a guarantee."

"Ah! Hahahaha!"

Hearing Li Xuewu's words, Yu Huaiyou laughed very happily.

He patted Li Xuewu's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'm definitely going to be this matchmaker. I'll wait here for your good news of victory."

"Yes!"

Li Xuewu responded, turned around, and waved to Wang Xueren.

Wang Xueren had long been waiting anxiously; the case-handling personnel were all waiting.

Watching Li Xuewu and Yu Huaiyou whispering there, patting shoulders and laughing, what was this kid's background?

Seeing Li Xuewu wave, Wang Xueren walked toward Li Xuewu's direction.

"Time is tight, so I'm overstepping my authority. After we go in, listen to my orders. Do whatever I tell you to do. You can listen to Department Head Yu's explanation afterward."

Wang Xueren looked in Yu Huaiyou's direction, and seeing the leader nod slightly, he knew Li Xuewu's words were the leader's meaning.

"Yes, I'll listen to your orders."

Li Xuewu grabbed Wang Xueren's arm and walked toward the alley, saying, "After we go in, don't worry about me. Arrest the person first, ask directly, and strive to get the matter clear in the shortest time."

Seeing Li Xuewu's case-handling style was so decisive, Wang Xueren nodded and said, "Understood."

Walking to the Li family's door, Li Xuewu turned to Wang Xueren and asked, "Who is at home?"

Wang Xueren whispered, "Director Li's wife, Zhang Shuting, and several children."

Li Xuewu looked at the time on his watch; it was already past two o'clock.

"We have to be unwelcome guests for once. Be quick and nimble, and absolutely don't hurt anyone."

"Yes."

Li Xuewu didn't wait for Wang Xueren to agree and reached out to knock on the gate.

The courtyard here had a layout where the side faced the street to open the door; the houses in the courtyard couldn't see who was at the gate.

So the moment the door opened, Wang Xueren rushed in.

When the person who opened the door stood by the door, stunned and about to shout, Li Xuewu saw clearly that it was an old gatekeeper.

"Don't shout, we are from the Security Department."

Li Xuewu pressed the old man's shoulder and gestured toward the clothing of the personnel who had rushed into the courtyard and started checking, so that the person could see clearly.

The old man furrowed his brows and asked Li Xuewu, "Which Security Department are you from?"

Li Xuewu, of course, wouldn't invite trouble for himself at this moment, so he pointed to the south and said, "The Auditorium's."

This completely confused the old man; how did the Auditorium's security find their way here?

Before Li Xuewu could say a few words to this guard, he saw Wang Xueren standing in a room in the courtyard, waving at Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu pointed at the gatekeeper and said to the security guard who followed him in, "Let him stand here and don't move."

After saying that, he ignored the gatekeeper's inquiry behind him and walked directly into the room.

It was clear that more than just their family lived here; the courtyard was very large and had facilities like a garage.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Wang Xueren leading people to control a teenager.

And this teenager was in a completely "not awake yet" state, looking at the room full of people in confusion.

Wang Xueren was asking him about whether he fired a gun on the 10th.

This teenager looked at his mother, brother, and sister being blocked to one side, looking at a loss. Hearing Wang Xueren ask, he nodded and admitted it.

Seeing a woman in cadre clothing in the room furrowing her brows and looking over, Li Xuewu smiled and said to the woman, "From the Auditorium Security Department, just understanding the situation, nothing serious."

The woman looked at Li Xuewu, then turned her gaze to her son.

Because at this moment, the teenager was already saying where he fired the gun, how many shots he fired, and why he fired the gun.

After Wang Xueren finished asking, he waved to the case-handling personnel, telling them to go inspect the scene.

Subsequently, he asked the teenager, "Where is the gun you used that day?"

The teenager pointed under the bed and said, "In the box."

The security guard who followed quickly searched under the bed and indeed found the gun box under the bed.

As soon as the woman saw the attitude and questions of Li Xuewu and the others, she knew her child had caused trouble.

The brother and sister of the teenager in the room were also scared pale, standing to one side and not daring to make a sound.

"The rifling matches, six grooves!"

After Wang Xueren checked the rifle in the gun box, he nodded to Li Xuewu and said.

He then took out the bullets from the gun box and looked at the bullet heads.

"It matches, this is it!"

Just as Wang Xueren finished speaking, someone else came in from outside the room and reported, "The shooting scene has been found, on top of the garage, and we also found the shell casing."

Wang Xueren took it and looked at it, then nodded to Li Xuewu.

From the moment he entered the door, Li Xuewu had only said one sentence to the woman; the scene inspection and questioning were all handed over to Wang Xueren to handle.

This was so as not to leave a bad impression on the family; this Director Li already had many things on his plate.

Now, who would dare to cause any more trouble? It wouldn't look good for any party.

That was why Yu Huaiyou let Li Xuewu come in.

Li Xuewu was also relying on his father-in-law's relationship, but he couldn't involve his father-in-law in this because of work.

Today was just Yu Huaiyou telling him privately; otherwise, he wouldn't have waded into this muddy water even if he were beaten to death.

"Come."

Li Xuewu waved to the controlled teenager.

The teenager looked at the security guards beside him, and seeing them move to the side at Wang Xueren's signal, he hesitated and looked at his mother, then walked toward Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu smiled and said to Wang Xueren, "Everyone has worked hard. Director Wang, stay, the rest of you go back to the unit."

As he spoke, he gestured to Wang Xueren and continued, "The leader is still waiting. We'll go back and report to the leader once we get this clear."

Wang Xueren nodded, led the crowd to the courtyard, and gave instructions to everyone.

Li Xuewu smiled at the woman standing to one side and said, "Let's ask here."

The woman clearly knew what Li Xuewu meant by saying this. Seeing that Li Xuewu wasn't old, his actions were very experienced.

Looking at the attitude and cautious movements of these people, the woman clearly knew that these people understood their family situation.

"Good, sit here. Old Three, pour water for the guests."

Li Xuewu smiled, hugged the shoulders of the teenager standing in front of him, and brought him to sit on the sofa.

By now, Wang Xueren had finished giving instructions and came back in with a notebook.

Seeing that Li Xuewu was already sitting on the sofa, he walked to Li Xuewu's side and sat down, took out the notebook, and opened it silently, preparing to record.

After a little girl poured water for Li Xuewu and the others, the woman also sat in the single seat nearby.

Li Xuewu then asked the nervous teenager, "What is your name?"

The teenager looked at Li Xuewu's face and said nervously, "Li Ming."

"Hmm."

Li Xuewu nodded and then asked, "What were you doing firing the gun that day?"

The teenager looked at his mother sitting opposite; clearly, he also knew he had caused trouble by playing with the gun secretly.

"It was... it was..."

After hesitating for a while, seeing his mother's face opposite becoming more severe, he lowered his head and said, "I wanted to hit a bird's nest."

"Oh?"

Li Xuewu didn't expect the child to fire the gun for this.

"Did you hit it?"

"Hmm?"

Li Ming clearly didn't expect Li Xuewu to ask this, and looked up at Li Xuewu.

Seeing that Li Xuewu's expression was very kind, he said embarrassedly, "I didn't hit it."

"Hehehe."

Li Xuewu looked at the teenager and laughed. The tense atmosphere in the room also dissolved quite a bit with Li Xuewu's laughter.

At least the few teenagers standing opposite didn't have such serious expressions anymore.

Wang Xueren didn't expect Li Xuewu to ask questions like this, but when they came, it was said that everything would listen to Li Xuewu.

Now that Li Xuewu was clearly asking questions, he could only take notes.

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "It seems your marksmanship isn't very good."

Li Ming looked at his mother and said to Li Xuewu, "I really wanted to hit that bird's nest. It always poops in the courtyard; it's very annoying."

"Oh oh, so that's how it is."

Li Xuewu nodded in agreement and said, "That is indeed quite annoying."

Seeing Li Xuewu agree with his point of view and not criticize him, Li Ming's courage grew, and he said, "I didn't hit it with one shot, so I thought I'd fire a few more shots. I could surely guess one, right?"

"Hehehe, did you guess one?"

Seeing Li Xuewu ask this, Li Ming scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "No, as soon as I fired, the muzzle jumped. It was a wasted aim."

"Stupid!"

At this time, a young man standing opposite cursed Li Ming in a low voice.

And Li Ming lowered his head embarrassedly after hearing his brother's words.

Li Xuewu pointed toward the garage and asked, "Do you remember which direction you fired in?"

Li Ming nodded and said, "I didn't hit it with the first shot, so I fired several shots around the big tree. Which direction are you asking about?"

"What about due east?"

Li Ming thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "No."

Wang Xueren, sitting next to Li Xuewu, furrowed his brows and looked at Li Ming, unable to help asking, "Are you sure? Did you remember the direction wrong?"

"Impossible."

Li Ming shook his head, pointed to the treasure box under the bed, and said, "My dad gave me a compass. I remember which way everything in our house faces."

As he spoke, he pointed to the eaves and said, "I didn't fire toward the east, but I fired one shot in the southeast direction. That direction happens to be the direction of the eaves beast."

"You..."

Wang Xueren wanted to say more, but Li Xuewu patted Wang Xueren's arm and interrupted, "Don't be anxious."

Seeing Wang Xueren hold back his words, Li Xuewu smiled and asked Li Ming, "Think again. What was the situation with that shot in the southeast direction that day? Did your hand shake? Was there any interference, or strong wind, or something?"

Li Ming looked at Li Xuewu and thought for a moment, saying, "My hand didn't shake."

The one standing opposite, who should be his brother, spoke up at this moment: "If it didn't shake, why couldn't you hit it?"

Li Ming was annoyed by his brother's words and replied, "My hand didn't shake! That day, there was a strong wind, whooshing. The bird's nest on the treetop was swaying violently. That's why I didn't hit it!"

Li Xuewu nodded and asked, "Do you remember which direction the wind was from?"

"I remember."

Li Ming said affirmatively to Li Xuewu, "Northeast wind, it was very strong."

"Oh oh."

Li Xuewu nodded and glanced at Wang Xueren.

Wang Xueren also knew what was going on with that bullet. It was indeed a northeast wind that day, and the bullet deviated from its direction due to wind resistance.

Seeing Wang Xueren nod, Li Xuewu knew that this shot matched, and the motive was also clear.

It was still that saying: after excluding everything impossible, what remains must be the possible.

Seeing Li Xuewu stop asking and instead pick up the water cup in front of him to take a sip.

The woman sitting nearby knew she could ask questions.

"May I ask, that shot by Xiao Ming..."

No matter the reason, firing a gun in this place was not allowed; it was a mistake.

But few people would define mistakes according to regulations regarding firearm management now.

If this bullet hadn't flown to a place it shouldn't have, no one would pay attention to a teenager hitting a bird's nest.

Li Xuewu didn't answer the woman's question directly, but said to Wang Xueren, "Take Li Ming to the courtyard to wait for me."

"Good."

Wang Xueren looked at Li Ming, who had already stood up, and signaled him to follow him.

Li Ming looked at his mother.

The woman looked at Li Xuewu, who was still sitting, and said to her eldest son standing over there, "Take your younger brother to the courtyard, and you all follow too."

Hearing Li Xuewu ask Wang Xueren to take Li Ming to the courtyard, she knew Li Xuewu had something to say.

It was to wait for him in the courtyard, not to take him away, which meant there was something to talk about.

The woman let the children follow Li Ming to the courtyard to wait together, so Li Ming wouldn't be so scared.

After everyone went out, Li Xuewu put down the teacup in his hand, straightened his body, and said to the woman, "Hello, Aunt Zhang, my name is Li Xuewu, and I'm from the Dongcheng Security Department."

Zhang Shuting didn't expect Li Xuewu not to talk about the matter but to introduce himself first. She didn't know what Li Xuewu meant, so she looked at Li Xuewu, waiting for what followed.

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "ZC Gu Haitao is my father-in-law."

"Oh?"

Zhang Shuting was surprised at this moment; she didn't expect this young man to have such an identity.

Li Xuewu said just that and then explained, "On February 10th, Mr. Z was entertaining foreign guests right in the auditorium opposite."

Seeing Li Xuewu introduce his identity and then start talking about the matter, the woman stopped speaking and looked at Li Xuewu to listen.

"Right during the banquet, the auditorium's glass was hit by a bullet."

"What!"

The woman was stunned instantly. Thinking of the questions Li Xuewu asked earlier, she knew why the Auditorium's security cadres had come so aggressively.

She had thought there was something else earlier; she didn't expect her son's shot to be so earth-shattering.

Li Xuewu said with a bitter smile, "This shot was quite something. Mr. Z specifically named Deputy Department Head Yu Huaiyou to handle this case. They mobilized people to investigate back and forth, and now Mr. Z and the leaders are still waiting."

"This..."

Seeing Zhang Shuting's complexion solemn but not losing her composure, Li Xuewu also admired those who had walked through that era.

"Aunt Zhang, I also happened to run into this. Isn't it that my mother-in-law said she would arrange a time to meet my parents and finalize my marriage with Gu Ning?"

"It just so happened that I was transferred here to investigate this case while in training. I even told Department Head Yu to be my matchmaker. That day, the leader said that a good matchmaker also lived here, and he was a close friend of my father-in-law."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. I was a bit timid and didn't dare to visit earlier, but now it really gave me an excuse to visit. Good things come in pairs."

Zhang Shuting looked at Li Xuewu and suddenly smiled, saying, "I didn't expect Old Gu to find such a poised son-in-law."

Li Xuewu knew that this Aunt Zhang understood what he meant, so he hurriedly smiled and said, "Aunt Zhang, you flatter me. Gu Ning and I are in a free-love relationship, and my mother-in-law dotes on Gu Ning. I was just thinking of being thick-skinned and asking you and Director Li to help me be a matchmaker together with Department Head Yu."