Chapter 198

The underground parking lot had only one exit. The car couldn’t have avoided the surveillance and left the underground parking lot.

There was also surveillance at the entrance of the residential complex, which confirmed that Director Liu had driven out of the complex the next morning.

This meant that after the car entered the underground parking lot at 6:23 PM, it hadn’t left the complex that night.

The elevator in the building where Wang Yuqing lived was also equipped with surveillance, which showed that Director Liu had taken the elevator upstairs at 6:31 PM and didn’t leave until the next morning.

All of this proved that Director Liu couldn’t have driven out of the complex on the night of the 14th. So why did the car appear at the crime scene where the body was dumped?

Fang Rui held a case analysis meeting.

Li exclaimed in frustration, “How is this possible? The traffic surveillance clearly shows that the car appeared on that road. Multiple cameras captured it, and the license plate was clearly visible. The car model matches too. But the surveillance from the complex also clearly shows that the car never left. How could the car be in two places at once?”

Wang said, “The car’s trunk tested positive for the victim’s blood, which proves it was the car used to dump the body. But Director Liu has an alibi. Could someone have stolen his car to commit the crime?”

“But how did they avoid the surveillance and steal the car?”

Everyone was puzzled. They were so close to catching the killer, but suddenly, the suspect had an alibi.

“Could there be some underground passage in that complex that allows someone to secretly drive the car out?” someone asked.

Wang replied, “That underground parking lot has only one exit and one entrance, not even a ventilation window. There’s no way the car could have left without being caught on camera.”

Zhang suggested, “What if the killer modified the car? Like adding stickers or changing the license plate?”

“That’s unlikely. I’ve already taken screenshots of all the cars entering and leaving the complex on the night of the 14th, and there’s no vehicle with a similar model.”

Suddenly, Fang Rui realized why the killer had lingered at the crime scene for so long.

Fang Rui analyzed, “This white car is a very common model. It would be easy to buy an identical one. Could the car at the crime scene be a decoy, with the killer swapping the license plate for Director Liu’s? The killer stayed at the crime scene for over half an hour, which is highly unusual. It’s possible he was deliberately waiting for witnesses to see his car.”

Zhang suddenly understood, “I thought the killer was being careless, letting witnesses see his car and even hitting the curb, damaging the paint and leaving obvious marks. But he was actually trying to mislead us.”

Wang said, “But there was blood in the trunk of Director Liu’s car.”

Mu Mian added, “The blood in the trunk was in a dripping pattern. If it had gotten there from the body being placed in the trunk, it wouldn’t look like that. Also, when we found the victim’s body, there was no blood on his hat. This suggests that someone might have deliberately dripped blood into the trunk.”

Fang Rui said, “So the killer likely had access to the car. Let’s carefully review the parking lot surveillance and see if we can spot any suspicious individuals.”

Lin Sen analyzed, “If the killer wanted to frame Director Liu, why did he take the victim’s brain and leave that symbol?”

Fang Rui replied, “Could he be trying to lead us to investigate Director Liu?”

Zhang speculated, “Could it be that Director Liu embezzled a lot of public funds, and the killer couldn’t stand it, so he used a child’s body to lead us to investigate him?”

Mu Mian said, “I don’t think it’s about embezzlement.”

“Why are you so sure?”

Mu Mian explained, “My intuition tells me that this killer is someone with a strong medical ambition. He’s not doing this for money. I suspect Director Liu might have done something unethical in his profession.”

After the meeting, Fang Rui and Mu Mian stayed behind in the conference room for a private discussion.

Fang Rui said, “The chief had someone tail Chen Xue, but she hasn’t shown any unusual behavior recently, nor has she met with any suspicious individuals.”

Fang Rui had already reported to the chief that Chen Xue might be an undercover agent. The chief thought it was unlikely, but just to be safe, he assigned two newly transferred officers to follow her.

Mu Mian said, “I sent Chen Xue a link with a Trojan virus, and my hacker friend infiltrated her phone and computer, but we didn’t find any useful clues. Chen Xue’s inner world is quite rich—she loves watching dramas and gossip news. There’s no one suspicious in her contacts either.”

Mu Mian had been monitoring Chen Xue’s phone for several days, but after work, all she did was call Zhang and watch dramas or gossip news. There was nothing unusual.

They couldn’t help but wonder if they had been wrong to suspect Chen Xue. But there were too many coincidences.

When Mu Mian returned to the office, Chen Xue teased her, “Mian Mian, why have you been spending so much time with Fang Rui lately?”

“Because he’s my boyfriend. You and Officer Zhang used to do the same.”

“Did we?”

“You two were always together.”

“Hahaha, I guess we set a bad example.”

Example? Mu Mian suddenly realized that much of her understanding of love came from observing Chen Xue and Zhang’s interactions. They had indeed set an example for her.

Fang Rui investigated Director Liu’s detailed background. He had worked at a public hospital for over a decade before switching to Anqi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. His medical skills were excellent, so he quickly rose to the position of vice president.

To Fang Rui’s surprise, Director Liu had once been Chen Hui’s mentor. The nurses said they had a good relationship, and Director Liu held Chen Hui in high regard.

Fang Rui obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of Director Liu’s girlfriend, Wang Yuqing’s home.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

When a large group of police officers showed up at her door, Wang Yuqing looked annoyed. “Officers, haven’t I already testified for Director Liu? What are you doing here? This is my home. Even if Director Liu did something wrong, it has nothing to do with me. You have no right to barge into my house.”

“Here’s the search warrant.”

Seeing the search warrant, Wang Yuqing grew nervous. She said, “Officers, my house is a bit messy. If you’re looking for something, I can help you find it. There’s no need for you to come in.”

“Please cooperate with our work.”

Wang Yuqing eventually let them in.

The interior of the house was simply decorated, with nothing extravagant. The place wasn’t messy either; it was quite clean. There were no luxury items or anything suspicious.

“Why were you so adamant about keeping us out?” Zhang questioned Wang Yuqing.

“I… I have social anxiety. I don’t like people coming into my home.”

It was a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with two bedrooms and a study. Fang Rui noticed that both bedrooms had beds, and both showed signs of being slept in.

“Do you sleep in separate rooms?”

“Yes. I’m four months pregnant, so it’s not convenient to share a bed.”

Fang Rui found that the second bedroom was Director Liu’s room. They searched the room but found nothing suspicious.

“What are these pills?” Someone found several bottles of medicine in Director Liu’s drawer, labeled in English.

Wang Yuqing took the bottles and examined them, then shook her head. “I don’t know what these are. He doesn’t seem to have any illnesses. Why would he be taking these?”

Fang Rui recognized one of the bottles. Lin Qianjie’s drawer had the same pills—they were for erectile dysfunction.

“Take all these pills back with us.”

Zhang tried to get some information out of Wang Yuqing. “Director Liu is divorced now, and you’re pregnant with his child. Why aren’t you married to him?” Zhang noticed that Wang Yuqing wasn’t wearing a ring, which suggested that Director Liu had no intention of marrying her.

Wang Yuqing rolled her eyes. “Why are you, a police officer, so nosy?”

“...I’m just trying to advise you to see through this scumbag’s true colors and not waste your time on him. You’re pregnant, and he still won’t marry you. Isn’t he just using you as a baby-making machine?”

Perhaps these words struck a nerve with Wang Yuqing. Her expression changed slightly, and she retorted angrily at Zhang, "What's it to you? I'm happy to be a baby-making machine, is that so wrong?"

"..."

Zhang felt that Wang Yuqing probably didn’t like Director Liu. But that was understandable—how could a young girl like her be interested in a middle-aged man? Was it his age? Moreover, there were rumors that the man might not even be capable!

After ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‍searching the place, they found nothing related to the deceased and had no choice but to leave.

Before leaving, Fang Rui glanced at Wang Yuqing's belly. A strange suspicion crossed his mind: if Director Liu was taking potency pills, could the child in her belly really be his? Would it even be a healthy child?

Fang Rui asked, "Do you go for regular prenatal checkups?"

"Of course. The baby's father works at Anqi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, so he arranges everything perfectly for each checkup."

"Is your baby healthy?"

"Absolutely. This baby is very healthy."

Fang Rui found her response a bit odd. Shouldn’t she have said, "My baby is healthy"? Why did she say, "This baby"?