Chapter 47: So You’re the One Called Yaozu, Huh?

These days, it’s quite rare to find a child named Yaozu directly.

Ever since Cen Lian mentioned that something felt off about this young man, Tang Hua signaled Gao Haolin to pull the car over, intending to investigate the situation first.

Although Gao Haolin still didn’t fully understand what was happening, he obediently stopped the car.

As Cen Lian opened the door, he saw Wu Yaozu, who had been wandering by the roadside, glance toward the police car. Upon spotting the officers stepping out, he immediately bolted reflexively.

Several officers who had just gotten out of the car, including the forensic pathologist, instinctively gave chase.

Who runs the moment they see the police? That’s hardly the behavior of a good person.

Cen Lian took the lead. Just as he was about to catch up to Wu Yaozu, he casually grabbed a hard object from the roadside—a yellowish-brown brick—and with a graceful arc through the air, smashed it down with a loud thud, knocking Wu Yaozu to the ground.

Before Wu Yaozu could get up again, Gao Haolin and Zhang He had already pinned him down from either side. Tang Hua promptly pressed down on him with the weight of a mountain, rendering him completely immobile.

Wu Qiushan approached leisurely.

“I had my doubts initially, but the moment he ran, I was relieved,” Wu Qiushan said, pulling a strand of hair from Wu Yaozu’s head. “Though I doubt his DNA will match.”

“What do you mean?” Tang Hua asked, confused.

“To be walking openly like that on the street means he definitely didn’t leave any traces at the Wulongxing residence—none of the obvious DNA or fingerprints that could be easily found would be his,” Cen Lian explained, answering Tang Hua’s question. “But there’s one thing he definitely can’t escape.”

“What’s that?” Gao Haolin, who had just handcuffed Wu Yaozu, inquired.

Cen Lian flipped open Wu Yaozu’s three-layered coat.

“He didn’t notice there was blood on his underwear as well.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Yaozu gave up struggling entirely, his body going limp and lifeless on the ground.

In truth, their current location was still some distance from Lingxia Village. The car had just entered Lanxi Town and hadn’t even reached the town streets yet. Lingxia Village was on the other side of the town. Encountering Wu Yaozu here was partly a matter of luck.

Tang Hua scanned Wu Yaozu’s ID with the police handheld device and, upon discovering his criminal record, grew even more excited.

Cen Lian caught a familiar scent on him.

It smelled like he had been using drugs.

There was no text bubble above his head, indicating he wasn’t involved in drug trafficking or similar crimes. According to current laws, drug use is illegal but not considered a crime in itself, so it wouldn’t appear on his criminal record.

“Who brought the quick test kit?” he asked.

Wu Qiushan pulled out a box from the trunk. “This standard one should be enough.”

Cen Lian sniffed carefully and confirmed, “Most likely methamphetamine. Just test him.”

Wu Yaozu was lifted up and, under Gao Haolin’s watchful eye, a sample was taken and applied to the reagent kit.

Within minutes, the line indicating methamphetamine clearly appeared.

“So he really is a ‘skater.’ Take him to the Lanxi Town police station first,” Wu Qiushan said, casually placing the test kit into an evidence bag. “And send his clothes for bloodstain analysis.”

Being caught directly by Cen Lian and running desperately at the sight of police made Wu Yaozu a confirmed suspect in Wu Qiushan’s eyes.

Although Gao Haolin and Zhang He didn’t fully understand how the senior detectives reached their conclusions, they trusted their experience and judgment.

Wu Yaozu was sandwiched between Tang Hua and Zhang He in the back seat, his eyes vacant and his mental state clearly poor.

“He’s about to go into withdrawal,” Forensic Doctor Lin noted with experience. “Once he’s thrown into the town police station, he’ll confess on his own without interrogation.”

Such addicts were actually easy to handle during questioning, as withdrawal often made them do unpredictable things.

More curious to Cen Lian was how Wu Yaozu had managed to evade detection by the city bureau’s criminal investigation team all this time.

With his knowledge of municipal police procedures, it was unlikely for basic investigative errors to occur unless someone deliberately interfered at the crime scene.

Gao Haolin drove into town first, leaving Zhang He and Tang Hua to guard Wu Yaozu. The remaining four officers, along with the local police responsible for Lingxia Village, switched to a town police car and headed out.

The village was just over twenty kilometers from town. Thanks to Gao Haolin’s excellent driving skills, they arrived in just over half an hour.

“This is Lingxia Village. Wu Yaozu’s home is on the east side, and the victim Wulongxing’s family is on the west. Which side do we check first?” Gao Haolin asked.

Cen Lian and Wu Qiushan exchanged a quick glance.

“Xiao Gao, take me to the crime scene. Forensic Doctor Lin, come with Cen Lian to Wu Yaozu’s place,” Wu Qiushan quickly assigned roles. The local police officer in charge of Lingxia Village would escort Cen Lian and Lin to Wu Yaozu’s home, while Gao Haolin accompanied Wu Qiushan to the first crime scene.

The local officer, also surnamed Wu and named Wu Bo, led them into the village, unable to hide his emotions.

“I’m from Lingxia Village too. Didn’t expect such a big case to happen here,” he said as he navigated the maze of village paths with Cen Lian and Lin. “The Wu Yaozu you’re looking into is notorious in the village. He just turned eighteen last year and was sentenced to nearly a year for stealing from neighbors to fund his gaming. I heard he got out recently and quickly fell back in with his old crowd—still gaming, but also getting into fights.”

“Does anyone in the village know about his drug use?” Cen Lian asked.

Wu Bo shook his head. “I think it’s recent. Our village is small; if he’d had this habit for long, everyone would know within two months.”

Though Cen Lian hadn’t lived in the village for long, he visited during festivals and knew that someone like Wu Yaozu was definitely village gossip, so he had no reason to doubt Wu Bo’s account.

After winding through several narrow lanes, Wu Bo stopped at a modest home resembling its neighbors, with “Good Fortune and Happiness” pasted on the door and flowers growing in the yard.

Soon, a woman came to open the door. Cen Lian noticed a text bubble above her head.

[Name: Liu Fenxiu]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 41]
[Criminal Record: Assisted in destruction, forgery of evidence, and harboring Wu Yaozu 19 days ago in Jiangyuan City]
[Imprisonment Record: None]

It seemed Cen Lian’s suspicion that the crime scene had been tampered with was correct. Otherwise, with Wu Yaozu’s condition, leaving no trace would have been impossible. The question was how she had managed it—certainly not a one-person job.

“Xiao Bo, did you call me for something?” Liu Fenxiu appeared visibly flustered.

“Auntie, your Yaozu was caught for drug use. I came to let you know,” Wu Bo said, carefully avoiding mention of the case itself, only that Wu Yaozu had been arrested for drugs.

“How did he get caught?” Liu Fenxiu panicked instantly. “Can I go see him now?”

“Of course. Is anyone else home?” Wu Bo glanced inside.

Liu Fenxiu hesitated before saying, “I’ll call his sister over. I’ll come with you to the station first.”

Cen Lian and Wu Bo exchanged a glance, confirming that Liu Fenxiu had taken the bait.