Chapter 52: A Murder Case, and You Tell Me It’s Related to Espionage?

Hefuchi Ridge barely qualifies as a tourist attraction for locals, and is virtually unheard of among outsiders.

When Cen Lian stepped out of the car, he found that the body-disposal site chosen by Tian Xianzhong was a nearly uninhabited valley in Hefuchi Ridge. The valley was littered with household garbage washed down by floods, alongside all sorts of chaotic trees and vegetation.

Indeed, it was a good place for dumping a body.

Forensic Doctor Lin's car stopped behind them. Two forensic assistants from the Jiangyuan City bureau got out along with Forensic Doctor Lin, and according to the spot pointed out by Tian Xianzhong, they dug up the body buried in the valley.

Qin Xingguo's body had not yet fully decomposed, and some of his features from when he was alive were still discernible. Forensic Doctor Lin stepped closer to examine it, confirming that Qin Xingguo's cause of death matched Tian Xianzhong's confession.

The subsequent work became much simpler. The two forensic assistants helped sample the soil and other substances around the body, and several criminal police officers joined forces to wrap the body up and lift it into the vehicle. The Jiangyuan City Public Security Bureau had its own autopsy room, so at least they wouldn't have to look at the autopsy at a funeral home.

Cen Lian discovered Zhu Yao's backpack near the burial site.

"Take it back for sampling," Cen Lian said. He still didn't know where Zhu Yao's body was, but for now, it was basically certain that everything Tian Xianzhong said was true, and Chen Nan had also driven this SUV out to dump a body.

Once the previous assumptions were verified, the rest of the matter was very straightforward, following the exact same procedure as finding Tian Xianzhong.

The only difference was that Chen Nan had already gone down a step ahead, unable to wait for Tian Xianzhong on the Netherworld Road.

Wu Qiushan called them during their return journey.

"I already know about the situation. Can you be sure that the meteorite we found next to Chen Nan's body is not the one that caused the conflict between them?" Although Wu Qiushan trusted Cen Lian enough, he still rigorously confirmed it once more.

Cen Lian looked at Hefuchi Ridge gradually disappearing in the rearview mirror, and replied in an exhausted voice, "It's indeed not that one. Just now, taking advantage of the body identification, I already showed the photos to Tian Xianzhong. He said it is vastly different from the iron-stony meteorite in the photos."

Wu Qiushan on the other end of the phone fell silent for a moment.

"That complicates things," he said, looking at the report in his hand. "The bloodstains and fingerprints I extracted here can prove that Zhu Yao died right in Chen Nan's home. The disposal site can be determined simply based on the SUV's driving records. According to normal procedures, this case can already be concluded."

Cen Lian understood what Wu Qiushan meant. As a homicide case, this matter had essentially come to an end. Although there was a problem with the meteorite serving as physical evidence, the chains of evidence for both Chen Nan murdering Zhu Yao and Tian Xianzhong murdering Qin Xingguo were complete. The meteorite, acting as a crucial yet non-essential link, could not actually affect the final outcome of these two homicide cases.

Because whether the murder was triggered by a meteorite worth hundreds of thousands or one potentially worth tens of millions made no difference in the final sentencing.

"What are your thoughts right now?" he asked Wu Qiushan.

"Let's close the homicide case first, and open a separate case regarding Zhu Yao's assets of unknown origin and the meteorite," Wu Qiushan already had a plan in mind. "We can now be basically certain that Chen Nan himself didn't know the meteorite had been swapped; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to have had zero contact with the swapped meteorite. This indicates that the meteorite swap has no direct connection to these two homicide cases and can be filed as a separate case."

Cen Lian fell silent for a moment, knowing this was actually the best choice.

Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Let's do it this way then. At least close the homicide cases, and let's go back and spend the New Year properly. I suspect the meteorite case might be even more complex than we imagine, and we'll need to reorganize our train of thought. At least with the evidence we currently hold, we don't even have a direction for suspicion yet." Although Cen Lian felt it was somewhat hasty, the homicide case had progressed to a point where it was sufficient to be transferred to the procuratorate.

Even though he still had doubts in his heart, the others had no obligation to stay out of town and work overtime just because of his doubts.

Wu Qiushan clearly thought the same way.

After Cen Lian hung up the phone, Tian Xianzhong, who had been tightly wedged and sitting in the back, suddenly spoke up cautiously, "Officer, comrade, that meteorite you showed me—I think I might know where it came from."

"You know?" Cen Lian frowned slightly.

Tian Xianzhong thought for a moment and said, "I saw this meteorite two years ago at a seminar. I remember it had a uniquely shaped yellow mineral crystal in its lower-left corner, but this meteorite came from a university research institution, not a private collector's possession."

A jolt went through Cen Lian's heart. If this thing came from a research institution, didn't that mean it had been stolen?

Could it be that in some corner they knew nothing about, another gang of meteorite thieves was active, secretly swapping all the valuable meteorites?

Yet this didn't make much sense either; at the very least, it was certain the person who swapped the meteorite wasn't doing it for money, because the meteorite swapped and left beside Chen Nan's body was also worth hundreds of thousands.

"Which university?" Cen Lian asked with a massive headache.

"Not one of the most famous institutions; it's a university in Yunling Province." Tian Xianzhong still had no idea who Cen Lian and the others were.

Cen Lian thought for a moment and quickly figured out which university in their province it was.

It seemed the subsequent investigation of this case would still have to return to Yunling Province.

"Officer, I also know a few other things. If I tell you all of it, can it count as rendering meritorious service?" Tian Xianzhong was wearing a black hood and couldn't see anything, but hearing that the activity on Cen Lian's side had quieted down, he spoke up cautiously once more.

Cen Lian glanced at him sideways, knowing he intended to seize any opportunity to render meritorious service in exchange for a suspended death sentence.

After bringing the suspect back to the interrogation room, Tian Xianzhong hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "I know something about Zhu Yao, but I don't have much evidence. If I tell you and it turns out to be true upon investigation, can that count as meritorious service for me?"

Tang Hua looked at him with a stern and serious expression. "If the evidence you provide is indeed of great help to the police, of course it can."

Whether this help was big enough, however, was up to the police to interpret.

Naturally, Tang Hua wouldn't say that out loud. The guy clearly felt he had a glimmer of hope for survival now, so they needed to make him feel that the more he confessed, the higher his chances of getting a suspended death sentence would be.

It wasn't Cen Lian's first time coordinating with Tang Hua; he knew it was his cue to step in. So, his voice remained fairly gentle as he offered reassurance, "The clues you've provided so far are useful to our case, so go ahead and tell us whatever you know."

A light flickered in Tian Xianzhong's eyes indeed. The instinct to survive drove his already deteriorating memory, causing him to think briefly and blurt out his words almost immediately, as if terrified that missing this opportunity would get him shot on the spot.

"I know where Zhu Yao's money came from. A friend of mine ran into her trading with a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner, and that person gave her money to buy meteorites!" Tian Xianzhong involuntarily sped up his speech. "And ever since she entered the trade of buying meteorites, I've heard rumors in the circle more than once about meteorites going missing. I suspect she was bought off by foreigners and deliberately stole meteorites with research value!"

Cen Lian and Tang Hua exchanged glances, both of them profoundly shocked.