Chapter 706: Ah Zu, Let It Go!

Chen Xiao had faced situations where he had to take on responsibilities during emergencies.

However, regarding the merits in East Province, whether they were good or not, he wasn’t overly concerned.

Moreover, Qin Fei was wholeheartedly dedicated to his tasks, so if Chen Xiao were to be half-hearted, it would be quite improper.

Seeing that Cao Xiuyuan and Sun Zhou had no objections, Chen Xiao was more than happy to push the matters onto Qin Fei.

Yet, the investigation into the case had to be conducted thoroughly.

Chen Xiao once again opened the video where the murderer boasted about the Holy Fruit to the police, and then picked up paper and pencil.

He was unsure if he could draw the face beneath the mask.

But he remembered those eyes, the head, and the build.

Cao Xiuyuan and Sun Zhou also noticed Chen Xiao’s actions.

However, seeing the seriousness with which Chen Xiao watched the video and the carefulness with which he drew, neither of them asked anything for now.

As Chen Xiao watched the video, they also watched it.

While watching, they similarly pondered over it just like Chen Xiao.

Subsequently, when Chen Xiao started drawing, they turned their gaze towards the lines appearing on the paper in Chen Xiao’s hand.

After the video finished, Chen Xiao stopped the pen he was holding.

Cao Xiuyuan and Sun Zhou were clear in seeing that it was a rather abstract portrait.

Why abstract?

Mainly because, except for the eyes, the other features on that face were not very distinctive.

"What are you drawing?" Cao Xiuyuan asked.

Chen Xiao smiled and said, "It’s a method I’ve often tried in Dongzhou to depict the murderer."

"You mean to say you’re drawing the face hidden beneath the mask of the murderer?"

Chen Xiao replied, "Yes, but you don’t need to ask me how I drew it because I have no way of explaining it to you. It’s purely a matter of personal experience and intuition."

Cao Xiuyuan and Sun Zhou both nodded, their gaze never leaving the portrait.

"You know, although the nose isn’t a nose and the mouth isn’t a mouth apart from the eyes, I somehow have a silhouette in my mind."

"It’s an indescribable feeling. If the murderer were standing right in front of me now, and if I were to identify him carefully, I should notice similarities."

Cao Sun chimed in one after the other.

Chen Xiao said with a bitter smile, "This method can only be considered auxiliary. If the murderer really stood in front of us, we might not necessarily be able to conclude it’s him."

Power of Sculpting and Painting, when the case isn’t entirely clear, emphasizes just a feeling.

Since feelings cannot be materialized, Chen Xiao was not willing to discuss this further.

After putting away the sketch, Chen Xiao got up and said:

"We should return to Xiaozhuang South Town."

"Aren’t you going to take a look at the scene of Dou Zhihai’s death?"

"I assume the police have thoroughly investigated every inch of the shopping center where Dou Zhihai passed by? That guy wouldn’t make a rookie mistake trying to single-handedly combat our task force."

"Moreover, the root of the case is at Xiaozhuang South Town, we shouldn’t overlook it."

"Chen Xiao is right, we should treat Xiaodou’s death seriously, but the source of these two cases is still Yuan Keyu. However, now we can confirm the murderer’s motive was to gain fame, or to put it more bluntly, his aim was to confront the police."

Upon hearing Cao Xiuyuan say this, Chen Xiao fell into thought.

After pondering for a moment, Chen Xiao proactively said:

"I think we need to thoroughly research why the murderer despises the police so much."

The three began to talk as they walked.

Once they were in the car, after having a good think, they opened up the topic completely.

"The most likely reason for his hatred towards the police is that he has suffered losses at their hands before. For instance, committing an act that got him caught and sent inside by the police, plus the time spent there might have been an extremely dark period for his life."

"Under such circumstances, his hatred towards the arresting police officers would linger for a very long time."

Cao Xiuyuan first shared his thoughts.

However, after he finished, Cao Xiuyuan added:

"But, criminals arising from this situation would likely aim directly at the police officer who caught them."

"Old Cao is right; I’ve encountered such a case before. The guy originally intended to take revenge on the officer who arrested him, but when he failed, he settled for retaliating against the officer’s family."

"The case caused quite a stir locally, yet he never experienced the pleasure of revenge because he felt it wasn’t a true revenge."

Sun Zhou shared his own experience.

As Chen Xiao listened, his gaze also swept over the rapidly retreating guardrail, he said softly:

"I’ve encountered similar situations too; it was in Qingxi, during an investigation of a case involving multiple college student murders."

"The murderer was a policeman’s son."

"That policeman used to be the best detective locally, with a high case-solving rate, wholly devoted to his work. However, he violated the rules in one case and was incarcerated for several years."

"From when he was absorbed in work to when he was imprisoned and released, his only son grew up trailing behind a street Daoist, begging for food. Although their father-son relationship was restored after his release from prison, his son always harbored resentment against him in his heart."

"Due to the longstanding resentment and some unfortunate incidents, he eventually became a butcher. After I caught him, he once said he hated his father, and even more so, hated that his father was a policeman!"

Listening to Chen Xiao recount the case he experienced, Cao Xiuyuan and Sun Zhou exchanged a glance, then said:

"You mean Xiaofeng Village’s case?"

Chen Xiao nodded, "Seems you have thoroughly understood the cases I’ve investigated."

"Xiaofeng Village’s case is one of the most remarkable among the cases you’ve investigated; naturally, as a task force, we’d be interested in your exploits."

"Yes, it’s not the case that matters, but whether my experiences will happen again?" Chen Xiao continued to ask.

Cao Xiuyuan pondered briefly, "There’s a significant possibility, the world is vast with countless coincidences, and we, being detectives, encounter cases with the same motives for murder quite frequently."

"So that’s why experience becomes a crucial criterion for elevating in detective work, this... is the reason."

Sun Zhou took over the thread, "You lean towards your experience, don’t you?"

"I don’t know, but aside from these two possibilities, what else could lead to such a murder case?" Chen Xiao countered.

Sun Zhou thought for a moment, then said:

"Of course, this world’s people are most unpredictable, especially their hearts. Sometimes, a casual word from a police officer could trigger the darkest side of someone’s heart. The officer thinks nothing of it, but his words deeply hurt a potential killer."

"Looking at this case, it’s quite possible the murderer was once humiliated by the police. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have such intense hatred towards them."

There are three possibilities in total.

One: The murderer had the most direct hatred towards the police.

Two: His upbringing environment instilled hatred towards the police.

Three: The murderer inherently has a twisted mentality, his hatred for police might not be due to any major incident, it could simply be a gesture or word!

For Chen Xiao, all three possibilities seem likely.

As he pondered over it intently, the image of the murderer with the mask suddenly emerged in Chen Xiao’s mind.

The instant the masked figure appeared, he recalled another individual.

That person surfaced in his mind, prompting Chen Xiao to instinctively sigh, "Ah Zu, it’s time to stop!"