As Li Xiu’s injuries were not life-threatening, Xu Lan left after bidding his farewell. Due to the impending investigation, Xu Lan wanted to get back to the police station as soon as possible. Hu Cheng and Sun Fei were at the conference room waiting for him, the person in charge of the case to give further instruction.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Xu Lan hung his coat on the coat stand as Zhu Jing offered him a cup of warm tea.

Xiao Xu, Wu Wendi, and the chief editor from the press, Shen Xiang, were all present in the room. Aware of how serious the meeting was, Xu Lan paid one hundred and twenty percent attention to it.

“Please have a seat. Lao Sun shall brief us through the new findings we made today,” Hu Cheng said as he tapped his tobacco pipe against the table.

“Mmhmm, I would like to know about that too,” Xu Lan requested for Sun Fei’s explanation after he took a seat and had a sip of tea.

“The handphone was wrecked after being soaked in the blood and water. However, we managed to recover some of the information. Over the past two months, the deceased had been in contact with a lady named Qiu Ling and their conversation centered on a man with the surname, Liu.” Sun Fei displayed the information they managed to recover on the screen.

“Here’s a scratch caused by nails, ‘…’. I’ve cross-checked the scratch with plenty of cipher keys, but none of them could decipher. Moreover, given the deceased’s living condition, I suspect that the scratch might be non-intentional.”

Sun Fei was tormented by the scratch that seemed to be an encoded line. After going through a series of cipher keys, he still could not find a matching symbol.

“As for the third discovery, Xiao Xu will brief us on that.” Sun Fei looked at Xiao Xu encouragingly, urging him to share the information he found.

“Wait a second, were there no fingerprints on the sofa and the curtain?” Xu Lan frowned as he asked. He was ready to put Bai Wu and himself under the spotlight and yet nothing was brought up.

“For now, no. There’s nothing we can do about that due to the time constraints.” Sun Fei shrugged as he replied. He did not think Xu Lan thought so highly of the curtain. He barely paid any attention to the curtains after retrieving it.

“Alright then. Xiao Xu, please continue.” Xu Lan nodded and made notes on what Sun Fei had just said while tapping on the table with his other hand.

“Yes!” Xiao Xu stood up and replied flusteredly.

“I’ve found out more about the suspect that Sergeant Xu told me to investigate on. Her name is Qiu Ling, she is a manager at a renowned company.”

“Is this the same Qiu Ling we found in the Jingxinyuan victim’s handphone?” Hu Cheng’s face brightened up as he eagerly asked.

“Yes, they’re the same person,” Xiao Xu answered affirmatively.

“Should we arrest Qiu Ling and publish an article about it?” Wu Wendi suggested in excitement as this was the first time she participated in a crime investigation. She relished in the joy of success despite the fact that she barely contributed.

“No, we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch. In fact, say nothing about the lead. Just report that we’ve found the deceased’s handphone and they would deduce that we’ve recovered the messages inside.” Xu Lan tapped against the table rhythmically as he rejected Wu Wendi’s suggestion.

“That’s right. Let’s not act rashly as what we have right now are nothing more than parts and pieces of the lead. These are not conclusive evidence that Qiu Ling is the murderer,” said Hu Cheng who had his chin rested against the back of his palm.

“For now, Xiao Xu should monitor Qiu Ling’s every move. After the news gets out, Qiu Ling would definitely reach out to her partners. This would be our chance to figure out their size of operation,” said Xu Lan with determination.

“Yes!”

“Haha, I thought this is my final goodbye with everyone. I’m glad that everyone is motivated. Today is the first day and I’m confident that we will catch the perpetrator whether he’s working alone or in a group! Let’s give it our best!” Hu Cheng laughed cheerfully.

“Director General, we would never want you to leave. Haha!” Xu Lan laughed as he replied.

Instead of giving orders from his office, Hu Cheng insisted to fight alongside everyone. He would help out by going through videos, reading up the materials, and reorganizing the notes. His dedication showed how much he valued the case.

“By the way, how is Officer Li doing?” he asked.

“According to the doctor, he’s fine and can be discharged after a night’s stay,” answered Xu Lan.

“That’s good. Now, everyone please work on the new findings we got today. Xiao Xu, keep a close eye on Qiu Ling. The two comrades from the press, please publish about the progress we made. As for everyone else, head over to Lanshan area. Let’s see who’s going to be the next target!” Hu Cheng nodded as he instructed.

“Alright, everyone’s dismissed.” Xu Lan packed up and was ready to leave.

“Lao Xu.” Sun Fei stopped Xu Lan in his track. “I might need an extra pair of hands with Xiao Xu gone,” he said.

“Uh huh. Who do you want?” Xu Lan agreed with him as Sun Fei and his team too were under pressure.

“I think Xiao Li would do. Do you mind if I have him?” Sun Fei smiled and asked Xu Lan.

Xu Lan was stunted. Xiao Li was tasked with taking care of the child. If Sun Fei were to have Xiao Li, who would be taking care of the child?

“It’s fine if you’re not okay with it. I can find someone else,” Sun Fei replied hurriedly as he took Xu Lan’s silence as reluctance.

“Hmm, this isn’t actually a problem just that… fine, I’ll get him to report to you tomorrow.” Xu Lan knew that he had to get his priority straight. If anything, he would get the landlord to take care of Bai Wu.

“Haha. Alright then, thank you. Are you worried about the little guy? Here’s a suggestion, why don’t you check if reporter Wu is willing to take care of Bai Wu?”

Sun Fei intended to matchmake Wu Wendi and Xu Lan. Through their interactions in the past two days, he noticed that Wu Wendi was someone brave who stood by her principles. She was also blessed with good looks and a kind soul. More importantly, she was single and had volunteered to help with the ongoing investigation. Where could one possibly find a woman as great as her?

“Sister, my happiness is in your hands now!” Shen Xiang hinted at Wu Wendi.

“Sergeant Xu has a child. What are you going on about…” Wu Wendi was confused and tried to talk Shen Xiang out of her imagination.

“No one is taking care of the child and the ex-wife is past tense. I’m not worried about it. Are you going to help?” Shen Xiang insisted.

“No. You’re after all a…”

“Ah! Yes, I can!” Wu Wendi yelped in pain. It seemed that before Wu Wendi could continue, Shen Xiang gave her a hard pinch.