Chapter 232: Chapter 224: A Simpleton’s Life Isn’t a Life?

A few suspects were identified, but they were all eventually ruled out.

Finally, they looked for the murder weapon and the primary crime scene.

As for the murder weapon.

From the very beginning, Liu Jie had tried pumping the well dry, searching the bottom for the rock used to kill Han Xiaolong.

He speculated that the killer might have conveniently tossed the rock into the well too.

Unfortunately, they didn’t find any rocks with sharp edges that matched the wound.

Based on the fractures, the rock used to kill Han Xiaolong must have had sharp edges.

They then searched all over the village, expanding the search area, but still found no blood-stained rocks.

They then speculated it had been thrown into the river. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

They even sent people into the river to feel around, but trying to find one specific rock in an entire river was truly like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Then, for the primary crime scene, they conducted a detailed search within a 200-meter radius of the well, and they actually found it.

It was southeast of the well, south of the concrete road, between two houses.

They found bloodstains on the ground.

However, the house to the east was vacant.

The house to the west was occupied by an elderly couple. After repeated questioning, they said they vaguely heard someone’s voice but didn’t go outside to look, so they didn’t know what had happened.

A thorough search of the scene also failed to yield any useful clues.

At this point, the first phase of the investigation ended.

Liu Jie returned to square one, trying to investigate from other angles.

For example, people from other villages.

He organized another team to investigate Dade Village to the east and Li Jiahuang to the west.

They found some suspects, but again, ruled them all out.

The investigation continued back and forth until the end of October, at which point the case reached a stalemate and was shelved.

Shen Xin put down the case file.

There were continuous supplementary investigations afterward, but they all dried up by 2014.

Shen Xin glanced at Liu Jie, who was making small talk with Lv Youwei. ’The first question in my mind,’ he thought, ’is why Liu Jie sought me out.’

At the precinct, Shen Xin had solved several cold cases and had also gone through a massive number of cold case files.

Shen Xin had concluded that cases that go cold usually fall into one of two categories.

First, the case is too old, and the conditions for investigation were lacking.

In 2012, Pingyu was still a remote, rural area.

And Qingyuan Town... if Shen Xin remembered correctly, that was probably the poorest town in Songling District.

In a case like this one, the body had been soaking in the well for nearly three days. A lot of evidence was contaminated or washed away.

The second category is pure chance.

You can never guess what really happened at the time.

Just like in Zhu Guishen’s case.

So, for this case to go cold, it probably fit the first category better: insufficient investigative resources.

But to be honest, cases like this were very common.

With the passage of time, they become very difficult to solve.

’So why on earth would Liu Jie come to me for help?’

Seeing Shen Xin put down the file, Liu Jie immediately stopped talking, turned his head, and asked Shen Xin what he thought.

Shen Xin glanced at Lv Youwei.

’It’s not really my place to be pointing fingers on someone else’s case, is it?’

Shen Xin wasn’t the type to think he was some invincible super-detective just because he’d solved a few cases.

’Anything you can think of, they’ve almost certainly already thought of it.’

So, after a moment of consideration, Shen Xin said, "Chief Liu, your investigation was so thorough, I really don’t have any ideas."

Liu Jie laughed. "Don’t hold back. Just say whatever’s on your mind."

Shen Xin still shook his head. He really didn’t have any major thoughts at the moment.

But after reading the file, Shen Xin felt it was highly likely the perpetrator was a villager.

An outsider was unlikely.

Han Xiaolong was mentally handicapped. There were probably people who teased him or made fun of him, but murder? Shen Xin felt that was a low probability.

Seeing that Shen Xin wasn’t speaking, Liu Jie didn’t press him. He sighed and said, "You must be wondering why I came to you."

Shen Xin nodded.

He really couldn’t figure out why Liu Jie would seek him out.

Even if this was a case he had personally handled.

It was understandable that it was a thorn in his side, something he couldn’t get over. But he was now the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Investigation Detachment; he had enough authority to reopen the investigation.

There was really no need to make a special trip to Nanjiang to ask for his help.

Liu Jie said, "Because of a dog."

A dog?

Shen Xin was stunned for a moment, then it dawned on him.

’It must be from when we had that meal by the lake. He heard about Wu Jiawang’s case and it sparked something.’

’Thinking back, he was lost in thought for a good while after hearing about Wu Jiawang’s case.’

But there was no mention of a dog in the case file.

Liu Jie continued, "It’s not in the file, but I know about it. Back then, it was common for people in the countryside to have dogs to guard their homes. Han Xiaolong’s family had one too. It was a common mutt—you know, black and tan, with the two spots above its eyes."

He gestured above his own eyebrows with both hands.

Shen Xin understood instantly. ’A "four-eyed" Iron-Clad Gold. One of the most common types of mutts.’

Liu Jie continued, "I don’t know exactly how old it was, but it should have been an adult by then."

’How would Liu Jie have even noticed a dog back then?’

"When we had dinner last time, you told me about that missing child case. That’s when I started to seriously think about this."

"I remember during the interviews, I think someone mentioned that Han Xiaolong used to run all over the village, and that dog would often follow him around. It was very close to him."

"And I remember, when we were investigating the well, there was a dog that often wandered around the area."

"Connecting that to the child’s case you mentioned, could it be a similar situation? For example, maybe this dog witnessed the crime."

"And most importantly, would it also remember what the killer looks like?"

Shen Xin had a moment of epiphany.

It seemed Wu Jiawang’s case had inspired Liu Jie, which was why he had thought to find him.

Liu Jie leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. "You know, I was the one who investigated this case from the start. I think about it often."

"And based on my intuition and experience, I still believe the killer is a local from the village. We just couldn’t pin him down. He must have lied in his statement."

"But we couldn’t confirm who was lying. We found a few suspects. One of them, Wang Chenghui, was pretty high on the list. It’s in the file. Someone witnessed him arguing with Han Xiaolong."

"Han Xiaolong was pestering him, and they had a heated argument. No one knows what it was about."

"He had an alibi, but it wasn’t airtight. We investigated for a long time but couldn’t find any other evidence. We could only be suspicious."

"And there were a few other people like him, so we couldn’t lock onto a single person."

"If we could use this dog to lock onto one person, then maybe there’s a chance to turn this case around."

Shen Xin nodded.

Shen Xin agreed with Liu Jie’s assessment that the killer was a villager.

But with several hundred people, some had weak alibis. You could suspect them, but you couldn’t find any evidence to disprove their alibis.

That’s how it’s easy to get stuck in a stalemate.

At this point, Liu Jie asked again, "So, Xiaoshen, what do you say? Can you do me this favor and make the trip?"

Shen Xin looked toward Lv Youwei.

Something like this definitely required his superior’s approval.

Lv Youwei was clearly also very cautious.

After all, he had never encountered a precedent like this before.

It’s one thing to ask an expert to consult and offer some advice; that’s perfectly normal.

But to seek out a young officer like Shen Xin...

...and to hope to find clues from a dog, no less.

So, Lv Youwei had his reservations.

He interjected, "Chief Liu, how about this? Let Xiaoshen think it over. He still has an open case on his hands."

He was making an excuse for Shen Xin.

It was true, though. The loose ends of the Bai Jifei case hadn’t been tied up yet.

Liu Jie nodded in understanding, gathered the file, and got up to leave.

But just as he was about to walk out the door, Liu Jie stopped, turned his head, and asked, "Shen Xin, do you want to know why, after six years, I still want to solve this case?"

Shen Xin shook his head.

Liu Jie continued, "Of course, it’s a case I handled personally, so I definitely want to see it through to the end."

"But the more important reason is because of Luo Limei. I remember it clearly. When we decided to temporarily shelve the case, Luo Limei said something to me."

"She asked, ’Why have you stopped investigating? Is a fool’s life not a life?’"

"I’ve never forgotten those words."

"We said it was only being classified as a cold case, that we would continue the investigation as long as conditions allowed. And I do believe the truth will come out someday."

"But I really want to crack this case and personally tell her that in our hearts, as police officers, every life is equal. We won’t give up on an investigation just because the victim was a fool."

"So, Shen Xin, do you understand what I mean?"

he asked.

Shen Xin frowned. He understood.

Liu Jie didn’t want to carry the weight of that misunderstanding.

"Chief Liu, I..."

Meeting Chief Liu’s determined gaze, Shen Xin felt a surge of emotion and subconsciously wanted to agree.

But the words caught in his throat. He swallowed them back down and said, "Let me think about it."

Liu Jie nodded slightly and turned to leave.