Chapter 241: Chapter 227: Locking Down a Suspect in Just 1 Day, That’s Too Fast

’Lv Youwei was right to have me bring someone along. At least I have someone to talk to.’

’Back with the squad, there were always cases. When there weren’t, we still had to write case files and all sorts of reports. There was never a moment to rest.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

’This bit of rare downtime felt like a vacation.’

The two of them spent the time making wild guesses about what might be on the flash drive Jiang Qi had left behind. They continued like this until a little after four in the afternoon, when Luo Limei finally returned, pedaling her tricycle.

Her face lit up when she saw Shen Xin, Ding Yuwei, and the old dog.

Of course, the old dog hadn’t forgotten her. It ambled over familiarly to greet her, its tail wagging slowly.

Seeing the dog her son had raised, the familiar scene stirred up painful memories for Luo Limei, and she began to wipe her tears again.

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei helped her unload the tricycle.

Luo Limei sat in the courtyard, the old dog lying quietly at her feet, as she spoke at length about Han Xiaolong.

She told them how Han Xiaolong had gotten meningitis back then and how she blamed herself for not getting him to the hospital in time.

She had been too busy working in the fields to take proper care of her child.

"Once, someone even tried to persuade me, saying that since my boy was already like this, it would be better to just give him up. They said my husband and I were still young, we could just have another."

A flash of indignation crossed Luo Limei’s face. She clutched at her chest and said, "He’s my own flesh and blood! How could I ever give him up? Back then, I made up my mind. No matter how much I had to suffer, I was going to raise him."

"Whatever hardship came, I accepted it. It was my mistake, so I would spend my whole life making it up to him."

"But I never, ever thought he would go before me."

Shen Xin quickly changed the subject, asking about Han Xiaolong and the old dog.

Luo Limei’s tears gradually subsided. Stroking the old dog’s head, she explained that he was exceptionally smart and seemed to understand people. He was always with Han Xiaolong.

Wherever Han Xiaolong went, the dog followed. That’s why Han Xiaolong never got lost—the old dog always remembered the way home.

Shen Xin nodded to himself.

’This is a crucial point,’ he thought. ’If the dog was always with Han Xiaolong, then it must have been nearby when the crime occurred.’

’So, did it attack the killer?’

’If it did, would the killer have gotten a rabies shot afterward?’

’This could be another clue leading to the killer.’

Shen Xin asked Luo Limei how the old dog had reacted after Han Xiaolong’s death, and whether it had any injuries.

If it had tried to protect its master by attacking the killer, the killer might have fought back and injured it.

That would also be indirect proof that the dog was present at the time of the crime.

"I don’t know," Luo Limei said, shaking her head. "I was so focused on finding Xiaolong that I didn’t pay any attention to the dog."

Ding Yuwei lowered her voice. "Shen Xin, are you planning to check who got a rabies shot after the incident?"

Shen Xin gave a slight nod.

After they finished sorting the scrap materials, Luo Limei invited the two of them to stay for dinner.

With that, she was about to head out to buy groceries.

There was a supermarket at the entrance to the village that sold groceries.

"Auntie, let us go," Shen Xin said. "It’ll give us a chance to walk around the village."

Shen Xin didn’t refuse her offer. There were still more details about Han Xiaolong’s relationship with the dog that he needed to ask Luo Limei about.

With that, Shen Xin called to Heaven-Howling Dog and led him by the leash toward the supermarket at the village entrance.

「As evening approached.」

As the old saying goes, "An evening glow means you can travel a thousand miles."

A brilliant sunset painted the western sky, promising a fine day tomorrow.

Pingyu was economically developed, and even its rural areas were well-maintained nowadays.

Every village had its own waterways, with small bridges arching over flowing streams, creating a uniquely picturesque landscape.

The two of them and the dog strolled along the village path, looking for all the world like a married couple out for an evening walk after dinner.

Ding Yuwei followed in silence, savoring the rare moment of peace.

Just then, Shen Xin spoke up. "Ding Yuwei, don’t follow me tomorrow. Let’s split up. There’s not much for me to do here anyway, so it’s a waste of your time to stick around."

"Go check the hospital records. See if anyone went to get a rabies shot six years ago, right after the incident."

Rabies shots are only administered at designated hospitals, and the records are kept for a long time, so you should be able to find them.

Besides, if the killer was bitten by the old dog, his family would probably know about it too.

So that’s something we can ask about during future interviews.

Liu Jie’s focus wasn’t on the dog back then, so he definitely wouldn’t have asked about this.

"Got it."

Ding Yuwei silently rolled her eyes. ’What a buzzkill,’ she thought.

The old dog walked slowly, stopping from time to time.

It truly seemed to be slowly recovering its memories.

As a result, it took them half an hour to reach the supermarket at the edge of the village.

It was the only sizable supermarket in the village, and it had an open area out front.

This open area had been landscaped and furnished with some exercise equipment.

It seemed to serve as the village’s community hub.

When they arrived, a few people were chatting nearby.

Their voices were a bit loud, and Shen Xin glanced over instinctively.

A middle-aged man in a down jacket was holding a takeout container of braised meats. He must have just come out of the supermarket and was about to get into his car.

He drove an S-Class.

He had paused to make small talk with some people standing by the flower planters.

"Man, business is so tough these days," the middle-aged man complained. "I wake up every morning tens of thousands in debt to the bank. Honestly, the headache is killing me."

It sounded like a complaint, but it was more of a humblebrag.

The person he was talking to chuckled and flattered him, saying they wished they had the chance to owe the bank that kind of money.

Shen Xin glanced over briefly before turning to enter the supermarket.

He felt a tug on the leash and realized the old dog had stopped, standing perfectly still.

Its head was turned, and it was staring intently at the middle-aged man, completely motionless.

Shen Xin tugged on the leash, but it still didn’t budge.

"Heaven-Howling Dog, what’s wrong?" Shen Xin asked, crouching down.

The old dog’s eyes were no longer cloudy; they were fixed in an intense, unwavering stare on the middle-aged man.

Its gaze was strange, in a way Shen Xin couldn’t quite describe. It was as if the dog, too, was desperately searching its memories.