When Lin Xi uttered the words "Could there be another case behind the Yang Lake Phantom".

Chen Xiao felt as if a pair of hands had reached into his muddled mind.

Those hands were Lin Xi’s, helping Chen Xiao tear apart the chaos, finally revealing a glimmer of light.

Chen Xiao had always struggled to understand what kind of situation could push three grown men to their deaths.

Upon hearing that Li Jindao lent money, Chen Xiao thought of high debts, suspecting that the three might have owed a huge debt they couldn’t repay, forcing them to pay with their lives.

But Geng Youfeng firmly stated that no one pursued the debt after Zhu Mao’s death.

This implies that money might not be the fundamental cause.

Following Lian Yuhong’s death as a clue was another possibility, but ultimately, Chen Xiao found it unlikely.

Finally, when Lin Xi suggested there might be another case involved.

Chen Xiao’s thinking turned in a different direction.

If such a case indeed existed, something that could directly warrant a death sentence, could it be possible that Lian Da and the two chose to hang themselves to avoid affecting their families?

However, there is still something about this idea that cannot be clearly explained.

That is Xie Yan’s death.

Chen Xiao didn’t dwell on it for the moment and drove to the criminal investigation team.

Qin Fei, upon seeing him, looked surprised, "Advisor Chen, coming in such a hurry, what’s the matter...?"

"Have someone from the document archive assist by compiling all the cases handled by Senior Xie Yan in his lifetime, especially the ones where the culprit was never found!"

Every city has unsolved cases.

They can even be broken down into every criminal investigation team.

Especially in the distant past, dormant cases were common.

Chen Xiao’s current thought is to find that case connecting Xie Yan and the three from Lian Da.

Of course, this is merely a hopeful wish, and one that won’t be instantly realized.

Because that case surely was not traced to Lian Da and the others.

Qin Fei was a bit confused when Chen Xiao stated his purpose.

"Have you discovered anything?" Qin Fei asked, to which Chen Xiao shook his head, "Not yet, but Lin Xi gave me an idea that I feel should be ruled out. If the case had specific characteristics, that would be best."

"Then you have to at least tell us what characteristics you’re looking for." Qin Fei said wryly.

Chen Xiao thought for a moment, and said, "Blind people!"

Qin Fei nodded, "Alright, I’ll notify the archive to sort it out for you right away."

As he spoke, Qin Fei couldn’t help but glance at Lin Xi. But he didn’t say much, just nodded with a smile and then headed to the archive room.

Once he left, Chen Xiao took out his phone and dialed Xie Wensheng’s number.

Tomorrow, Xie Wensheng was to enter the operating room.

Afterwards, it’s clear he wouldn’t be suitable for thinking or recalling anything.

The key issue is that nobody can say for sure that Xie Wensheng will safely get off the operating table tomorrow.

The call connected.

Xie Wensheng asked with a smile, "What’s up?"

"I have a question. You’ve probably heard about some of the cases the old master handled in his lifetime, right?"

Xie Wensheng nodded, "Not all, there are many cases I don’t know about because after I started work, we were in different places."

"Alright, do you know how many cases your father didn’t catch the real perpetrator?"

"There are some."

"Are there any cases where the suspect, victim, or a family member of the victim has the characteristics of being blind?"

Xie Wensheng replied almost without thinking, "No, at least I haven’t heard my dad mention it."

"And what about the elderly lady, does she remember anything?"

Over the phone, Xie Wensheng asked his mother, "Mom, did Dad ever handle a case where some involved person had poor eyesight?"

"Never heard of it, why do you ask?"

"It’s nothing, just that Chen Xiao asked."

"Oh, well there probably isn’t any, or your dad never mentioned it to me, he rarely talked about his work."

The conversation on the other end was overheard by Chen Xiao, who laughed wryly, "If that’s the case, then I’ll just have to check the archives myself."

"Alright, but can you tell me why you’re checking this?"

Chen Xiao relayed Lin Xi’s hypothesis, and Xie Wensheng said in shock, "That’s a very unconventional hypothesis, but don’t overlook a crucial question — why did my dad choose that way to die?"

"I know, but the word ’blind’ was told to me by Zhu Mao’s wife, who said he kept muttering the night he drowned, so I thought it should be ruled out."

"It definitely should be ruled out, but when did your wife arrive?"

"She got here last night, and she didn’t tell me." Chen Xiao laughed as Xie Wensheng replied, "You mentioned before that your wife is also a police officer, huh? Seems like she’s quite impressive too! If you have time, come visit me at the hospital, the surgery is at 8 AM tomorrow."

"Don’t worry, I’ll be there."

After Chen Xiao replied, the two didn’t chat further and ended the call.

After waiting in the criminal investigation team for a while, Qin Fei notified him that the archives were ready.

Chen Xiao took Lin Xi to the archive room, looking at piles and piles of case files, Lin Xi was overwhelmed:

"Hmph, I knew coming to Shencheng City to find you would make me your assistant."

Chen Xiao chuckled, pinching Lin Xi’s cheek, "Help me out, they say united couples can overcome anything!"

"When we’re done, take me out for a good meal."

Lin Xi said offhandedly, and only then did Chen Xiao remember he had plans for dinner with Zuo Shu tonight.

Considering for a moment, Chen Xiao immediately called Xiaoji and the other two.

"You three, come to the criminal investigation team now to help with the case files; the team here is short-staffed and busy."

"Alright Brother Chen, we’re on our way."

After making the call, Chen Xiao began to look through the case files as well.

He and Lin Xi focused on the unsolved cases.

There weren’t many, only three in total.

Xie Yan was over fifty when he passed, and his entire police career spanned from the 70s and 80s to 1994.

In such distant times, failing to catch the culprit was understandable.

The real fear was that they might have caught the wrong person!

However, Chen Xiao didn’t have much feeling regarding two of the cases due to the time lapse.

What truly caught his attention was the Luming Ridge Reservoir case from 1990!

Chen Xiao looked at the case file and placed it in front of Lin Xi, almost confidently saying:

"Look at this case, the number of people matches!"

Lin Xi immediately picked it up, glancing through it before exclaiming in surprise, "A couple murdered, all wealth stolen, suspicious footprints of three people at the scene!"

Chen Xiao nodded, "Exactly, something’s off about the number of people involved in this. Also, look further."

Lin Xi continued flipping pages, her brows furrowing more as she read:

"Hey, this case file seems odd? The contents feel disjointed, especially the records section!"

Chen Xiao squinted slightly, "You’re right, I have that feeling too, I even suspect parts of this case file... are missing!"