Chapter 336: Chapter 336: The Dead in the Tree, the Lonely Grave Underground!

Chen Xiao went to the Criminal Investigation Team.

While waiting for Lin Xi, he took out the piece of paper he got from Zhang Xian.

There wasn’t much information recorded on the paper, nor did Chen Xiao ask Zhang Xian for the details.

Because Zhang Xian might not know much either.

Especially asking him, it’s better to have a thorough conversation with the detective to whom Zhang Xian owes something.

Chen Xiao looked at the paper.

The information recorded on it was scattered.

It had names, some dates, and even a bottle of wine drawn on it.

But Chen Xiao didn’t know what Zhang Xian’s mindset was when he recorded it, anyway it was a mess.

Lin Xi came over with two sets of bowls and chopsticks, smiling, "What are you looking at?"

"Today I went to see Director Zhang, he kept calling me brother this, brother that, and I knew it was nothing good."

Chen Xiao said, handing the paper to Lin Xi.

After reading it, the latter said, somewhat surprised, "This is hoping you can help investigate this, but in Hai City, it seems there is a special friend of Director Zhang residing there."

Chen Xiao replied, "He told me he owes that person, but he can’t handle it himself, so he had to ask me for help."

"Now I understand, it should be Captain Pan. She and Director Zhang built a deep relationship during a cross-province investigation when they were young. It’s said that Captain Pan almost left Hai City to look for Captain Zhang back then, but later she stayed in Hai City, and Director Zhang is as we see him now."

With just a short sentence, Chen Xiao’s gossipy nature was stirred up.

"There’s a story here!"

"I think so too, but this was also told to me by Sister Liang, she didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask more."

Chen Xiao squinted his eyes, "Do you think Director Zhang’s wife knows?"

Lin Xi quickly covered his mouth, "Don’t cause trouble, the sister-in-law is a very kind woman. But all women can be sensitive, and besides, Director Zhang is just helping out, not having unclear lingering ties!"

No matter which police force, there are always times when they had to go to other places to investigate.

So when police from out of town arrive, the local officers generally provide the greatest cooperation.

Facilitating others is facilitating oneself!

Chen Xiao laughed lightly.

Lin Xi then took his arm and went to the canteen to eat.

As soon as they entered the canteen, Zhang Xian had already set up a table there.

There were plenty of dishes, and the host, Zhang Xian, was very enthusiastic, waving to them as soon as he saw them.

Chen Xiao and Lin Xi walked over.

Looking at the dishes on the table, Lin Xi smiled and said, "Director Zhang, you’ve left my Chen Xiao no chance to refuse!"

"Ah, I had no choice, I had to resort to this. Only because I know your Chen Xiao, otherwise others encountering such a thing would have only hard-headedly refused! So, having Chen Xiao around is my good luck!"

Zhang Xian said.

Chen Xiao couldn’t be bothered to respond, and after sitting down, he directly picked up the chopsticks to eat.

Not long after, seeing Liang Yan also coming to eat, Zhang Xian called her over as well.

Now the entire Hongshan Branch knew about the relationship between Chen Xiao and his wife, and Zhang Xian and Liang Yan.

After the case of the heart extraction last time, nearly eighty percent of the Criminal Investigation Team at Hongshan Branch were sincerely convinced by Lin Xi.

After sitting down, hearing from Lin Xi the reason for this meal, Liang Yan couldn’t help but look at Zhang Xian:

"Senior brother, have you been in touch with Sister Ping all along, does my sister-in-law know?"

Zhang Xian immediately gave a look, "I haven’t been in touch with her all along, it’s always your sister-in-law who’s been in touch with her. This time, also, your sister-in-law was the one who, during a call with her, sensed she might be in trouble, so she brought it up with me."

Liang Yan gave a thumbs up, "Gotta say, my sister-in-law is exceptionally understanding!"

Zhang Xian nodded with a smile, "Yes, but Huiping is indeed in trouble, or she wouldn’t have come to me."

"What kind of case is it, then? Even Sister Ping is troubled by it!"

The question Liang Yan raised was also the one Chen Xiao wanted to ask.

Zhang Xian didn’t beat around the bush and said straightforwardly:

"If the case involved someone else, it might not have put so much pressure on Pan Huiping. But the victim has two special aspects. First: After she arrived in Hai City, she was featured in the news and social reports."

"Moreover: Her adoptive parents are wealthy businesspeople. When they went to the hometown she remembered, they made a donation immediately, and were originally planning to invest there. Now that she is in trouble, the investment plans naturally got shelved."

"Considering these two points, the case attracted significant attention. Moreover, the crime scene happened to be in a relatively impoverished township in the big city of Hai City."

Hearing this, Chen Xiao got a general understanding.

"So, the victim was someone who came back seeking her roots?"

"Yes, she got separated from her parents when young and ended up living in an orphanage. Many years ago, an overseas Chinese couple adopted her from the orphanage and brought her abroad. Now, after many years, the girl returned with her adoptive parents seeking her roots."

"After returning to Hai City, the girl, in order to find her biological parents as soon as possible, contacted the media and got her story reported. Her adoptive parents also supported her strongly, first donating millions for the renovation of the orphanage where the girl previously lived."

"Later, they pledged to set up a factory in the township where the girl was born, to create employment for locals, with a total investment amounting to billions!"

Hai City is a very economically developed metropolis.

But in any city, wealth is never universal.

Behind prosperity, there are still many places wearing the hat of poverty.

When someone comes and brings a multi-billion investment to a poor place, it’s undoubtedly a blessing for locals.

But this blessing vanished before it could even materialize.

One can imagine how heinous the nature of such a murder case is!

However, Chen Xiao didn’t think much, instead continued asking, "When the victim lived in the orphanage, she was older than the average orphan, right?"

"Yes, she had some memory of her hometown and parents. According to what she said herself, she entered the orphanage at six years old. But she mentioned that because her parents were always traveling around with her when she was a child, she only remembered a name about her hometown."

"Later, she went abroad and waited until she grew up to return to seek her roots."

Chen Xiao nodded, then asked another question:

"So how was the victim killed?"

"On a local mountain, her adoptive parents reported her missing, so the locals organized police forces to search around. After several days and nights, she was finally found on a big tree in the forest."

"Hanged?"

Zhang Xian shook his head, "No, she was killed and then placed on the tree."

Chen Xiao frowned, "It must’ve been tiring, carrying a corpse onto a tree isn’t easy."

"Yes, that’s one of the puzzles troubling Xiaopan. However, the biggest puzzle isn’t this act, but that when police found the first crime scene, they unearthed a solitary grave!"