Chapter 53 Review case files

　　"How did it go?" Liu Dazhuang asked anxiously.

　　"The forensic report says it's suicide!" replied the police officer in the white coat.

　　Liu Dazhuang took the autopsy report from the forensic examiner, shot me a look of disbelief, then quickly skimmed through it. He held it up for everyone to see. "Take a good look, folks. The official conclusion is suicide!"

　　The moment those words left his mouth, Xu Yingying and the others exchanged uneasy glances, left with nothing to say.

　　"Everyone, please go home for now," Liu Dazhuang said. "I understand how you feel, but trust us—the police will keep order and ensure your safety."

　　With the situation unfolding this way, Xu Yingying and the others had no choice but to disperse, looking reluctant yet resigned.

　　As soon as they were gone, Liu Dazhuang turned to me, grinning as he gave me a thumbs-up. "I’ve gotta hand it to you, Xiaofeng. You really pulled it off!"

　　I wasn’t surprised by his praise, nor did I care. I simply replied, "Let’s go inside. I need to check those case files."

　　"Sure thing!" He led the way into the station, while my thoughts kept drifting back to the victims.

　　If all of this was indeed orchestrated by one person—specifically, that mysterious woman—then it had to be connected to Zhang Ming.

　　In fact, I was already convinced Zhang Ming was the one pulling the strings. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here at the station, digging through these case files to learn more about him and his Tongming Corporation.

　　"Captain Liu, perfect timing. Director Wang’s looking for you," a police officer said as we walked in.

　　"Got it. I’ll be there right away." Liu Dazhuang turned to me. "Hang tight, Xiaofeng. I’ll be back in a minute."

　　"Alright."I found a random spot to sit and glanced around. It was a large office with several officers working. One of them, dressed in uniform, noticed me and brought over a glass of water. “You’re a friend of Liu’s, right?”

　　“Yeah, that’s right.” I stood up and took the glass politely.

　　“Have a seat. Any friend of Liu’s is a friend of mine. Make yourself at home.”

　　I studied him for a moment. His complexion was dull, his brows furrowed deeply, and there was a noticeable break in the bridge of his nose—signs of an old injury. I didn’t say anything about it, though, just gave him a smile and sat back down.

　　Barely had I settled in when I heard angry yelling from Director Wang’s office. “Are you trying to get yourself fired? Don’t you want a promotion?!”

　　“Forget the promotion!” came the immediate reply.

　　No sooner had those words been said than Liu Dazhuang stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

　　Right after, there was the sound of a cup shattering inside the director’s office.

　　I chuckled to myself. Do all cops have such bad tempers?

　　“Xiaofeng, let’s go. To the records room!” Liu Dazhuang said.

　　I stood up and followed him out. Just before we reached the door, I turned to the officer who had given me the water earlier. “You’ve had an injury before, haven’t you? It’s messed up your internal energy flow. Cut back on the booze, get some sun, and try practicing Tai Chi—it’ll help.”

　　With that, I walked out without waiting to see his reaction. I’d said my piece; whether he took it seriously or not was up to him."I figured that out just by looking at his face. The injury must’ve been pretty close to his heart, right?" I asked.

　　Liu Dazhuang let out a sigh. "Liu Hui is two years younger than me. Two years ago, he got shot during a kidnapping case. The bullet hit just an inch above his heart. He nearly didn’t make it."

　　"No wonder," I replied.

　　"Even though he recovered well, he can’t handle most cases anymore. He’s stuck doing desk work now."

　　"Isn’t desk work fine, though?" I asked.

　　Liu Dazhuang shook his head. "In the Criminal Investigation Department, being stuck with desk work pretty much means his career as a cop is over."

　　"I see." I hadn’t realized how things worked until Liu Dazhuang explained it. I tried to change the mood a bit, saying, "Well, surviving something like that usually means good luck is coming."

　　"Yeah, that’s what we all keep telling him," he said with a weary smile.

　　As we spoke, we arrived at the records room.

　　A young policewoman was stationed at the door. She looked to be in her early twenties, with a clean, fresh look. Her uniform fit her well, making her appear especially sharp.

　　"Xiao Tong!" Liu Dazhuang called out.

　　"Bro，Liu , weren’t you supposed to be at home taking care of your wife? How’d you get back so fast?" she asked with a smile.

　　"Something came up. I’m gonna need your help with something," he replied.

　　"Sure, what do you need?" she asked, still smiling.

　　"Could you grab the case files for the deaths at Huayuan Community, including the file on Li Hongmin from a few years ago?"

　　"Got it. Hang on a minute!" She nodded and then turned to leave.Liu Dazhuang shot me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Xiao Tong's on it—she’s fast. It won’t take long."

　　"Bro Liu, I want your honest opinion. Do you think Zhang Ming’s ever killed anyone?" I asked, locking eyes with him, my tone dead serious.

　　He paused, weighing his words. "From a cop’s standpoint, it’s all about the evidence. All I can say is, he's definitely a suspect."

　　"And if you were speaking off the record?" I pushed a little harder.

　　"He’s done it," Liu Dazhuang said, not even a flicker of doubt in his voice.

　　"That’s what I thought."

　　"You’ve come to the same conclusion, haven’t you?"

　　"Yeah, I have."

　　I wouldn’t have asked if it weren’t for that enigmatic woman who seemed to be orbiting Zhang Ming’s every move.Liu Dazhuang’s intuition as a seasoned cop was behind his certainty, even though he had no hard evidence to prove Zhang Ming had killed anyone. That "evidence" seemed to be tied to the mysterious woman connected to him.

　　I was here to review the case files for a few reasons. First, I needed to understand the specifics of what happened back then. Second, I wanted to see exactly how Zhang Ming was involved. But perhaps most importantly, I was hoping to find some clue about that elusive woman buried somewhere in those files.

　　Zhang Ming had already confessed to killing Zhou Yong, but the deaths of Li Hongmin and Liu Jian still required further investigation. As for Zhang Guofa, I suspected his death might have been accidental—a case of mistaken identity.

　　I had a general theory pieced together, but there were still gaps that needed filling. I was counting on the details in these files to help me plug those holes in my reasoning.

　　"Here you go, Bro Liu ." Xiao Tong returned, dropping three stuffed folders onto the table. "Take a look, but make sure to get them back to me soon. I still need to log them back into the archive."