Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 105 The Army of Justice 7
With new leads emerging, they reviewed the current progress of the case once again.

"Putting aside our preconceived suspicions, if the murderer of the Jin family was indeed a thief who had committed more than a dozen thefts, perhaps this case had nothing to do with the forces of justice. The murderer might not have had a deep relationship with the victims; he simply targeted the Jin family when only the elderly and children were present. As for the murders, the Jin family might have known the murderer, so he was afraid of being recognized. After all, given the amount of money involved in his multiple thefts and the severity of the offenses, if he were caught, he would likely be sentenced to more than twenty years in prison, which is quite serious," Zheng Yan said.

Tan Jia frowned, unconsciously kneading the dough in her hands, trying to clear her mind of distractions.

Indeed, we cannot assume a connection simply because the time the mysterious person sent the postcard is close to the time this case occurred.

If there were a connection, this highly intelligent yet psychologically disturbed mastermind would have provided hints when inviting a promising "junior" to join his game of justice, and would have arranged for her to play an important role in the story.

But she hasn't noticed any hints yet, so it's probably nothing to worry about.

This is a simple case of theft and murder.

She took a deep breath and continued listening to their discussion.

Xiao Chen clicked his tongue and said, "So we also have to solve several previous theft cases? But the investigations of these cases haven't identified any suspects, so they're not helping our current progress."

In contrast, Tan Ming was more patient: "It also helped a bit. I saw that the case description detailed how much money was stolen, what items were stolen, the theft process and methods, and the last place the thief disappeared in the surveillance footage. Combining these details, we can filter out which area he is more familiar with, and it can also help the forensic team deduce the murderer's activity trajectory at the crime scene. We can then match it with people the Jin family knows. Finally, we also have a special shoe print."

Therefore, after comprehensive analysis, this case is indeed not difficult.

"Then let's sort out the clues from those theft cases and put them together with the existing clues," Zheng Yan decided.

Seeing that it was already dark outside, he said, "That's all for today. There might be new discoveries when Quhe arrives tomorrow. The trace evidence should also have some results by tomorrow. Xiao Chen, remember to remind the police to continue looking for the surveillance cameras installed by the surrounding shops, including those around the locations of the previous thefts, as well as the surveillance cameras at the steamed bun shops."

After giving the instructions, everyone went back to rest.

She got up at three in the morning. It takes a lot of willpower for Tan Jia to maintain such a high level of mental exertion throughout the day. She almost fell asleep in Tan Ming's car.

She woke up midway through the journey, her forehead pressed against the car window. The colorful lights outside dazzled her eyes. With her eyes half-closed, she inadvertently spotted a familiar figure.

"Is that Jin Xiangyuan?" She sat up straight, looking suspiciously at the middle-aged man riding an electric bike in the auxiliary lane on the right. "Is he still delivering goods at this hour?"

Tan Ming slowed down, turned off the headlights, and glanced at the car.

"It was him. He probably couldn't delay the orders for steamed buns from hotels and restaurants. He had promised to make up for it, even if it meant staying up all night. Business was tough. Or maybe he didn't want to go back home and see the blood all over the place."

"Maybe," Tan Jia replied casually, still staring at the electric scooter.

They drove a little further ahead to wait at a red light together. Jin Xiangyuan was ahead of them, and she could see the storage compartment near the footrest, which contained steamed buns.

“I remember when we left the steamed bun shop, Jin Xiangyuan mentioned that we needed to deliver the pre-ordered goods in half an hour. It’s been three or four hours now, and we still haven’t finished. It’s so hot, won’t the steamed buns spoil?”

Tan Ming: "You think there's a problem?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just a feeling." She looked back, trying to figure out which street Jin Xiangyuan had come from.

They are currently located three-quarters of the way from the steamed bun shop to the hospital street in Xiangfu Residential Area. Based on this direction, Jin Xiangyuan should be heading back to the steamed bun shop, which means he came back from the hospital street or even further away.

"Where is the street past the hospital? Are there any breakfast shops over there?" she asked, while searching the map on her own.

Tan Ming is a native of this area. Having worked as a policeman for so many years, he has traveled all over the city and has a good understanding of some of the more famous places.

"That used to be the traffic police station and the anti-drug base. It covers a large area, so there aren't many shops there. I don't think I saw any breakfast shops." Tan Jia was even more suspicious: "Where did Jin Xiangyuan send the steamed buns?"

Tan Ming also sensed something was wrong. He found the records from his visits and discovered that the Jin family's steamed bun shop had reached supply agreements with several restaurants, breakfast shops, and hotels. According to the shop's employees, this was the main source of the steamed bun shop's profits.

However, they did not consider these buyers as suspects at the time, and Kim Hyang-won said to keep it a secret, so they only revealed two or three of them.

One hotel, two breakfast shops, and a Shoushi factory.

"There are no pharmacy shops on this street."

"He's nowhere to be found. Brother, let's follow him."

The green light came on, and Jin Xiangyuan's electric scooter rushed ahead. Their car was waiting for the car in front to turn left, so they could only be a step slower, but they got closer again at the traffic light at the intersection ahead.

With the streetlights bright this time, and their car positioned slightly ahead of the electric scooter, they could see more clearly that something was wrong with Jin Xiangyuan.

The other electric bike riders were all relaxed, enjoying the breeze, chatting with people, and checking their phones while waiting for the red light. Only he was gripping the handlebars tightly, his whole body tense.

Moreover, his expression seemed somewhat fierce and irritable. It wasn't one of sadness or pain, nor was it one of confusion or bewilderment.

"Does this reaction align with the psychological state of the victim's family?" she asked, taking two photos with her phone.

“It doesn’t quite fit,” Tan Ming told her. “I’ll have Xiao Chen come back and stay with him. I’ll take you home first, and then we’ll keep an eye on things together for a few hours.”

He then called Xiao Chen, and successfully received a swear word from Xiao Chen.

Although investigating the murder case is important, Tan Jia's safety is also of paramount importance. Tan Ming escorted her upstairs before leaving.

The door across the hall was open, and warm white light streamed out from the crack. A burly bodyguard, as big as a mountain, greeted her.

Then Lin Zhiyue followed the sound to the door.

Tan Jia preemptively said, "I'm very tired. I'll eat first, and we can talk about the dough sculpting later. I can't answer questions about the case. Okay, now you can say your last words before you go to sleep."

Lin Zhiyue was stunned by her series of words, then said seriously, "I know there was a murder in the North District. Is it related to the person who secretly filmed you? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Wow, you can talk so much now, that's progress." She just casually praised him from a perspective unrelated to the main topic, and continued walking towards her front door.

"Tan Jia," Lin Zhiyue called her name for what felt like the umpteenth time, his voice still trailing off, "I want to help you."

"Help me? I've done you nothing, why would you help me?"

He was now so forced that even talking to her felt like being chased away, and he subconsciously retorted, "Has Zhu Muyang ever done you any favors?"

Tan Jia smiled knowingly again: "You still care about this?"

Seeing him turn his head away to avoid eye contact, she drawled, "If you want to help, that's fine. How about you come a little closer—"

(End of this chapter)