Roses in Flames

After inviting Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang into the house, Zhao Mingyuan poured two cups of tea for them.

"Captain Xiao, thanks to you for finding the real culprit, otherwise I don't know how long I would have been wrongly accused. I am truly grateful for this!"

Xiao Lin waved his hand and said in a calm tone, "Finding out the real culprit is our duty."

Zhao Mingyuan sighed, a trace of sadness in his eyes. "I've signed the divorce agreement with Yu Meifeng. We'll go through the formalities as soon as the cooling-off period is over. This house was bought with my family's life savings. She betrayed me, and the child isn't mine. I won't give her a single penny more."

It's quite tragic that after being so open and honest for so many years, I've ended up like this.

Xiao Lin comforted him in a deep voice, "Don't get stuck on this. It's good that you've come to terms with it. There's still a long road ahead."

Ye Yuntang also softly echoed, advising Zhao Mingyuan to think more positively.

Zhao Mingyuan nodded, and after regaining his composure, he asked, "Captain Xiao, Forensic Doctor Ye, did you come all this way specifically to ask you something?"

Xiao Lin cut straight to the point, "Before Zhao Jiashu transferred to Yecheng, he bullied a girl at the Third Middle School in a neighboring city, did you know that?"

Zhao Mingyuan shook his head. "I don't know. He transferred to Yecheng because someone jumped off a building at school and a teacher had an accident. He was timid and scared, and he kept having nightmares at night, so we arranged for him to change his environment."

Xiao Lin's facial features were taut. "So, in these past few years, do you know anything special that Zhao Jiashu has been hiding?"

Zhao Mingyuan shook his head again, "I drive a truck all year round, I don't know what he has hidden."

Xiao Lin took out a search warrant. "We want to search Zhao Jiashu's room."

"Okay." Zhao Mingyuan led Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang over.

Zhao Jiashu's room was rather messy, which actually revealed his personality.

Selfish, disorganized, and utterly irresponsible.

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang searched every corner of the room but found no useful clues.

Clearly, Zhao Jiashu did not keep Zou Xu's secrets hidden at home.

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang searched the other rooms again, but still found nothing.

"Mr. Zhao, I apologize for disturbing you."

As Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang were about to leave, Zhao Mingyuan seemed to remember something and quickly walked over. "Captain Xiao, Forensic Doctor Ye, I suddenly remembered something."

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang looked at Zhao Mingyuan.

Zhao Mingyuan frowned and said, "About three years ago, when we went back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors, Zhao Jiashu made a special trip back to the old house. That old house had been abandoned for a long time; it was drafty and leaky. I asked him what he was doing there, and he said he wanted to find some toys from his childhood. He never went back to our hometown for ancestral worship before, but that was the only time he went. I was wondering if he might have hidden what you're looking for there?"

Xiao Lin nodded. "That's possible!"

Zhao Mingyuan quickly said, "Then I'll take you to my hometown. It's in a remote location, and I'm afraid you won't be able to find your way."

"Can."

Without delay, Xiao Lin immediately called the team and asked the members to bring their survey equipment. The group quickly drove to the Zhao family's old house in two cars.

The Zhao family's old house has been uninhabited for many years, and the courtyard is overgrown with weeds.

Xiao Lin ordered his team to seal off the entrances and exits of the courtyard and demarcate the area for investigation.

Ye Yuntang followed Xiao Lin in the search. The two of them carried metal detectors and walked to a persimmon tree in the backyard when the device suddenly emitted a "beep beep beep" alarm sound.

"There's something wrong here!" Ye Yuntang pointed to the location.

Xiao Lin nodded, took out a shovel, and dug vertically down to the point where the alarm was strongest.

When they dug to a depth of half a meter, the shovel hit a hard object.

A rusty tin box, wrapped in a waterproof bag, was buried in the ground.

Ye Yuntang put on sterile gloves, picked up the box with tweezers, and after confirming that there were no corrosive substances inside, took out the box-opening tools and opened the iron box.

Inside the box was a pair of silver-framed glasses for nearsightedness, and next to it was an SD card in a transparent sealed bag.

Ye Yuntang picked up the glasses, examined them carefully against the light, and said, "These glasses have a hidden camera. The camera is concealed on the edge of the lens and is very well disguised."

Xiao Lin guessed the contents of the SD card and said excitedly, "It seems we've found evidence."

……

The Zou family mobilized all media resources to create a huge uproar.

#Yecheng police failed to act, arresting Zou's son without evidence#

#Rich kid wrongfully imprisoned, police abuse power#

The official Weibo account of Yecheng police has been subjected to unprecedented abuse and questioning.

Furthermore, some people protested outside the police station with banners, demanding the immediate release of Zou Xu, severe punishment for the murderer, and even jointly petitioning for the death penalty for Jiang Su.

The bureau's phones were ringing off the hook, and documents from higher authorities kept coming in, demanding that the case be solved as soon as possible to quell public opinion.

The Zou family's legal team also arrived and demanded that the police release the man.

Despite the pressure, Director Shao did not release the person.

Xiao Lin and Ye Yuntang rushed back to the police station as quickly as possible.

"Notify the interrogation room that I need to take Zou Xu in for questioning now."

……

In the interrogation room.

When Zou Xu learned that his manhood had been damaged, his face turned extremely gloomy and ashen.

Upon seeing Xiao Lin enter, he vented his hatred on Xiao Lin, spitting directly at him.

Xiao Lin dodged the attack expressionlessly, then looked down at Zou Xu, saying, "You'd better behave yourself here!"

Zou Xu's features contorted, his eyes glaring viciously at Xiao Lin. "You bunch of trash! If you had found me sooner, I wouldn't be ruined! You caused me to suffer such serious injuries; I'll make sure you're all disgraced and can never be police officers again!"

Zou Xu roared emotionally, "I haven't committed a crime! Don't even think about locking me up!"

Xiao Lin sat down at the interrogation table, his sharp, cold eyes fixed on Zou Xu. "No crime? We've already found the evidence that Zhao Jiashu hid!"

Zou Xu was stunned for a moment, then, realizing what he meant, he laughed mockingly, "You stinking cop, don't try to scare me!"

Xiao Lin nodded to the technicians behind him, "Show him the thing."

The technician immediately opened his laptop and connected the data cable to the large screen in the interrogation room.

"Back then, Zhao Jiashu had a hidden camera in his glasses. It recorded how you bullied and harassed Lingxi, how you tripped Teacher Huihui as she went down the stairs, and how you drugged Teacher Sun and Lingxi at the funeral to make it look like they were having an affair. This is the evidence that allowed Zhao Jiashu to threaten you all this time."

Zou Xu's expression froze instantly. His pupils contracted, and he shook his head vigorously. "No, it's impossible. Don't try to fool me. I haven't done anything illegal..."

Before he could finish speaking, a video suddenly appeared on the big screen. Upon seeing the scene, Zou Xu felt as if his blood was about to freeze.

It's over, it's over!