Animal Detective

Chapter 256 - 231: Guilty Conscience

But it was reasonable to assume he had given it to Yang Maocai.

After interviewing some of Yang Maocai’s friends, the investigation revealed that Yang Maocai had suddenly come into money sometime between the end of 2012 and 2013.

But the guy was a good-for-nothing who worked odd jobs and lived off his parents.

In June 2013, after being set up by a matchmaker, Yang Maocai got married.

In early 2014, Yang Maocai started building a house.

During this time, Yang Maocai didn’t have any significant income.

When his friends asked where the money came from, Yang Maocai claimed he’d earned it trading stocks.

His friends asked him for tips, but Yang Maocai refused, saying it was all about luck.

In short, during this period, Yang Maocai got married and built a new house.

As for Zhou Hui, after closing his shop, he opened a factory at the end of 2013. It was unclear where he had gotten the money to give to Yang Maocai during that time.

There were no records. Or rather, to find out for sure, they would need to launch a public, large-scale investigation.

But based on these fragmented pieces of information, it was suspected that Yang Maocai had been blackmailing Zhou Hui.

And Zhou Hui, unable to bear the burden, had likely developed the idea to murder Yang Maocai.

「This day.」

It had been five days since Zhou Hui went to Yang Maocai’s home.

Shen Xin and Wang Cheng were in a car, on a stakeout at Century Court.

The investigation had reached a stalemate, so Liu Jie sent some of the Songling Branch officers back and brought in a team from the municipal criminal investigation detachment to assist.

That was why Wang Cheng was here.

Shen Xin remained on the case, helping with surveillance and peripheral investigations.

The two were chatting idly when their contact inside the complex notified them that Zhou Hui was leaving.

Soon, Zhou Hui’s S-Class appeared at the parking garage exit.

Wang Cheng immediately started the car and followed.

Two cars tailed him, taking turns.

They also had support from traffic cameras to make sure they wouldn’t lose him.

Shen Xin said, "Is he going to Lishui?"

After leaving home, Zhou Hui drove west, crossed the provincial border, and got on Zhangqing Road. It looked like he was heading for Lishui.

However, just before he reached She Dou Village, he turned off the main road.

It was Shen Xin’s car’s turn to follow.

The country roads were quiet, so Wang Cheng didn’t follow too closely.

The countryside here was a labyrinth of crisscrossing waterways and scattered villages, with a complex network of roads.

Zhou Hui twisted and turned through the roads ahead before finally getting on the main road to Nanlin District.

But instead of heading toward Nanlin, he turned back, made a U-turn, and eventually got back on Zhangqing Road.

Wang Cheng asked, puzzled, "What’s he doing? Just driving in a circle?"

After getting back on Zhangqing Road, Zhou Hui drove slowly back to Qingyuan Town.

According to a report from another team, he returned to his factory.

The whole thing felt baffling.

’Something’s not right.’

Shen Xin signaled for Wang Cheng to turn around. They drove back to Zhangqing Road and took the same turnoff near She Dou Village, following the route Zhou Hui had taken earlier.

Shen Xin tried to recall their drive.

"Stop!"

Shen Xin suddenly shouted.

Wang Cheng slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road.

Shen Xin looked around.

They were between She Dou Village and Guangfu Village. Ahead was a concrete bridge, flanked by farmland.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the spot.

"Wang Cheng, do you remember? Right here, I think Zhou Hui slowed down," Shen Xin asked.

Wang Cheng looked around, thought for a moment, and nodded. He remembered it too.

A thought struck him, and he said quickly, "Shen Xin, are you saying that, just like Liu Jie suggested, he slowed down here to check on the spot where the van is hidden?"

He knew about Liu Jie’s theory.

Shen Xin nodded. That was exactly what he meant.

Shen Xin pointed at the river ahead.

Wang Cheng drew in a sharp breath. "Don’t tell me he sank the van in the river," he said, shocked. "And then he couldn’t resist coming back to see if we were searching for it?"

Shen Xin nodded. The possibility was very high.

The traffic police hadn’t found the van on any of the peripheral surveillance footage, which meant it had to be hidden somewhere.

Burning it would create plumes of thick smoke—far too conspicuous.

Sinking it in the river, on the other hand, was a pretty good option.

After all, this area was full of crisscrossing rivers. Who would know if someone drove a car into one late at night?

Even if it was discovered by accident later, it would be difficult to trace it back to him.

At this thought, Shen Xin’s spirits lifted.

If this was true, then Liu Jie’s plan to sit back and fish had really managed to hook the big one—Zhou Hui.