Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 693 - 689: Enlightenment

Chapter 693: Chapter 689: Enlightenment

"Xiaomei, do you remember a conversation we had once," he paused, "where we discussed various cases? I mentioned something to you then."

Situ Qingfeng knew what Zeng Xiaomei was asking about, but he was a detective, not an omniscient deity or a wise prophet. He couldn’t just conjure up an answer at such short notice, without having been to the crime scene or knowing all the facts, based solely on Zeng Xiaomei’s account, telling her who the murderer was. All he could do was provide some insight to Zeng Xiaomei, helping her find the blind spots in her logical thinking.

His mind raced through the details. He realized that Zeng Xiaomei was right— the opponent was indeed formidable, with strong anti-investigation skills. With his own reasoning, he couldn’t find any leads or flaws. In the end, he had to reluctantly give up on trying to provide Zeng Xiaomei with new lines of thought. Instead, he switched angles and suggested,

"Which matter?"

Zeng Xiaomei was startled for a moment and quickly searched her memory but still had no idea which incident Situ Qingfeng was referring to. The conversations she had with Situ Qingfeng were neither too many nor too few. Moreover, almost all their topics revolved around case insights.

"I once told you that the easiest cases to solve in the world are always murder cases."

Situ Qingfeng said with a slight smile, his eyes holding a confident look, "In our field of criminal investigation, there’s a term called ’motive-driven crime,’ meaning that every case happens for a reason. Most normal people wouldn’t commit a crime out of boredom, and murder is without a doubt the kind of case with the strongest motives!"

"Only with sufficient motive, such as having suffered significant harm from the other party, or being able to gain substantial benefit from the murder, would one kill!"

"Senior Brother, are you implying that we should start with the motive?"

Zeng Xiaomei wasn’t slow-witted; she had simply, like Xiao Yi, fallen into a cognitive trap from the very beginning, trying to find the perpetrator through faint traces left behind. After much toil, she had found nothing, but upon listening to Situ Qingfeng, it was as if a bright new path had opened up before her, like finding a village with lights after coming to the end of a dark, narrow road.

"Exactly. When we can’t find an answer from the direct traces at the scene, starting with the motive is undoubtedly a method. At the very least, we can cut down on some futile work and narrow the scope of our search. If applied correctly, we might even startle the snake in the grass, drawing out the snake to find its flaws!"

Situ Qingfeng nodded, his lips curving into a slight smile. His mind had already begun to naturally consider and design the best approach to his next steps if he were to conduct the investigation, "From your earlier account, this attempted assassination and Chen Jianguo’s personal vendetta can already be ruled out. Assuming Chen Jianguo didn’t lie, then this case could be approached from a business standpoint..."

"I understand now. Thank you, Senior Brother. I’m on it!"

Before Situ Qingfeng could finish speaking, Zeng Xiaomei, with growing excitement, abruptly hung up the call. Her once barren stream of thoughts suddenly erupted like a spring, and countless leads began to surface, she cried out in excitement and disconnected the call.

"This girl... really, she’s so impulsive. I haven’t even finished speaking... typical ingratitude!"

Situ Qingfeng was speechless as he listened to the dial tone on the phone, a wry smile forming on his face. He muttered to himself but merely shook his head, devoid of any intention to call back and finish his sentence. He wasn’t a stubborn man and had no penchant for meddling in others’ affairs, nor did he suffer from the compulsion to finish every word spoken. His purpose in speaking earlier was to inspire Zeng Xiaomei’s thinking, to reopen her investigative avenues, and now that she had found her blind spot, the rest of his words, whether spoken or not, were irrelevant; his goal had been achieved.

Besides, he still had a pile of cases giving him a headache.

Zeng Xiaomei, oblivious to any discourtesy, burst out of her office full of excitement after hanging up. She summoned all her subordinates, her face glowing with zeal as she issued her orders, "From now on, immediately—right away—hurry and look for any information related to Jianguo Group, especially their recent business activities. Pay special attention to any enterprises or companies that recently had disputes, conflicts, or significant vested interests with Jianguo Group, and report all of them back to me."

"Yes!"

Despite not understanding the sudden change in Zeng Xiaomei or why she was so spirited, perhaps due to a newfound lover or romance, her subordinates, who held deep respect for their beautiful boss, were already accustomed to her authority. Especially after witnessing several of Zeng Xiaomei’s major outbursts during the Chen Jianguo assassination investigation, they adhered solemnly to her instructions. With a dutiful "Yes," they hurried away to fulfill her commands without daring to question the purpose of these tasks or to gossip whether Zeng Xiaomei had found a boyfriend.

Senior Brother Situ is truly remarkable, a single remark awakening one from dreams. Such an obvious direction, and yet I never thought of it before; truly embarrassing!

After giving her orders, watching her subordinates rush to carry them out with unprecedented vigor and enthusiasm, Zeng Xiaomei wore a satisfied expression. Thinking back to Situ Qingfeng’s call, her heart swelled with respect and gratitude, while also inevitably feeling a bit ashamed and guilty.

"Sir Zeng, breaking news, breaking news!"

Just as Zeng Xiaomei was grappling with her feelings of guilt, the door to a nearby office suddenly flung open, and an ecstatic police officer rushed out, calling out to her excitedly.

"What’s the breaking news?"

Zeng Xiaomei looked at the officer, puzzled.

"The surveillance footage from the last crime scene is problematic! It’s been tampered with!"

The police officer said excitedly; he had stumbled upon this discovery by sheer chance. After re-examining the evidence and confirming his suspicion, he rushed to share the information. (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote, leave monthly tickets on Qidian, your support is my greatest motivation.)