Chapter 37: A Cautious Person

The scope of the investigation was narrowing. Logically, Yu Dazhang should have been pleased, but instead, he felt increasingly tense. This was the moment when negligence was most likely to set in; he had experienced similar situations in his past life. Whenever a case neared its conclusion, people tended to let their guard down, subconsciously assuming that if things continued on their current course, the case would naturally be solved.

However, reality often defied such expectations. The closer one got to the end, the easier it was for leads to snap. Once they were broken, reconnecting them became exponentially more difficult. Therefore, as long as the true culprit remained at large, Yu Dazhang dared not relax for even a moment.

A short while later, the technical team arrived. After providing some explanation to Zhang Yan’s mother, the forensic investigation began. Prior to this, Yu Dazhang had already instructed Qian Cheng to photograph the bed in sections, with separate close-ups taken of key areas. Collecting evidence, cross-referencing findings, and reconstructing the crime scene were tasks best left to the professionals. Qian Cheng, being from the technical division himself, naturally joined them.

Yu Dazhang and Lu Zhongxin retreated to the living room, taking seats on the sofa next to Zhang Yan’s mother.

"Ma'am, is your husband at home?" Yu Dazhang asked.

"He's in the other room," she replied, gesturing toward a door. "He fell ill."

Yu Dazhang felt a pang of concern. "Why haven't you taken him to the hospital?"

Perhaps sensing the sincerity in his voice, her tone softened. "We've been. It's nothing serious, just a bout of extreme stress. Someone from the community clinic is coming by tonight to administer an IV drip."

Lu Zhongxin sat nearby, observing the casual back-and-forth between the two without interjecting. Over the past few days, he had noticed that his apprentice rarely made an unnecessary move. Whenever Yu Dazhang took action, it inevitably yielded results. Watching them chat, Lu had a gut feeling that this was all part of a calculated plan.

Sure enough, after a few moments, Yu Dazhang shifted the topic. "Has anyone from outside the family visited lately?"

The question caught her off guard. She paused for a moment before answering, "Only my younger brother came by once."

"Your biological brother?" Yu Dazhang pressed.

"Yes," she nodded instinctively. "He only found out about the accident when he got here."

Lu Zhongxin’s heart sank. Could the uncle be the culprit? His apprentice wouldn't ask such a question without a reason; he must have suspected something.

To everyone’s surprise, Yu Dazhang didn't dwell on the uncle. He immediately pivoted to a new question: "Has anyone called to ask about the progress of the case, even if they framed it as an act of concern?"

"Well..." Zhang Yan’s mother realized the heavy-set officer was using her to find clues, so she tried her best to recall. After a long pause, she shook her head. "No, not a single person."

Not your average criminal, then... Yu Dazhang thought, inwardly stunned. Since it was clearly the work of an acquaintance—someone likely known to the parents—the fact that the culprit had managed to refrain from inquiring about the situation for so many days indicated a highly cautious individual.

Yu Dazhang fell silent, staring unfocused at the coffee table. After a while, he tapped Lu Zhongxin’s knee and stood up, heading toward the door. Lu, recognizing the signal, followed him out.

In the hallway, Yu Dazhang spoke rapidly: "Check the vehicles that left the residential complex between 2:30 PM and 3:00 PM on the day Zhang Yan went missing. Note every license plate—don't miss a single private car."

Lu Zhongxin immediately understood his apprentice's intent. The most direct and convenient way to leave the complex without being caught by the surrounding surveillance was by car. The reason for focusing on private vehicles was simple: if a taxi driver had seen a young girl being carried into their vehicle while unconscious, they would have certainly called the police. No one wanted to be an accessory to a crime by accident.

"Leave it to me."

Seeing Lu prepare to leave, Yu Dazhang caught his arm. "Wait, I’m not finished."

After a brief thought, he added, "Exclude any vehicles that entered the complex before 1:30 PM. Disregard everything before that time. For the remaining vehicles, investigate the owners and filter out the residents of the complex. Keep only the information on the external vehicles."

Once he was certain there were no oversights, Yu Dazhang let go and signaled that his master could proceed. Why exclude the residents? The reasoning was simple: Yu Dazhang didn't believe anyone who actually had significant wealth would still be living in such an old, dilapidated complex. Affluent families might not always buy luxury goods, but they would certainly demonstrate their status through four areas: clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

After Lu Zhongxin left, Yu Dazhang pulled out his phone and called the two team members who were investigating Zhang Yan’s social background.

"Come to Zhang Yan’s house. I’m waiting for you."

"We just found a lead."

"Come over and talk. Your mission is about to change."

Half an hour later, the three of them met downstairs. The two team members looked at the police vehicle parked nearby.

"That's the technical team’s car. What are they doing here?"

"Investigating the crime scene," Yu Dazhang replied.

"You mean the crime scene is at Zhang Yan’s house?"

"Yes. I only just realized it today."

The two men stared at the heavy-set man as if he were a deity. They hadn't seen him for only two days, and he had already located the primary crime scene! Did he have to be this efficient? It was putting an immense amount of pressure on them.

"Tell me about your findings first," Yu Dazhang said, ignoring their shock as if they were simply inexperienced.

"Actually, we didn't find anything particularly significant," one of them replied. They weren't being modest; they had learned a few things over the past two days, but compared to the man standing in front of them, it felt as though they had accomplished nothing.

"Then tell me the insignificant stuff," Yu Dazhang said, suspecting they had been slacking off.

"Well, uh..." one of the members hesitated, then said, "We were still looking for a breakthrough among Zhang Yan’s classmates. Do you remember the boy from the neighboring class we mentioned, Zhou Yewei?"

"I remember," Yu Dazhang said, his memory sharp, especially in this life. "The one who had an ambiguous relationship with Zhang Yan."

"Right, that's him," the member continued. "We uncovered more about their situation. A few days before the incident, someone snitched on them to the teachers. The school summoned both sets of parents to supervise their children."

That was a ruthless move by the teachers, Yu Dazhang thought to himself. It was a convenient way to solve the issue of teenage romance, but it completely ignored the feelings of the children involved—it was essentially public execution. They should have at least figured out how far the relationship had progressed before intervening.

Seeing the team member pause, as if trying to figure out how to phrase his next words, Yu Dazhang prompted, "Just tell me how it relates to Zhang Yan's disappearance."

"It doesn't have a direct connection, but there is something quite suspicious that happened afterward..." The member trailed off, clearly struggling with how to put it into words.