Chapter 9 The True Culprit Emerges

After being identified by the victim’s ghost, it was confirmed that Chen Gang was not the real murderer. The case now seemed to have returned to its starting point.

However, this reason could not serve as public evidence to release Chen Gang, nor would it be recognized by the law, so for now, Chen Gang could not be released.

Although the real killer had not been found, the primary crime scene had been verified beyond doubt. Therefore, why traces of Li Cuiying’s blood were found in Chen Gang’s rented apartment became the next focal point for questioning him.

“Don’t worry. Even though the real culprit hasn’t been found yet, we’re not without leads! We’ll solve the case as soon as possible,” Su Tianmu consoled Xia Wuyou, who looked utterly dejected.

“Even if Chen Gang isn’t the actual murderer, Li Cuiying was indeed killed in his apartment. If there’s another perpetrator, there must be more clues left behind! I’ll have my team investigate the crime scene meticulously once again.”

Seeing that Xia Wuyou was still in low spirits, Su Tianmu decided to try cheering her up differently.

“By the way, I heard your supervisor treats you pretty well? Always acting tough on you because he wants you to improve?”

Ha! He really was a clueless straight-shooter, always bringing up exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time! Thinking himself humorous, he had only managed to poke right at Xia Wuyou’s sore spot.

She nearly fainted from anger at his words. After glaring at him, she still managed a polite “thank you,” grateful that he had driven her back to the office.

Upon returning to the office, Xia Wuyou glanced at the little green flower at the entrance that always motivated her and sat down at her desk, fuming.

She watched her colleagues busily answering calls, while she herself felt like a headless chicken running around, realizing she needed to adjust her work approach.

Perhaps, she thought, I could use my looks to seduce the supervisor and persuade him to go easy on me!

This thought reflected in her actions; she straightened her slender waist coquettishly, and with effort at charm, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hmph! I refuse to believe I can’t win you over.”

“Smack!”

Before she could fully adjust her mood, a slap landed on the back of her head, instantly mussing up the hair she had just arranged, letting it fall messily over her face again.

“Who are you planning to win over? Hurry up and find a way to win over your clients! Don’t forget, you promised to resolve that complaint case in the shortest time possible! So? Have you settled it?”

Her plump supervisor had, at some point, quietly drifted up behind her. With one move—his “Plump Hand Soul-Shattering Palm”—he destroyed the “Elegant Lady Technique” she was just about to master!

“Supervisor, you’ve knocked my brains silly! How can I serve you in the future?” Xia Wuyou tried to tidy her hair in a fluster, desperately trying to recover her composure.

“With that brain of yours, you really think it was my slap that did the damage? If there was room for it to get any worse, even if you begged me to slap you, I wouldn’t!”

His words were always sharp and unerringly direct.

“Here’s some good news: if your performance doesn’t meet the standard this month, you can leave—you won’t have to suffer here anymore! Even if you do resolve the complaint, it won’t help!”

With that, the supervisor didn’t wait for her response, twisting his hefty body and floating away.

“But isn’t the company rule that you have to miss the target three months in a row before you get fired...?” Only the disheveled Xia Wuyou remained, voicing her grievances to the empty air.

It was all Su Tianmu’s fault. If the case had been solved earlier, she wouldn’t have wasted so much time on it.

After mentally cursing Su Tianmu with every derogatory term she could think of, Xia Wuyou anxiously lowered her head and began sorting through all her client information.

But it really wasn’t Su Tianmu’s fault; this case had taken a most dramatic turn.

When all the evidence pointed to the suspect, the case was suddenly overturned due to the victim’s “own” denial!

No one would believe it if you told them, and even applying for a Guinness World Record probably wouldn’t help.

After returning from the old house, Su Tianmu led another search of Chen Gang’s rented apartment.

Because the entire place had been freshly painted, it was extremely difficult to find any leftover clues from the crime. Now that Chen Gang was cleared as a suspect, the other tenant of the apartment naturally became a key target for the police investigation.

“You said your roommate rarely stayed here? What does he do? What’s his profession?”

Su Tianmu questioned Chen Gang expressionlessly; though he knew Chen Gang wasn’t the killer, he still felt no sympathy for him.

“I only know he’s from out of town and just arrived here. He doesn’t seem to have a steady job because his schedule is pretty irregular.”

Chen Gang, unaware that he was no longer a suspect, remained terrified.

“Officer, I really didn’t kill anyone!” He kept repeating.

During the interrogation, it was discovered that this roommate was a recently released convict. After getting out, he hadn’t found regular work, only helping friends occasionally for small tips.

According to Chen Gang, Li Cuiying often came to the apartment to see him, so she and the roommate had met. However, since Chen Gang had a bad temper, Li Cuiying didn’t dare socialize much with other men in his presence, so they barely spoke.

A recently released convict? Su Tianmu suddenly had a thought.

Could this roommate have some connection to the victim’s husband?

Since Li Cuiying’s husband was still serving his sentence and likely knew little about the outside world, the investigation into his circumstances had been neglected.

“Xiao Wang, contact the prison immediately and arrange to question Li Cuiying’s husband!”

If this roommate truly had a connection to the victim’s husband, what was his motive for murder?

And then, where was the murder weapon that had never been found?

According to the forensics department, the wounds matched those made by a saw blade, possibly an electric saw. But such a large tool would be hard to hide. If he hadn’t had the chance to move it, then it must still be at the crime scene.

Su Tianmu immediately returned to the apartment and began another meticulous search of the roommate’s room.

Finally, suspicious evidence was found beneath the floorboards under the bed.

Several boards showed clear signs of being pried up. Upon opening them, the investigators discovered a secret compartment, and beneath a jumble of old newspapers, they found the bloodstained electric saw.