Chapter 33: Insect Investigation!

Have we really found a suspect? Shen Ting felt a surge of excitement upon seeing Kiko’s message, only to find...

Kiko: "I just realized you’re looking especially handsome today, Boss! ヾ(❀╹◡╹)ﾉ~～"

"Heh..."

When a person is truly speechless, they actually laugh out loud.

Group Owner: "Get lost ╰_╯╬! Go find somewhere cool to stay!"
Group Owner: "What about the rest of you? Any discoveries?"

Guan Hongfeng (The Brother): "I’ve been looking into the background of Liu Qitong and his two brothers. No suspicious leads so far. Although the character 'Tong' in Liu Qitong’s name shares components with the 'Men' radical, and he is the primary beneficiary after the case, the records show that he and Liu Furen shared a 'father-son, filial-piety' dynamic—or, to put it simply, they had a very good relationship. Being the youngest son, Liu Furen was particularly doting toward him. Moreover, before the incident, Liu Qitong’s dream was actually to be a physics teacher. He had already passed his teacher certification exams and planned to teach after finishing his world tour. All in all, he isn't the type to be overly ambitious. He just wanted to be a 'leisurely brother' who lived a life of luxury, with no intention of seizing the family legacy. I don't feel his suspicion is very high. As for his two brothers, while their personalities differ, I doubt they’re capable of killing their father to take over the position. Truth be told, their intelligence and methods are far inferior to Liu Qitong’s. They couldn't design such a meticulous crime plan!"

Group Owner: "And Liu Qitong’s mother..."

Team Leader Guan, having seen his fair share of cases, immediately understood what Shen Ting was implying and replied with a smile: "There aren't that many soap-opera-style plot twists here. Although Liu Furen was wealthy, his private life was unexpectedly clean. His first wife passed away six years before the incident, and he never remarried. All three sons were born to his first wife. Of course, that is according to the records. If there’s something wrong with these files, or if the information was scrubbed by Liu Furen himself, that would be a different story."

Shen Ting nodded, feeling his heart sink. He had originally "pinned high hopes" on Liu Qitong. Unexpectedly, there were no clues to confirm his suspicion.

Tang Detective Qin Feng: "I’ve been reviewing the board members' files. How should I put it? Looking at their daily chat logs and small group records, they certainly harbored quite a bit of dissatisfaction toward Liu Furen. Some found him too overbearing; some thought he was too autocratic; others complained that he was reckless with money and too aggressive with investments. But overall, they still respected Liu Furen—they were genuinely convinced by his leadership. Years of experience proved that the industries Liu Furen favored and invested in, while perhaps unpopular at the time, all turned a profit in the end! Many even made huge sums of money. So, despite the grumbling and complaining, they generally approved of him. The key point is: none of the board members had any fundamental conflict with Liu Furen. Their level of suspicion is, for the time being, not particularly high."

Forensic Scientist Qin Ming: "I checked the background of Liu Furen’s enemies. There are indeed many people who bore grudges against him regarding his business dealings or personal life. But Liu Furen wasn't the type to cut off all avenues or wipe out his rivals completely. When faced with unscrupulous people, he would occasionally use underhanded or shady tactics, but he always kept them within legal limits—he wouldn't go too far. For instance, twenty-five years ago, the Furen Group and the Yineng Group were competing for a plot of land. Both sides got heated, and the bosses even agreed to a one-on-one fight in a park. It’s said they actually fought, though the outcome remains unknown. In the end, the Yineng Group got the land. However, a few years later, when the Yineng Group hit a financial crisis, the government asked Liu Furen to bail them out. If he were a petty man, he would have been satisfied just not kicking them while they were down. But Liu Furen provided the funds to save them. That’s just how he was; he focused on issues rather than people, he didn't hold grudges, and he was generous. Because of his hot temper, he often offended people, but he wasn't a bad person. His reputation in both business and political circles was quite good because of this. Since he was known for donating cash to help the poor, the lower classes also viewed him very favorably. Therefore! While many had conflicts with Liu Furen, from the perspective of an ordinary person, there really wasn't anyone with a grudge deep enough to warrant murder."

Qin Ming’s final conclusion was very conservative. Ordinary people might think the conflicts weren't enough to kill over, but the individuals involved might not see it that way. Some petty people might interpret a simple glance as a sign of contempt and decide to battle you over it. In other words, those people didn't appear to have deep hatred for Liu Furen on the surface, but only they knew what they truly felt deep down.

"So, in summary! The current data alone isn't enough to identify a suspect?"

Shen Ting’s heart grew heavier. This criminal was not only cunning but clearly very well-hidden!

"If the data isn't enough and there are no witnesses, the only path remaining is physical evidence."

"There was quite a bit of physical evidence collected from the Hummer. The technical team has analyzed it all, but none of it has been helpful in cracking the case."

Shen Ting thought for a moment and pulled out the technical report, flipping through it quickly. Liu Furen had ridden in that Hummer for years. There was a vast array of physical evidence inside, touching every aspect of his life. Distinguishing the evidence related to the crime from the rest was already a monumental task. Furthermore, twelve years had passed! Not only would the substances have degraded, but they had also been submerged in pond water and contaminated by the pollutants within it. Even if one found evidence related to the crime, the difficulty of completing an analysis and reaching a definitive conclusion was even higher.

"Setting aside the miscellaneous items, there are three categories of evidence that might 'describe' the killer's trajectory: soil, pollen, and insect remains!"

Shen Ting immediately ruled out soil. He had already attempted to use forensic geology, but it only managed to narrow the criminal’s range of movement to the southern part of Chaoyang.

"Could insect remains work?"

As a car travels, insects enter the interior through the exhaust or cooling vents. Most are killed upon impact, sometimes crushed to pieces! And the distribution of insects follows specific patterns. By identifying specific insects, one can reconstruct the car's path. This has been a successful method in many criminal investigations.

Shen Ting opened the detective group and looked at the skill panel on the Group Owner's private dashboard. He found the skill labeled "Entomological Investigation." He didn't redeem it immediately; he first read the summary...

"I'm afraid that won't work!"

Shen Ting shook his head quickly. Entomological investigation had even greater limitations than forensic geology when it came to determining a trajectory. Geological minerals have relatively fixed locations, whereas the distribution area of insects is broad, with boundaries that are not only fuzzy but unfixed. After all, insects move on their own. Taking the suspected area in southern Chaoyang that the investigation team had circled years ago as an example, it’s impossible to say that a certain species of insect is distributed in the east of this area but not in the west. That isn't logical; it doesn't align with the characteristics of insects!

"That leaves only pollen..."