Chapter Seventy-Three: Officer Wang!

Sun Lili said, “Why make such a fuss about it? He’s a policeman, and an expert at that. He owns several properties under the police’s name—aren’t they for entertaining the disciplinary committee? To get another place outside, he had to temporarily put the villa under my name. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for him to buy another house.”

“Where do you live then?” I asked.

“I live in the property under his name,” Sun Lili replied.

“Does Officer Wang have a lot of money?”

“Of course,” Sun Lili said. “Otherwise, how could he divorce me?”

“Is it… a problem with his finances?” Old Lin ventured.

Sun Lili smiled, “You’re underestimating him.”

Old Lin quickly apologized, saying it was only a wild guess and he meant no offense.

Sun Lili waved it off, “No need to apologize. What I mean is, not only are his finances questionable, but his personal conduct is seriously compromised. Did you know he kept a college student? That was their love nest.”

Suddenly, everything made sense—the villa always felt strange.

“So, before he died, Officer Wang lived in this villa the whole time?”

Sun Lili nodded.

“He never visited you?” I asked.

“What would he come to me for? He probably forgot all about me,” Sun Lili replied.

“And you never came here?” I pressed.

Sun Lili grew impatient, “Are you done? I haven’t been in touch with him for ages. I was surprised you called me here—I thought it was about property rights. If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work.”

Old Lin waved her off, “Nothing else…”

Before leaving, Sun Lili asked for Li Xingchen’s phone number. As soon as she left, Tang Yuyou grabbed Li Xingchen by the head, “You idiot, even old women like that catch your eye? Have some dignity, will you? Don’t ever tell people you know me.”

Li Xingchen replied immediately, “I’m just sacrificing for the revolution, aren’t I?”

“Shameless, disgraceful—don’t talk to me for three days.”

Li Xingchen chuckled, “Don’t worry, sis, I gave her Li Hong’s number.”

I could only imagine Li Hong’s reaction if he suddenly received a call from Sun Lili—what expression would that straightforward fellow wear?

“Another important lead,” Old Lin said with a smile. “Let’s get back and report to the commander before Old Huo gets ahead of us.”

I said, “Old Lin, do we really need to rush? Shouldn’t we investigate Officer Wang’s lover first?”

Old Lin replied, “You don’t get it—time is money. The earlier we report useful information, the easier it is to have resources lean our way.”

I nodded, resigned, “Alright then.”

We took the pile of ashes with us for the lab to analyze, but without waiting for the results, we headed straight for the commander’s office.

The commander greeted us with a smile, inviting us to sit and asking Old Lin what good news he’d brought.

Old Lin said, “We want to know more about Officer Wang—we suspect he’s not as simple as he seems.”

The commander was taken aback, “Oh, you suspect him?”

Old Lin replied, “Not exactly suspect, but we think we can find some clues from him.”

So Old Lin explained everything that had happened at the villa. The commander listened and then said ambiguously, “This evidence doesn’t really prove anything. I’ve met Officer Wang before—he’s always been an exemplary specialist, even sponsoring several students. Let’s keep this to ourselves for now; without concrete evidence, it’s best not to spread it.”

Old Lin nodded.

I was holding the contract and suddenly noticed something odd.

I raised my hand. The commander nodded, “Yes, go ahead.”

I said, “Commander, please take a look at this contract—the key is the validity period of the ownership.”

The commander asked, “Is this the ownership contract between Officer Wang and his ex-wife?”

I confirmed it.

The commander examined it closely, finally frowning at the date, “The contract expires tomorrow!”

I nodded.

The commander asked, “So what are you suggesting?”

I replied, “I can’t say for sure yet, but I feel the timing is suspicious.”

The commander nodded, “That seems likely.”

I could tell he was mostly brushing us off.

Perhaps he thought the matter was too intangible.

Suddenly, I remembered—among the senior officials who visited my house before, this commander was present.

Just as we were about to leave, the door was knocked. The commander called, “Come in,” and Old Huo entered with his apprentice, Huo Shan.

Old Lin stood up, then sat back down. “Old Huo, made a big discovery? We’ll just listen in.”

Old Huo said, “This is confidential—you can’t listen.”

Old Lin laughed, “Resource sharing, Old Huo—why so petty? Want to hog the credit and steal the limelight?”

Old Huo shot him a look, “Quit your nonsense, I haven’t got time for it. I’ve made an important discovery.”

The commander persuaded, “Let Old Lin stay—let’s hear each other’s opinions.”

Old Lin looked pleased; Old Huo could only sigh.

“Commander, let’s watch a video first.”

He handed over a USB drive. Only then did we realize there was no computer in the commander’s office.

The commander phoned someone to bring in a laptop.

The commander explained with a smile, “I’m just an old brute, crawled out from piles of corpses on the battlefield. Killing with my hands is one thing, but fiddling with complicated gadgets—I depend on my secretary.”

Ah Shan set up the computer himself, then played a video from the USB.

It was a dashcam recording. The car moved slowly forward until reaching a certain spot. Old Lin suddenly paused the video, “Commander, take a look at this person—do you recognize him?”

He pointed to a figure crossing the road in the footage.

The commander had Ah Shan zoom in. He looked, then gasped, “Officer Wang!”

Our hearts tightened—they’d also found this crucial clue about Officer Wang.

What had they uncovered?

The commander asked, “Old Huo, explain—what’s going on?”

Old Huo said, “We tried to access nearby surveillance, but there was none. Then we noticed the riverbank where the hollow corpse was found—a road runs alongside. Anyone going to the riverbank would have to cross the road. We matched the time of death and checked dashcam footage from vehicles passing then—thirty-seven in all. Ten of them provided key information.”

The commander nodded, “Go on.”

Old Huo continued, “This video is edited from those clips—there might be overlapping parts. Watch closely; I’ll explain as we go.”

He had Ah Shan resume playback.

“Officer Wang walked to the roadside, paused a moment, gazing toward the riverbank. Occasionally, he looked around. We think he was waiting for someone.”

“After a while, Officer Wang disappeared from the footage. Soon after, another figure appeared.”

Old Huo paused the video again, “Commander, look closely—isn’t that the victim, the hollow corpse?”

We all leaned in. The resemblance was obvious.

“Keep playing.”

The video continued. The hollow corpse victim went to the roadside and vanished—presumably heading toward the riverbank.

Shortly after, Officer Wang reappeared, carrying a bulging bundle. His manner was anxious; when crossing the street, he nearly got hit by a car.

“Wait,” Old Lin said. “Rewind the video.”

Old Huo glanced at him, “What is it?”

Old Lin urged, “I’ve noticed something!”

Reluctantly, Old Huo had Ah Shan rewind. When Officer Wang’s appearance came up, Old Lin called, “Stop.”

“Ah Shan, zoom in on what Officer Wang is holding!” Old Mo cried.

Once Ah Shan zoomed in, we all gasped.