Chapter 427: An Intriguing Investigation

Chapter 427: This Guy Is Quite Interesting (Update 7)

Seeing his disciple, the hot-blooded Young Man’s face lit up once more.

Xiao Yu got up with a grin and headed for the Chief’s Office.

No wonder the old hands love to mess with the newbies.

Newbies are inexperienced—if we don’t mess with them, who will?

Xiao Yu vowed.

In his next life, he’d definitely be a good person!

Pushing open the door and stepping into the office, Xiao Yu found Zhao Changshan looking rather troubled.

“Didn’t find him?”

Xiao Yu wasn’t surprised. He took a seat on the guest sofa and replied, “It’s typical.”

“Hm?”

Zhao Changshan looked startled. “You figured it out?”

“Of course.”

Xiao Yu smirked. “For someone to bail in the middle and leave by himself, luring Lai Jun to distract us, already shows that Liu Changcheng isn’t stupid. The most impressive part is that he even figured out how to use a woman’s clothes to mask his scent—clearly, he’s anticipated our methods of tracking him. A clever, ruthless psychopath like that is hard to crack.”

“Not bad.”

Zhao Changshan nodded. “Any suggestions?”

“None,” Xiao Yu replied.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Let’s stick with our three old tricks.”

What exactly are the ‘three old tricks’?

“Stakeout, following the trail, and money trail.”

Stakeout means watching over the suspect’s family, relatives, or places they often visit.

Following the trail involves using surveillance and familiar contacts to track them down.

As for the money trail, it boils down to two things: information from their ID and their finances.

Nowadays, no matter where you go, you need an ID.

Long-distance buses, trains, planes, even accommodation—

everything costs money.

And almost all transactions rely on online banking or cash.

Where does cash come from?

It usually comes from ATMs and banks, right?

These places are all under surveillance.

Outside banks and ATMs, there’s even the Tianyan Surveillance Camera.

If you dare to withdraw money, your trail will be uncovered.

And using your phone to pay? That’s even more obvious.

It all depends on the network.

A network means an IP address and signal tower coverage—you can be tracked down.

So in today’s world, you simply can’t dodge the need for an ID and money.

Unless the suspect has stashed a fortune in advance.

Or hides in remote, unmonitored areas, or even secludes themselves in the mountains.

Maybe they stock up on food and hide out somewhere.

Otherwise… can you really outrun them?

“Boss, there’s a lead.”

Just as Xiao Yu and Zhao Changshan were discussing how to track down suspect Liu Changcheng,

Guo Qiang pushed open the door and entered the office.

Was he just dozing off, or was that his quirky way of delivering a ‘pillow’?

Xiao Yu felt puzzled and followed Guo Qiang out of the Criminal Investigation Team.

Young Man Wang Cheng eagerly trailed behind.

……

Bincheng, a county.

Xiao Yu furrowed his brows.

He surveyed a compound and houses nearly consumed by fire.

Those in criminal investigations know that fire is a major enemy of forensic evidence.

Why?

Under the intense heat, most materials oxidize and become unrecognizable.

That’s why some cunning criminals torch the scene immediately after committing a crime.

This way, they essentially erase all traces.

Clearly, the arsonist thought the same.

“About seven hours ago, someone reported that suspect Liu Changcheng was seen here.”

“We arrived soon after only to find the place burned down.”

“The goal was likely to destroy some evidence.”

“But this property isn’t registered to Liu Changcheng—it belongs to… Ge Xuyang!”

Guo Qiang explained the findings.

Who is Ge Xuyang?

He is the eldest among the group known as the ‘Five Immortals.’

So far, two of the ‘Five Immortals’ have been caught.

The third, Lu Juan, and the fourth, Lai Jun.

The fifth, Yu Jianhui, died years ago.

Now among the ‘Five Immortals’, only the eldest Ge Xuyang and the second Liu Changcheng remain.

Of them, Liu Changcheng is now a suspect.

As for the eldest… he’s a businessman.

He owns two 4S shops.

They are authorized dealers for Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Ge Xuyang is extremely wealthy!

Running even a small 4S shop requires nearly 18 million in working capital.

For top brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW,

setting up a dealership involves hefty agency fees plus an initial investment of 35 to 50 million, sometimes even over a hundred million.

“Master, something’s off.”

Wang Cheng was puzzled. “Anyone who can afford two renowned 4S shops must have assets worth tens of millions. So why does he own a property that’s so undervalued in this area?”

Investigations show the house was transferred to Ge Xuyang six years ago.

This property can be bought for just 100,000 to 180,000.

This is a county, not a city.

Beyond poor transport links, the living conditions here are worlds apart from those in the city.

Six years ago, Ge Xuyang already owned a 4S shop.

Was he short on cash?

Then what was his motive for buying this property?

“He doesn’t live here,”

Xiao Yu said coldly, “When I hypnotized suspect Lai Jun, he mentioned that suspect Liu Changcheng had a very close relationship with his senior brother. Maybe this brother bought the house for him.”

From the arrest of suspect 413 Lu Juan onward,

the Criminal Investigation Team began probing the four senior siblings of Lu Juan.

The eldest, Ge Xuyang, has no criminal record.

His assets are spotless, and he even got married straight out of a prestigious university.

His wife comes from a wealthy family; her family invested in his first 4S shop.

Ge Xuyang is quite capable himself.

Within a few years, using his business savvy, he amassed considerable wealth and opened a second 4S shop…

Being one of the ‘Five Immortals’,

shouldn’t this senior brother be beyond suspicion?

Certainly not.

The police checked him thoroughly—he’s squeaky clean.

But now…

Xiao Yu glanced at the charred ruins and turned toward a nearby police car…

……

Bincheng, at a Mercedes-Benz 4S Shop.

Xiao Yu walked in.

“Sir, are you here to look at cars?”

A female salesperson approached with a warm, welcoming smile.

She greeted him as if she were seeing her long-lost father.

“Police.”

Guo Qiang flashed his badge. “Please call your boss, Ge Xuyang, to come over and help with our investigation.”

Thirty minutes later, Ge Xuyang arrived at the 4S shop.

At the first glimpse, Xiao Yu’s heart skipped a beat.

This guy… is really something!