Chapter 376: I’m Not Ning Caichen

Chapter 376: I’m Not Ning Caichen

Zhuo An recounted the past with his ex-wife, Jiang Huiying.

They met, grew close, and tied the knot, living together for 20 years.

The couple rarely quarreled and were deeply devoted to one another.

They even had a daughter, now attending college in another city.

Then, just a year ago, Jiang Huiying suddenly filed for divorce.

The divorce papers had already been prepared, forcing him to sign.

After a 30-day cooling-off period, the divorce would be finalized.

She then left City Z and settled in Bincheng.

“I really don’t understand why she’s become like this,”

Zhuo An wore a pained expression as he roared in anger, “Why didn’t she tell me anything? Not a single word?”

“Not even a hint before the divorce?” observed Xiao Yu with an odd look.

“Hint?”

Zhuo An thought for a moment, “It seems that before the divorce she kept saying she was busy and rarely came home. There were times I might see her only once every few months.”

“Oh?” “710”

Xiao Yu squinted and asked, “Can you remember when it all started?”

“Probably within the year before the divorce,”

Zhuo An shook his head, “I can hardly recall the exact time.”

It’s been one year since the divorce– add another year and it makes over two years?

Xiao Yu’s eyes flickered for a moment.

That was exactly when the suspect, Jiang Huiying, went to a breeding farm and bought two prairie wolves!

“There’s one more thing,”

Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on Zhuo An, “Did you know that your ex-wife had a younger sister?”

“Younger sister?”

Zhuo An was taken aback and shook his head, “My ex-wife never mentioned such a thing.”

Something didn’t add up… Xiao Yu was utterly astonished.

A biological sister had been missing for years.

How could she have been married for 20 years and never mention her own sister?

Just as Xiao Yu was about to press further,

the phone rang.

It was Zhao Changshan. His call contained just one sentence: “We’ve found that Gan Yuzhen and the couple, Xing Chuyang, are dead – mauled to death by wolves… Hurry back!”

Xiao Yu’s head buzzed with the news.

His mind fixated on one thought.

Four lives lost; the case is now escalating… it’s a Special Case!

……

On his way back to Bincheng,

Xiao Yu received four more calls.

First from Yun Xiangguo at the City Bureau,

then from Criminal Investigation Headquarters Commander Hou Bojian,

next from Provincial Department Chief Zeng Lei,

and finally from Wang Dong of National Security Team Two…

They had mentioned before that Special Cases are graded from S to E level.

When comparing to ordinary criminal cases,

for non-prominent individuals,

two deaths nearly equate to a major case.

Three deaths automatically qualify as a Special Case.

Four deaths upgrade the case—at the very least, it’s a D-level matter.

Of course, if the victim is someone of special status,

such as a person who has made significant contributions to the nation,

even one death would trigger a Special Case!

Why should they be treated differently?

It’s because those who contribute to the nation deserve special attention.

If you don’t like it, then go contribute to the country yourself.

Then you too can enjoy that kind of treatment…

“Listen, brother, just when things started to settle down, you couldn’t resist stirring up trouble, could you?”

Wang Dong grumbled into the phone, “What the hell is going on?”

“What do I mean by that? I’m not Ning Caichen…”

Xiao Yu grumbled in frustration, “It’s not my fault. Do you really think I wanted to get tangled up in a case like this?”

Mentioning Ning Caichen made him think of Xiao Qian.

Xiao Qian is a ghost—ghosts have no physical form, right?

So how does Ning Caichen manage it?

It’s all so mystical!

“Team Two is busy as well; you’ll have to handle this on your own.”

Wang Dong refused to listen to his younger brother’s explanation, “Old man, you’re past your prime—stop giving me grief, will you?”

Xiao Yu knew exactly what Wang Dong was capable of.

In a case like this, having Team Two go to Bincheng wouldn’t change much.

If Xiao Yu can’t manage it, their involvement would be pointless.

With that, Wang Dong hung up the phone.

A masterful display of passing the buck.

If he didn’t scram soon, his younger brother would have him pinned and beaten…

“Damn it!”

Clutching his phone, Xiao Yu rolled his eyes in exasperation.

They had shifted the blame back onto him again.

Where was the integrity and prestige of a leader in Team Two?

In the end, Xiao Yu reluctantly took on all the responsibilities…

……

Bincheng.

In a high-end residential area, within a complex stood a duplex-like villa.

As Xiao Yu stepped inside, a nauseating stench filled the air.

In the bedroom, he discovered two bodies in an advanced state of decay…

Zhao Changshan, Guo Qiang, and others were on site, while Criminal Police from the brigade were investigating.

At that moment, He Li was crouched on the ground, performing an on-site autopsy on the two corpses.

Given how far gone the bodies were, only an on-site autopsy could yield results.

Because the bodies were actively decomposing—if not examined immediately, they would disintegrate completely…

“Time of death is estimated to be between 30 and 35 days ago,”

“The cause of death is that their necks were torn apart by sharp fangs…”

“The manner of death closely resembles previous cases of wolf attacks. No—based on the timeline, these two victims were the first to be attacked… all were savaged by canines…”

Removing her gloves and mask, He Li looked over at Xiao Yu crouched beside the bodies, “Headache, isn’t it?”

Four lives lost—it really is a headache… Xiao Yu frowned as he stood up, “What about the surveillance?”

“It’s been overwritten!”

Standing nearby, Zhao Changshan said in a low voice, “The villa’s cameras are standard civilian-grade, storing footage for only a day. New recordings automatically overwrite the old.”

Why mention this?

Because even if you delete or format surveillance footage, it can sometimes be recovered.

But if the files are overwritten—or repeatedly overwritten,

the chances of recovery become nearly nil.

Even the most skilled technicians would struggle.

In fact, it might even be impossible.

Zhao Changshan’s point was clear—the villa’s surveillance is essentially useless.

Retrieving footage that shows the victims’ time of death is nearly impossible.

“What about the complex’s cameras and the Tianyan Surveillance outside?”

Xiao Yu asked, “Did you notice any anomalies?”

The stench of decay in the room was overpowering.

Even his Wangdie’s Nose skill proved ineffective.

No matter what other scents were present, they were drowned out by the heavy odor of rot.

“The complex’s cameras did pick up something unusual.”

Zhao Changshan handed Xiao Yu a tablet, “On a night 28 days ago, it appears a large canine entered the complex.”

Xiao Yu scrolled through the video file on the tablet.

He checked the time and then reviewed the footage.

It was around 2:50 in the morning.

A dark silhouette of a large canine sprinted through the complex’s recreation area, then vanished without a trace.

That was the only frame the surveillance had captured.

After setting down the tablet, Xiao Yu moved toward a clue the Criminal Police had found.

It was at a window in the main hall.

It was early autumn, and the weather still felt oppressively hot.

The window was open and fitted with a mosquito net.

However, the net had been shattered by an impact,

and stray strands of canine fur clung to it.

Paw prints resembling those of a dog were visible on the ground…

Xiao Yu envisioned the scene:

A prairie wolf sneaked into the complex, broke in through the window, attacked the victim, and then vanished into the night…

Remember, it was a wolf, not a human.

Is it even scientifically plausible?