Chapter 820 - 691: Investigating the Problem

Chapter 820: Chapter 691: Investigating the Problem

Zheng Geng’s face darkened, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Li Shang mimicked the other’s stance and righteously analyzed,

"Look, the time you left Jade Garden and the time you returned after the explosion perfectly missed the whole explosion event.

Tsk tsk, this timing is planned so well, isn’t it? It conveniently helps you create an alibi, doesn’t it? And also..."

Li Shang’s accusation was turning the logic he stole from Zheng Geng’s subordinate against him.

However, just as Zheng Geng perked up his ears, ready to hear what other ’evidence’ Li Shang might concoct, Li Shang suddenly stopped talking.

With an ’you know’ look, seemingly indicating he already grasped a key clue, he looked at Zheng Geng meaningfully.

Leaving things half-said made Zheng Geng as uncomfortable as if he’d swallowed half a fly.

He couldn’t help but press on:

"Not only that but what else? Li Shang, just go ahead and say it; stop being so mysterious!"

Li Shang wanted just this effect, to disgust the other person and make them paranoid.

With his title of ’Detective,’ this coy attitude indeed unnervingly shook Zheng Geng’s confidence, making him unwilling to dismiss Li Shang’s words as pure bluff meant to intimidate.

What if... what if Li Shang really found something disadvantageous to him?

Even though he knew fully well the explosion had nothing to do with him.

At this moment, a constable ran over to report:

"Captain Li, the fire has been completely put out!"

Li Shang ignored Zheng Geng and turned swiftly towards the smoking, burnt-smelling villa ruins.

The entire villa had been blasted out of shape, leaving only a heap of broken bricks, twisted steel bars, and after being heavily washed by fire hoses, it appeared black, wet, and muddy, almost indistinguishable from any original structural features.

Squatting on the ruins with a gloomy face, wearing gloves, Li Shang carefully sifted through the debris, which might hide some clues. To be honest, the site was so damaged that even if he were a god-tier detective, it would be difficult to reconstruct or retrieve much valuable evidence from the wreckage.

The explosion, fire, and then the high-pressure water jets’ assault, the triple-layer of destruction virtually wiped away everything.

Zheng Geng watched as Li Shang left him aside, wholly focused on the ruins, while the surrounding constables followed suit, busily encircling Li Shang, completely ignoring his presence.

His gaze was so sinister it could almost drip water, grumbling internally,

"This Patrol Office is sure hard to command!

But fortunately, I had foresight and have already applied for the Anti-Smuggling Bureau and Investigation Corps to assist with the case.

Once they arrive, ha—"

Zheng Geng considered that Li Shang was purely wasting time in the rubble, unlikely to find anything substantive.

He decided not to linger and chose to push the Anti-Smuggling Bureau and Investigation Corps to hurry up and provide support.

Thinking this, Zheng Geng no longer stayed, turning away with a grim face from the scene.

Soon after Zheng Geng left, Li Shang continued patiently searching through the ruins. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Suddenly, his movement paused slightly as his fingers touched a stone with a slightly strange texture.

The stone was only palm-sized, charred black and irregularly shaped, seemingly indistinguishable from the surrounding debris.

But when he applied a bit more pressure, he felt the stone’s interior... seemed hollow?

Was it a hollow created by the explosion? Or... another reason?

Li Shang’s heart stirred, gently brushing away the surface ash and mud, he raised the stone to his eyes, carefully observing its cross-section and structure, his frown deepened.

"This fragment is hollow inside... It doesn’t look like it was just blasted hollow; this structure resembles...??"

A startling hypothesis suddenly flashed through Li Shang’s mind.

...

Chang Erbing received Li Shang’s orders, not daring to delay, immediately selecting a few tight-lipped, meticulous constables to investigate the villa’s situation.

The first step in the investigation, naturally, was to figure out who owned the villa.

This point at least had basic registration information available with the neighborhood property.

Chang Erbing led the group directly to the Jade Garden’s property management center, and in response to the Patrol Office’s inquiry, the property was quite cooperative, quickly pulling out the records of the exploded villa.

The registration information showed the owner’s name was Zhang Siyang.

The file was not very detailed, showing an age of 35, male, occupation registered as ’a company owner,’ with a citizen ranking of C-level, and a string of contact numbers below.

The photo showed a man with an ordinary face, without any notable features, the kind who would disappear in a crowd.

"Get in touch with this Zhang Siyang immediately!" ordered Chang Erbing.

A constable immediately dialed the number, but all that came through the receiver was a long, monotonous ’beep... beep...’ with no one answering.

The constable tried several times, getting the same result.

"The phone is constantly unanswered."

The constable reported while quickly operating the portable terminal,

"I’ll have the tech department help trace this number’s signal source."

A few minutes later, feedback from the tech department came back, sinking Chang Erbing’s heart.

The signal trace showed this phone number’s signal source... was no longer in Zone 9.

Though Lower City was nominally a whole, significant differences in political ecosystem, technology level, and infrastructure existed among the various zones.