Chapter 603: I Am the Criminal Investigation Consultant for This Case!

At the moment he thought that Guo Zhengchang might also be included.

Chen Xiao felt a chill go straight to his head.

But before he could think further, Guo Qing’s call came in.

"Chen Xiao, come quickly, come quickly!"

Guo Qing’s tone clearly conveyed the urgency of the news he was about to deliver.

However, Chen Xiao wasn’t in a hurry. He calmly asked, "Did you call the police?"

"I did. I called the criminal investigation team at the precinct directly as you instructed, and then Captain Qin Fei of the criminal investigation team called me back."

Just as he was speaking, Qin Fei’s call came in.

Chen Xiao glanced at it and said, "I know, I’m on my way now."

After hanging up on Guo Qing, Chen Xiao answered Qin Fei’s call.

As he answered, Chen Xiao was also thinking about how to begin the conversation with Qin Fei.

"Hello, Mr. Chen, I just received a report from President Guo of Dragon Cauldron saying that a woman’s body was found on that piece of land by Yang Lake. Are you at the construction site or at your residence now?"

"I’m at the construction site."

"Alright, I’m on my way with my team now. See you soon."

To outsiders, Qin Fei and Chen Xiao’s relationship still appeared friendly.

Even in the eyes of the Qi Family, Qin Fei was not perceived to have fallen out with Chen Xiao.

So, with just a few words, the conversation concluded.

Chen Xiao put down the phone and without lingering on other issues, he immediately headed towards where the body was discovered.

As he anticipated.

When Guo Qing was standing in front of a garbage truck, surrounded by many workers, Chen Xiao was almost certain that Zhu Nianying was transferred to that garbage truck.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiao moved through the crowd and asked Guo Qing:

"What’s the situation like?"

"The body has already turned to bones, but I think it should be a woman."

Chen Xiao nodded, glanced at the surrounding workers, and gave Old Gui a look.

Understanding the cue, Old Gui disappeared into the crowd.

"Old Guo, arrange for someone to disperse the workers, so they don’t gather around. Also, make sure the workers at the scene don’t leave the construction site for now."

"Alright."

Guo Qing set about dispersing the workers.

Chen Xiao approached the body in the black garbage bag.

As Guo Qing had said, the entire body had turned to bones.

With a quick observation, Chen Xiao confirmed it was indeed a woman.

Putting on gloves to examine the bones, Chen Xiao could immediately identify her as a girl in her twenties.

The age and the length of the bones closely matched Zhu Nianying.

Before long, police sirens could be heard outside the construction site.

Chen Xiao stood up and saw Qin Fei leading his team swiftly towards them.

With a brief nod, Qin Fei instructed the forensic team:

"You guys go ahead and conduct an external examination of the body."

After giving instructions, Qin Fei walked over to Chen Xiao and asked:

"Can you confirm it’s her?"

"I can’t. Apart from the body, we haven’t found anything that can confirm an identity. Moreover, based on your experience, you can also tell that this body has been moved a second time."

"Did you film the entire process when you discovered the body? On the way here, I heard rumors that quite a few reporters got wind of it."

Chen Xiao broke into a cold smile:

"Stopping construction on the site is inevitable, but using such means to get me and Old Guo involved won’t be so easy."

Chen Xiao’s words eased Qin Fei’s worries, but he quickly added with a wry smile:

"Hearing you say that puts me at ease, but for this case, I probably can’t assist you further. I need to clean up after myself."

"Did they try to bribe you?"

Chen Xiao asked with a smile, and Qin Fei shrugged, "Besides bribery, what other ways do they have to win me over? Bribery is the most direct means to control me, but unfortunately... we don’t seem to lack money. It may appear I don’t have much money on the surface."

Qin Fei was not wrong.

From the outside, this detective captain indeed seemed to have little money.

In terms of his parents and daily life, he lived simply and modestly, even somewhat frugally.

However, his family was quite capable.

If there was any flaw, it was that his family lacked cash flow and held properties that couldn’t be liquidated immediately!

Of course, the means of bribery weren’t limited to money; there were other things they thought might sway Qin Fei.

But judging by Qin Fei’s expression, Chen Xiao could see that Qin Fei would handle it well.

After a pause, Chen Xiao sincerely said:

"No matter what, I have to thank Captain Qin. Without you, I wouldn’t have found that clue."

"No need to thank me, but that said, I don’t owe you any favors now. From now on, we’re just pure friends."

The favor Qin Fei referred to was helping him become the detective captain at the precinct.

Chen Xiao never intended to directly help Qin Fei with this, but Qin Fei always remembered this favor.

Chen Xiao nodded, "Alright, from now on, we’re purely friends!"

Qin Fei smiled, and the forensic team approached:

"Captain Qin, preliminary examinations confirm the deceased was a female, aged between 20 to 25 years at the time of death, with a death range of about five to ten years ago."

Hearing these figures, Qin Fei understood and glanced at Chen Xiao, saying:

"Since we’ve found the body, I’ll leave a few people here to understand the situation with you and the workers, and then inspect the construction site. As for the rest, if I’m able to take over the case, I’ll inform you immediately."

"Alright, thank you, Captain Qin."

Chen Xiao said with a smile.

But as soon as he finished talking, a worker came over:

"President Chen, lots of reporters have arrived outside!"

Chen Xiao looked around and asked, "Has President Guo gone?"

"He has."

"And what’s President Guo’s reaction? He should be quite calm, right?"

"President Guo seems to handle it, but those reporters insist on seeing you."

Chen Xiao thought for a moment, then looked at Qin Fei, "Would Captain Qin mind helping me out again?"

"Sure, but what should I say?"

"Just tell the truth."

With that, Chen Xiao and Qin Fei exchanged a smile and then headed towards the construction site entrance together.

As soon as they appeared at the entrance, a reporter excitedly shouted:

"Isn’t that Chen Xiao? And who’s that beside him? It looks like Captain Qin Fei of the forensic team!"

"That’s definitely Captain Qin! It seems our tip-off was correct; Captain Qin is here to take Chen Xiao away!"

"That must be it. Captain Qin looks quite stern! And although Chen Xiao isn’t in handcuffs, he’s surrounded by police."

Ignoring Guo Qing, the reporters dashed over.

Once there, they immediately set up cameras and started questioning Chen Xiao:

"President Chen, we’ve received a tip-off from the public that a body was found at your construction site. Is this true?"

"President Chen, the Yang Lake land is the biggest project for Dragon Cauldron in Shencheng. Now that the police are involved, did you fail to notify them in time due to the construction deadline?"

"President Chen, as a detective famous in Shencheng, why didn’t you choose to report to the police as soon as you discovered a body with an unknown identity at the site?"

Chen Xiao coldly looked at the journalists asking questions.

It was clear that these reporters were the frontrunners with first-hand information.

Or, to be blunt, they were the media channels for the Qi Family.

Looking at their self-righteous faces, Chen Xiao smiled and said:

"I’ll answer each of your questions in turn, but first, I need to correct a few things you mentioned."

"First: A body was indeed found at the construction site, and we notified the police as soon as it was discovered. The precinct’s criminal investigation team can testify on behalf of Dragon Cauldron!"

Qin Fei nodded.

"Second: Although the Yang Lake Phantom Case is one of the more challenging cases I’ve solved, apart from the fact that it’s been shelved for over ten years, the case’s difficulty doesn’t even rank in the top three of those I’ve handled!"

Qin Fei nodded calmly again, his gaze smiling at Chen Xiao.

His smile left Chen Xiao momentarily puzzled.

But in the next second, a notification came from his phone.

Chen Xiao picked it up, glanced at it, then smiled and dialed a number in front of the reporters:

"Hello, Professor Jin Peng? It’s Chen Xiao. I’ve received confirmation from the police that shortly after Zhu Nianying’s disappearance, you seemed to have grasped some significant clues?"

"Regarding the clues you have, I’d like to discuss them with you in person. Yes, the Shencheng police have now established a task force for the Zhu Nianying case, and I’ve been appointed as a criminal investigation consultant for this case!"