Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 559: If you lose a stone in the river, you should look for it upstream! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"correct……"

On this side, Mao Lilan and Bai Ye were chatting happily in a harmonious atmosphere. On the other side, Conan was staring at the busy search and rescue team on the river, not missing any slight movement, as if he wanted to dig out the key to solving the case from this seemingly disorderly busyness.

As he watched, as if he had caught some key information, his eyes suddenly lit up, and then he stretched out his hand and pointed to the other side of the river in the distance. He raised his innocent and cute little face and said to Mao Lilan and Bai Ye in a baby voice: "Sister Xiaolan, Brother Bai Ye, shall we go over there and take a look?"

Mao Lilan was slightly startled when she heard this, with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She subconsciously cast a curious look at Conan and asked softly: "What's the matter, Conan? Why did you suddenly think of going to the other side?"

Could it be that my childhood sweetheart discovered some important clues on the other side of the river?
But she had looked on the other side of the river before and didn’t find anything special!

Or was it that she was careless for a moment and accidentally missed some important clue?
Conan blinked his big, lively eyes and said seriously, "Because maybe someone on the other side saw something that could help solve the case!"

Mao Lilan, who was standing nearby, looked in the direction Conan pointed, pursed her delicate pink lips subconsciously, nodded slightly, and murmured thoughtfully: "Well, you are right."

The location on the other side of the river is just at the edge of the blind spot when the crime occurred. Maybe someone really witnessed some key clues when the crime happened.

Thinking of this, she turned her head and looked at Bai Ye beside her, with a hint of expectation in her eyes, "Bai Ye, what do you think?"

Bai Ye raised his eyebrows slightly and looked in the direction they were looking. On the other side of the river was a relatively open area where some residents were walking along the river.

He pondered for a moment and nodded slightly. "It is indeed worth a look. The view there is wide, and maybe someone there can really provide us with some useful information."

Seeing that Bai Ye also agreed, Mao Lilan's pretty face immediately showed a smile, "Then let's go to the other side and take a look!"

Conan naturally didn't have too many objections to this, and quickly responded crisply, "Yeah!"

So the three of them did not hesitate any longer, and quickly walked through the bustling crowd and along the riverside trail towards the other side.

……

Soon, the three of them arrived at the other side of the river.

As soon as he arrived at the river bank, without even taking a breath, Conan, relying on his identity as a child, recklessly shuttled through the streets and alleys of nearby buildings, not letting go of anyone who might provide clues, and began to actively inquire about information.

"Hello, may I ask, did you see what happened on the river bank over there on X day?"

Conan raised his childish and innocent little face with a polite and sweet smile and asked an old man passing by.

The old man stopped, a kind and gentle smile appeared on his face, he stretched out his calloused hand, gently touched Conan's head, and said slowly in a slow tone: "I'm sorry, little friend, I was in the house the whole day and didn't see anything!"

The light that was originally shining in Conan's eyes dimmed slightly, but he still said "thank you" politely, and then ran towards the next target like a gust of wind.

After a while, he stopped a young office worker who was walking in a hurry and asked the question again with the same expectation.

After hearing his question, the office worker frowned slightly, fell into a moment of thought, then shook his head helplessly, and said with a bit of apology: "I'm sorry, I was in a hurry that day and really didn't pay attention to the situation by the river."

Conan's shoulders drooped slightly, revealing a hint of loss, but he still gritted his teeth, cheered himself up in his heart, and continued to look for the next witness who might know the situation.

Mao Lilan and Bai Ye were not idle either. They divided the work tacitly. One of them was responsible for asking the residents who were walking along the river, hoping to find a breakthrough from their words.

The other one relies on his keen observation to investigate the surrounding shops, not missing any details, trying to dig out clues related to the case.

However, reality was like a basin of cold water, which extinguished the hope in their hearts time and time again. The results were nothing but disappointment, and everyone's expectations were gradually filled with disappointment.

Just when everyone was discouraged and almost ready to give up and plan to go to other places to re-investigate, suddenly, a man with his back to them, wearing a peaked cap and a thick coat, broke into their sight near the dock.

Looking at the man and his location, Bai Ye and the others looked at each other and decided to step forward and ask.

"Hello, grandpa! I would like to ask, were you here on X day?" Conan walked quickly forward and asked politely.

Hearing Conan's question, the old man who was concentrating on sorting out the items on the ship responded without turning his head, "Oh, that day, I was there."

Conan blinked and then asked, "Did anything special happen that day? Also, did you notice any special movements on the other side that day, such as strange noises, or people who suddenly appeared and disappeared?"

The old man slowly raised his head, the wrinkles on his face were like ravines carefully carved by time, full of traces of time. He waved his hand casually, his action revealed a bit of indifference from the world, and then lowered his head to continue his work, his tone calm: "That day, there was nothing particularly conspicuous."

The old man paused, as if he suddenly remembered something, and continued, "I heard that there was a car accident nearby that day, and someone fell into the water, and his life or death is unknown. The police have been looking for him recently, and we all helped to search."

"It's a pity that both the police and us have searched for a long time and still found nothing."

Hearing the old man's words, Mao Lilan's keen intuition instantly caught the difference. She frowned slightly, her eyes full of doubts, and asked softly: "Everyone? What do you mean by everyone?"

"Oh! We sailors have always had the old custom of helping each other. If someone is in trouble, everyone who can help will lend a hand."

The old man heard Mao Lilan's doubts, stopped what he was doing, and patiently explained. Then, as if he thought of something unpleasant, his originally calm tone was instantly filled with anger and dissatisfaction. His face was slightly flushed because of excitement, and the veins on his neck were faintly visible: "But at that time, the man driving the speedboat was really outrageous!" "Speedboat?"

Conan's ears pricked up, like an alert little fox, and he keenly grasped the keyword. A light flashed in his eyes in an instant, and that light was full of desire for clues.

"Yes!" The old man was still furious when he recalled the scene at that time. His face was full of anger and he waved his hands in the air, as if he wanted to vent all his anger. "My boat was almost knocked off its bow by him. I was so angry! If I hadn't been working on this river for decades and had good boat skills, I would have capsized into the water that day!"

After a while, the old man calmed down a little, sighed helplessly, and his shoulders drooped slightly: "Alas, but there is nothing we can do! Most of those who play speedboats are young masters and young ladies from wealthy families. We ordinary people can't afford to offend them."

As he spoke, the old man lowered his head helplessly and continued to tinker with the unfinished work in his hands. His words were full of helplessness and sadness after being tempered by life.

Although he was angry, he was just an ordinary person. If he really wanted to cause trouble for the other party, he would probably not only fail to get any justice for himself, but would also end up in trouble. He might even bring himself a lot of trouble.

After all, anyone who can easily buy a speedboat for entertainment must have a wealthy family and a complicated background.

Mao Lilan hurried forward, with a gentle smile on her face, and softly comforted him: "Grandpa, don't get angry and hurt yourself. It's not worth getting angry over such an uncultured person."

The old man waved his hand slightly, smiled bitterly and said, "Girl, I know you mean well, but when I think of that incident, I still feel suffocated."

Conan didn't care about the old man's helplessness. He just wanted to hold on to this clue and asked, "Grandpa, think about it carefully. Is there anything special about the man driving the speedboat? For example, the clothes he wore, or his appearance, even if you only have a little impression of him."

The old man stopped what he was doing, held his forehead, and tried to recall. His expression was slightly distorted by his deep thought. "He was so fast that I couldn't see his face clearly. I really didn't see him clearly. I just remember that he was wearing a bright life jacket, which seemed to be red. As for the rest... I really can't remember."

Conan frowned and asked again anxiously: "Grandpa, do you remember which direction the speedboat came from and where it went?"

The old man narrowed his eyes, his cloudy pupils trying to penetrate the fog of time and the sunlight in front of him, looking into the distance, raising a calloused and slightly trembling hand, pointing to the upper reaches of the river, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "It came from that side, and then rushed towards the lower reaches at lightning speed, the speed was so fast that my old eyes could hardly keep up."

Conan's eyes lit up and he asked, "Then do you know where the speedboat is now?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "I know that."

Although he was just an ordinary boatman and didn't dare to cause trouble to the arrogant speedboat owner directly, he was almost overturned and it was really hard to swallow. He had to know who was so reckless.

So that day he gritted his teeth and courageously chased after him.

Unfortunately, when he finally caught up with it, he only saw the troublesome speedboat docked alone at a remote pier. There was silence all around, but he could not find the owner of the boat. It was as if the man had disappeared out of thin air.

Conan's eyes sparkled with excitement, and he said eagerly, "Then I wonder if you, Grandpa, would be able to take us to that small pier?"

He had a strong premonition in his heart that a crucial corner of the case was about to be revealed at that mysterious little pier, and the truth might be just around the corner.

The old man looked at Conan's expectant eyes, and then looked at Mao Lilan and Bai Ye who were also looking at him expectantly. He was torn. On the one hand, he didn't want to get involved in too much trouble, but on the other hand, he couldn't bear to reject these eager faces. After hesitating for a moment, he finally gave in, nodded, and said with a bit of cheerfulness and open-mindedness: "Okay, it's not too far anyway, I'll take you there."

It was obvious that Bai Ye and his crew were here to investigate the car accident. As boatmen who had made a living in these waters for many years, upholding the old tradition of helping each other, he didn't mind helping from the bottom of his heart.

Moreover, to be honest, the experience of being almost capsized by the speedboat made him curious about the identity of the speedboat's owner. He had always had a knot in his heart and wanted to get to the bottom of it.

When everyone heard this, happy smiles instantly appeared on their faces, and they hurriedly expressed their gratitude, each word of thanks being full of sincerity and gratitude.

Later, under the enthusiastic guidance of the old man, Bai Ye, Mao Lilan and Conan came to the parking area of ​​the luxury yacht...

……

Walking along the winding river bank, the breeze brought the faint fishy smell of river water to our faces. Soon, a slightly old pier suddenly appeared in front of us.

The wooden boards of the dock have gone through years of erosion by the river, and are now dark in color. A few green mosses grow in the cracks, swaying gently in the breeze, as if telling the story of time.

Near the pier, yachts are neatly lined up like magnificent palaces on the sea.

Under the bright sunshine, the metal shell and smooth paint of the yacht reflect dazzling light, forming a sharp contrast with the slightly quaint and old riverside scenery around. These yachts have their own unique shapes, some with simple and smooth lines, very modern and fashionable; some with exquisite and luxurious decoration, showing noble and elegant temperament.

"This seems to be the speedboat that uncle mentioned!"

Conan was staring at a speedboat parked near the dock. The speedboat had smooth lines, like a nimble fish. In the sunlight, the streamlined metal hull was shining with a cold luster. The mottled scratches on the hull made it even more mysterious. It exuded an elusive aura, adding to the mystery. Conan's eyes instantly widened like two sparkling black gems. His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and with irrepressible excitement, it was particularly clear at the slightly quiet dock.

Conan took a deep breath, and ran towards the speedboat impatiently as if the wind had sprung up under his feet. He looked so anxious that he wished he could tear through the thick fog in an instant and uncover the mystery behind the speedboat.

Mao Lilan and Bai Ye looked at each other, with curiosity and anticipation flashing in their eyes, and quickly quickened their pace to catch up...

(End of this chapter)