In the future chat group, I'll become the richest man by just eating gossip.

Chapter 19 An Encounter at the Noodle Shop
"I agree with the two brothers' point of view, but I have another wild idea. Would you two like to hear it?"

Feng Nan said with a smile.

Yueyang and Li Biao exchanged a glance, and Yueyang said, "Go ahead and say it. For this case, we're not afraid of having wild ideas, we're just afraid of having no ideas at all."

Feng Nan nodded: "Do you remember the speculation I brought up this morning that the murderer's disappearance was related to his arrest and imprisonment?"

"My theory is that the victim might also be an inmate, or even a cellmate of the murderer. He had just been released and hadn't had a chance to meet with his family and friends before being targeted by the murderer, who had been released earlier. The murderer tricked him into going out under the guise of welcoming him back or treating him to a meal, and then killed him."

At this point, Feng Nan paused and looked at Yue Yang and Li Biao.

Yueyang and Li Biao exchanged another glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

"This idea is quite interesting!"

Yue Yang's gaze toward Feng Nan was somewhat ambiguous.

Yueyang and Li Biao had to admit that Feng Nan's innovative ideas taught them a lesson and opened up new avenues of thought.

Having someone in the family who has served time in prison, especially for several years or even ten years, is seen by many as a stain that they want to avoid.

Even after being released from prison, he will still be someone neither his maternal grandmother nor his paternal uncle will care for.

He disappeared after being released from prison. Even if he still has relatives at home, many of them with outdated ideas might assume that he went off to hang out with shady people.

Perhaps they would look for close relatives.

Those who have no feelings for their family will simply ignore them, won't even bother to look for them, and might even think it's better for them to die outside rather than come back and embarrass their family.

"Xiao Feng, how did you come up with that idea? Every time you come up with a hypothesis, it's a revelation. It seems that getting you involved in this case was the best decision I ever made."

Yueyang said with a smile.

Feng Nan smiled shyly: "Brother Yue, you flatter me. I just have a bit of a wild imagination."

"Let's end today's case analysis meeting here. I need to quickly address these two issues, especially Xiao Feng's hypothesis. If we can turn the hypothesis into reality, the case will be close to being solved."

With that, Yueyang got up, picked up his car keys, and walked out.

Once again, Feng Nan and Li Biao were left staring at each other, wide-eyed and bewildered.

"Xiao Feng, don't worry about it."

"Old Yue is just that energetic and impulsive."

Li Biao explained with a smile.

Feng Nan nodded: "I understand."

Li Biao smiled, glanced at the time, and said, "It's getting late. You can go back and rest for a while. I'll let you know if I find anything. If you think of anything, you can also call me or Lao Yue."

Hearing Li Biao say that, Feng Nan stood up from her chair and said with a smile, "Okay, Brother Li, you go ahead and get busy. I'm tired too."

With that, Feng Nan waved to Li Biao, turned around, and walked out of the Major Crimes Unit office.

Rubbing her rumbling stomach, Feng Nan randomly found a small restaurant, ordered a bowl of Anhui-style noodles with an egg, and sat down by the window, eating her noodles while watching the hurried pedestrians on the street.

Suddenly, Feng Nan stopped eating her noodles.

A slightly disheveled old man caught Feng Nan's attention.

Feng Nan frowned and stared at the old man.

"That's strange. He looks so familiar. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

Feng Nan muttered to himself, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, but for a moment he couldn't recall where he had seen this old man before.

When Feng Nan's gaze shifted downwards and she saw the dirty woven bag being dragged beside the old man, her eyes suddenly lit up. She immediately picked up her phone, unlocked the screen, and entered the leisurely town.

Feng Nan quickly scrolled through the messages in the future chat group, searching for what she was looking for. Soon, she found what she wanted.

Feng Nan clicked on the news link, searching for the photo she remembered so vividly. "That's him!"

Looking at the photo of the elderly scavenger who discovered Nango's body in the news link, a glint of light flashed in Feng Nan's eyes.

The old man who seemed so familiar to Feng Nan was the same scavenger who found Nan Ge's body in an abandoned brick kiln four years later.

Compared to four years later, the old scavenger was not as slovenly as he was then, but his face and appearance had not changed at all.

This elderly scavenger is the prime suspect in the Nan Ge case and the 13-person serial murder case that Feng Nan has identified.

Feng Nan put down her chopsticks and stared intently at the old scavenger's back, wondering if he was gay or not.

If it's one, you might not be able to tell anything from their words and actions.

But if it's zero...

In her speech and behavior, she inevitably exhibits some feminine habits and mannerisms.

Just like now...

The elderly scavenger was walking with his buttocks swaying.

"Is it you?"

"He killed someone out of shame and rage after his advances were rejected."

Feng Nan muttered to himself.

It wasn't just because his advances were rejected.

If the victim is a heterosexual man, the perpetrator is very likely to verbally abuse and physically humiliate him during courtship...

Perhaps not all the victims insulted or verbally abused him, but it's highly likely that the first few who were killed did so.

This is what fostered the killer's habit of murdering his targets when his advances were rejected.

Thinking of this, Feng Nan took out a pen and notebook and wrote in the suspect column.

[The elderly scavenger is a prime suspect.]

wow-

As Feng Nan wrote the last stroke, the sliding door of the small restaurant was opened, and a sour, sweaty smell rushed in with the wind from outside.

Feng Nan was startled and subconsciously looked towards the entrance of the small restaurant, where she saw the elderly scavenger peeking in with his gray head.

Feng Nan subconsciously closed the notebook.

It seemed that Feng Nan's movements were too exaggerated, attracting the attention of the old scavenger, who turned his head to look at Feng Nan.

When Feng Nan met the old scavenger's gaze, she felt a little guilty and picked up the notebook, stuffing it into her bag. Seeing this, the old scavenger grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and smiled at Feng Nan.

Looking at the old scavenger's smile, Feng Nan felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were being watched by a wild beast.

"Old Guo, what are you doing here again?"

"Didn't I tell you to just call me from outside if you wanted something to eat?"

"The moment you walked in, someone complained about the cleanliness of my shop. You're my boss, please have mercy on me."

Fortunately, at that moment, the restaurant owner came over and called out to the elderly scavenger.

"Go away, get out of here."

"The noodles are ready, I'll take them out for you."

The restaurant owner chased the elderly scavenger out, then turned to Feng Nan and said with a forced smile, "Beautiful lady, please don't mind him. He's a lonely old man who has never married and has no relatives or friends. He's quite pitiful..."

Feng Nan waved her hand: "It's okay, I don't mind. I was just startled."