Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 136 Fourteen Years of Pursuit 2
It happened fourteen years ago, and the murder weapon has changed hands several times, making it very difficult to find out the truth.

Fortunately, the campaign to solve long-standing cases in previous years gave everyone a lot of experience in handling old cases. After a lot of tedious information search work, they found a useful clue.

"The prop shop owner's purchase order listed several knives as having been bought from a scrap yard in a subordinate county, including a folding knife. Although it's uncertain whether it's the murder weapon, it's worth investigating," Xiao Chen said.

Wu Yang glanced at the address: "It's quite far from my hometown. But the murderer back then was a itinerant criminal. People who saw him said they didn't recognize him and that he wasn't from the area, so it makes sense that he was in this place."

After communicating, they decided to drive to the local area to check out the scrap yard.

Zheng Yan observed that everyone was yawning and said to Wu Yang, "Before you go, go home and ask the people who saw the murderer back then, and try to draw a portrait of him. We'll take a nap and leave when you get back."

Wu Yang nodded and walked out of the office with a solemn expression.

The quickest way to get a portrait is to bring the bureau's portrait artist, but the artist is not available. Apparently, he is out with a team investigating another case and it is uncertain when he will return.

After thinking for a moment, Wu Yang went back to his office and called Tan Jia away.

"Could you help me make an appointment with Lin Zhiyue? I saw his portrait in the Golden Bun case, and it was very lifelike, even capturing the expressions perfectly. The portrait artist at the bureau is unavailable right now, so I'd like to have a backup plan."

Tan Jiating was surprised: "His drawing skills are good, but whether he can draw a portrait that matches the description is not guaranteed."

This is similar to anime and manga artists; some can draw characters created by the artist based on written descriptions, while others can only draw existing characters from movies, TV shows, and anime.

Wu Yang: "I will record the conversation and note down the more important features. His paintings are just a precaution."

"Then I'll contact them for you." She took out her phone.

"Hmm? He didn't come with you today?"

"That's a lie," Tan Jia said to Lin Zhiyue while sending him a message. "He's not my auto-following robot."

The message was replied to instantly with a "ding-dong" sound. Wu Yang looked at it and smiled faintly: "That's about right."

She'd only ever seen psychologists followed by a string of children in dire need of rescue and psychopaths.

Tan Jia had nothing to say.

She looked at the message box; the message she had sent to Lin Zhiyue was: "Sister Wu Yang from the Criminal Investigation Team wants your help to create a sketch of an unknown murderer. She has to go on a business trip. Are you going? You can refuse."

Lin Zhiyue replied: 【Are you going?】

The three simple words are full of profound meaning.

She fiddled with the corner of her phone for a moment before replying: 【Go.】

Lin Zhiyue: [I'll be right there.]

Really...

Actually, she wasn't sure whether she would go or not.

"Sister Wu Yang, do you need my help? Although I can't be of much use without the guidance of a dream, you can call me if you need any assistance."

Having spent so much time with everyone in the Criminal Investigation Team Two, they've become friends. Even if it's unrelated to work, she's willing to help a friend who needs assistance.

Wu Yang looked into her eyes: "Of course, you're indispensable. Even without the dream world, your role is not to be underestimated; otherwise, why would Captain Zheng praise you every day? Besides, those involved are often blinded by their own perspectives. When I'm handling my own family's case, I might make subjective assumptions, which is why I need your outsider's viewpoint to assist me." "Jiajia, you're a very capable helper," she said earnestly.

Tan Jia smiled slightly.

That's why they say an organization can't do without female police officers; they really know how to speak so comfortingly.

Lin Zhiyue arrived quickly, followed by three tall and burly bodyguards as usual.

He came in without asking where he was going, who he was helping, or who Wu Yang was. He walked past Wu Yang himself with an air of superiority and then stood in front of Tan Jia, staring at her.

“…This is Sister Wu Yang,” Tan Jia introduced, “The place we’re going to is about half an hour away.”

"it is good."

He didn't seem to want to greet Wu Yang.

Wu Yang was used to it; she had seen countless murder victims, and it was a miracle that they didn't become murderers themselves. This level of perversion was nothing compared to the worst.

“Let’s go, if we go now I can treat you to some of my grandma’s zongzi.”

……

As we drove away from the city and into the suburbs, the lush leaves rustled against each other, releasing the scent of early summer, which drifted into the lowered car windows on the wind.

Wu Yang gazed at the shadow of the mountain and finally had time to recount what happened fourteen years ago.

“I was in junior high school at the time. Two robberies occurred in the town. The police came to investigate but couldn’t find the perpetrators. They could only tell everyone to be more careful. At that time, there were also anti-fraud and anti-robbery leaflets posted on the streets.”

"The police station said the suspect is from another place, is thin, and has three white eyes. If you see a stranger who matches this description, please remember to call the police."

“This had nothing to do with us. We hadn’t had anything like this happen in our area for many years, and we didn’t think the suspect would come to our neighborhood. But that afternoon, he actually did come over. I don’t know if he was planning to commit another crime or just trying to hide. He was recognized on the way and ran into our rapeseed field while he was running away.”

“The people who were arresting him shouted for help, and my grandfather immediately chased after them. In the ensuing struggle, he was stabbed. The murderer disappeared without a trace. My grandmother searched for him everywhere in the rapeseed flowers, but when she found him, she couldn't move him and shouted for help... Before the ambulance arrived, he died. When I came back from my holiday and walked to the street corner, I saw his body being carried out.”

Such memories are filled with sorrow, and Wu Yang had to take a deep breath to suppress the tightness in her throat.

“I was raised by my grandparents. After junior high school, I started boarding school. My grandfather often brought me meals. I remember that his pancakes were the best. His pickled fish was even better than my grandmother’s. Every time I brought it to school, it was quickly devoured.”

“One year during the Dragon Boat Festival, my grandma was making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and I asked why the glutinous rice was sticky. My grandpa took some glutinous rice out and put it in a stone mortar, teaching me how to make glutinous rice cakes. He had a problem with his teeth and couldn't eat sour fruit; he could only eat the purely sweet kind. But back then, there weren't many fruits that were truly purely sweet. I told him that when I went to university, I would study this, and if that didn't work, when I had money, I could travel all over the country and eventually buy him purely sweet fruit… But he didn't even get to see me get into high school.”

There was much more to say, but Wu Yang stopped there.

The person I thought would live on in my memory has become blurry when I look back. When I try to describe them, it's all in pieces, making it impossible for others to truly empathize with the happiness and the pain that follows its abrupt end.

Logically, everyone else should be sighing and reminiscing about "My Grandfather" by now.

But Lin Zhiyue is completely devoid of emotion.

Tan Jia wanted to empathize, but she had absolutely no experience interacting with the older generation, and she didn't even spend much time with her parents. Memories like small pancakes, glutinous rice cakes, and promises of buying fruit for her when she grew up were nonexistent in her life.

So all she could say in the end was, "There's a good chance we'll find the killer this time. When you tell him after the case is closed, Grandpa Wu will be happy with your achievement."

(End of this chapter)