Chapter Nineteen: Li Hong

I pretended to walk past the entrance of the apartment building as if nothing was amiss, but I couldn't help sneaking a glance inside. The corridor was shrouded in darkness; the lights were off.

I went over to Li Hong and asked whether he was sure the suspect had slipped into this building.

He nodded. “What should we do next? Should we call for backup and search the place?”

A faint, meaningful smile appeared on my lips. “There’s no need. I think I already know who the killer is…”

Li Hong was taken aback. “How do you know? I couldn’t even get a good look, so how could you?”

I explained, “It was a woman. She ran so quickly—there’s a good chance she has an athlete’s background. She’s tall and wrapped herself up tightly in her clothes. Am I right?”

Li Hong was shocked. “How… how did you know?”

“I guessed,” I replied with a grin. “Stay here and keep watch. Later, I’ll bring you a photo of our suspect—make sure you keep an eye on her. By the way, you learned how to tail people in the army, didn’t you?”

Li Hong nodded.

“Good. Whatever you do, don’t let her notice you. If she gets spooked, we’ll lose our chance.”

With that, I lightly patted his shoulder.

Li Hong responded promptly, “Don’t worry. Leave her to me.”

“By the way, how did you first notice her?” I asked curiously.

“From the moment we arrived at the crime scene, she kept sneaking glances from the crowd, her eyes shifting evasively. I paid special attention to her. When the police carried the body out, she actually started crying, which made me even more suspicious. So when I got in the car, I kept watching her. I saw her sneak something from her pocket and wondered if she was about to draw a weapon or something.”

“Li Hong, you’re really impressive,” I praised sincerely. If it had been me, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed if someone had fired a gun.

Li Hong looked a little embarrassed and lowered his head. “You flatter me…”

When I returned, Tang Jingjing was waiting outside the car, glancing around anxiously. As soon as she saw me, she rushed over. “You wretch, why did you run off so fast? You were gone in the blink of an eye. Remember, you’re my assistant—report to me about everything.”

I just smiled.

Li Xingchen grinned mischievously. “Still won’t admit he’s my brother-in-law? Look how much he cares—almost too much.”

Tang Jingjing shot Li Xingchen a murderous glare, driving him away.

“Where’s Li Hong?” Old Lin asked.

I replied, “The suspect fled into an apartment building. I have him keeping watch outside for now. By the way, Jingjing, didn’t you take a picture of Lin Yunshan’s daughter—the young nurse—the last time?”

Tang Jingjing nodded. “Of course. She could also be a suspect, so I had to take her photo.”

“Sis, can’t you stop suspecting everyone you meet? Who would believe a daughter would kill her own father?” Li Xingchen scoffed.

But I interjected, “This time, Tang Jingjing’s suspicion isn’t without reason. Even I’m starting to have doubts…”

Old Lin, who was drinking water, nearly spat it out. “You mean that mysterious woman could be Lin Yunshan’s daughter? How come I’ve never seen her?”

I hurried to explain, “We’ve met Lin Yunshan’s daughter before. She seemed timid and honest at the time, and told us everything she knew, so we didn’t suspect her. But after what just happened, I think the young nurse is definitely a suspect.”

I proceeded to recount our encounter with the nurse to Old Lin in detail, hoping he could help us analyze the situation.

After listening, Old Lin frowned deeply. “You’re not wrong. Patricide isn’t unheard of abroad. I once dealt with a case overseas where a father sexually abused his daughter since childhood, and when she grew up, she killed him. People like that often have psychological scars and eccentric personalities. They almost never take up service-oriented jobs. Nursing is a service profession, so I think there must be more to this story…”

He looked at me. “Tell me, what made you suspect the nurse?”

“It was after I saw Lin Yunshan’s wounds,” I answered. “His abdomen had old suture marks, and the way his new wounds were treated was extremely meticulous. For him to survive after surgery, it would have required the hands of a trained medical professional. That’s why I think the nurse is a suspect.”

“No way, brother-in-law,” Li Xingchen objected. “She’s just a junior nurse—can she really perform such professional surgery?”

“She’s not just a simple nurse,” I said. “Anyone who’s authorized to administer injections to psychiatric patients must have graduated from medical school. Working as a nurse is just part of her training—eventually she’ll become a lead surgeon.”

Old Lin nodded, clearly convinced by my reasoning. Still, he was troubled, unable to reconcile why she would kill her own father. The personality traits I described, along with Lin Yunshan’s death, clashed with his studies in criminal psychology.

Tang Jingjing was also at her wit’s end. “If it’s really so complicated, let’s just arrest the nurse! I refuse to believe I can’t get the truth out of her with my interrogation skills.”

“No,” I immediately objected.

Old Lin agreed. “Mingxuan is right. Especially now, we mustn’t act rashly. The nurse is suspicious, but if we corner her, we might lose valuable clues. It's better to let things play out naturally and have Li Hong follow her—he’ll surely uncover her next move.”

“But is Li Hong going to be alright alone?” Tang Jingjing was worried.

Old Lin’s eyes flashed. “Don’t worry! If he ever truly gets into a fight, even a dozen fully armed special forces soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Surprised, I asked, “Old Lin, how much do you know about Li Hong?”

Old Lin chuckled. “Let me put it this way: do you know the bounty some countries have placed on his head?”

Anyone with an international bounty on them is surely no ordinary person.

Li Xingchen thought for a moment. “Is it a million?”

“A million?” Old Lin laughed. “Five million. US dollars.”

Li Xingchen gasped.

Mouse turned to him. “Dude, if you’re ever planning something big, count me in! You take the lion’s share—I’ll settle for a small cut.”

We all burst out laughing.

“Alright, enough joking around,” said Tang Jingjing. “We’re the major crimes unit—let’s act like it.”

While Li Hong kept watch round the clock, we didn’t sit idle either. I called Director Wang to request a few officers to guard the crime scene, then Old Lin and I headed to the hospital to discreetly investigate the young nurse’s background.