Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 1103 - 1099: Investigation

"My friend has nothing to do with this case."

Zhong Xiaonan’s tone was calm, betraying no hint of emotion, as the topic was lightly brushed aside.

Xia Baokun heard this, withdrew his gaze, and did not pursue further questions.

Since someone from National Security said so, there must be a reason.

He then crouched down, carefully examining the cement ground in front of him, unconsciously rubbing his fingers over the rough surface, his eyes full of inquiry.

"How did you discover this place?"

After a moment, he looked up at Zhong Xiaonan, his tone carrying the caution typical of a seasoned detective.

"Just a coincidence."

Zhong Xiaonan remained nonchalant, as if she was merely mentioning an insignificant matter in passing.

Xia Baokun glanced at her again.

Having been in the field for many years, he had encountered too many bizarre cases and no longer believed in mere "coincidences."

Behind any seemingly accidental discovery must lie logic and cause.

But the other party was from National Security, a special identity, so even if he had doubts, it was inappropriate to ask too much.

Though both the police and National Security are at the same level, just different roles, in practice, it is generally accepted that National Security has higher authority. When their cases are involved, the police usually assist.

Suppressing the doubts in his mind, Xia Baokun waved to his colleagues behind him, "Go to the car and get the tools."

Experienced detectives like them always had an ample supply of tools in their car, crowbars, hammers, wrenches, mallets, jacks, a variety of essentials.

In this line of work, you never know what situation you’ll encounter next, so it’s never wrong to be well-prepared.

"This matter is in your hands."

Seeing his colleagues start unloading tools, Zhong Xiaonan clearly had no intention of staying longer. She took a note from her pocket and handed it to Xia Baokun.

"This is the killer’s name and physical characteristics. With these clues, you should be able to catch them soon."

"What? We already have leads on the killer?"

Xia Baokun took the note, his face full of shock.

The efficiency was unbelievable; they had just arrived at the scene, not even having excavated the body, yet the other party already had the killer’s information?

Was their trip really just to "sweep the ground?"

Despite the complaints in his heart, he quickly scanned the note’s content and committed the information to memory.

Zhong Xiaonan ignored his astonishment, calmly saying, "Once you catch them, everything will become clear. I shall take my leave, you all continue your work."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and drove away at a steady pace.

Xia Baokun, clutching the note in his hand, watched her leave, momentarily speechless.

It wasn’t until the sound of pounding cement reached his ears that he regained his senses, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag.

"Captain, it’s open."

At his colleague’s shout, Xia Baokun turned his head and saw a large section of the cement ground had been knocked open, revealing a desiccated corpse with a twisted posture, leaving a heavy feeling in one’s heart.

He glanced at it, inexplicably annoyed, and crushed the half-smoked cigarette under his shoe, the embers struggling in the dust before finally settling into silence.

He turned to Jiang Xiyue, who was standing aside looking slightly pale, and asked, "Was that woman just now your friend?"

"Yes, a high school classmate, but we haven’t been in touch much since graduation."

Jiang Xiyue nodded, her voice still trembling a bit.

"What does she do for a living?"

Xia Baokun continued to ask, his eyes carrying professional sharpness.

"I heard she does maritime business, started a shipping company with her college friends, and it’s doing quite well," Jiang Xiyue recalled.

"Maritime?"

Those words stirred something within Xia Baokun. He immediately thought of National Security’s core duties: counter-espionage, counter-infiltration, handling cases involving national secrets.

The shipping industry, with its high mobility and broad scope, has always been a hotspot for espionage activities.

He instinctively glanced at the corpse again, his brows furrowing deeper, "Notify the forensic department and have them come over as soon as possible."

"Okay."

Jiang Xiyue promptly responded, quickly walking to the side to make a call, her tone laced with urgency.

When the forensic team arrived, they set about examining the scene, transporting the body, collecting evidence. They worked until noon before finally packing up and returning to the police station.

Back at the station, Xia Baokun assigned the follow-up arrest task to the team. With a name and description, retrieving surveillance and tracking movements made capturing the person a straightforward task, requiring little extra effort from him.

However, thinking back on the events of the day, he felt aggrieved.

Throughout, he had been led by National Security, feeling more like an assistant, which was hard to adapt to for someone accustomed to leading cases.

But years of policing experience told him this was as far as it went. Don’t ask what shouldn’t be asked, don’t investigate what shouldn’t be investigated.

Yet the curiosity inside him clawed like a cat’s paw, making him uncomfortable.

Hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t help but open the police’s internal records system, entering the name Jiang Xiyue had told him – Jiang Taoshi.

However, the page that loaded was not the personal information he expected but a conspicuous row of red classified warnings, followed by a string of cautionary text.

"Oh no."

A chill ran through Xia Baokun’s heart, realizing something was amiss. He fumbled to exit the system, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He knew all too well the weight of the red warning, signifying Jiang Taoshi’s identity involved top-level state secrets, absolutely untouchable.

He exhaled, about to light another cigarette to calm his nerves, when the office phone suddenly rang, the shrill sound jarringly piercing the quiet office.

Xia Baokun picked up the receiver, but before he could speak, the enraged roar of the chief came through the line, "Xia Baokun, you’re supposed to cooperate in the case! Who told you to go snooping around on your own?"

Xia Baokun was startled, the response was so quick? Clearly, the information was not only classified but under real-time monitoring. Anyone who queried it would trigger an alarm immediately.

Using his police ID to log into the system, he had naturally been identified right away.

"Chief, I was just curious and checked casually..." he quickly explained with a smile, lowering his demeanor greatly.

"Even curiosity is no excuse."

The chief’s anger had not subsided, "Do not investigate what’s off-limits, do you not grasp this simple rule after all these years as a cop? Get the job assigned by the higher-ups done, no deviations."

"Yes~ yes~ yes~, got it, Chief."

Xia Baokun repeatedly answered, feeling his palm grow cold as he hung up.

In his heart, he knew the chief’s fury was protective. If he were noted by National Security, his career might end then and there.

"Captain! We’ve located the target, but they’re not in Qiong Province yet. We’ve already contacted local police for assistance in the arrest..."

At this moment, Jiang Xiyue stormed in, holding a file, her face full of excitement.

Xia Baokun looked up at her and impulsively asked, "What do Jiang Taoshi’s parents do? Are you truly just classmates?"

"Oh, her parents seem to work in government departments, but I’m not sure of their positions. I met them a few times and they seemed nice..." Jiang Xiyue replied casually.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Xia Baokun quickly interrupted, silently chiding himself. Curiosity can indeed be dangerous.

He looked at Jiang Xiyue, who seemed perplexed and oblivious, and kindly advised, "Your friend isn’t simple. Keep a good relationship; it won’t hurt."

Jiang Xiyue didn’t think too deeply, and upon hearing this, she smiled happily, "We even planned to have dinner together this weekend."

Xia Baokun heard this, said no more, and just took the file from her hands and began to read.

Some matters are best left at that. Saying too much isn’t a good thing.