"I suggest that our next step should be to establish a complete vehicle registration ledger, systematically sort out all the vehicles in the village, and then conduct more in-depth investigation and visits."

Jiang An nodded thoughtfully and added, "This idea is quite correct."

"Since we've already confirmed that the incident involved a vehicle with an especially low chassis, we must include all possible vehicles into our investigation scope."

"The vehicles currently in the village might just be the tip of the iceberg, and many may not be in the village for now."

Zhou Yong immediately voiced his agreement upon hearing this, and the other team members echoed his sentiments.

Just then, Li Changhe came over with a teacup in his hand.

This village official in his fifties had a simple smile unique to rural people, with age-etched wrinkles gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Jiang,"

he said in a loud voice, "Our village's situation is rather special. The permanent residents are mainly elderly, and most young people work outside."

"It's only during the holidays that the young people who earn money outside come back driving."

"I see, so usually there are indeed limited vehicles in the village."

"Yes," Li Changhe sighed, his eyes showing a hint of desolation.

"This is how it is in rural areas now. The young go out to make their way, leaving us old folks to take care of grandchildren."

As he was speaking, Li Changhe's phone suddenly rang.

A female voice came through from the other end: "Are you coming back for lunch?"

Mr. Li raised his hand to look at his rather old mechanical watch and said into the phone, "Prepare food for a few more people; some police officers are coming to our house for lunch."

After hanging up, the wrinkles on Li Changhe's face relaxed into a warm smile.

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Jiang, you officers going back and forth for our village's affairs must be really tiring."

"It's lunchtime already; come over to my place for a simple meal."

"Our village has limited resources, no canteen, so we apologize for the humble setting."

"Uh...this might not be very appropriate."

Mr. Wang looked around, seeming a bit unsure.

"We can just grab something quick back in town; there's no need to trouble you."

"Oh, don't stand on ceremony!"

Li Changhe waved his hand repeatedly, "Normally, you folks come through wind and rain, and we common people don't get a chance to express our gratitude."

"It's just a homemade meal, nothing fancy, but I promise everyone will be full!"

Seeing Li Changhe's sincere expression, the officers exchanged glances.

Zhou Yong spoke up, "With Mr. Li being so hospitable, it would be rude to refuse."

"Besides, we have work in the afternoon, so we do need some energy."

"Then it'd be better to accept your kind offer; sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, it's our honor!"

Li Changhe smiled so broadly that his eyes almost formed a line.

Twenty minutes later, several police cars were neatly parked on the concrete platform in front of Li Changhe's house.

This commotion caught the attention of many neighbors; some peeked out from windows, and others stood at their doors curiously watching.

Initially, they didn't understand what was happening, but upon seeing Li Changhe warmly welcoming the police into his home, everyone had a look of sudden realization.

This scene undoubtedly earned Li Changhe quite a bit of favor in the villagers' eyes, greatly benefiting his upcoming candidacy for village secretary.

When they entered the courtyard, Li Changhe's wife had already come out to greet them.

This simple rural woman wore an apron and had a shy smile on her face, "Please have a seat!"

"No need to be so formal, ma'am!" Mr. Wang promptly said.

The courtyard was tidied up meticulously, with a large round table set under the grape arbor.

Clusters of green grapes hung from the vines, shining with enticing glimmers in the sunlight.

Zhang Yean walked over to the sink in the corner and picked some grapes effortlessly.

"These grapes look great; everyone should have a taste."

Wan patted Jiang An's shoulder, "Mr. Jiang, let's pick some grapes and wash up a bit to cool off."

The two headed to the sink at the corner of the yard.

This wasn't city tap water, but well water drawn from deep underground, cool and clear.

Jiang An scooped some water to splash on his face, and the fatigue from days of work seemed to be washed away by the refreshing well water.

However, just as he lowered his head to wash his face, a detail suddenly caught his attention — vague tire marks were faintly visible on the concrete ground next to the sink.

Suddenly, Jiang An's heart tightened.

He recalled clearly that during previous investigations, this area, including Li Changhe's home, hadn't registered any qualifying vehicles.

Moreover, there was no sign of any vehicles in the yard at the moment.

So, where did these tire tracks come from?

A professional instinct immediately put Jiang An on alert.

He pretended to continue washing his face casually, but his eyes were discreetly scanning the whole yard.

Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the front-right — there was an inconspicuous room, its heavy roller-shutter door tightly closed...