Chen Xiao felt an intense surge of anger.

He never expected that Guo Qing, a seasoned old hand, would make such a mistake.

However, thinking about how urgent Guo Qing was to prove himself to Guo Zhengchang, it wasn’t surprising for him to make such a blunder.

He was too hasty.

When people become anxious, they lose their rationality, wishing they could become successful overnight.

But is that possible?

Chen Xiao continued giving Guo Qing some instructions before walking directly to the front of the crowd.

The police officers guarding the area immediately shouted, “Back off, no one is allowed within the perimeter!”

This commotion also caught the attention of Xie Wensheng.

When he saw it was Chen Xiao, Xie Wensheng was visibly stunned for a moment.

But after a slight hesitation, Xie Wensheng called over, “Let Mr. Chen in.”

Once Chen Xiao was inside the perimeter, he went straight to Xie Wensheng: “Captain Xie, let’s be brief. May I assist you in investigating this case? Or, are you willing to accept my assistance?”

Xie Wensheng paused: “After learning about you, I indeed hope you can join us.”

“That’s good. Brief me on the case, and I’ll handle these reporters.”

As Chen Xiao spoke, Xie Wensheng still seemed slightly puzzled but didn’t mind as he had already considered seeking Chen Xiao’s help:

“The case can basically be confirmed as a series of homicides.”

“The first victim was discovered a week ago, dumped at a landfill, named Xiong Ruru, twenty years old.”

“The second victim was found near where Miss Lin Yao’s package was located, and her name was Xue Xiangdi, around the same age.”

“Today’s victim’s identity remains unclear for now, but all three were killed in the same manner, with a long nail piercing from the left temple through to the right temple!”

“Furthermore, all three showed signs of similar post-mortem mutilation. Xiong Ruru had her eyebrows and nose removed, Xue Xiangdi had her eyes and nose gouged out, and this third victim had her ears cut off and her mouth smashed!”

“Eyebrows, nose, eyes, mouth, ears?”

Chen Xiao muttered, then asked:

“The case has been going on for so long, did the higher-ups impose a deadline for solving it?”

Xie Wensheng felt a headache coming on: “There are only four days left before the deadline!”

Chen Xiao nodded, having already walked with Xie Wensheng to face the reporters.

In fact, these reporters could have left already.

But now, the reporters weren’t as important as the growing crowd of onlookers.

Incited by the reporters’ provocations, they all expressed huge dissatisfaction towards Xie Wensheng.

At that moment, without the reporters speaking, an anxious member of the crowd asked, “Officer, can you solve the case or not? If so, how long will it take?”

“That’s right, with a death occurring every now and then, who can stand it, and who would dare live around here?”

“Exactly, now that the reporters are here, we hope you officers can reassure us, the ordinary citizens!”

After the citizens finished speaking, Xie Wensheng appeared deep in thought.

But in the next second, he heard Chen Xiao’s voice!

“Three days, within 72 hours!”

Xie Wensheng’s eyes widened instantly, but before he could say anything, the reporters immediately asked: “Three days? Captain Xie, can this officer represent your criminal investigation team?”

Chen Xiao spoke again: “I am not a police officer, nor am I from Shencheng City.”

“Hmph… You’re not even a cop, how can you claim the case will be solved in three days!”

“My name is Chen Xiao, I come from Dongzhou, and I’ve worked with the Dongzhou Police to solve several major cases! I have a mutual friend with Captain Xie, who is none other than Zhang Xian, the captain of the criminal investigation team at the Hongshan Branch in Dongzhou!”

“I came to Dongzhou this time precisely for the sake of a friend’s friend. You may think I’m boasting, but if you’re interested after the commotion, you can search for Dongzhou news, and I believe you will find my information!”

“Now I can very seriously say in front of the reporters and everyone present, that within three days… under Captain Xie’s leadership, this case will definitely be solved!”

Chen Xiao had no other choice.

Guo Qing’s interference meant that Xie Wensheng hadn’t yet realized the reporters were deliberately brought in by someone with an ulterior motive.

Once Xie Wensheng realized, it would mean that the local branch leaders, and even the city bureau leaders, would be aware.

Regardless of whether Chen Xiao was the one who ended up solving the case or not, it couldn’t escape the suspicion of trying to gain fame at Xie Wensheng’s expense.

For the Guo Family’s Company, which had just entered Shencheng, if Chen Xiao stood up and claimed he was just casually solving a case, who knows how many people would consider his actions disgraceful.

Furthermore, this was a murder case, and if handled based on Lin Xi’s motives, it would mean seeking justice for others while accomplishing something for oneself.

Yet, from Guo Qing’s perspective, it would be no different than exploiting others’ misfortune?

Chen Xiao loathed such behavior the most!

The observing crowd found themselves at a loss for words when they heard this.

Seeing this, Xie Wensheng said sternly, “Please believe in our determination to solve this case, and Mr. Chen is a very capable criminal investigation consultant from Dongzhou who has come from a long distance. I believe that within three days, the police team will solve this case!”

“So Mr. Chen is actually a criminal investigation consultant! Mr. Chen, may we conduct an interview with you?”

Chen Xiao nodded: “Sure, we can talk here. But time is limited, so I hope you’ll make it quick.”

“Please come this way…”

Chen Xiao followed the reporters, and a portion of the onlookers immediately shifted their attention over to them.

Xie Wensheng breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the side of the corpse.

As he squatted down, a subordinate said: “Captain Xie, we already didn’t have much time, and now we’ve lost another day…”

“No need to say more, I’ve reviewed Mr. Chen’s information, and he doesn’t seem like a person who makes baseless claims. Moreover, his case-solving efficiency is widely known for being fast.”

“Hmm, now we can only treat a dead horse as if it were alive. But Captain Xie, when did you get to know the criminal investigation captain of the Hongshan Branch in Dongzhou?”

“Who?”

“It’s that Mr. Chen just mentioned, Zhang Xian.”

“Oh, I don’t know him.”

Xie Wensheng said, leaving his subordinate stunned.

Shortly, Chen Xiao returned after the interview.

Xie Wensheng called over a police officer, saying: “Give Mr. Chen a detailed briefing on the case, missing no information.”

Chen Xiao smiled and shook his head: “There’s no rush to discuss it later. Let’s first talk about a very important aspect of the case at hand.”

Xie Wensheng frowned, and his subordinates were equally puzzled.

“Mr. Chen, do you mean you’ve already thought of something?” Xie Wensheng asked uncertainly.

Chen Xiao naturally nodded: “Yes.”

Xie Wensheng’s eyes focused sharply, and his subordinates were even more incredulous: “Mr. Chen, without fully understanding the case, what have you figured out?”

Chen Xiao donned gloves, pointing to the third victim’s missing ears and smashed mouth, but looked at Liu Dayou and said:

“The first victim had her eyebrows and nose cut off, the second had her eyes and nose gouged out, and the third had her ears and mouth removed. Combined, they are missing eyebrows, nose, eyes, ears, and mouth!”

“If the mouth is replaced with ‘kou,’ then it forms the ‘eyes, ears, mouth, eyebrows, and nose,’ which is the five features in Daoist facial feature studies!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep