Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Found the Evidence

The veteran’s words from outside snapped the two of them out of it in an instant.

Su Tang scrambled to put some distance between herself and Lu Xiao, her face burning.

’How could I have said something like that? It’s so suggestive.’

Lu Xiao seemed to be gradually realizing what Su Tang’s words meant.

He didn’t dare dwell on it, afraid he was reading too much into it. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if Su Tang’s words truly meant what he hoped they did…

“I’m going to find Hu Jianjun.”

Lu Xiao stood up, feeling as if his limbs weren’t quite under his control.

Seeing Lu Xiao walk away so stiffly that his arms and legs were moving in unison, any embarrassment Su Tang felt vanished, replaced by the urge to laugh.

’I haven’t even done anything, and look at him, he’s the one who’s a nervous wreck.’

“Be safe.”

Just as Lu Xiao was about to leave, Su Tang stood up and said this. Who would have thought that upon hearing her words, Lu Xiao would nearly walk straight into the door.

The man’s ears were bright red. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they had been up to something inside.

Lu Xiao felt his heart beat even faster. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. It was deafening.

The sky had just brightened, and the air in the barracks was still cool with the morning dew.

Lu Xiao went straight to Hu Jianjun’s house.

The small courtyard assigned to Hu Jianjun by the base was a bit out of the way, but it was large.

’Everyone had looked out for the siblings, but they just couldn’t stay out of trouble and had to cause problems.’

’This time, no one can save them, no matter who tries to intervene.’

He stood at Hu Jianjun’s door, suppressing the exhaustion and the bloodshot look in his eyes from a sleepless night of rushing around, and raised his hand to knock.

“Who is it?”

Hu Jianjun’s slightly irritated voice came from inside.

“Me, Lu Xiao.”

The door creaked open. Hu Jianjun was standing there in a tank top and shorts, his hair a mess from sleep.

When he saw Lu Xiao standing at the door, he was clearly stunned for a moment. Then, his face broke into his usual smile—a mix of sycophantic and shrewd. “Well, well, Captain Lu? What brings you here so early? Is there something I can do for you?”

His gaze quickly swept over Lu Xiao. His smile didn’t change, but a flicker of alarm crossed his eyes.

’Coming to find me in such a hurry… this can’t be good.’

Lu Xiao didn’t go inside. He remained at the doorway, his tall frame nearly filling the entire doorframe. “There’s something I need to ask you. Should we find a place to talk?”

“Ask me? About what? Come on in and talk. I just woke up, so it’s a bit of a mess…”

Hu Jianjun stepped aside to let him pass and turned to walk into the house.

As he spoke, he frantically tried to shove the crumpled-up quilt on his bed further in.

“No need. Out here is fine.”

Lu Xiao stood in the courtyard, cutting him off directly, his gaze fixed on him with a profound intensity.

“Captain Lu, what is it you want to ask?”

Hu Jianjun felt uneasy under Lu Xiao’s stare and asked with a dry laugh.

“The day before yesterday, in the afternoon, during the break time at the barracks, where were you?”

Lu Xiao got straight to the point. His voice wasn’t loud, but his words struck Hu Jianjun’s heart like a hammer.

Hu Jianjun worked in the cafeteria and had two half-days off a week.

When he didn’t have to cook, he was free to do as he pleased.

The smile on Hu Jianjun’s face froze for a second, and his eyes darted around.

“The day before yesterday? Afternoon… Oh, I remember now! I was at home sleeping! It was my day off, you know? I was dead tired and slept right through till evening.”

“Why do you ask, Captain Lu?”

His last question was a cautious probe.

“You went to the black market at West River Beach in town.”

Lu Xiao stared into his eyes, making a declarative statement.

“West River Beach?”

Hu Jianjun’s voice immediately shot up, his face a mask of indignation.

“How is that possible! Captain Lu, who’s been spreading these baseless rumors? I was really at home sleeping that day! Li can even vouch for me! That’s right, Li came over to my place for a drink that day. He got drunk and wouldn’t even leave!”

He spoke very quickly, with an urgency to clear his name.

“Is that so?”

Lu Xiao’s voice grew deeper, but the corners of his lips curved into a slight smile.

“A man in a worn blue jacket, who walks with a bit of a sway, has a fresh scar at the corner of his mouth, a chipped front tooth, and a large black mole on the back of his right hand, bought some ’mountain goods’ that are ’strong enough to kill a rat’ from ’Scarred-eyed Old Black’ over by the brick kiln.”

Lu Xiao enunciated the words “mountain goods” with heavy emphasis, his gaze locking onto Hu Jianjun like a hawk.

“Hu Jianjun, does that description sound familiar?”

The blood drained from Hu Jianjun’s face in an instant. The panic in his eyes was almost overflowing.

He subconsciously tried to argue, his voice cracking. “Cap… Captain Lu! What are you trying to say?”

His reaction was a bit over the top. Tiny beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead, and his eyes darted away, not daring to meet Lu Xiao’s gaze.

“You can’t tell what I’m trying to say? I was just giving a simple description. What are you so flustered about, Hu Jianjun?”

Lu Xiao took a step forward, and the invisible pressure he exuded made Hu Jianjun involuntarily take half a step back.

“The evidence I have can prove how that substance got into Su Tang’s medicine packets.”

“And the fact that you’re hiding Hu Lili.”

That last sentence made Hu Jianjun’s legs go weak. He snapped his head up.

“I sent Lili back to our hometown a long time ago. She’s not here.”

Thinking about what would happen to Hu Lili, Hu Jianjun decided to deny everything. As long as they didn’t present concrete evidence, he wouldn’t admit a thing.

Lu Xiao could clearly see that Hu Jianjun was planning to deny it to the bitter end.

So, he didn’t say anything more. After giving Hu Jianjun a meaningful look, he walked straight inside.

“Lu Xiao! What are you doing?”

Lu Xiao completely ignored Hu Jianjun’s shouting. His tall figure, radiating a sharp aura, barged straight into the house.

His objective was clear. In just a few steps, he was in front of the old wardrobe.

“Lu Xiao! What do you think you’re doing? What right do you have to search my things? I’m going to report you!”

Hu Jianjun was in a panic. He lunged forward to stop him but was frozen in place by a single, cold glare from Lu Xiao.

Lu Xiao yanked open the wardrobe door. A few items of clothing were messily stuffed inside.

He reached in, felt around in the far corner for a moment, and pulled out a small cloth bundle wrapped tightly in old newspaper.

As soon as the bundle was in his hand, he weighed it, and his expression grew even colder.

Hu Jianjun’s face was as white as a sheet. He wanted to say something, but not a single word would come out.

’How could Lu Xiao know so precisely about the thing I hid in the deepest corner of the wardrobe?!’

Right in front of Hu Jianjun, Lu Xiao peeled away the layers of old newspaper, revealing the coarse gray cloth inside.

He unwrapped the coarse cloth, and there, nestled within, was a small oil-paper packet.

He lifted a corner of the oil-paper packet, and a pungent, bitter smell instantly filled the small room.

One whiff of that smell was enough to know it was nothing good.

“’Mountain goods’ strong enough to kill a rat. You hid this quite well, Hu Jianjun.”

Lu Xiao’s voice wasn’t loud, and it carried a hint of a sneer. “You and your sister really are two of a kind.”

“It’s not mine… I don’t know! Someone… someone framed me!”

Hu Jianjun’s legs were trembling, and cold sweat instantly soaked his tank top as he made his last desperate struggle.

“Framed?”

Lu Xiao sneered and pulled a small slip of paper from his pocket. An address and time were scrawled crookedly on it.

“Behind the brick kiln at West River Beach, under the old locust tree, three o’clock the day before yesterday. ’Scarred-eyed Old Black’ took ten yuan from you and sold you this packet.”

“We have a witness and physical evidence, Hu Jianjun. Who else are you going to blame? Should I ’invite’ Old Black here right now to confront you?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep