NOVEL NEXT Chapter 168 - 168: Hiss, The Case Was Solved, It Was Impossible to Get Points!
Chapter 168: Hiss, The Case Was Solved, It Was Impossible to Get Points!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Xuan might have gone off to rest, but the case had to continue. Whether it was Chuanzi or Chen Jianxun, they both had to face the consequences of their actions. However, before that could happen, Zhou Qiang contacted Zheng Qin.
Upon learning that they were preparing for Zhou Hao’s funeral the next day, he hesitated for a moment, deciding to postpone the matter. He then contacted Zhou’s father and mother, asking them to come over after Zhou Hao’s funeral.
The reason was that Zhou Hao had died in another city, and even if they wanted to bring his body back, it would be quite troublesome. So, Zhou’s parents were planning to have him cremated locally, and as for the funeral… that would be discussed later.
The customs in their rural hometown were strict, and they needed to prepare for the funeral properly. When Zhou Qiang called them, they were quite anxious, even suspecting that the police had found the culprit who killed their son, bombarding him with a series of questions.
The situation had become somewhat complicated. Zhou Qiang had originally intended to wait until Zhou Hao was cremated the next day before discussing this with his parents. However, in the midst of their questioning, Zhou Qiang decided to tell them about Chen Jianxun’s involvement.
Zhou’s father and mother, who had been grieving the loss of their son, were stunned upon hearing this news.
“Officer…”
“What did you say?”
“Are you telling me I still have another son?”
“It can’t be… my son has been dead for a long time, and there’s only one left…”
Zhao Laidi exclaimed in shock.
Throughout her life, she had given birth to several children, but the only one who had grown up safely was Zhou Hao. This was the reason why she and her husband almost fell apart when they heard the news of their son’s death.
At their age, even if they truly wanted another child of their own, they couldn’t conceive. After raising their son to adulthood with great difficulty, they were finally ready to enjoy their time together, only to hear about his death.
The moment Zhou’s father and mother received the heartbreaking news, they were not only overwhelmed with grief but also terrified of how they would spend the rest of their lives.
They had always heard that having children was a form of insurance for old age, but now, even their own son, whom they had raised to adulthood, was gone. Nevertheless, he was their only grown-up child, and they wanted to know who had killed him and give him a proper burial, which is why they had traveled so far.
But now, what were the police telling them?
They still had another son?
And it was very likely that this other son had killed their previous one?
Zhou Qiang’s words left them utterly bewildered, especially Zhao Laidi. Her initial reaction upon hearing Zhou Qiang’s words was to wonder if her husband had secretly fathered another child without her knowledge. She was confident in her abilities as a mother and couldn’t imagine making such a mistake.
However, Zhou’s father had a different perspective. He didn’t share his wife’s certainty. Upon hearing about this situation, his first thought was that their original child had been switched at birth.
“Officer, are you calling us to do a paternity test this time?” Zhou’s father asked. “If you can confirm this, I’m willing to undergo a paternity test. I hope he’s my child.”
Zhou’s father immediately spoke up.
Even though these words might seem callous to Zhou Hao, who was about to be cremated, who would care about someone who was already dead, even if they had raised him for so many years? The truth was, when these words were spoken, they left Zhou Qiang stunned.
“Of course!” Zhou Qiang replied. “If you’re willing to undergo a paternity test, I’ll arrange it immediately. Based on the information we’ve gathered, it’s highly likely that your child was switched with Zhou Hao when he was very young. Given their young age and how children all look alike, you might not have noticed. However, a paternity test is necessary to determine the final result.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou’s father decisively took the phone from his wife, who was still in shock, and spoke firmly, “We’ll do the paternity test. We appreciate your assistance, Officer.”
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Qiang felt somewhat dazed. He was even tempted to rush and arrange for the test immediately. He hadn’t expected Zhou’s parents to request a paternity test right away, without considering Zhou Hao.
After all, they hadn’t even waited for Zhou Hao’s cremation.
“Why didn’t they consider Zhou Hao?” Zhou Qiang couldn’t help but complain to Su Xuan through voice messages.
Su Xuan promptly replied, “What is there to consider? On one hand, you have a living child who is highly likely to be their biological child. On the other hand, you have a child who has already died and will be cremated tomorrow. If you were a parent, who would you choose?”
As Zhou Qiang listened to Su Xuan’s response, he realized that he wasn’t oblivious to the situation. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have considered waiting until after Zhou Hao’s cremation to inform them. It’s just that he hadn’t anticipated how urgently they wanted to conduct the paternity test. At this point, Zhou Qiang even doubted whether the deceased’s cremation tomorrow would go ahead as planned. It wasn’t that he was intentionally painting a bleak picture of human nature; sometimes, human nature could be like this.
“Now is not the time to hesitate,” Su Xuan said. “Since Zhou’s parents already know about this, we need to act quickly and uncover the person behind all of this.”
Su Xuan took a sip of his milk tea and continued. He had been hoping for a little rest, but it seemed that he would have to work a bit longer. Well, he could rest properly once this matter was resolved. He realized he hadn’t had a day off in a while, and with this continuous overtime, he might even get an extra day off.
With that thought in mind, Su Xuan was reenergized. He assigned Zhou Qiang to handle the paternity test and took it upon himself to investigate the phone number. However, tracing a person through a phone number could be challenging, especially when it was an internet-based number.
If the person was not too clever, they might use their own phone number connected to their identity card, which would make things easier. But in this case, it was clear that it was an internet-based number.
Su Xuan sighed, thinking about the downsides of the parallel universe he had found himself in. One of the drawbacks was the abundance of internet-based phone numbers. Even before he crossed over, internet-based phone services were just starting to gain popularity, far from being as widely used as they were here on Blue Star.
In this world, internet-based phone numbers had become a common tool for various scams, and authorities had become strict in cracking down on such activities. It had become all too easy for scammers to target unsuspecting victims with these numbers.
Su Xuan realized he had strayed from the main issue and refocused his efforts on tracing the elusive internet-based phone number.
Su Xuan stared at the phone number that even the police department couldn’t trace, took a drag from his cigarette, and walked outside. His meager points had hit rock bottom due to this case, and he had no intention of wasting any more on something that seemed impossible to investigate.
He inhaled deeply on his cigarette, frustration evident in his eyes. When he turned to go back inside, his gaze was filled with cold determination.. He couldn’t believe that with all his years of experience in police work, he couldn’t find a lead in this case!