Chapter 89: Trouble Brews Again

“Song Changfeng, you brat, you really made me wait!”

The moment Lei Liming saw Song Changfeng, he tried to hide the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth and put on a show of mock annoyance. He had to give this kid a bit of a hard time after making him wait so long.

Song Changfeng smiled. Instructor Lei’s temper hadn’t changed a bit over the years.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Instructor Lei,” Song Changfeng said sincerely, without offering any excuses.

Lei Liming waved him off. “This isn’t the police academy anymore. Stop calling me ‘Instructor.’ You’re not one of those rookies. Just call me Captain or Boss like the rest of the squad.”

“Yes, Captain!” Song Changfeng responded loudly. It was a habit drilled into him at the academy—if you didn’t answer roll call loud enough, you’d either get kicked to the ground or be forced to shout your name a hundred times until you wanted to disappear. Getting kicked was honestly the easier option.

“Why are you just standing there? Sit down! You’re always so stiff,” Lei Liming said, pointing to the sofa beside him. Then his gaze shifted to the German Shepherd beside Song Changfeng, who had been silent the entire time.

The dog looked strong and well-built, with a black coat covering its back and yellow fur on its limbs. Its tail hung naturally, and its ears stood tall and alert, occasionally twitching at nearby sounds. When it sensed Lei Liming’s gaze, the German Shepherd looked up and met his eyes. Its dark eyes stared back calmly, exuding a quiet authority. This was exactly the kind of presence that made German Shepherds ideal police dogs.

Lei Liming nodded approvingly. “Doesn’t bark unnecessarily. Good dog. Looks bigger than before. I remember you said it was a criminal investigation dog. What exactly can it do?”

Song Changfeng replied, “A criminal investigation dog’s skills include, but aren’t limited to, blood trace detection, evidence search, scent analysis, and tracking suspects.”

Lei Liming raised his eyebrows. “That much? I’ve seen police dogs before, but none of them seemed that impressive.”

“Police dogs have different roles, just like we do in the force. Only those that go through rigorous training and evaluations can become criminal investigation dogs,” Song Changfeng said with pride in his eyes. This was exactly why Director Li wanted Aofeng to stay with him. Here, Aofeng could truly reach his full potential.

Lei Liming wasn’t entirely sold on the whole criminal investigation dog concept, but he trusted Song Changfeng. The kid never spoke nonsense. He waved a hand casually. “Whatever. It’s yours to handle anyway. When our unit gets called out, bring him along. Let us see what he can really do. Oh right, here’s your uniform. HR sent it over last time. Take it back and try it on later. If it doesn’t fit, just say so. We don’t wear these often, but we still need to put them on a few times a year.”

He wasn’t wrong. In the criminal investigation unit, practicality was key. When working cases, they often wore plain clothes to avoid drawing attention. Over time, uniforms were only worn during meetings or inspections. Most of the time, a police ID was enough.

“Oh, and there’s something for the little guy too. We’ve got a police dog vest and a new leash for him.”

Song Changfeng thanked him and took the gear, immediately swapping out Aofeng’s old leash. At the Training Base, Aofeng didn’t wear clothes, but luckily the police dog vest here was a lightweight, flexible harness. Printed on it were the words “Anyang Police Dog”—Aofeng’s official ID, in a way.

They chatted a bit more, and just as Lei Liming was about to suggest Song Changfeng go settle into the dorms and check out the kennel prepared for Aofeng, his phone suddenly rang.

He gestured for Song Changfeng to wait, then answered the call. Whatever was said on the other end made his expression darken instantly. He muttered a few quick “Got it”s, hung up, and rushed toward the door.

Just as he reached it, he remembered someone was still in the office.

“Changfeng, leave the uniform here and come with us. We’ve got a case,” Lei Liming said quickly, then strode out. Song Changfeng dropped the uniform, grabbed Aofeng’s leash, and hurried after him.

Aofeng followed closely, his expression serious. He’d heard the voice on the other end of the call loud and clear.

“Captain Lei, come quick. We just got a report. There’s been a serious incident at Sunshine Garden Residential Area in the Ou District…”

They hadn’t even been here a full day, and already they were on a case—and a major one at that.

They jumped into the police car, sirens blaring as they sped through the streets. Soon, they arrived at Building 9 of the Sunshine Garden Residential Area in the Ou District. The area had already been cordoned off with police tape. Officers stood at the perimeter, keeping people out to preserve the scene and stop curious residents from crowding around.

After showing his credentials, Lei Liming led his team inside. Sunshine Garden Residential Area was an old complex, so the building had no elevator and no surveillance cameras in the stairwells. Only the main entrance had a camera installed. Officers had already gone to the property management office to retrieve the footage to see if any suspicious individuals had been seen recently.

The incident took place on the fifth floor. As soon as they reached the corner, Aofeng caught a strong scent of blood in the air.

Sure enough, before they even entered the apartment, they saw someone lying on the ground face-up, with a pool of blood around the head. The victim was an elderly woman, likely in her seventies. According to the forensic report, she had died from a severe head injury caused by a heavy object. After examining the scene, they found no potential murder weapon. The room was tidy, with no signs of a struggle or ransacking. Nothing had been taken from the drawers or cabinets.

“So this wasn’t a robbery? Could it have been revenge?” Lei Liming frowned. “Guo Zi, do we have detailed information on the victim?”

Guo Zile replied, “The deceased was named Huang Guixiang, seventy-two years old. Her husband passed away three years ago. She had a son and a daughter, but neither of them lived with her. We’ve already contacted her family.”

“Before her family arrives, split up and visit every unit in this building. See if anyone noticed anything suspicious or has any useful information,” Lei Liming instructed. “Changfeng, you and Aofeng stay here and comb through the scene. See if you can find anything.”

With his assignment in hand, Song Changfeng led Aofeng into the apartment. He walked around the scene, observing carefully, then said, “Captain, you were right just now.”

“Huh?” Lei Liming was deep in thought and momentarily confused. What had he just said?

“You said the killer was seeking revenge. Judging from the scene, that’s exactly what it looks like,” Song Changfeng explained.

Lei Liming was intrigued by his certainty. “Oh? You’re that sure? What makes you say that?”

“The door,” Song Changfeng said, pointing to a marked line near the entrance, shaped like a half-open arc. It indicated that when the scene was first discovered, the door had only been halfway open.

“The victim’s door was only partially open. She hadn’t had time to step out or let someone in before she was struck down. That tells us the killer acted decisively, without hesitation, clearly targeting the victim. And the killer only struck once before stopping—not because they held back, but because they knew their strength was enough for a fatal blow. Judging by the location of the head wound, I’d estimate the killer was a man over 1.75 meters tall, with considerable strength.”

Lei Liming’s eyes lit up with approval. The other officers who weren’t out investigating also turned to look at Song Changfeng, impressed by his analysis. Even Aofeng silently gave him a mental thumbs-up. Impressive, old buddy. He hadn’t picked up anything himself—the killer hadn’t stayed long, and too many officers had come and gone at the scene.

Before long, the officers who had been questioning the neighbors returned.

“Boss, after asking around, we found out the victim was a rather ill-tempered old lady. She’d had arguments with several neighbors, often blowing up over trivial matters. She even poured feces at the doors of two families in the middle of the night. Apparently, her daughter-in-law couldn’t stand the constant fighting and moved out with her husband,” one officer reported, clearly exasperated.

Everyone present was at a loss for words. Still, no matter how unpleasant she had been, that didn’t justify murder. Acting on impulse and harming others only brought ruin to oneself.

“Do we know exactly which households she had conflicts with?”

The officer replied, “Minor spats with 503 next door, and upstairs at 601 and 603. Major conflicts with 602 upstairs, and 402, 403, and 501. The ones she poured feces on were 501 and 602.”

“Focus the investigation on the households with major disputes, but question the others too. Find out where they were at the time of the incident,” Lei Liming ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

Lei Liming added, “Changfeng, take Aofeng with you. We’re going to check out 501 and 602.”

Although he didn’t say it outright, Song Changfeng understood that these two families were the primary suspects. Bringing Aofeng along was to have him sniff out whether there was any scent of blood at their homes. After all, no murder weapon was found at the scene, so the killer must have taken it home to deal with, right?