Chapter 213: A Fathers Revenge (1/2)

After going round the village, we realized that half of the villagers were named Qin. When asked if there were any families who recently held a funeral, one of the villager’s eyes wandered left and right before he insisted he didn't know and shut the door.

The Qin family were all relatives and close friends. They clearly knew something but refused to divulge any information.

After a round of questioning, the villagers had their guard up against us. Just as we were at our wits' end, I saw Bingxin crouching under a locust tree talking to a little boy who was sniffling. ”Little one, answer a question and I’ll buy you some candy, alright?”

The little boy nodded and Bingxin proceeded to ask, ”Do you know who recently had a death in the family?”

The little boy pointed to the big yard right in front of him. Bingxin rubbed his head and smiled. ”Good boy!” Then, she handed him five yuan so he could buy candy.

”You really have your ways!” I laughed.

We walked into the big yard and knocked on the door. A middle-aged man with white hair on his temples answered the door and asked coldly, ”Who are you looking for?”

”I just want to ask a few questions. Has your family had a funeral recently?” I asked politely.

“It’s the Lunar New Year. How dare you curse me? Get lost!”

The middle-aged man was just about to close the door but I wedged my foot inside the gap. Tears rolled down my face as I grimaced in pain. I suspected he had used all his strength. I flashed out my badge and said, ”Please cooperate!”

His expression turned to hard resolve as he repeated, ”My family hasn’t had any deaths recently! If you don't believe me, you can ask around in the village.”

I looked him in the eye and said, ”Your hair has just turned white, hasn’t it? Perhaps a relative of yours recently passed away? I’m guessing it's your daughter? She met an online friend and committed suicide for love.”

At this point, these were merely speculations. How could a country girl and a Korean boy know each other? The biggest possibility was an online relationship.

The man bit his lip. ”Nothing of the sort happened. You’re barking up the wrong tree!”

Then, he pushed me out and shut the door with a bang.

His expression betrayed him completely but he refused to admit it. What a stubborn man! I felt helpless at how defensive the entire village was against the outside world and refused to answer any questions. Bingxin asked, ”Why don't we get a search warrant?!”

”We don't have key evidence at the moment so we might not get it. Besides, it’ll take quite some time and by then, it’ll be too late,” I added.

”What should we do then? The suspect is clearly right in front of us!” fretted Bingxin.

I sighed. I finally recognized how important Xiaotao’s presence was. There was nothing else we could do but head home.

Just as we reached the village entrance, Lao Yao called and exclaimed, ”Xiao Song-song, I found it!”

There was only one Korean who had been reported missing recently in Nanjiang City and his name was Zheng Zaihao, a foreign student about 20 years of age. I got Lao Yao to send me his photo.

Within seconds, I received the photo which matched the dead man. Bingxin clapped her hands with glee, ”Song Yang-gege, it’s amazing how quickly you’ve found another lead!”

I smiled, pausing in silent contemplation. Hacking into the embassy database was classified as illegal means. The South Koreans would definitely protest if they found out. Of course, straying from ordinary procedures would yield quick results.

”Let's go back and hit him with a surprise!”