Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 56

In the surveillance room next to the interrogation room, Yang Zheng leaned forward, curious.

The other members of the CID frowned, thinking deeply.

When Su Qingwu had said “shoes,” it had taken a moment for their brains to catch up.

But when Qin Mian clarified, “More precisely, the footprints,” everyone finally understood.

“Footprints! I get it! The prints under the windowsill are rounded, like combat boots,” someone exclaimed.

The crime scene had been messy. Most of the prints were from house slippers, but beneath the windowsill, there was a faint half-print of a round-toe boot—just the upper part.

At the time, everyone had assumed the footprint belonged to Wu Hao. They didn’t pay it much attention, because finding the murder weapon was far more urgent.

Now, that half-print, combined with the fingerprints on the window latch, strongly suggested the third person Lu Cheng had mentioned—someone climbing through the window.

Suddenly, the case became far more complicated.

Wu Hao had confessed to murder and the weapon had been found… but the person who disposed of the body was someone else?

It didn’t make sense.

Many eyes shifted toward Lu Cheng. The trainee cop from Sanli Bridge Police Station seemed uncanny. Just when the case seemed airtight, his analysis had thrown everything into doubt.

Qin Mian glanced at Lu Cheng and said, “Your reasoning has merit, and your logic is sound. But what about evidence? Wu Hao has already confessed, and the weapon has his fingerprints. All that’s left is his testimony.”

He smiled. “In solving a case, what matters most?”

Evidence.

Qin Mian was right. Lu Cheng could speculate and analyze all he wanted, but he lacked the single most crucial thing: proof.

Even without Wu Hao’s confession, there was already enough evidence to charge him with murder.

If Lu Cheng had evidence, he would’ve presented it already.

So, for now, only Lu Cheng knew Wu Hao wasn’t the one who disposed of the body—and he couldn’t reveal it yet.

Qin Mian patted Lu Cheng on the shoulder. “Still, your bold analysis wasn’t wrong. Some cases require multiple lines of reasoning, but a verdict always comes down to solid evidence.”

Yang Zheng nodded, his gaze carrying a hint of admiration. This kid was skilled at catching thieves, and now it seemed he could contribute to solving cases as well—just a bit too young.

Yang Zheng thought he could involve Lu Cheng in more cases to let him gain experience. Qin Mian felt the same way.

Xiao Zheng glanced at Lu Cheng. After all the analysis, Wu Hao was still the killer!

In the end, solving a case always came down to evidence. No evidence, no point in theorizing.

The professional detectives could accept a trainee observing the CID team, but Lu Cheng had discovered fingerprints and the murder weapon—leaving them dumbfounded.

Fortunately, his analysis couldn’t overturn the fact that Wu Hao was the killer. Otherwise, would the case still belong to the CID?

Would a trainee cop solve it before them? That would be a disaster for the station’s reputation.

Lu Cheng agreed with Qin Mian. In the end, it always came down to evidence. He said calmly, “Wu Hao checked into Dongxing Hotel around 6:40 a.m., but he insists he didn’t dispose of the body. If he has an alibi from last night…”

He left the sentence unfinished and glanced at Qin Mian, who’s mind stirred. The interrogation wasn’t over yet.

He didn’t even pick up his teacup, instead opening the door and heading to the next room.

On the surveillance monitor, Qin Mian strode in, staring into Wu Hao’s eyes.

“Tell me,” he said, “you claim you didn’t dispose of the body. After leaving Lin Xiaoman’s apartment last night, where did you go? Who can confirm that?”

Wu Hao’s eyes suddenly brightened. He exclaimed, “Ah! Right! I went to A-Yu Internet Cafe on Jiangdong Street. I know the fat owner well. He let me use a machine without ID. I hid in a booth all night and only left in the early morning. How could I have disposed of the body!”

Qin Mian’s gaze pinned Wu Hao for several seconds, then he stood up, took a deep breath, and left the interrogation room.

In the adjacent surveillance room, every pair of eyes turned to Lu Cheng.

Incredible.
Unbelievable.
The trainee cop had really guessed it.

Wu Hao had an alibi. He wasn’t the one who disposed of the body!

If Wu Hao committed the murder, why would someone else dispose of the body?

The case, previously seeming straightforward, had suddenly veered in a completely new direction thanks to Lu Cheng’s analysis.

Suspicion now hung over every detail.

Qin Mian immediately sent Xiao Zheng to A-Yu Internet Cafe to verify Wu Hao’s alibi.

Over twenty minutes later, Xiao Zheng returned, panting heavily, then announced the shocking result.

“Qin… Qin Mian! It’s confirmed! That night, at 8:12 p.m., Wu Hao entered A-Yu Internet Cafe and only left at dawn. There’s surveillance inside the cafe!”

With that, the case was turned upside down. The CID team was stunned.

The suspect confessed, the weapon was found, but the case couldn’t be closed!

A third person had suddenly appeared.

Who was this mysterious third party?

And why did they dispose of the body?

Everyone’s mind was buzzing, unable to comprehend the truth.

Meanwhile, the “instigator” complicating the case was no longer in the surveillance room.

Qin Mian’s gaze swept the room. “Where’s that kid?”

“Huh? He was just here!”

Eyes turned to Su Qingwu, silently asking, “Where’s your boyfriend?”

She glanced toward the office hall. Lu Cheng sat silently at a desk, flipping through files while staring at a computer screen.

Focused and serious, he looked unexpectedly sharp.

One by one, the team approached, quietly standing behind him.

Lu Cheng, however, was absorbed in the monitor, which displayed footage from the corpse disposal route—sped up sixteen times.

Cars flashed past in a blur along the road.

Suddenly, he clicked the mouse and paused.

A delivery scooter appeared on the riverside road for five seconds.

Lu Cheng took a screenshot and printed it.

Next, he quickly pulled up footage from the Fangjia Alley corner convenience store.

At 6:40 p.m., a delivery scooter entered the alley; it left at 6:55 p.m.

He paused and printed another screenshot.

Both images showed the same scooter, ridden by a man in a helmet and mask, face unrecognizable.

The same scooter appeared at the crime scene and along the corpse disposal route. Coincidence?

There are no such coincidences in this world.

Su Qingwu took the two photos from Lu Cheng and examined them closely. Indeed, it was the same scooter—even the license plate matched.

The delivery box on the corpse disposal route was covered by a raincoat—it had been raining.

Hearts pounded in the room.

Could this delivery rider be the third person who disposed of the body?

Qin Mian took the photos from Su Qingwu, then passed them to Yang Zheng.

Lu Cheng, seeing no one spoke, took the images from Yang Zheng and circled two areas with a marker.

One circle highlighted the delivery rider’s shoes: a pair of dark brown low-cut combat boots.

The other circle highlighted a raised rectangular section under the raincoat—likely the side of a delivery box.

Sometimes, delivery riders carried extra boxes for large orders—boxes big enough for twenty to thirty meals.

If the victim was a petite woman, curling her body, she could fit inside.

Lin Xiaoman was that petite woman.

The thought sent chills down their spines.

The truth slowly began to emerge, piece by piece, as Lu Cheng printed the two images…