A madman in France? How come he's always at crime scenes!

"Oh? Attorney Wu, what a coincidence."

Fang Lue saw Wu Liang come over and greet him first.

Zhao Anmin turned around, his gaze falling on Wu Liang, his eyebrows slightly raised.

Wu Liang immediately understood the meaning in the criminal police captain's brow.

Why is it you again?

"Officers, what brings you here... to investigate a case?"

Fang Lue nodded subconsciously, and was about to speak when he heard Zhao Anmin cough, so he immediately shut his mouth.

Wu Liang watched this with amusement. This veteran detective was treating his apprentice like a thief.

"Attorney Wu is here again for legal consultation?" Zhao Anmin asked in a flat tone.

"I'm off today, just taking a stroll." Wu Liang said casually, his hands in his pockets. "Last time I mediated a neighborhood dispute here for the villagers. They were so hospitable and insisted on treating me to a meal. I figured since I was already here, I might as well check it out."

"Then you're busy."

After Zhao Anmin finished speaking, he turned and left.

Fang Lue glanced at Zhao Anmin's retreating figure, turned to smile at Wu Liang, and quickly followed after him.

Wu Liang shrugged, took a few steps, and followed behind at a leisurely pace.

Zhao Anmin walked twenty meters, stopped, and turned around.

"Attorney Wu, what are you doing following us?"

"I didn't follow them," Wu Liang said innocently. "There's only one village road; we were just going that way, weren't we?"

Zhao Anmin didn't give him a friendly look.

"It's probably inappropriate for you to be following behind us while we're working."

"Team Leader Zhao..."

Fang Lue blurted out, but before he could finish, Zhao Anmin glared at him and stopped him.

Wu Liang's eyes lit up.

It turns out to be the team leader.

That aura, that style, that counter-surveillance awareness—no wonder.

Zhao Anmin was clearly unhappy that Wu Liang knew about the nickname "Team Leader Zhao." He frowned, but the words were already out and couldn't be taken back.

"Attorney Wu," his tone was even colder than before, "during the investigation phase of a criminal case, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to participate. You know this rule better than I do."

"I understand, I understand." Wu Liang nodded vigorously. "Shall I leave?"

He turned around, took two steps, and then stopped.

"By the way, Team Leader Zhao, you're here today to make visits, right? In Shiqiao Village, you've been knocking on doors, asking about things from years ago..."

Zhao Anmin's eyes narrowed.

Wu Liang looked at him with a smile.

The criminal investigation team leader personally led a team to the village; what else could it be but a case involving skeletal remains? The forensic team must already have a more precise conclusion regarding the time of the incident.

The investigation can be divided into two directions: first, to identify the deceased, and second, to find eyewitnesses.

The fact that they visited each family one by one suggests that the identity of the deceased has not been fully confirmed, or that it has been confirmed but more corroborating evidence is needed.

"Attorney Wu," Zhao Anmin's voice carried a warning tone.

Wu Liang raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm.

"Captain Zhao, what I mean is, I know a few people in this village; we became familiar with them when I was doing legal consultations. If you go door-to-door asking, they might not be willing to tell you the truth."

Zhao Anmin remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.

Hey, this looks promising.

Just as Wu Liang was about to continue his charade, an old voice came from the other end of the village road.

"Attorney Wu? Is that Attorney Wu?"

The three of them turned their heads at the same time.

An elderly man in his seventies, leaning on a cane, slowly walked from the village entrance. His face was deeply wrinkled, and his skin was dark; he was clearly an old farmer who had spent his entire life toiling in the fields.

Wu Liang recognized him at a glance: it was Liu Dama's father, Old Man Liu.

Last time when they did a public legal education event, Aunt Liu treated everyone to a meal. This old man was very enthusiastic towards Wu Liang and even subtly inquired about Wu Liang's single status.

Didn't we make it in time?

"Uncle Liu!" Wu Liang quickly went to greet him and helped the old man up. "You're in good health!"

"What's so tough about you? Your legs hurt." Old Liu patted Wu Liang's hand, his eyes crinkling into slits with laughter. "Come on, let's go eat at my place."

"Sir, not today, I have something to do."

"Are these two your friends?" Old Liu tilted his head and looked at Zhao Anmin and Fang Lue. "Are they lawyers too? What about that young girl from last time?"

Wu Liang turned to look at Zhao Anmin, who immediately stepped forward and showed his police ID.

"Hello comrade, I'm from the city's criminal investigation team. I'm here to find out more about the situation."

"A criminal investigator?" Old Liu's expression changed in surprise. "Is it related to what happened at the village entrance?"

Zhao Anmin glanced at Wu Liang immediately, his expression stern. Wu Liang quickly raised his hand again to show his innocence.

This is not my opinion; I am a law-abiding citizen!

Before he could even defend himself, Old Liu explained it himself:

"Officer, I didn't tell anyone! I've been so bored these past two days. That day, Lawyer Wu was having dinner at my house, and I borrowed his flashlight. I was also thinking that it wasn't safe to walk alone at night, so I rode my tricycle to catch up with him and offered him a ride."

"But I got senile and couldn't remember where the keys were for a long time. When I finally caught up with them, I saw Lawyer Wu and several police officers talking. I didn't dare to go near them, so I just watched from a distance!"

Zhao Anmin then looked away and said, "Thank you for your voluntary cooperation with our work. It's something we should all learn from."

Wu Liang always felt that these words were directed at him, both openly and secretly.

"Grandpa, how old are you this year?" Zhao Anmin asked.

"He's seventy-three already, too old and useless."

"Do you remember, around fifteen years ago, any outsiders came to the village? Or anything unusual happened?"

Old Liu thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"Who can remember something that's been so long? My brain isn't even good enough to recall what I ate yesterday."

Zhao Anmin nodded, not disappointed. Memory decline is normal for the elderly; that's how it is with home visits. It's good if one out of ten households provides useful information.

Wu Liang, who was listening nearby, chimed in at the opportune moment.

"That's true, so many years have passed. If I went back to my hometown and asked my grandma about things from over ten years ago, she would definitely say the same thing."

He spoke casually, as if he were chatting about everyday things.

"But it's strange, my grandma has a bad memory, but she can talk endlessly about things like which family in the village got a new wife or which family suddenly had a baby. Last year when I went back, she even told me in detail which family in the next village had a wife who ran away with someone."

Old Liu grinned as he listened.

"That's right. In the village, it's just these kinds of things. Don't forget, I remember more than ten years ago, Ni Dayong's wife next door..."

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his expression changing slightly, as if he had remembered something he shouldn't have been thinking about.

The three of them looked at him at the same time.

Wu Liang's gaze was calm, and there was a smile on his lips, but his eyes never left Old Liu's face.

After a few seconds, Old Liu waved his hand, his tone noticeably more ambiguous than before.

"Hey, it's nothing. It's just that his wife is from out of town. Back then, some people in the village were gossiping and talking nonsense. It was all just idle talk, nothing to say."

He spoke hesitantly, a stark contrast to his previous cheerful demeanor.

Wu Liang noticed it, and so did Zhao Anmin.

"Sir, where is that woman from out of town you mentioned from?"

"This... I can't remember either." Old Liu's eyes drifted elsewhere. "It was so many years ago."

Wu Liang smiled and didn't press the matter of his wife.

"And then what? Did anyone come to the village looking for her?"

Old Liu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously replied.

"Now that you mention it... I do remember two people who came here. One was tall and thin, and the other was broad-shouldered and burly."

Zhao Anmin and Fang Lue both perked up their ears.

"Do you remember what those two people looked like?"

"It's been so long, how could I remember?" Old Liu shook his head. "But that strong guy had a birthmark on the bottom of his neck, about the size of a bowl, dark red. I thought at the time that it looked like a cow had stepped on his neck."

"Ding Hu?"

Wu Liang blurted it out, and Zhao Anmin and the other man stared at him in confusion, but the next second they realized what he meant.

"Ding Hu!"