Chapter 72

New book in soft pink seeks support* for nurturing, collection, and recommendations! This week's promotion is through underwear ads, but the effect isn't very good, and it hasn't helped much with collections and recommendations. So it all depends on everyone. I sincerely ask everyone to give a few more recommendations, so we have a chance to show up on the charts. I bow in gratitude!

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Lu Hailong's home is quite far from Luli Village, about a thousand meters away, and it is located in the southwest corner of the village, which is quite remote.

Behind their courtyard, there are no residential buildings, but rather an endless expanse of rice fields, all cultivated by the villagers of Luli. Li Xiangdong jumped out from the back of the Lu family's courtyard, walked forward for about ten meters, and after observing the general situation, he confirmed that this back courtyard was the best route for entering and exiting the Lu family's home.

This is because if one comes from the east, they would have to pass through Luli Village, where they might be seen, especially if they are an outsider, which could easily raise the villagers' alertness.

If one comes from the south, they would have to enter the city's expressway, which has many surveillance cameras. Moreover, the entrance from the expressway has a surveillance camera directly facing the Lu family's home, making it very inconvenient.

If one comes from the west, it would be even more difficult, as there is a river there. Therefore, the most convenient route is from the north, which is the back of the Lu family's courtyard.

The back of the Lu family's courtyard has a very high wall, over two meters tall, and the terrain below the wall is particularly steep, with a nearly ninety-degree slope. The Lu family's home is situated on a mound of earth in front.

Including the height of the mound, the back courtyard of the Lu family is about five to six meters high. Therefore, Lu Hailong was clearly very relaxed about the security of the back courtyard, not believing that anyone would climb over the wall from there, so he didn't even install surveillance cameras in the back.

But this oversight cost him his life.

Just as Li Xiangdong was pondering this, he suddenly saw An Jiaoning bite her lip and leap down from the roof.

This silly girl, she doesn't have my balance, and didn't she see the steep slope below the wall?

The speed of a leopard instantly pushed Li Xiangdong beyond human limits. In the blink of an eye, he darted from over ten meters away to the base of the wall, just in time to catch An Jiaoning as she landed.

An Jiaoning's heels touched the ground, but she let out a cry of surprise, not expecting the slope below the wall to be so steep. Just as she was about to roll down the slope, a strong hand suddenly supported her waist.

Turning her head, she saw Li Xiangdong's face.

"Don't just stand there, and don't be so reckless next time."

Although Li Xiangdong's words carried a hint of reproach, for some reason, they didn't sound annoying.

An Jiaoning bit her lip, steadied her feet, and then slowly moved down the slope.

Then, she and Li Xiangdong retreated to the spot where Li Xiangdong had observed the Lu family.

"Are you sure the murderer entered the Lu family's courtyard from here?"

An Jiaoning was still somewhat wary of the slope and was unsure if the murderer could have climbed up from there.

"Definitely, otherwise why would the glass shards on that part of the wall be knocked off?"

Li Xiangdong's words made An Jiaoning realize that the glass shards on the wall couldn't have been knocked off by Lu Hailong himself.

"Moreover, when the two of them fled, they must have used this route. We'll follow this path to chase them."

Li Xiangdong turned and pointed to the vast, green rice fields ahead. An Jiaoning felt a bit dizzy; the endless expanse of green, vibrant rice fields seemed impossible to follow.

Li Xiangdong didn't waste words, gesturing to An Jiaoning: "Follow me."

Then he started walking forward. To the average person, it was just a vast expanse of rice fields with no trace of anything, but to Li Xiangdong, it was different. He could smell the faint blood scent left by the murderer as they fled.

Moreover, what looked normal to others was problematic to him. Some rice stalks were lightly bent, not in the same direction as the others, and there were slight bends between the stalks. To others, this might not be noticeable, but to him, it was the route the criminals took as they fled.

He followed this path, and An Jiaoning had no choice but to follow behind him.

They ran for over three kilometers. Due to the beast core enhancing his body, Li Xiangdong's physical strength was astonishing, and three kilometers was nothing to him. However, it was tough for An Jiaoning, who had been following him.

An Jiaoning had trained hard at the police academy and could run five kilometers, but that was on a flat road.

Now, they were in the muddy rice fields. Each step sank into the soft, muddy soil, making it impossible to gain traction. After running a kilometer, her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the seemingly resistance-free rice fields became incredibly heavy, causing pain with each step.

Looking at Li Xiangdong, who was running steadily ahead, An Jiaoning was so angry that she wanted to stop several times. This guy said this was the route the criminals took, but who knows if he was telling the truth.

And you, with your good stamina, did you forget that there's a girl behind you?

Li Xiangdong stopped ahead, and An Jiaoning walked over, fuming. Although she was only about two to three hundred meters away from him, she didn't want to run anymore.

When she reached Li Xiangdong, he didn't even look up at her but instead squatted down, seemingly examining something. An Jiaoning was so angry that she wanted to kick him in the butt.

"Quick, call the captain. We've found something."

Li Xiangdong suddenly turned around, his face beaming, and shouted at An Jiaoning, who was startled but still took out her phone.

After making the call, An Jiaoning came to Li Xiangdong's side and followed his gaze. On the ground, there was a large, dark hole, about the size of a manhole, black and indistinguishable.

"What is this? Could the murderer be hiding here?"

An Jiaoning asked.

"This is an irrigation well, very deep. The surrounding cover has been disturbed. I suspect the murderer threw the weapon into this well. Smell it; there's a strong blood scent at the mouth of the well."

Li Xiangdong squatted by the well, sniffing as he spoke. An Jiaoning, seeing how serious he was, also sniffed hard.

"What smell? Are you a dog or something?"

Li Xiangdong scratched his head and laughed. He had been too excited about the important clue to remember that not everyone has a wolf-like sense of smell.

Soon, Wei Zhengming and several members of the major case team arrived. After Li Xiangdong explained his discovery, they immediately became interested in the well.

The well opening was small, and Li Xiangdong's build wouldn't fit. In the end, Zhang Lu stepped forward. He was only 1.7 meters tall and relatively slim, making him suitable for the task of exploring the well.