Chapter 94: Hidden Secrets

Back at the office of the Criminal Investigation Team One, Wei Xingbang and Zhao Wuwei were reviewing the files of the two lovers who had died. Huang Jiehao gathered all the officers who had been on duty and held a meeting to share the latest clues. Neither Wei Xingbang nor Zhao Wuwei had found anything significant. The two students who had died were known for their good behavior and academic excellence, and had no known enemies. The security around the experimental high school was relatively good, so the possibility of a crime committed by an outsider was almost ruled out.

The current clues were insufficient to determine whether the couple had committed suicide or been murdered. Huang Jiehao began assigning tasks.

"Old Wei and Xiao Zhao, continue to review the files of the couple. If necessary, go back to the school to gather more information. Meng Hao, you and Liu Yong'an are responsible for contacting the hospital and the technical investigation department. Xiao Du and Xiao Shen, come with me to revisit the scene and see if we can find any new clues. I will also handle contacting the families and conducting interviews. Does anyone have anything to add? If not, let's get to work."

Seeing that no one had anything to add, Huang Jiehao dismissed the meeting. After Du Long changed into his police uniform, Huang Jiehao took Du Long and Shen Bingqing downstairs to get the car. Noticing an unmarked car in the parking lot, he curiously glanced at it and suddenly asked Du Long, "That car... it's from Wuxi County. Why is it here at our station?"

Du Long smiled and said, "I drove it back. Captain Huang, can you help me get a driver's license without taking the test? With the skills I used to drive back from Wuxi County while being chased, I don't need to take those tests."

Huang Jiehao laughed and said, "I can't do that, but I can help you with a reduced fee when you sign up. You can ask your uncle. If he asks, the DMV will personally deliver the license to you."

Du Long smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare ask him. I'm afraid he'll scold me. Forget it, I'll sign up and take the test myself. Since I have the skills, taking the test is just a formality."

Du Long didn't drive but sat in the passenger seat of the police car. Shen Bingqing opened the driver's door and sat down. Du Long was surprised for a moment and laughed, "I should have driven. Shen Bingqing, are you sure you can handle it? The passenger seat is the most dangerous. You're not trying to get rid of me, are you?"

Shen Bingqing said, "I'm not that boring. Buckle up, I drive pretty aggressively. Don't blame me if you fly out."

Huang Jiehao sat in the back, smoking and smiling as he watched the two bicker, finding it quite amusing. They were still kids... Both of them were very capable, and with proper training, he would have a much easier time in the future.

Shen Bingqing drove very steadily. The Science and Technology Development Zone in Xishan District was quite far from the city center, and it took over half an hour to reach the scene of the incident, a rental house near the Experimental High School.

Since the male lover's home was far from the Experimental High School, the daily commute had affected his studies. The school dormitories were already full, so his parents rented a house nearby for him to live and study. They even hired a nanny to take care of his meals. Despite their efforts, their son, who they had raised with such care, chose to commit suicide for love!

The landlord complained to the police about when the room would be released. After the incident, half of his tenants had moved out, and the rest were just temporarily unable to find suitable rentals. With the room sealed off, new tenants turned away, and the peak rental season for the new school year approaching, his business for the next six months was in jeopardy.

Huang Jiehao said, "The room will be released once the case is solved. Until then, it will remain sealed. Try to recall any clues you can provide us. Missing important clues will delay our investigation and your business."

At the rental house, Shen Bingqing tore off the seal on the door, and the landlord unlocked it. Huang Jiehao and the others entered the room. Since the floor had already been searched and shoe prints extracted, they didn't wear shoe covers.

The rental house was simple, built by the landlord for rental purposes. It had several communal kitchens and bathrooms. The room where the lovers had died was sparsely furnished, with a single bed, a desk against the wall, and a single-door wardrobe. The bed and desk were neatly stacked with books and test papers, reminding Du Long of his own time preparing for the college entrance exam, a sea of books and tests.

In addition to the study materials, there was a small table and cooking utensils in the corner.

"Since there's a communal kitchen outside, why did they cook in the room?" Du Long asked. A small gas cylinder, which had been sent to the technical investigation department for examination, was originally in the room.

The landlord replied, "I asked him about that. The boy said he sometimes wanted to cook a late-night snack in the room without disturbing others, so he got a gas cylinder. I suggested an induction cooker, but he said it would blow the fuse, so I didn't push it. If I had known he was going to use it to commit suicide, I would have... But it's too late now."

Everyone began searching the room carefully. Du Long also walked around and suddenly said, "That's strange, something is clearly missing from the room, but why didn't the parents report it?"

"Something is missing?" Huang Jiehao and Shen Bingqing looked up at Du Long in surprise. Shen Bingqing felt a twinge of jealousy: "Is this guy really that good? We searched several times and found nothing, but he just walked around and noticed something?"

Du Long smiled and said, "Maybe it wasn't lost, but taken by the parents..."

Du Long pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down. He pretended to write and draw on the desk, then suddenly said, "There are no obvious marks, but... I think something is missing from the desk. Look, there's a lot of empty space on the left side, while the right side has some fresh scratch marks..."

Du Long tapped the left side, which was surrounded by books, and then ran his right hand over a small empty spot on the right side, continuing, "The desk is clean, but there are some clues at the power outlet... The dust in this area is quite heavy. After just a few days, there's a lot of dust, but the area around this empty outlet is completely clean. This means something was always plugged in here..."

"The power cord for a laptop!" Shen Bingqing blurted out. Seeing Huang Jiehao frown in thought, she explained, "I have a classmate who likes to set up like this. The computer is on the left, and he uses his left hand for the keyboard, while the mouse is on the right for easy operation. The mouse movement causes friction on the desk... Du Long, how did you figure that out? We were focused on searching for traces, and I noticed the outlet but didn't consider that the area surrounded by books could be significant!"

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