Gui Jia's Second Young Master

Chapter 424 Eyes Deep in the Mud (The Peered-At Gaze)

You must understand that traumas like having one's eyes gouged out or tongue bitten off are irreversible and cause massive bleeding, life-threatening within minutes if not treated promptly.

"Were any other remains of the victim found at the scene?" I stood up and brushed the dust off my hands. For some reason, I couldn't help but clasp the Polaris pendant the priest had given me before speaking.

The pendant exuded a chilling, silvery-white aura. A cross was locked by the Polaris, and above it, a barely noticeable yet commanding skull.

The priest had told me that believing in Solomon necessitated wearing this pendant; it was their symbol.

I believed that by utilizing my abilities and faith, I could surely guide believers towards righteousness.

At this moment, a police officer informed me, "No, we are still searching. If the other body parts of the victim are not found, there might still be a possibility of him surviving!"

"I think the hope is slim, but we can't give up. Everyone, expand the search area!"

The crowd dispersed, searching along the riverbank. There were no surveillance cameras here, and the rain was heavy, washing away many traces.

The beggar who discovered the eyes told us that they had initially intended to scavenge for recyclables here, as there were many discarded bottles and shells in the area. This time, however, they had unearthed a human eye.

"At that time, Xiao Liu and I almost wet ourselves. Sob, what is all this!" the old beggar said, crying while shielding a small beggar beside him.

The younger beggar looked dirty all over, his clothes tattered beyond repair, evoking a sense of pity. I approached him and opened a box of chocolates, saying, "Here, have some!"

"Thank you, police brother!" The child's eyes lit up at the sight of the chocolate, likely having not eaten for a long time.

With no other option, I took out 5,000 and handed it to the two beggars.

Upon seeing the money, the old beggar immediately knelt on the ground, "Comrade officer, thank you, but I can't accept it, I can't!"

"It's alright, take it. Otherwise, how will you live? Old beggar, you should find some work and take good care of this child!"

"Yes, thank you, I will not let you down!"

Seeing no suspicion from them, I had them released. Liu YuNing, however, clutched her forehead, "He Sheng, your monthly salary..."

Just last time, YuNing was stimulated and could speak again.

"Never mind, it's okay. Everyone, have any clues been found?"

Gao Mingqiang and Xia Hou came to my side and gave a report, but it was essentially that nothing had been found. They could only check the nearby road for signs of suspicious individuals entering or exiting or for any witnesses.

I paid them no mind and walked directly to the edge of the riverbank near a crossroads. I thought about where this river flowed from. If, considering the current flow rate and direction, the eye could have floated downstream from upstream. Therefore, if the deceased had been dismembered...

I walked upstream along the river alone, but I found no other parts of the deceased. I suspected the killer might have only dug out the victim's eyes.

Perhaps the intention wasn't to kill, but merely to extract eyes??

Regardless of the idea, we had to quickly find the other parts of the victim. If he were still alive, we would try to rescue him, because with just a pair of eyes, we couldn't confirm his identity.

With no other recourse, I contacted the missing persons investigation department to see if there were any recent disappearances in the vicinity. Other investigation tasks were also assigned to individuals. Liu YuNing and I drove back to the provincial department first.

After the pair of eyes were brought back, Zhang Keying, Xie Chuchu, and I meticulously scanned and examined them under precise machinery. However, no useful information was found. But according to Zhang Keying, some traces could indicate the victim's age. I truly couldn't match her in this regard.

According to her observation, the victim's age was likely between 25 and 30. This narrowed down our search scope for missing persons.

After comparison, we found a most probable candidate because he had recently disappeared, within the last couple of days, and his age was similar. His name was Qian Zhiqiang, aged 26, an employee of the Zhenfu Electronics Factory in Guangming City. He had previously worked on schedule with a very regular life. Then, three days ago, he suddenly disappeared. To understand the situation, we first visited his residence.

Liu YuNing had now recovered and could accompany me on field visits as before.

Upon learning our identities, Qian Zhiqiang's wife did not seem surprised but rather very perplexed.

Even without her speaking, I knew that this fellow still did not know her husband had been murdered.

I didn't want to waste time. Once inside her house, I got straight to the point, "We are here regarding Qian Zhiqiang."

"Zhiqiang? Wasn't he missing? I only reported him missing recently! Could it be that something else has happened to him?"

Hearing her say that, my brow furrowed. "I am aware of that."

"Zhiqiang almost always goes back to his hometown around this time every month. After all, our children are all at home, and sometimes I go with him."

"And where is your hometown?"

"It's in Fuming City, not far."

Liu YuNing and I exchanged glances. Finally, she revealed the information that Qian Zhiqiang might have been murdered. Upon hearing this, Qian Zhiqiang's wife trembled and leaned against the wall, her hands moving incessantly, "This isn't true, it's not true!"

"We are very sorry to tell you that it is true, and the situation is very serious..."

Even upon learning that her husband's remains were only a pair of eyes, Qian Zhiqiang's wife still held onto a sliver of hope, saying, "Perhaps they aren't my husband's?"

"Then we'll need to find his relatives for DNA verification. Who are his immediate family members?" I asked.

"Ask his parents to help!"

This time, we went to Fuming City. Since it wasn't confirmed yet, we didn't explain the situation to the elderly couple to avoid worrying them. We simply found an excuse to collect blood samples. On the way back, Liu YuNing asked Qian Zhiqiang's wife again, "Recently, besides saying he was going home, has Qian Zhiqiang shown any unusual behavior? Or has he said anything strange to you?"

"This, this should be the same as usual, right? Although Qian Zhiqiang isn't the most pleasant person, he wouldn't have offended anyone to that extent, would he?"