167: The perfume scent on the seats

Gu Qingcheng mused, "Yao Shengli, Kang Minghao is from Xichuan Middle School. Now even Xie Yongxing's eldest son is from Xichuan Middle School. Don't you think that's too much of a coincidence?"

Zheng Honglin looked at Lei Zhen and said, "How about we go to Xichuan Middle School and ask?"

Lei Zhen nodded, "Let's go, we'll go now."

The three then got into Gu Qingcheng's Xiaomi and sped off towards Xichuan Middle School in Beijiang District.

The car stopped at the school gate. After Lei Zhen showed his police ID, the security guard personally escorted them to the Principal's Office.

Upon hearing that they were investigating a student murder case from years ago, the principal was initially a bit resistant. However, after Lei Zhen whispered something in his ear, the principal's demeanor immediately changed. He promptly called the teacher who had taught Xie Kefan back then and asked her to come over.

Gu Qingcheng and Zheng Honglin were both curious about what Lei Zhen had said to make the principal's attitude change so drastically.

Actually, Lei Zhen didn't say much; he just informed the principal of Gu Qingcheng's identity.

The Vice Mayor's daughter—which principal would dare not give face?

Soon, a female teacher in her forties arrived at the Principal's Office.

"You all chat, I'm going to the restroom." The principal then directly excused himself, seemingly unwilling to face what happened back then.

The female teacher was named Chen Fangxue. When the murder occurred, she had just arrived at the school. The principal assigned her as the homeroom teacher for Class 2, Grade 7, and Xie Kefan was one of her students.

"Then do you know Kang Minghao and Yao Shengli?" Lei Zhen asked right at the start.

"Of course I know them; they were also in our class," Chen Fangxue replied.

"Ah?"

Although Lei Zhen and the other two had expected it, they were still somewhat surprised to have it confirmed firsthand.

"You mean Kang Minghao, Yao Shengli, and Xie Kefan were all students in your class back then?" Gu Qingcheng could hardly believe it.

"Yes," Teacher Chen said. "Yao Shengli and Kang Minghao were the naughtiest in the class, while Xie Kefan was small and didn't talk much, but the three of them had a good relationship."

Lei Zhen continued to ask, "What about Xie Kefan's murder?"

When this was mentioned, Teacher Chen's eyes instantly dimmed. "For this matter, I also bear some responsibility. At that time, there was a child in the class who had a conflict with Xie Kefan over some minor issues. Then Xie Kefan stabbed that child with a fruit knife, and it happened to hit the child's main artery. The child lost too much blood and died as soon as they arrived at the hospital."

Gu Qingcheng was also surprised to hear this. "What kind of minor conflict? It led to such a serious murder?"

Teacher Chen said, "Actually, it was just a verbal dispute. The child who was killed had been verbally abusive since childhood and loved giving nicknames to people. Many classmates in the class were given nicknames by him. It's said that he gave Xie Kefan the nickname 'Monster,' and Xie Kefan didn't accept it. It was this dispute that led to Xie Kefan committing murder."

"He killed someone just because of a nickname?" Lei Zhen was also a bit surprised.

"Of course, it wasn't that simple," Teacher Chen said. "It's said that they were classmates in elementary school, and they had fought in sixth grade. But Xie Kefan was small and always lost, which is why he hid a knife in his backpack. He confessed all of this himself."

"Then what happened?" Gu Qingcheng asked. "He was 12 years old, not yet at the age of criminal responsibility. How was it handled in the end?"

Teacher Chen said, "Because he was too young, Xie Kefan was only held in the detention center for one day before being taken home. Of course, the school couldn't let him come back to study. Xie Kefan's parents compensated the other party 500,000 yuan, and it seems they eventually moved the whole family. I don't know where they went."

——————————

After leaving the school, everyone's mood still hadn't calmed down.

"No wonder Xie Yongxing changed his household registration several times; it turns out it was because they moved several times," Zheng Honglin said. "I just didn't expect that the three of them were actually classmates."

Lei Zhen then said, "In that case, the possibility of Kang Minghao being the mastermind behind Chiyuan Transportation Company is even greater. Oh, right, Brother Hong Lin, please help me check again: where is this Xie Kefan now?"

"Okay, I'll check once we get in the car."

Gu Qingcheng, while deep in thought, said, "Xie Kefan was friends with scions like Kang Minghao since childhood, and he dared to kill at the age of 12. This guy is not to be trifled with! Could he be involved in drug trafficking with Kang Minghao, or even was his idea for his father to buy transport vehicles?"

Lei Zhen said, "That's highly possible. It's quite reasonable for Kang Minghao to want to traffic drugs and find his best friend from junior high to do it with him."

However, after Zheng Honglin checked Xie Kefan's information, he provided a different answer.

"I can't find any information about Xie Kefan online. He hasn't registered a company, nor does he have any social media accounts. This person has either vanished from the face of the earth or changed his name."

Gu Qingcheng said, "I lean towards the second option. Xie Kefan killed someone. Although he wasn't held criminally responsible for it, that name carries guilt. If I were his parent, I would change his name too."

Lei Zhen agreed with this statement: "Perhaps Xie Yongxing changed his eldest son's name after moving. I estimate that after such an incident, even if Xie Kefan changed his name, the murder would forever be a scar on him. It's hard for such a child to change their fate through studying; the possibility of becoming a hooligan is extremely high instead."

"This explains why Xie Kefan's grandparents didn't acknowledge this grandson, only their younger grandson, Xie Xiaoyu."

Lei Zhen looked at Gu Qingcheng and also agreed with her analysis.

"I suspect Xie Kefan is very likely involved in drug trafficking. We'd best find this person."

Just then, Lei Zhen received a call from Zhu Xiaojun.

"Master, I've picked him up. Should I bring him back to the Municipal Bureau?"

Lei Zhen thought for a moment: "How about this, take him home and let your master go back to rest. I'm going to take a look at the white SUV that was stolen earlier. After you drop off your master, go back to the Municipal Bureau and wait for me."

After speaking, Lei Zhen hung up the phone and looked at Gu Qingcheng: "Let's go find the owner of the stolen vehicle. After all, that car was used by criminals, so it might still have some information left behind."

Gu Qingcheng said, "But the driver said the car was thoroughly cleaned as soon as they got it, and the forensic department didn't find any useful information."

Lei Zhen smiled calmly, "Just because they didn't find anything, doesn't mean I can't."

————————————

Lei Zhen and his group quickly found the car owner. The car was parked on the road next to a chicken farm.

The owner was at the chicken farm giving vaccinations to the chicks. Hearing that criminal police from the Municipal Bureau were investigating, he was very cooperative.

"You don't have any surveillance cameras installed here?" Lei Zhen asked.

"What's there to install? My house is right next door. Besides, thieves are rare these days, let alone chicken thieves," the boss replied.

Lei Zhen looked around. This area was suburban, and indeed, there were few cameras.

This was probably why those two stole the car—because they couldn't be filmed.

"Can I inspect the car?" Lei Zhen asked.

"Of course," the driver said. "I have to thank you police for finding this car. By the way, after I drove it back, I haven't used it again, except for a thorough cleaning."

Lei Zhen turned his head to look at the Great Wall Haval H6, a once popular SUV model.

The car looked very new; it must have been bought less than two years ago.

He stepped forward and opened the car door. A strong plastic smell immediately filled his nostrils. It seemed the owner hadn't lied; the car had been parked unused for several days.

Lei Zhen inspected it carefully but found nothing unusual.

Finally, he simply activated [Super Sense of Smell].

In an instant, dozens of smells rushed into his nostrils like a tide, making Lei Zhen's head buzz.

He rarely used this ability; each time he activated it, he needed a good while to adapt.

The first thing that assailed his nostrils was a pungent plastic smell—the scent of chemical substances released by the seat leather under high temperatures. In addition, it was mixed with the odor of cheap plastic parts on the dashboard.

Next, he smelled the damp, musty odor deep within the carpet, a result of rainwater seeping into the car and fermenting in the enclosed space.

Besides these, there were all sorts of other smells.

But one particular scent made Lei Zhen's spirits lift.

He actually detected a faint perfume scent, and this perfume scent came from the driver's seat.