Gene Fusion System: Crime Hunter

"It's not about hunger, just thinking of ordering a couple of roasted pig trotters to replenish. After all, I've been on my feet so much these past two days, I need a boost."

Upon hearing this, Luo Fei was about to tease him for his gluttony when suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him like lightning!

The next moment, he slapped his thigh and burst into laughter, "Zhang Wei, you reminded me, I thought of it, I thought of it!"

Zhang Wei was startled by his action, staring at him confusedly.

"Team leader, what did you think of? Please don't scare me, you look a little frightening…"

However, before Zhang Wei could finish, Luo Fei suddenly stood up and dashed out like the wind.

He Xin, fresh out of the shower, opened the door and saw him leaving. Puzzled, he asked, "What were you and the team leader discussing just now? What did he figure out?"

Zhang Wei shook his head in bewilderment, he wanted to know too.

As for Luo Fei, he immediately went and knocked on Liao Xingyu's door.

"Group Leader Liao, have you guys gone to rest yet? I suddenly have a new discovery about the case, let's discuss it quickly."

Liao Xingyu was already in bed when he heard the knock, so it was Zhou Ang from their group who opened the door.

Upon hearing that Luo Fei had a new discovery, Liao Xingyu hurriedly got dressed again and asked Zhou Ang to notify the other three members.

Soon, everyone gathered in Luo Fei's room.

"Luo Fei, you mentioned new discoveries just now, does that mean you found new clues?"

"Not exactly clues, but at least a direction."

"Previously, I always thought the murderer killed to change fate due to superstitious beliefs. But just now, Zhang Wei's words gave me inspiration, and I realized there might be another reason."

"Me?"

Zhang Wei pointed at himself, his face displaying even more surprise than the others.

Had he said anything relevant to the case just now? He wasn't aware of it.

"Yes, it was you." Luo Fei nodded affirmatively, "Just now, you said you wanted to eat roasted pig trotters to replenish your legs, which suddenly made me think of an old saying, 'like complements like.'

"The older generation used to believe that eating certain parts could nourish the corresponding parts. So we often hear people saying things like those who use their brains a lot should eat more brain matter, and those with broken legs should eat more pig trotters..."

"So, could it be that the missing heart from the victim was also taken for this reason?"

Upon hearing him mention 'like complements like,' Liao Xingyu had already formed a vague idea.

He waited eagerly until Luo Fei finished speaking, his eyes already shining, repeatedly applauding and exclaiming.

"Luo Fei, you truly made a remarkable connection with this!"

"Indeed, villagers are already superstititious, adding this age-old belief, it's possible for someone to believe it!"

"With this explanation, the use of the heart seems more reasonable than previously assuming it was for ritual purposes!"

"I think there's a very high chance that it is indeed as Team Leader Luo speculated."

Excited, Lin Jie patted Zhang Wei on the shoulder, "Well done, Zhang Wei, who'd have thought your craving would lead to such a big breakthrough."

"If this proves true, back in the city, I'll treat you to all the roasted pig trotters you can eat!"

"Brother Lin, you said it, everyone's here to bear witness for me."

"Don't worry, since I said it, I won't go back on my word."

"Zhang Wei, rest assured, we all heard it, we'll definitely vouch for you."

After exchanging a few jokes, they immediately got back to the main issue.

Liao Xingyu asked seriously, "Now that we have a general direction, Luo Fei, where do you plan for us to start investigating next?"

"We can initially hypothesize; if the murderer indeed committed murder to harvest the heart, it proves there's a family member with severe heart disease."

"If it were minor, they could just buy a pig's heart to make up for it, it wouldn't warrant a human heart."

"So I deduce that this illness must be severe enough that it's beyond cure at the hospital, or it can be treated but not completely eradicated. A desperate family member might entertain the idea of using a human heart for 'like complements like.'"

"After that, for some unknown reason, they targeted Zhou Kaieri... Of course, these are all severe conditions, so county and city hospitals should have medical records. I think we should immediately check the cardiology department's records at the hospitals."

"There's no time to waste; let's take action immediately... By the way, I think such an illness would be hard to keep secret from the villagers, so we could also make a call to ask around the village."

"Let's give Zhou Guodong a call; as it happens, I have his number."

Saying this, Luo Fei quickly dialed Zhou Guodong's number.

The phone rang over a dozen times before it was finally answered on the other side.

"Who is it?"

"Uncle Zhou, we're from the criminal investigation team, the ones you met a few days ago. Do you remember?"

"I remember, I remember, comrades, calling so late, is there something you need?"

"Yes, Uncle, I wanted to ask if you know anyone in your village who has a serious heart condition?"

"Heart disease? There are indeed a few families... But comrades, why are you asking this?"

"Don't worry about that, just tell us."

"As far as I know, Chen Fu'Er's mother from group one has a heart attack, she can't afford to get angry, and can't do heavy work. Then there's Yu Cheng from group eight, now group five, whose dad also suffers from heart attacks and high blood pressure, and then..."

"And then, a few years ago, Zhou Guohua's little grandson also had a congenital heart condition. He was treated in a hospital for years, but wasn't cured, passed away almost two years ago."

"Zhou Guohua? What's his relation to Zhou Guo'an?"

"He is Zhou Guo'an's older brother."

Luo Fei's expression turned serious, but he kept his composure as he responded, "Alright, Uncle Zhou, I understand, thank you."

After quickly hanging up, Luo Fei turned to Liao Xingyu, "I find Zhou Guohua's family highly suspicious!"

"Why?"

"How should I put this... It's a gut feeling."

Luo Fei pondered and explained, "Firstly, according to our country's familial ties, generally, the elders would go all out for the younger generation, while the younger would contribute relatively less, with some reservation in the process."

"Of course, there are exceptions, but what I'm saying applies to most families. It's rare for children to kill for a parent's heart, but I believe many would take the risk if it were for their child."

"Then there's something else, the detail we discussed earlier about dressing the child. Normally, a murderer wouldn't intentionally spare attention to such a task."

"Only if the killer feels a sense of guilt toward the victim would they subconsciously dress the child to maintain their dignity."

"Moreover, Zhou Guohua is Zhou Guo'an's older brother and the child's uncle, so if he committed the murder, it perfectly fits this conflicted mindset."

"Hmm, what you said makes sense... In that case, let's split into two teams. I'll take Zhou Ang and them to the county and city hospitals to investigate the medical records, and you all stay here, and the moment daylight breaks, investigate Zhou Guohua's family."

"No need to wait for morning, we'll head out now."

"Alright, just be careful."

With that, Liao Xingyu gathered the team and left.

Luo Fei and his team hurried to the Qingshan Town Police Station.

By now, Wang Pengfei was off duty, and only two officers were on shift at the station.

After hearing Luo Fei's request to assist with investigating Zhou Guohua's family's background, the officers didn't decline and quickly accessed the system to look into it.

Afterward, they called the village chief of Baimao Village to further verify the information.

"Team Leader Luo, we've checked, Zhou Guohua's grandson indeed had a severe congenital disease and even underwent surgery in the city."

"However, the child's post-surgery condition was always unfavorable and passed away in September three years ago. Since the child's death, the entire family moved to work elsewhere, only returning during the New Year celebrations."

"How about the child's grandparents?"

"They also left. According to the village chief, their son is a contractor overseeing a project in a neighboring province. Initially, he arranged some light work for the two elders there."

"The year before, his daughter-in-law gave birth to a pair of twins, and the older couple now primarily tends to the children."