I Rely on the Informant System to Be an Enthusiastic Citizen in the Criminal Investigation Story

Chapter 117

After finishing a delightful meal where both hosts and guests were thoroughly satisfied, Zhong Xiaoyu finally settled down. Happily munching on post-meal snacks, she cheerfully remarked, "Another 100,000 yuan in the bank. I have to say, my uncle really has an eye for things. Thanks to him, I’m now a little rich girl."Pang Le, who was peeling an orange, casually handed half to Guan Xia and said with a hint of envy, "Wow, just a little work and you’ve already made 100,000 yuan. Hey, why don’t you ask your aunt if she’s open to adopting a goddaughter? If not, maybe she could loosen the gender restrictions a bit and consider me? I’m pretty and have a great figure too."

Pang Le even stood up and struck a few poses, making everyone burst into laughter.

Zhong Xiaoyu laughed for a while before suddenly remembering something. "Oh right, my aunt transferred money to you guys too—except for Captain Xu and his team, of course. Given their official positions, she knows the rules. She told me she donated the money in their name to the Yongquan Branch. You’ll probably hear about it soon."

This announcement left everyone, including Guan Xia, stunned.

"What? Your aunt sent us money too?" Pang Le exclaimed, feigning shyness as she rubbed her hands together. "That’s so unnecessary! We’re friends with Sister Ji, which makes us friends with you. How can we accept money for helping a friend? How much did she send?"

Pang Le initially tried to maintain a composed demeanor, but by the end, she couldn’t hold back her grin, revealing a full set of pearly whites.

Zhong Xiaoyu waved her hand dismissively. "Come on, friendship is one thing, but money is another. Even I got paid for helping my aunt investigate my uncle’s case. I don’t know the exact amount, but knowing how my aunt throws money around, it’s probably at least 100,000 or 200,000 yuan."

Hearing this figure, even Guan Xia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "This money… we can really take it?"

Zhong Xiaoyu slung an arm around Guan Xia’s shoulders and said firmly, "Take it. Captain Xu and his team are cops—solving cases is their job. But you guys aren’t. Honestly, even I’d feel guilty if you didn’t accept it."

Guan Xia still hesitated. "But this case… we didn’t really solve it. We just uncovered a few clues before Wu Xiaozhen killed the culprit. If anything, she’s the one who avenged your uncle."

"We pulled two all-nighters, and we’re probably in for another one tonight. That’s hardly ‘nothing,’" Zhong Xiaoyu countered seriously. "We did a lot. As for Wu Xiaozhen, since she’s a suspect, my aunt might not have heard about her yet. But knowing her, once she finds out, she’ll probably arrange for a good lawyer and send some money to her parents."

She then circled back to the main point. "Just take the money. If my persuasion isn’t enough, my aunt will step in—and she’s way more persuasive than me. She might even think you’re refusing because the amount’s too small and add more."

With Zhong Xiaoyu insisting like this, Guan Xia stopped objecting. She exchanged a glance with Pang Le, both unable to hide their joy over the unexpected windfall.

As ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‍they leisurely chatted over fruit, Guan Xia suddenly remembered something just as they were about to leave. She turned to Pang Le and asked, "Oh right, Pang Le, earlier on the phone, Zhong Xiaoyu mentioned you guys found something this afternoon but wanted to tell me yourself. What was it?"

Pang Le slapped her forehead in realization. "Oh! Right!" She quickly grabbed her phone from the table, scrolled for a moment, and handed it to Guan Xia. "Look."

Guan Xia leaned in and saw a short video clip, about ten seconds long. The room in the video resembled Chen Yuanwei’s hidden lair from their earlier search, but upon closer inspection, there were noticeable differences.

First, the photos were different. While the previous room had mostly featured the four victims, here, the victims occupied only a small section. The majority of the space was covered with photos of Chen Yuanwei’s parents.

Many of these photos had been cropped and enlarged, showing only faces. What stood out were the countless tiny holes punctured into the images, as if someone had repeatedly stabbed them with a sharp object.

Guan Xia quickly made the connection. "These photos… were used as targets?"

Pang Le nodded. "Yeah. When we entered, the floor was littered with scattered darts, chopsticks, and small knives. There were also shredded photo fragments in the corner. From all this, it’s clear Chen Yuanwei really hated his parents."

Guan Xia didn’t know how to react. She couldn’t fathom the depth of Chen Yuanwei’s hatred and could only speculate wildly.o check the map. "The closest one is in a mall about two kilometers away. What, you want to go scratch some right now?"

Pang Le checked the time and saw it wasn’t even 8 p.m. yet. "Yes, yes! Before the mall closes, I’ve got to ride this lucky streak and win some more!"

So, without even getting out of the car, the four of them headed straight for the mall. Unfortunately, not only did Pang Le fail to win anything, she also lost 200 yuan, which left her muttering in regret every now and then while reviewing surveillance footage that night.

Still, despite the financial loss, Pang Le ended up being the first to spot something important while going through the surveillance recordings later.