Chapter 462: Chapter 462: You Know Him?

Zou Ming said, "That woman’s son was found dead in a small grove of trees. The cause of death is unknown, and no suspicious evidence was found at the scene. The case is still under investigation, but there are rumors that he died from a sudden illness or committed suicide. That’s why his mother came to the bureau. She thinks her son was murdered and wants us to get justice for him."

"What was the cause of death?" Su Qing asked.

"We haven’t determined that yet," Zou Ming said. "The medical examiner’s preliminary assessment is cardiac arrest, but they haven’t found what caused it. Oh, speaking of which, he went to the same university as you."

Su Qing asked in surprise, "He was at Beijing University, too?"

"Yes," Zou Ming said. "He was two years ahead of you, part of the first batch of students admitted to Beijing University in ’77. If not for this accident, he would have graduated next year."

"What a terrible shame," Su Qing sighed.

’Getting into Beijing University after passing the college entrance exams practically guaranteed a bright future after graduation. For him to die a mysterious death just a year or so before he finished... It’s no wonder his mother can’t handle it; even I, a complete stranger, feel it’s a terrible waste.’

"Captain." As Su Qing and Zou Ming were talking, an officer knocked and entered, placing a file in front of Zou Ming. "The ME’s report from the autopsy is in. This Jin Zhiwei died of cardiac arrest caused by excessive shock."

"Excessive shock!" Zou Ming looked at the officer and frowned. "Are you sure?"

"The medical examiner said that’s what the current results show," the officer reported. "But no suspicious evidence was found at the scene. And we still haven’t determined what could have caused such excessive shock."

"Keep investigating," Zou Ming said with a frown. "I feel like there’s more to this than meets the eye."

After he spoke, Zou Ming noticed Su Qing staring in shock at the file in front of him.

"Su Qing, what’s wrong?" Zou Ming asked.

Su Qing pulled her gaze away, looked at Zou Ming, and asked, "The person you said died in the woods... is it this person in the photo?"

"Yeah," Zou Ming said, curious. "You know him?"

"I’ve met him!" Su Qing’s expression was grave. "The day my final exams ended, he suddenly ran up to me and said someone was trying to harm me. But he wouldn’t tell me who. That was the only time I ever met him; I didn’t know him before that. I can’t believe he’s dead just a few days later!"

’It all made sense now. That must be why I followed the scent of the green mist to the city police bureau.’

"What? Someone wants to harm you!" Zou Ming was startled. "Why didn’t you tell me? Have you noticed anything unusual around you these past few days?"

Seeing how nervous Zou Ming was, Su Qing smiled. "Calm down. I’m not that fragile. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine."

"You kid," Zou Ming said anxiously. "No matter how capable you are, two fists are no match for four, don’t you get it? Even a master can be beaten by a flurry of random punches. If they decide to play for keeps, how are you going to escape? Besides, you don’t even know who’s trying to harm you yet."

After saying that, Zou Ming paused. He looked at Jin Zhiwei’s photo on the file and took a deep breath. "Or, we could look at this from another angle. The people who killed Jin Zhiwei might be the same people who are after you."

Hearing this, Su Qing raised an eyebrow. "You’re saying..."

"I think it’s a possibility," Zou Ming said. "This Jin Zhiwei might have known the people who are after you, or maybe he overheard something by accident. So, he went out of his way to warn you. Then, those people found out he’d warned you. They were afraid he’d tell you more, so they decided to go all the way and killed him."

As Zou Ming spoke, he jotted down this line of thought in his notebook. Then, he added, "But you said you didn’t know him. Logically, your paths shouldn’t have crossed. For him to be willing to risk danger to warn you, he must have been a kind person. It’s just a pity he didn’t meet a good end."

Su Qing pressed her lips together and said nothing. She looked at Jin Zhiwei’s photo on the file: a handsome, sunny face, eyes full of hope, and the corners of his lips turned up in a faint smile. This was a young man full of hope for the future.

Such a pity...

Su Qing’s hands, resting on her lap, clenched into tight fists. ’Since he risked his life to warn me, I will find out the truth and get justice for this fellow student.’

Zou Ming was still jotting down his thoughts in his notebook, muttering to himself, "Excessive shock... what on earth could have caused such excessive shock?"

"Captain Zou, I’d like to see Jin Zhiwei. Is that possible?" Su Qing asked.

’His body is with the medical examiner now. The ivy vines Branch I placed on him should be there too. I have to get it back before I can uncover what really happened.’

"Alright." Zou Ming thought for a moment and agreed. "Let’s go. I’ll take you over. I happen to need to ask the medical examiner some questions myself."

"Okay, thank you, Captain Zou."

"There’s no need to be so formal with me," Zou Ming said with a wave of his hand. "Come on, let’s head over now."

"Okay."

Seeing Jin Zhiwei’s cold body lying in the refrigerated drawer, Su Qing felt a pang of regret. This boy, whom she had only met once, had been alive and well just a few days ago, and now the cause of his death was still unknown.

’When Jin Zhiwei came to warn me, I just assumed it was another petty trick like the ones Xu Xianhui used to pull—hiring people to block my path or trying to ruin my reputation. That’s why I didn’t pay it much mind.’

’But I never would have imagined he might have lost his life over it. If I had known then, if I had secretly followed him for a few days, could I have saved him from this fate?’

"Su Qing, is this the boy who warned you?" Zou Ming asked.

Su Qing nodded. "It’s him."

"I’ll do my best to find the truth as quickly as possible on my end. You need to be careful, too. These people are ruthless; they’re not to be trifled with. If it comes down to it, I can arrange for someone to protect you for a while. How about it?"

Zou Ming was a little worried about Su Qing’s safety.

"No need. I can handle myself, don’t worry," Su Qing said, shaking her head. "Having someone follow me around would just tip them off."

Zou Ming thought for a moment, then said, "Alright then. Stay safe. If you notice anything wrong, call me immediately. I’ll get there to back you up as soon as I can."

"Okay, thanks."

As Su Qing and Zou Ming left the morgue, she saw someone walk out of a room carrying a trash can. She raised an eyebrow slightly—the scent of green mist was coming from that direction.

Just then, someone came over to give Zou Ming a report. Su Qing quickened her pace for a few steps, getting closer to the person with the trash can. With a slight twitch of her fingers, a small ivy vines Branch suddenly flew into her hand, and she immediately stored it in her space.

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