SFTD -Chapter 326 Missing Memories (Part 18)

Unable to figure it out, Zhou Hai stopped thinking and directly answered the call.

“Why did you take so long to pick up?”

Zhou Hai froze for a moment, suddenly unsure how to respond. He frowned slightly—was she trying to ease the tension?

“I just finished breakfast and was wiping my mouth.”

“Busy all night?”

“Yeah. What’s up?”

Chu Menghan paused. “Forget it, let’s stop being so formal with each other. This kind of tone sounds awkward for both of us. I don’t want to explain what happened before, and I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I’m in a position where I have to consider the image of the Dongnan City Criminal Police. I hope you understand—it’s not about one person.”

Zhou Hai exhaled lightly. It wasn’t easy at all to hear Chu Menghan say something like that. For someone so proud, he decided to let it go.

“Alright, I understand.”

“You can’t say a few more words without dying?” she snapped. “What are your next plans? Tell me. Don’t keep going through intermediaries. Now that Bureau Chief Liu is the Party Secretary, if you report to him, it still ends up coming back to me anyway.”

Zhou Hai naturally understood this, but the situation had already escalated to that point before. It couldn’t be easily resolved. Only by finding additional evidence proving Wang Xuchao was unrelated to the case could everything truly settle.

“Alright, let’s drop the previous matter. Since you’re the boss, we’ll do as you say.”

“I reviewed the 4.14 case file last night and compared it with the 7.22 case. I think the two cases can be merged.”

This surprised Chu Menghan.

She knew about the 4.14 case—it was brutal, with no evidence left behind. No weapon, no surveillance footage, no witnesses in a demolition zone. The location had been chosen almost perfectly. The case had remained unsolved.

If it could be combined with the 7.22 case, it meant Zhou Hai had found a common link between them—and the 4.14 case might finally see hope again.

“Oh? You think the two cases are connected?”

Zhou Hai explained Yu Xiuhong’s situation and the photos they found in the printer the previous night.

Chu Menghan considered it. Using just a few photos to merge two cases did feel a bit rushed, but there wasn’t a better option right now.

“Alright. Chief Huang will still be in charge of this case. Since Wang Xuchao is involved, he’ll remain suspended for now. But if he insists on following, let him sit in on the task force meeting. Hold a joint case meeting at the West City Branch later and announce the merger.”

Zhou Hai thought for a moment. “You should preside over the meeting. You already know all the details. I need to go back to the center to check some earlier forensic results. I need to compare them personally.”

Chu Menghan understood that if Zhou Hai was skipping the meeting, it must be for something important, so she didn’t insist.

“Alright. Send me your summary and the merger conditions so we can plan the next investigation steps.”

“I’ve already organized it. I think we still need to start from Wang Shouxin’s social connections. I’ve separated all the details—you can review them.”

After hanging up, Chu Menghan paused, then called Huang Zhongsheng.

“Notify everyone that the 7.22 case meeting will be held at 8:30 at your office. Also notify all personnel involved in last year’s 4.14 case from the West District to attend. We need to discuss merging the two cases. Zhou Hai has already listed suspects and investigation directions.”

“What? 7.22 and 4.14 merging…?”

At 7:20, Zhou Hai arrived at the forensic center.

He raised his hand to knock, but hesitated—maybe it was still too early. Just as he was wondering, the door opened.

Sister Zeng stood there wearing slippers and a white lab coat, hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at him.

“What? Only now you realize it’s early?”

“Come in. Don’t be so polite—I’m not used to it. I’m on-call 24 hours a day for you guys, no need to feel awkward.”

Zhou Hai was momentarily speechless by her barrage, then chuckled.

“That just proves how important you are, Sister Zeng.”

She burst out laughing. She really couldn’t stay mad at him—he never acted arrogant or dismissive.

“Alright, I know you’re in a hurry. The reports are ready. Which one do you want first?”

“Let’s look at all of them. Any findings from the rubber sample sent in last night?”

Her eyes lit up.

“That rubber piece is very meaningful. You’ll understand once we look under the microscope.”

She connected the microscope to the display. High-magnification images appeared: the black rubber showed dense, orderly grooves.

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes and immediately raised his hand.

“I know what this is. It’s a coated glove. This rubber fragment came from a coated work glove being scraped off.”

Sister Zeng nodded. She had to admit he was sharp—it had taken her multiple comparisons to confirm it.

She flipped the sample and increased the magnification further.

Yellow fibers appeared—thin, needle-like strands embedded in the rubber.

Zhou Hai frowned. “Glass fiber?”

“I’ve seen this before… is it fiberglass?”

Sister Zeng nodded. “A type of high-grade fiberglass insulation material. I also found traces of sea salt and fish DNA in it.”

Zhou Hai stared at her. “Sea salt… fish… was it from a fishing boat? No—it must be sea fishing!”

She smiled. “That’s what I thought too. I asked experts. High-end yachts have insulated sections, often on deck. If exposed, people walking around can easily pick up this fiberglass material.”

Zhou Hai slapped his forehead.

“Sister Zeng, wasn’t the same fiberglass found in the scab on Wang Xuchao’s shoulder last time?”

She froze, then quickly retrieved the previous samples. She placed the scab under the microscope again.

The same yellow fibers appeared, identical in every way—even iodine and stains couldn’t color them.

Sister Zeng became excited.

“Then the killer either moved Wang Xuchao or grabbed him by the shoulder while wearing these gloves.”

Zhou Hai then picked up a box of green paint chips.

“These paint fragments were found under Wang Xuchao’s fingernails. Any findings?”

Sister Zeng checked the report.

“There are trace amounts of sea salt here too.”

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes.

Fiberglass… green paint… coated gloves… yacht… sea salt…

Everything seemed to point toward the killer’s behavior profile—someone who went out to sea frequently, likely for fishing. The financial ability and social status implied by this suddenly pushed the suspect into a completely different class.

Zhou Hai muttered:

“Sister Zeng… I think we’ve found a suspect who comes from serious wealth.”