Forty minutes later.
In the suburbs, outside Linfang Residential Complex.
"Park the car outside. Let's walk in and get a feel for the neighborhood," Zheng Kaixuan instructed.
At the entrance of the complex, many people were sitting around enjoying the breeze — mostly women with children.
As they entered the complex, the team walked slowly, observing the environment.
"Binzi, how much do you think apartments here cost?" Li Hui asked.
"Thinking of buying here?"
"Places in the city center are way too expensive — probably over 20,000 yuan per square meter. This area's in the suburbs, but it's only a 40-minute drive to our precinct. Not bad," Li Hui said, patting his chest. "We own cars now, after all."
"In the suburbs, it's probably around 10,000 per square meter," Zhao Ming guessed.
"How would you know?"
"My family owns a place nearby — we rent it out," Zhao Ming pointed east. "Just up ahead."
Li Hui: "..."
"Master Zhao, could you stop rubbing it in? Some of us are still part of the working class," Tian Li rolled her eyes.
"This complex isn't that expensive. I'd say it's about 6,000–7,000 yuan per square meter," Zheng Kaixuan said.
"Seriously? That cheap?" Li Hui looked excited.
"This whole area used to be Linfang Village. The apartment buildings here are self-built village properties," Zheng Kaixuan explained.
"What do you mean by 'village properties'?"
"They're homes built with only village-level certificates — no official deed, can't get a mortgage, and not legally sold on the open market," Han Bin added. He had used his merit points to gain a lot of background knowledge — miscellaneous, but occasionally useful for investigations.
"So… can you buy them or not?" Li Hui was still confused.
"You can buy them," Han Bin explained, "but there's no legal protection. If a dispute arises, any contract you signed isn't backed by the law."
"Bin-ge, not bad — you really know your stuff," Tian Li said.
"I dabble."
Zheng Kaixuan reminded them, "Enough about real estate. Don't forget why we're here."
"Of course not, Captain," Li Hui said. "We've done a lap of the complex — checked everything. There's a surveillance camera at the main gate, but none inside."
Tian Li added, "Only one entrance is open. The rear gate is locked."
They arrived at Building 5, Unit 2. The victim lived in Apartment 2704.
"This being a village property, the management's lacking. Only the elevator has surveillance — nothing at the unit entrance. If the thief used the stairs, they wouldn't have been caught on camera," Li Hui analyzed.
Ding! The elevator arrived. The group took it to the 27th floor.
Apartment 2704's door was slightly open. Han Bin knocked symbolically, put on shoe covers, and entered the foyer.
A woman in her 30s was sitting on the couch in a daze. Hearing the noise, she jumped up nervously.
"Who are you?"
Han Bin showed his badge. "Criminal Investigation Division."
"You're finally here! Please come in," the woman said anxiously, motioning them inside.
"You're the one who filed the report — Xu Yan?" Zheng Kaixuan asked, giving her a once-over.
"Yes, I called the police."
"I'm Zheng. I'm in charge of the criminal division."
"Officer Zheng, please help me find the money. It's for my dad's surgery," she pleaded, gripping his hand tightly.
"We'll do our best," Zheng reassured her, then turned to Tian Li.
"You take her statement. The rest of you, check out the scene."
Tian Li activated her body cam and pulled out her notebook to begin the interview.
The usual questions began:
"Name?"
"Xu Yan."
"Occupation?"
"Sales," she answered hoarsely.
"When did you notice the money was missing?"
"This morning. I came home from the hospital to get the money for my father's surgery. When I opened the wardrobe in the bedroom, the bag where I kept the cash was gone."
"What kind of bag?"
"Black. I tied a red string on it so I wouldn't mistake it."
"How much money was inside?"
"Almost 200,000 yuan."
"Was the house in disarray?"
"I… I don't know. I left for the hospital around 7 AM yesterday. My husband was still home. I'm not sure what it looked like when he left."
"Where is your husband now?"
"He's on a business trip."
"When did he leave?"
"I think yesterday morning." Xu Yan sounded unsure.
"How long had the money been in the house?"
"Most of it was borrowed. It was in the bank account. My husband and I withdrew it from the bank the afternoon before yesterday."
"Other than you two, did anyone else know the money was at home?"
"No."
Zheng Kaixuan frowned. "When you came back and opened the door, was the lock damaged or did anything seem off?"
"I don't really remember… I was at the hospital all day yesterday. My head's spinning. I didn't pay much attention," Xu Yan said, rubbing her temples.
"When's your husband coming back? He was the last one at home. He might remember details you missed — we'll need his statement to determine the timeframe of the theft."
"I called him. He'll be back around noon."
…
Meanwhile, Han Bin walked around the house in shoe covers, carefully examining the scene. There were no signs of a struggle or obvious ransacking.
That in itself was a clue — either the thief was someone familiar with the home or an experienced criminal.
Newbies tend to get nervous and mess up the place.
At the door, Han Bin saw forensic tech Lu Wen gathering evidence.
"Any findings?" Han Bin asked.
Lu Wen adjusted his glasses. "Nothing yet."
"Fingerprints?"
"There are a lot on the door. We'll need to analyze them one by one."
"Let me know if anything turns up."
Lu Wen gave an "OK" hand gesture.
…
Zheng Kaixuan told Xu Yan to rest in the bedroom. He then called the team together in the living room to discuss the case.
"Tian Li, summarize Xu Yan's statement for everyone."
"Got it."
Tian Li flipped through her notebook and briefly explained what Xu Yan had told her.
When she finished, Zheng Kaixuan looked at the group.
"Share what you found at the scene."
"There's little sign of disturbance, and no obvious evidence left behind. Looks like the work of a professional," Han Bin said.
"Would this count as a locked-room theft?" Zhao Ming joked.
"You've been watching too much Detective Conan. The living room window's wide open. How's that a locked room?" Li Hui countered.
"That window opens out from the 27th floor. Who could possibly climb in through there? Might as well be a locked room," Zhao Ming pointed at the window.
"Hey, you two — focus. We're solving a case, not discussing a mystery novel," Zheng Kaixuan scolded.
"Tian Li, what do you think?"
Tian Li closed her notebook and said slowly,
"There's one detail in Xu Yan's statement that I think might be very important."
(End of Chapter)