Chapter 372: A Case Within a Case Within a Case

Walking out of the interrogation room, Xiao Yu’s head was buzzing.

There were already two victims in the wild wolf murder case. Now, not only had it dragged in drugs, but it had also turned up a gang-rape murder from over twenty years ago.

‘Damn!’ Xiao Yu felt like flipping a table.

Life was full of twists and turns, but did this case really need three layers of complexity?

‘What a load of crap!’

The Criminal Investigation Brigade initiated a case investigation procedure, looking into the missing-person records from 23 years ago. They turned up a case of an eighteen-year-old girl who had disappeared. The family had filed a report, and police searched for an entire year without results. 

The timeline of her disappearance roughly matched suspect Fang Jie’s account, and even the name matched.

Captain Zhao Changshan personally led a team to the suspected dump site from back then—the reservoir.

***

Back in the office, Xiao Yu sank into thought.

Setting aside the gang-rape murder and the drugs, he just focused on the wild wolf murder. 

Why were the deceased all members of that so-called Brotherhood from back then?

If only one of them had died, you could dismiss it as a coincidence—accidentally being attacked by a wild wolf. But two of them, both killed by a wild wolf? Calling it a coincidence would be an insult to one’s intelligence.

Moreover, Xiao Yu had already discovered that the grassland wolf was under someone’s command.

How was that possible? 

He’d never heard of an animal trainer who could train and command a wolf to that degree. Then again, just because he hadn’t heard of it didn’t mean it didn’t exist.

Assuming the killer was controlling the grassland wolf to murder people, they were clearly targeting members of the Brotherhood. 

So who wanted them dead? 

And might it be related to the crime from over twenty years ago? 

Possibly. But come on, would someone really wait more than two decades for revenge?

Though the chances might be small, Xiao Yu couldn’t rule it out. He then ordered an immediate search and arrest for the other two Brotherhood members from that year, husband and wife Gan Yuzhen and Xing Chuyang. 

One reason was that old crime from 23 years ago. And whether or not the wolf killings were connected to that, if it was related, they had to prevent more murders. If not, they still needed to solve the case either way.

***

Around five in the afternoon, Zhao Changshan called.

They’d found the skeletal remains.

However, it wasn’t some metal box, it was a large aluminum alloy suitcase.

‘I see,’ Xiao Yu thought, momentarily stunned.

If it had been a simple sheet-metal box left in water for twenty years, it would’ve corroded away completely within three or five years. But aluminum was different—submerged long-term, it won’t necessarily change unless the water contained salt or acidic substances, in which case it might corrode. 

Meanwhile, the victim’s remains had decomposed. When bones soak underwater, theoretically, they rot entirely over time. Once the decay reaches a certain point, the bones break down into calcium and phosphorus.

However, some parts of the human skeleton—like teeth, joints, and the skull—can persist for decades. Even after twenty years, some remnants were bound to remain.

Now that bones had been found, Fang Jie’s confession was corroborated.

It was solid evidence in that gang-rape, murder, and corpse-dumping case. 

All that remained was to arrest the other two suspects. But for now, Xiao Yu’s focus remained on the wild wolf homicide case.

At six in the evening,

“Boss, we found a lead,” Guo Qiang said over the phone. “Out by the outskirts, there’s a mid-to-large-scale kennel. Digging around, we discovered that in the past, this kennel not only raised foreign breeds obtained through dubious channels but also kept wolves.”

Xiao Yu drove away from the Criminal Investigation Brigade, heading out of the city and straight for the kennel. 

Finally, a lead.

***

At 6:38 PM, Xiao Yu arrived. The facility had a rather bold name: Home of Fierce Dogs.

“They used to keep wolves here, but they won’t admit it. We picked that up from asking around nearby,” Guo Qiang reported, standing beside Xiao Yu. “Old Li and Old Liu found out.”

Xiao Yu glanced at the two grinning detectives—Li Xin and Liu Hongqiao. They were his old subordinates from the start, back when Xiao Yu was just a trainee assigned to the Criminal Investigation Brigade, then a team leader, and eventually deputy captain. 

Through it all, Guo Qiang, Li Xin, and Liu Hongqiao had stayed with him. 

If you’re in criminal investigation, you learn to spot winners. They’d backed the right horse: now all of them had genuine Deputy Section Officer rank. 

Should they ever leave the Criminal Investigation Brigade to join another investigative unit, they’d all at least qualify as deputy chiefs. But these guys were sharp—so long as Xiao Yu stayed, they’d definitely keep following him. Their resumes would only improve, and their achievements would keep mounting. 

Then, after leaving the Criminal Investigation Brigade—and with Xiao Yu’s recommendation—they could jump to the next level in one go. That was the nature of building a stable position and climbing higher: you learn to pick sides and cling to strong leadership. 

It was the same in every era. Xiao Yu didn’t mind these give-and-take realities, provided it was with people on his own side.

As the sun set in the west, Xiao Yu led three detectives into the kennel. Barking echoed from all directions. A quick glance showed a large compound with two separate dog-raising areas and kennels, plus a brick house where a middle-aged man stood at the door.

“Officers, you’re here again?” The man walked over with a helpless expression. “I’ve already told you. This is a dog-raising place. How could we possibly raise wolves?”

His eyes shifted evasively, refusing direct eye contact. He was smiling stiffly.

‘He’s lying.’

Xiao Yu studied the man’s face and eyes, then said coldly, “I’m not here to listen to your lies. This is your last chance. Have you ever raised wolves here?”

“…”

The man froze.

Under Xiao Yu’s piercing gaze, his composure cracked. He swallowed hard and remained silent.

“Take him away.”

Xiao Yu didn’t bother wasting words.

Liu Hongqiao and Li Xin stepped forward grimly.

“Wait! I—I…” The man panicked, face flushing an earthy red. “I’ll talk. Y-yes, we did raise wolves.”

Xiao Yu stared coolly at the man. Sometimes, he really disliked this sort of person. 

‘If I’m treating you like a human, why are you acting like a dog?’

“I only worked here, but yes, we had wolves. That was two years ago,” the man continued under the four officers’ piercing gazes. “At the time, the boss brought four wolf pups from out of town. He wanted to see if he could breed them with dogs for a wolf cross. During the raising process, two died—only two survived.”

“What type of wolves?” Xiao Yu demanded icily.

“Mongolian wolves!” the man answered. Locals called them grassland wolves.

“And the remaining two?”

A sharp glint flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes.

“The boss sold them,” the man said. “He needed money then, ten thousand per wolf, two for twenty thousand, and sold them.”