Chapter 312: Suspect Identified

Inside a police vehicle convoy.

“Little brother, stop scaring me.” Wang Dong, pale-faced, stared at Xiao Yu. “There won’t be a nuclear explosion, right?”

‘Ignorance truly is terrifying.’ Xiao Yu almost burst out laughing. 

“There definitely won’t be a nuclear explosion. The concentration of nuclear material required for power generation is much lower than for a nuclear bomb, which requires over 99% enrichment. The difference is like heaven and earth.”

“Phew!”

Letting out a deep breath, Wang Dong glared at him. “You almost scared me into wetting myself.”

“But…” Xiao Yu smirked. “A nuclear leak would still be horrifying. Radiation and contamination would engulf everything nearby. You understand what I mean?”

What the hell? Wang Dong’s face turned pale again.

Personnel had already been dispatched to the nuclear power plant and the dam. Only the city’s gas pipeline network remained challenging to investigate. But it was no problem—shutting down the city’s main gas valve would suffice.

Could that be done easily?

The National Security Bureau did have the authority to do so.

Although such a shutdown would be temporary and need to be quickly restored after inspection, this procedure was no different than issuing a notice for temporary water or power outages. It wouldn’t cause significant incidents.

***

Twenty minutes later, Xiao Yu and Wang Dong’s police vehicle arrived at a location.

It was a diesel and gasoline storage facility.

There was such a place in the city?

Not only did it exist, but the storage capacity of such facilities was measured in tens of thousands of cubic meters.

In larger cities, the capacity could reach 40,000 or even 50,000 cubic meters.

Now imagine—what if a 40,000- or 50,000-cubic-meter oil depot exploded?

In comparison, the destructive power of ordinary bombs would seem insignificant.

Why had they come here?

Because the suspect’s identity had been uncovered.

What Xiao Yu and Wang Dong hadn’t expected was that the suspect lived right across from the blind girl’s building.

Both properties Xiao Yu had visited earlier were under the suspect’s name.

When Xiao Yu realized this, his brain briefly froze.

Wen Xulong, male, 34, resident of K City. His parents died when he was young, and he was taken in by relatives. He had a younger brother whose whereabouts remain unknown.

At six years old, Wen Xulong also disappeared.

At 29, he returned to K City and claimed his parents’ inheritance from his relatives, which even involved a lawsuit.

The relatives had tried to seize the inheritance of two properties and over 400,000 yuan in savings.

According to Wen Xulong’s account, he had been abducted as a child and grew up in a rural household with adoptive parents. Later, he relied on childhood memories to find his way back to K City.

This wasn’t unusual. A six-year-old could remember a lot.

At the time, the police didn’t investigate the case further, and it was left unresolved.

The two properties—a fifth-floor apartment and a seventh-floor duplex—were both under Wen Xulong’s name.

Appearance, build, physique, and even being left-handed—all matched the description of the suspect Xiao Yu was searching for.

There was one more detail.

The relatives who tried to seize Wen Xulong’s inheritance—a family of three—had all died. 

The cause of death was deemed an accident–a gas leak. Neighbors had reported the smell of gas, but by the time authorities arrived, it was too late.

‘An accident…’ Xiao Yu squinted his eyes.

Wen Xulong had worked at the oil depot for three months last year. Not only that, but he had also worked as a janitor at a research lab.

What research lab?

The very same lab where lithography machine data had been stolen at the start of this case.

National Security’s investigation into Wen Xulong’s past—from age six to 29—revealed a 23-year gap. When they looked into his account of living with adoptive parents, they discovered an anomaly.

The adoptive parents he mentioned did not exist.

The identity he used during those years was also fabricated.

National Security was now investigating how he regained his current identity.

Who had issued him his ID and household registration?

There were too many unanswered questions.

But those details weren’t the focus now.

The focus was on other key questions.

Where was Wen Xulong hiding?

What was his goal?

Why was he connected to Fang Shuoxin, the suspect in this case?

What was he trying to achieve by using Fang Shuoxin’s novel?

Standing before the oil depot, Xiao Yu’s expression turned peculiar.

‘Wait…’

When Wen Xulong’s parents died, didn’t he have a younger brother?

Wen Xulong was now 34. His missing younger brother would be three years younger—31 this year. Coincidentally, Fang Shuoxin was also 31.

Moreover, Fang Shuoxin’s official record identified him as an orphan.

The year Wen Xulong’s parents died and his younger brother disappeared, that brother was exactly three years old.

“Really? Is it that ridiculous?” Xiao Yu’s expression grew even stranger. “Fang Shuoxin is Wen Xulong’s brother?”

If true, then why was Wen Xulong harming his own brother?

No. Not harming.

Was he trying to accomplish something?

Xiao Yu’s mind quickly cooled, entering a state of rapid analysis. He recalled all of Fang Shuoxin’s personal data.

At 17, Fang Shuoxin’s adoptive parents had died in a car accident.

National Security’s investigation also revealed that Fang Shuoxin’s adoptive parents had treated him well after taking him in at age six. But at 17, Fang Shuo Xin’s adoptive mother became pregnant.

According to neighbors, after becoming pregnant, the adoptive mother frequently scolded and beat Fang Shuoxin.

Then his adoptive parents died in that car accident.

“What a convenient accident.” Xiao Yu sneered. “And how similar it feels to the accident that killed Wen Xulong’s relatives.”

Reflecting on the killer’s methods in this case…

‘It was all your doing, wasn’t it?’

“No anomalies.” Wang Dong returned with National Security personnel but noticed Xiao Yu’s strange expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Check the orphanage Fang Shuoxin was in,” Xiao Yu said gravely. “Specifically, see if anyone ever inquired about his adoption records.”

Soon, National Security uncovered the answer.

Fifteen years ago, someone had indeed looked into Fang Shuoxin’s whereabouts. It was a young man.

A chill surged in Xiao Yu’s heart.

Where had Wen Xulong lived all these years?