Chapter 180 Murderer
Zong Yan smiled with a fake smile and said, "Let's not talk about that bastard."

The leader interrupted him, smiling but speaking firmly: "Don't be so modest. I've heard that your son is a genius. Didn't you train him as your successor? If the child is a little rebellious, you should discipline him. You can't let him go on like this without restraint."

Zong Yan's smile froze on his face for a second or two before he agreed.

"Call the child back. It's time for him to calm down."

The leader said this with a caring tone, but Zong Yan was already sweating coldly. This was an order for him to let Zong Fang take over the research of the berserker potion.

Zong Yan was still thinking quickly about how to turn the situation around when he heard the leader continue, "Is he close to that ancient human?"

Zong Yan's jaw tightened, and he immediately dismissed it by saying, "It was just a fleeting romance."

The leader sneered, "Oh? A fleeting romance? He was willing to kill an entire family for that ancient human? Zong Yan, the release order you obtained through your connections some time ago was for your son, right?"

Zong Yan immediately bowed and said, "Please punish me, leader."

The leader waved his hand nonchalantly, "What's the point? You have done a great service for me and are my precious right-hand man. It would not be excessive even if your son received special care from the entire federation, not to mention just a mere order of revocation. It's just..."

Zong Yan didn't dare to look up, but even without looking up he could imagine the look on the man in front of him at the moment.

The leader changed the subject and said, "But since it was just a fleeting romance, then the mission of bringing the ancient humans back to the Federation won't be that easy to accomplish, right?"

Zong Yan gritted his teeth, his forehead covered with cold sweat. He knew very well that this sentence was not a question, but an order. Between preserving Zong Fang and the ancient humans, Zong Yan chose the former without hesitation.

"Please rest assured, Chief. I will formulate a detailed plan as soon as possible and will definitely bring the ancient humans back."

The leader narrowed his eyes slightly. Hearing that he never mentioned his son in his words, he knew that he valued and loved his son extremely. Therefore, he easily saw through one thing: the rumors of discord between the father and son of the Zong family were a smokescreen that Zong Yan had deliberately created and indulged in for decades.

After some evaluation, he realized that he still needed Zong Yan, so he stopped putting pressure on him to avoid a fallout.

So he said, "Well, I won't force you. If you can catch the ancient human, your son will still be free."
-
Alliance of Freedom.

Qiao Susu asked Sang Yan to take her to the crime scene where the archbishop was assassinated.

This is a bungalow behind the church. The furnishings are simple, and you can see the traces of the archbishop's daily life. The air here is filled with a solemn and bleak atmosphere.

The crime scene was a study in the bungalow. Sang Yan learned that this was where the archbishop usually spent the most time. The heavy curtains blocked the light from the outside, and the room looked dim and gloomy. Unorganized books and documents were scattered on the desk, there were obvious signs of struggle on the floor, and the bloodstained carpet symbolized the despair when he was killed.

Qiao Susu wanted to go in, but Sang Yan reached out and stopped her.

"Sui Sui, it's too dirty inside, are you sure you want to see it?" Sang Yan asked worriedly.

She was pregnant at the moment, and had symptoms of morning sickness before, so Sang Yan was afraid that she would feel uncomfortable when she smelled the blood.

Qiao Suisui said, "I have to take a look. Don't worry. I'm wearing the moonflower brooch bracelet you made for me."

Sang Yan's brows were still furrowed. He took out a clean handkerchief, which was scented with the fragrance of moonflower. He handed it to her and said, "Cover your mouth and nose. If you feel uncomfortable, be sure to tell me."

Qiao Susu nodded and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. As soon as she entered the door, even the fragrance of moonflowers could not cover up the strong stench.

She suppressed the swelling in her throat and began to look around the room carefully.

She approached the desk and found an overturned ink bottle on it, the ink spilling across the documents in a chaotic pattern.

"It's strange. Nowadays, everyone uses optical computers to record. Even when writing letters, they use voice printing. Few people write in such a traditional and ancient way." She picked up a piece of paper with a few lines of scribbled notes on it, but the handwriting was not familiar.

"Does the Archbishop usually have the habit of writing down records?"

Sang Yan shook his head. "I'm not sure. I'll try to ask him later, but the archbishop doesn't usually interact with people."

Qiao Suisui also noticed several broken quills and an open notebook on the floor. She opened the notebook and found that the last page contained something that seemed to be an emergency record, but several letters were scratched off, which was obviously vandalism.

While she was thinking, Sang Yan called her over to look at the scratches on the ground.

"Looking at these marks, it is obvious that a fierce struggle took place here. And the direction and force of these scratches show that the attacker should have attacked from the front," Sang Yan analyzed.

"You mean the murderer didn't attack him from behind?" Qiao Susui asked in confusion, "If according to Carl, it was done by the scavenger, then why did the murderer go to the trouble of going around to the archbishop? Wouldn't it be faster to just kill him from behind?"

Sang Yan nodded and said, "I think the murderer is more like imitating the scavenger's assassination method, and he inevitably had a dialogue with the archbishop."

Under what circumstances would a murderer kill someone head-on?
Qiao Suisui's eyes lit up, and she immediately thought of a possibility -

"Could it be someone I know?"

"It's an acquaintance." Sang Yan and she said in unison.

The two looked at each other, and Sang Yan pointed to a photo on the desk. It was a group photo with a part of the corner torn off.

Qiao Suisui leaned over to look. She didn't recognize anyone in the photo, but one face looked familiar. She couldn't remember where she had seen it before. She took a picture of the photo with her computer and decided to go back and look for a breakthrough.

They continued to look around the room, but did not find any valuable clues. Just as Qiao Suisui stood up and prepared to leave, she felt a little dizzy because she stood up suddenly, and her body swayed.

Sang Yan immediately supported her nervously, holding her shoulders firmly with both hands. The two people's breath met in an instant, and an ambiguous atmosphere filled the air.

Qiao Susu looked up at Sang Yan and was slightly stunned.

Sang Yan stared at her face nervously, fearing that she might feel uncomfortable.

"Sui Sui, are you okay?" Sang Yan's voice was low and concerned, with a hint of anxiety that was difficult to conceal.

Qiao Suisui nodded gently, "I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

Sang Yan was still worried, so he helped her walk to the corridor and let her lean against the wall to rest. He took out a bottle of water from his bag, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her: "Drink some water and take a rest."

Qiao Sui Sui took the water bottle and looked at his bag curiously. First there was a handkerchief, then water. She couldn't help but ask, "What else is in there?"

Sang Yan's face was slightly red, he lowered his head and used the action of zipping to cover it up, and said casually: "Nothing, just some odds and ends."

He was afraid that she would get tired standing, so he went out to find a chair for her. During this time, Qiao Susu took a look into her bag on the ground and saw a corner of light purple in the bag that was not completely closed.

Qiao Susu was startled, and walked over as if possessed. She opened the bag and saw a pair of soft-soled slippers that she often wore appeared in Sang Yan's bag.

She looked down at the small leather shoes on her feet. In order to match the skirt today, she wore a pair of small leather shoes with a little heel. Although her shoes were custom-made by Liberi and the soles were very comfortable, she was pregnant now and her feet would occasionally swell. After walking or standing for a long time, no matter how comfortable the shoes were, they were not as good as soft slippers.

Feeling Sang Yan's concern, Qiao Suisui felt warm in her heart. It was the first time she discovered the gentleness and meticulousness of this man, which she had never noticed before, and she couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in her heart.

(End of this chapter)