Chapter 176: It’s Not Illegal to Pick Up a Dead Man’s Things, Right?

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Zhou Dafu, with a tree branch in one hand and a net in the other, successfully caught a snake at the usual spot. Grinning, he began to lead the snake toward Cave 5, everything proceeding according to plan.

“Raise your hands, don’t move!” Suddenly, a dark gun barrel pressed against his head. Zhou Dafu froze, his heart pounding as he realized his snake-stealing scheme had been exposed. “I-I was just helping to catch the runaway snakes…”

“Sobs, sobs, sobs. You see? It must be this man framing me. How can a weak woman like me, who can barely hold a chicken, subdue two snakes…” The woman cried pitifully, her bare body trembling, while she glared viciously at the onlooking Qin Feifei.

Li Yutian massaged his forehead, exasperated. Why were there so many issues in his jurisdiction? The victims weren’t just people from Wu City but also young masters from outside the province. Regardless, he needed to swiftly resolve the case and bring the perpetrator to justice for a proper conclusion.

To prove her innocence, the woman hurriedly explained, “He is Zhou Da Heng’s cousin. He’s been eyeing Zhou Da Heng’s belongings for a long time, which is why he devised this scheme to frame me. Once everything is set, he’ll go after those items again! Look, stealing the snakes was just the first step.”

Zhou Dafu was stunned. “???”

“Arrest him, arrest him.” One of Li Yutian’s classic lines.

Zhou Dafu protested, “No, wait, what’s going on?”

……

Meanwhile, Zhou Da Sheng was getting beaten on the other side.

All because of a simple “What are you staring at?” he was beaten terribly. In Northeast China, saying this phrase is the ultimate provocation, meaning “If you don’t agree, come and fight.”

About fifty people didn’t escape. They were pinned to the ground and beaten severely. Upholding the principle of “even if the script changes, stay true to it,” Zhou Da Sheng stubbornly waited for Zhou Dafu to steal the snakes and frame Jing Shu’s family.

So even though fifty people were beaten, Zhou Da Sheng stayed put, having promised to stay and give each person a bowl of rice porridge.

But Zhou Dafu was slow to bring the snakes…

This caused the fifty people to groan and collapse on the ground.

Jing Shu and Wu Youai sensed that something was wrong. But amidst the noise and chaos in Cave 5, suddenly many police officers and curious onlookers from all directions arrived from Cave 4.

The news of the wealthy man Zhou Da Heng being murdered for financial gain quickly spread, whether intentionally or not. In no time, the entire Hongshan Ecological Park was aware of it.

“Where’s Wu Youai? Zhou Dafu from Cave 6 has committed a crime. You need to help manage Cave 6 until a new administrator is appointed.”

Wu Youai hurried forward to temporarily hand over responsibilities. Jing Shu followed behind and realized that Zhou Da Heng had been murdered by his cousin Zhou Dafu and was now being taken away for investigation.

“Tonight at ten o’clock, we will auction Zhou Da Heng’s belongings at the scene in Cave 4 in exchange for food supplies. Those interested can come take a look.”

After leaving these words, Li Yutian and his group departed, leaving behind two staff members to oversee Zhou Da Heng’s belongings.

On the other side, Zhou Da Sheng was completely dumbfounded. Had he taken the wrong script? Instead of stealing the snakes, Zhou Dafu had become the murderer? Zhou Da Sheng’s sharp eyes began to dart around as his mind raced. Perhaps this was an opportunity for him as well?

Jing Shu squinted her eyes. Although the situation was somewhat unexpected, it still seemed under control. However, Li Yutian appeared eager to offload all of Zhou Da Heng’s belongings quickly… as if he were throwing away all the trouble.

But why was this matter linked to Zhou Dafu? Jing Shu looked at Zhou Da Sheng, who was dealing with something, wondering if they too had some hidden secrets.

The wealthy man Zhou Da Heng was dead, becoming nothing more than idle talk among the people, such as:

“People should remain low-key.”

“Otherwise, this is the end—killed for money.”

Naturally, Jing Shu’s family was unaffected. That evening, they used an earthen kiln to prepare a delicious meal, cooking milk powder, and mixing filtered tea into to make tasty milk tea.

They sliced cooked beef and dipped it in sauce, soaked garlic shoots in vinegar, and enjoyed spicy rabbit jerky…

At 9:30 PM, Li Yutian returned home, looking exhausted. The massive Cave 4 was already packed with people, all there to watch the spectacle.

How to put it, the wealthy Zhou Da Heng’s belongings were things the poor couldn’t afford and the rich didn’t need, so many came to watch and scoop up the bargains.

Jing Shu’s father and mother glanced and left, while Wu Youai was busy managing the newly admitted group. Those fifty people had no good ending and were all forced back into Cave 6.

At 10 PM, the staff cleared everyone out of Cave 4. “Everyone, you must present proof of assets to enter the auction. At least ten kilograms of food supplies!”

Although the surrounding crowd showed signs of dissatisfaction, they dared not say anything, as they had come merely to watch the spectacle.

This swiftly cleared out ninety percent of the people. Jing Shu directly took out a large pig leg and successfully blended into the “auction” crowd.

Li Yutian limped over and shook hands with Jing Shu. “Tell me what you want directly. Everyone here is our own.”

Jing Shu immediately understood. The auction was just a façade to deceive the public and the higher-ups. The real purpose was to divide the loot!

If they hadn’t disguised it as an auction and directly moved back to the Second Squad, Zhou Da Heng’s side would have to return these items upon investigation.

Now that everyone knew Zhou Da Heng was dead and his belongings were auctioned off, how could they investigate further? These items weren’t confiscated but auctioned, meaning the obtained goods were just the food supplies—should they be surrendered?

Jing Shu rubbed her hands together. “I want that batch of lightweight steel…”

Li Yutian waved his hand dismissively. “Alright, just take this pig trotter and exchange it.”

Such a bargain was too good to pass up…

“Officer Li, what happened to your leg?”

“Sigh, don’t mention it. I have an old arthritic leg. Whenever it rains or is windy, it hurts. These past few days, it flared up again. Today, I happened to catch two snakes, thinking of making some snake wine, but I don’t know how to do it and lack other materials.” Li Yutian pounded his leg with his hand.

Jing Shu’s eyes lit up. “I happen to know how to make snake wine, and I have some other materials too.”

“Alright, I’ll bring you the snakes. I don’t need more. Just mix some snake wine and everything will be fine!”

The process was even simpler than Jing Shu had anticipated. She didn’t expect that after Zhou Da Heng’s death, Li Yutian would be the one eager to get things done.

Within less than a day, the case was concluded. The murderer was identified as Zhou Da Heng’s cousin, who had been plotting for a whole year and trying to frame people around Zhou Da Heng to escape unscathed. But justice prevailed, and Zhou Dafu was eventually caught.

That night, Zhou Dafu attempted to escape and resist but was killed. All of Zhou Da Heng’s belongings were auctioned off that same night, and the next day, the case files were handed over to the higher authorities…

Meanwhile, as Zhou Da Heng’s case spread like wildfire, Zhou Da Sheng led his group to Jing Shu’s family villa at midnight.

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Author’s Note:

*(This is an extra chapter to thank you for the recommendation votes!)*