"Could it be... Jiao Yue?"

Lin Xi said.

Chen Xiao’s eyes suddenly widened.

"Your association is enough to give anyone a start, but undeniably, it’s quite possible."

"I also thought of the little girl looking sullen and withdrawn, and isn’t Jiao Yue the only one among the girls we’ve encountered?"

Chen Xiao nodded slightly, "If it is Jiao Yue, then certain things might become more evident."

"Exactly, and looking at the girl’s messy hair, doesn’t it resemble a little girl who just woke up?"

"It does. Though she has a ponytail, it’s messy too."

Lin Xi’s words undoubtedly heightened Madman Zhang’s suspicion once more.

Chen Xiao took a deep breath and said, "Xiaoxi, you should head back to the police team first. I want to have a chat with Teacher Wang."

"Why are you looking for him at this time?"

"Madman Zhang is from their village, but he has no family left. I have to talk to someone who’s often home to understand what happened with Madman Zhang."

"Got it, go ahead."

Lin Xi didn’t say any more and headed back to the criminal police team.

Chen Xiao then drove to Wang Dahe’s house again.

Once again, it was Qin Qing who opened the door.

Seeing Chen Xiao visiting so late, there was concern on Qin Qing’s face:

"Chen Xiao, why are you here so late? Nothing’s happened, right?"

Chen Xiao shook his head, "No need to worry, ma’am. It’s just about Madman Zhang from the village. I’m here to talk to my teacher about him."

"Madman Zhang? What happened to him?"

"He’s just gone missing. I was with him a few minutes ago, but unexpectedly, he disappeared in the middle of the night."

Chen Xiao briefly explained, and Qin Qing didn’t ask much more. She invited Chen Xiao in and then went to wake up Wang Dahe.

Once Wang Dahe understood the situation from Chen Xiao, he wasn’t surprised at all:

"Given his state, not to mention a few minutes, he could’ve run off if left unattended for a moment."

Chen Xiao felt there was reason in Wang Dahe’s words.

However, his purpose here was not to analyze Madman Zhang, but to understand him better.

In Chen Xiao’s previous deductions, the perpetrator should have been involved in various scenarios.

Qiao Zhiyuan and Jiao Guoxuan’s argument scene.

The scene of the car accident between Qiao Zhiyuan and Jiao Yan, the treatment scenes, and so on.

Wang Dahe had visited Kang Xin Hospital to see a psychologist.

Madman Zhang had also suffered a breakdown, and he was once a highly educated individual.

Perhaps, even after his illness, he sought external help?

"Teacher, I want to ask if that psychologist from Kang Xin has always been in Yangguan?"

"Yes, lots of people reportedly seek his help for psychological issues, and he’s helped many turn over a new leaf."

Chen Xiao nodded, "Madman Zhang is from your village. Do you think he ever sought him out?"

"I don’t know about that. Madman Zhang lost his mind not just because of his daughter’s incident, but after his family gradually passed away afterwards, which broke him, and it’s only been a few years since."

Upon hearing this.

Chen Xiao considered another possibility.

In those years, could it be that when Jiao Yan was receiving treatment at Kang Xin Hospital for her fractured elbow, Madman Zhang was also there seeing that psychologist?

However, this question couldn’t be answered by Wang Dahe.

After a brief contemplation, Chen Xiao asked about something else:

"Does the teacher know where Madman Zhang likes to hide the most?"

Wang Dahe shook his head, "I don’t know either. You might as well ask your mentor’s wife."

Qin Qing paused upon hearing this, then replied, "That’s true. Your teacher works out of town often and doesn’t know as much about home affairs as I do. But Madman Zhang’s favorite place is the town itself. He often wanders aimlessly without a fixed spot."

"Ma’am, do you remember where his daughter was hit? Under what circumstances?"

"She was hit in the county, by a sand truck. As the Zhang surname is rare in our village, mostly Wangs, a lot of people from the Wang Family also went over then. They said back when they returned, her lower half was under the wheels."

"What happened to the driver of the sand truck in the end?"

"Ah, he was beaten up by the Zhang and Wang families; it took the police quite a while to break them apart. Finally, after a long mediation, compensation was made, and the driver went to prison for a few years, I heard he’s out now."

"Does the driver have any relatives around here? Is there any way to confirm who he was working for at that time?"

Although the case didn’t show signs of a vendetta.

Chen Xiao still wanted to rule this out completely, given the significant incidents in Madman Zhang’s life.

Qin Qing thought for a bit, then fetched a phone book and looked through it, "This is the driver’s aunt’s number. I had a good relationship with her before, not sure if they’ve changed numbers."

As she spoke, Qin Qing helped Chen Xiao make the call.

It took three tries before someone answered,

Upon hearing it was a police inquiry, the person frankly revealed details about the driver and his current situation.

After listening, Qin Qing conveyed this to Chen Xiao: "The driver has moved with his family to the county; his aunt said he used to work for a boss named Wu. After that incident, he’s been living muddled days ever since."

Chen Xiao nodded slightly.

At this point, Chen Xiao was still unable to connect all the dots.

However, he felt the need to visit Kang Xin Hospital to meet the renowned psychologist.

After chatting a while longer with Wang Dahe and Qin Qing, Chen Xiao noticed it was getting really late and didn’t want to impose further.

So after finding an excuse to leave Wang Dahe’s house, Chen Xiao drove off, planning to return to the county overnight and visit Kang Xin Hospital first thing in the morning.

Before reaching Lin Family, Lin Shanhu called:

"Hey, Chen Xiao, why aren’t you home?"

"Something came up. I’m out investigating."

"I see. Should I leave the door open for you tonight?"

"No need, I’ll head straight to the county and stay with Xiaoxi."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shanhu didn’t press further and quickly hung up.

Chen Xiao placed the phone aside and continued driving towards the county along the main road.

The journey from Lin Family to the county was not far, about ten kilometers.

The entire route was along the main road, so for Chen Xiao, ten kilometers wouldn’t take long.

In just a few minutes, Chen Xiao reached a bridge halfway to the county.

It was called Yumen Bridge.

Yumen Town got its name from this old bridge.

As Chen Xiao drove along, Lin Xi called.

Just as Chen Xiao glanced to the side to pick up his phone, he noticed something seemed to be floating on the water beneath the bridge!

The sight made Chen Xiao instinctively step on the brake.

Without hesitation, he opened the car door and got out, leaving his phone behind. When he saw the pink backpack floating on the water, his breath quickened!