Chapter 432: Chapter 432: Reverse-Calculating the Birth Date and Eight Characters!
Chen Xiao’s suddenly teasing voice brought everyone to a halt.
After a moment of bewilderment, the other members of the archaeological team quickly rushed to Qu Ruogu’s side.
"Advisor Chen, your tone doesn’t sound right, it seems like you’re targeting our teacher!"
"Yeah, Advisor Chen, now is the time for us to unite. Your words suggest you suspect something is wrong with our archaeological team!"
Chen Xiao nodded: "You’re right, I do have some suspicion that your archaeological team is not telling the truth."
Instantly, the archaeological team looked indignant.
"Advisor Chen, although you’re a detective and a police advisor, you can’t just say whatever you want, can you?"
"Our teacher has been dedicated to working in the field of archaeology for over twenty years, making significant contributions to Jiang Province’s archaeological endeavors. Your words are extremely irresponsible!"
Ignoring the others, Chen Xiao continued to look at Qu Ruogu and said:
"Honestly, I didn’t expect to run into your archaeological team here, but since we encountered each other, I have to ask."
"Professor Qu, we’re all adults here. Just tell me outright, what exactly was stolen back then?"
Chen Xiao was convinced that something was missing from the ancient tomb.
The reason he was so convinced came from a post by a netizen in later years who went by the name "Completely Insane"!
Qu Ruogu stared at Chen Xiao and asked, "If something was truly missing, we would have contacted the task force long ago."
"The archaeological team is the archaeological team, and the task force is the task force. Neither can override the other, nor do they have the absolute authority to ensure your full cooperation. So if you don’t speak up, the task force members can’t officially do anything about it, at least procedurally."
"However, if the task force doesn’t ask now, they will certainly pursue the question later. When the task force demands answers from you, you’ll have no choice but to give them. So, since you’ll have to provide this answer eventually, why keep it hidden now, Professor Qu?"
After saying this, Chen Xiao seemed to feel that his point hadn’t been adequately conveyed, so he added:
"To any detective in the task force, the statements from the archaeological team are hard to reconcile. I think the detectives back then didn’t pursue the case because their primary job was the excavation of the ancient tomb."
"So they let this matter slide, but now, Professor Qu, do you really think the detectives will just let it go?"
"For the detectives, the presence of mutual betrayal within the team clearly indicates it wasn’t just an adventurous looting!"
"And by the time the police learned about this looting, the looters were already long gone. So, Professor Qu, what exactly is the real situation?"
The task force hadn’t been based in Jingguang Village for long for their investigation.
But the fact remains that the task force had never reached out to the archaeological team, which Chen Xiao found unusual.
Thinking about it, Chen Xiao realized that the emergence of an intact ancient tomb held greater benefits for many people.
As for the deaths of several people in the tomb, especially those of a few tomb raiders,
they seemed almost insignificant.
Qu Ruogu gave Chen Xiao a profound look, but he still kept his head down and said nothing.
After taking a few more steps, Qu Ruogu said to his people, "Let’s call it a day; we’ll leave first."
With that, Qu Ruogu left without even a farewell to Chen Xiao.
Watching their departing figures, Wu Liuxian furrowed his brow and finally said, disappointed:
"There truly is a bad apple everywhere."
Liu Dayou added, "Brother Chen, can’t we really pry open their mouths?"
"Their mouths aren’t for us to pry, but if we can’t, it’s up to Liao Cheng. However, I don’t think it will take long for them to speak voluntarily, because the reopening of this case is indeed under someone’s influence."
Liu Dayou nodded, glanced at the ancient tomb, and said, "So, what should we do now?"
Chen Xiao turned his gaze to Wu Liuxian, "Old brother, what do you think we should do now?"
Wu Liuxian was taken aback, "You’re asking me? How would I know?"
"Old brother, do you think there’s a possibility that something is missing from the ancient tomb?"
Wu Liuxian nodded, "Definitely something is missing, but later my father and I both visited the museum. The exhibited items led us to believe the theft wasn’t severe. So, it’s highly likely that a few items are missing."
Suddenly, Wu Liuxian thought of something, lowered his voice, and said:
"Now that you mention it, I almost forgot. I remember after my father visited the museum, he started to inquire about Marquis Jinguang’s tomb and apparently did find out something."
With a glint of joy in his eyes, Chen Xiao asked, "What did he find out?"
"Details are unclear, but I heard this tomb has something to do with a curse!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao’s gaze instantly focused.
He suddenly wondered if the "Completely Insane" netizen could possibly be this old man in front of him?
Whatever the case, Chen Xiao couldn’t verify it now.
Whoever "Completely Insane" is will likely remain an enigma for him for a long time.
Moreover, Chen Xiao automatically sidestepped Wu Liuxian’s mention of a "curse," as it didn’t seem to hold any immediate value for discussion.
He pondered for a moment and then brought the conversation back to the case.
As for the earlier encounter with Qu Ruogu and others, he decided to treat it as a mere interlude.
However, before resuming the main investigation, Chen Xiao whispered something in Liu Dayou’s ear.
Upon hearing it, Liu Dayou’s expression revealed surprise, but soon he sneered and said:
"Alright, I’ll take care of it right away."
With that, Liu Dayou promptly retraced his steps to leave.
Seeing this, Wu Liuxian curiously asked, "What’s Brother Dayou up to?"
"He has other matters to handle. Old brother, don’t worry about him; let’s focus on hashing out what we just did."
"Aren’t we going to continue with the reconstruction?"
Chen Xiao shook his head: "No, we discovered that Jiang Pinggui’s death is questionable, and I want you to think about the actions of those people combined with another factor to discern their true intentions."
"Another factor?" Wu Liuxian was puzzled.
Chen Xiao stated directly, "Old brother, didn’t you forget how this case was triggered?"
Wu Liuxian suddenly realized, "You mean the abandoned baby!"
Chen Xiao nodded, and Wu Liuxian began examining the tomb robbers’ actions from the perspective of a Tufuzi.
Although Wu Liuxian had never raided a tomb, Chen Xiao wasn’t certain if he had ever been involved in such activities.
But since Wu Liuxian inherited the legacy of the old Tufuzi, Chen Xiao needed his help to confirm some suspicions.
For instance, the act of infant sacrifice!
Wu Liuxian pondered, eventually sitting on the ground, tracing and scribbling with his finger.
As he wrote, Wu Liuxian suddenly sighed, "If only we knew the abandoned baby’s birth date and time."
This statement from Wu Liuxian was already validating Chen Xiao’s suspicion, so Chen Xiao responded directly:
"According to the case files, Ah Yu was likely about a month old at the time. Old brother, trace back from the date the tomb was looted and see if there’s any significant date!"
As Chen Xiao spoke, he was also recalling the dates a month before July 16, 1995, when Marquis Jinguang’s tomb was looted.
