C5 Accident in the Gas Station

Desiring a good night's sleep was now a lost cause for Hua Ning, who sat in the passenger seat with a tear-streaked face. Once in the car, she leaned against the window and closed her eyes, taking the opportunity to rest a little.

Xiao Chennai glanced at his wristwatch. It was 00:18, deep into the night, and the roads were nearly deserted. A black X7 SUV cruised along, slowly distancing itself from the city's clamor.

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

The fuel gauge flashed an ominous orange warning light. Xiao Chennai pulled over and muttered under his breath, "Damn, I forgot to fill up."

He lifted his gaze, surveying the surroundings. It was pitch black, the cold of the night enveloping everything. Not a soul was in sight, much less a gas station.

Stepping out of the car, Xiao Chennai noted that the other two passengers were sound asleep. The GPS indicated a nearby gas station, but when he tried to follow the directions, it seemed nearly impossible to find the way.

As time ticked away, a faint light began to break the horizon. It was an hour's drive from the Public Security Bureau to Moresby Road, and another half-hour along a small path south of Moresby Road. The car was now parked roadside, surrounded by nothing but dense forest ravines and thick underbrush.

"Please continue along the current road for one kilometer!"

With the direction confirmed, Xiao Chennai hurried back to the car and headed for the gas station.

It was the third day, and he had only two days left to solve the case. Xiao Chennai knew he had to seize every second.

Ahead, a large sign announced "Sleeping Village Petrochemicals."

Relieved, Xiao Chennai turned into the station, which was quite rudimentary, with just two peeling pumps and a bare brick building with open windows and lights on.

An old man in a military green padded jacket emerged from the building, cracking sunflower seeds and calling out, "Need a fill-up, young man?"

Xiao Chennai nodded and grabbed the fuel nozzle.

Then something caught his eye.

In the southwest corner of the building, a silver surveillance camera gleamed. Xiao Chennai was ecstatic and asked the old man, "Does this camera work?"

He had almost given up hope several times, with no surveillance on this dead-end road and the fuel running low. But it seemed luck was on his side, offering him another chance.

The elderly man glanced back at the camera, cracking melon seeds between his teeth, and remarked, "It's good, isn't it? My son set it up. I'm not too sure myself."

He seemed somewhat uncertain.

Just then, after refueling was complete, Xiao Chennai handed the nozzle back to the old man with a slight smile, "That's excellent!"

He quickly pulled out his police badge from the inner pocket of his black coat and flashed it at the old man, saying, "I'm a police officer, and I need to review the surveillance footage."

With that, Xiao Chennai headed toward the mud house, leaving the old man shivering in the wind, clutching the gas nozzle.

The morning breeze was chilly, and inside the car, Hua Ning and Jian Chenyi remained deeply asleep.

Seated on a wooden chair, Xiao Chennai booted up a desktop computer and pulled up the surveillance from around the 18th, paying close attention to the nighttime footage, scanning through each time segment.

"Got it!"

Fortune favors the diligent! Around 3 PM, Xiao Chennai spotted a van tucked away in a blind spot of the woods. Only half of the vehicle was captured on camera, but it was unmistakably the one they were looking for.

He transferred the video onto a USB drive and slipped it into his pocket.

By now, the day had dawned bright, and Xiao Chennai strode briskly to the car, peering through the window before calling out excitedly, "Wake up, we've got a lead!"

Chenyi stretched with a big yawn and roused Hua Ning from her slumber. They both were startled to see daylight and hurried out of the car.

The road was getting busier, mostly with farm machinery.

Hua Ning wrapped herself in a thick coat and trudged after Xiao Chennai, still groggy and lacking energy.

Xiao Chennai reached the edge of the area covered by the surveillance camera, overlooking a forest and a gully. On the ground, there were two sets of tire tracks – the van's unmistakable signature.

It hadn't rained in two days, so the tracks were still visible, a stroke of luck amidst the misfortune.

For a detective, the greatest fear is that evidence will be obliterated by the elements, making convictions all the more challenging. Therefore, seizing every moment is crucial.

Xiao Chennai swiftly pulled out his phone from his pocket, snapped five photos at just the right angle, and sent them off to the Identification Department, requesting their expertise for evidence collection and comparison.

He then retrieved a pair of gloves and a piece of chalk from his pocket, items he had brought to the scene the day before but hadn't had the chance to use until now.

"This tire tread pattern matches that of a van," Hua Ning observed, squatting nearby and visually comparing the marks.

"I've asked the Identification Department to come and make a comparison. Hopefully, we're on the right track," Xiao Chennai remarked, though his tone betrayed a hint of doubt as his gaze swept over the tire imprint.

The Identification Department personnel arrived shortly after, cordoning off the area with special tape and lifting the tire imprint onto the tape to take back for analysis.

Two officers remained to secure the scene while Xiao Chennai crossed the street to retrieve his car.

Across the road, he noticed an elderly lady with a floral-patterned jacket emerging from a ditch, clutching a gas can and heading toward the gas station. She was clad in a black and red sweater, her hair unkempt, her gaze vacant, and her trousers stained with dust and bits of foliage.

Just as she reached the car door, an older gentleman called out to her, "Sister Mei! Are you getting oil today?"

It appeared that the man was younger than the elderly lady, hence his manner of addressing her.

The elderly lady set the gas can down, looked up slowly, and replied, "Not today," before turning to walk away.

Xiao Chennai's long fingers lingered on the car door handle as he pondered the situation. The old lady had been frequenting this spot for several days; at her advanced age, it was highly unlikely she was driving. Even if there was a vehicle in her household, she would have driven it here, not arrived empty-handed save for a gas can.

Acting on his suspicion, Xiao Chennai called out to her. "What is it?" the old lady inquired, turning back.

Standing before her, Xiao Chennai gestured to the gas can and asked with a note of curiosity, "Grandma, what kind of vehicle do you fill with this gas can?"

The old lady cast a cautious glance at the SUV behind her and then cracked a smile, saying, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a regular motorcycle."

After the elderly woman had said her piece, she departed at a leisurely pace.

"A motorcycle?" Xiao Chennai pondered for a moment before a sudden realization struck him. Motorcycles don't require 92 octane fuel, do they?

Just then, Jian Chenyi tapped him on the shoulder from behind and, gazing at the retreating figure of the old lady, said, "She's lying. I could see hatred in her eyes!"

Xiao Chennai was at a loss as to what the old lady might be concealing, but her recent fabrication left him thoroughly perplexed.

He turned and made his way toward the earthen house. Inside, an elderly man was warming his hands by the stove. Upon the arrival of the visitors, he looked up with an expression of astonishment.

"Sir, does that grandmother know how to drive? Or does someone in her family?" Xiao Chennai inquired.

Hua Ning folded her arms and gave him an exasperated glance. She couldn't fathom why this odd man was so fixated on the old lady, probing for information so persistently.

The old man chuckled before responding, "Sister Mei had a son, but he passed away not long ago. She doesn't own a car, so I'm really not sure why she was asking about fuel."