The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 104 Crime Tools

Xiao Tiantian System popped up: "Host has triggered a new random task: Find the true perpetrator who hurt Wang Yongfu and make him face punishment! Reward for completing the task is 10 Points. If the host accepts this random task, this system can assist in scanning for any metal objects nearby and estimate the assailant’s general data based on footprints. Does the host accept the task?"

Isn’t that a rhetorical question? 10 Points, man, you’d be an idiot not to take it!

"I accept! I accept!" Wang Yongzhu, fearing the System might retract the offer, hastily agreed.

Xiao Tiantian became silent for a moment, then spoke, "According to this system’s scan, there is a metal object 200 meters to the left and behind the host. Based on system data analysis, this metal object is the culprit that pried the stone, resulting in Brother Song’s injury. Additionally, the system has scanned the footprints in the area, and data analysis suggests the following: the assailant is approximately 14 or 15 years old, about 165 centimeters tall, slim in build, and weaker in strength compared to peers, with a possibility of the assailant having six toes on their left foot. Fingerprints of the assailant remain on the metal object, which also has traces of ink."

Wang Yongzhu was stunned; this was almost a sketch of the assailant’s appearance. The age was pinpointed, height identified, weak strength, and slim build indicated that the culprit likely wasn’t a child used to farm labor, especially considering the final detail—that there were traces of ink on the metal object.

In the whole of Qilidun, there weren’t many families who used ink. As for the possibility of the assailant having six toes on the left foot, she couldn’t just force every young man to take off his shoes to check, could she?

However, with the System’s help, the scope of the search had narrowed significantly, and Wang Yongzhu was filled with confidence.

After some thought, she deliberately picked up a twig and began to rummage through the bushes, explaining to Song Chongjin, "Brother Song, I’m going to look around this area, see if there might be any other findings."

While talking, seemingly without any particular aim, she looked here and there, but was careful to avoid the area directly in front of Song Chongjin.

Song Chongjin, wholly absorbed in observing the moisture of the grass, branches, and soil, only nodded without sparing her an additional glance.

Wang Yongzhu couldn’t have hoped for better, and she forced herself to control her pace as she inched toward her target.

This year, after the spring harvest, there hadn’t been any rain for over half a month.

Apart from the morning dew causing mud to cling to one’s shoes, once the sun came out, the dew evaporated, and the ground would dry up.

So, finding a complete footprint was somewhat challenging.

Moreover, this place was covered in wild grass, which, having been trampled and then left overnight, had stretched back out, causing even more disorder.

Over the years, Song Chongjin had honed his skills from hunting, indeed developing a real knack for judging what kind of animal a footprint belonged to, which direction it had gone, and its approximate weight.

However, while he was good at tracking animals, it was admittedly more difficult to analyze human footprints.

Perhaps because the perpetrator was panicked or simply never imagined that someone would discover their actions, some traces weren’t cleared at all, and at best, there was a hasty attempt at concealment. ƒreewebɳovel.com

It was this that allowed Song Chongjin to indeed discover an important clue.

At least he hadn’t tarnished his reputation.

Standing straight, Song Chongjin looked around for Wang Yongzhu.

He didn’t expect Wang Yongzhu to find any clues, yet her tactfulness in finding an excuse to leave while he was doing serious work made Song Chongjin take notice; Wang Yongzhu had changed from before.

Yet this sort of awareness and tact left Song Chongjin feeling somewhat melancholic. Could a person say they no longer liked someone and then change completely from before? Or was it that he never truly understood Wang Yongzhu, and what he had seen before were just facades?

Even though Song Chongjin may not have eaten pork before, he had seen pigs run, and having observed plenty, he noticed how the village girls exaggerated their behavior in his presence, feigning tenderness and affectation, typically speaking as loud as thunder, but turning into the buzz of mosquitoes around him.

He also saw how the sharp and capable young men of the village became clumsy and awkward when in front of the girls they fancied.

Thinking back, the fact that Wang Yongzhu had been clumsy and amusing only in his presence signified she truly liked him.

Now that she had let go and claimed to no longer feel the same, had she become straightforward and comfortable to interact with and just right in her manner?

This sense of propriety, for some reason, stuck in his throat like a fishbone, leaving him with an inexplicably uncomfortable feeling.

Song Chongjin felt a certain irritability about harboring such thoughts, uncertain whether this annoyance was directed at himself or Wang Yongzhu.

This turmoil within him made his expression grow even more frosty, and seeing Wang Yongzhu stumbling and fumbling around in the bushes only intensified his dark mood.

He was about to speak when he saw Wang Yongzhu tumble and fall behind the bushes, followed by a cry of "Oh no—" and then she was out of sight.

Panic-stricken, Song Chongjin hurriedly rushed over in a few quick strides, only to find Wang Yongzhu slowly getting up, one hand supporting herself on the ground, the other rubbing her forehead.

"Are you okay?" Song Chongjin wanted to move closer, hesitated for a moment, his feet shuffled a few times, but he still didn’t approach.

"I’m fine, it just seems like I tripped over something and tumbled—" Wang Yongzhu casually glanced at her feet and suddenly realized, "Eh, what’s this?"

Parting the underbrush, a shiny spade lay there silently...

Song Chongjin was stunned, what were the chances of stumbling upon the murderer’s abandoned weapon just by falling?

His doubtful gaze sized up Wang Yongzhu.

Even though Wang Yongzhu was frantic inside, she managed to stay composed on the surface, picked up the spade, and scrutinized it carefully. The handle was smooth, a sign of frequent use, and it was well-maintained.

Indeed, at the spot where it was commonly gripped, there was a small, inconspicuous ink stain.

Feeling even more confident, Wang Yongzhu dusted off her clothing and stood up, looking towards Song Chongjin, "Brother Song, have you found anything on your end?"

Song Chongjin took the spade, examining it closely while nonchalantly saying, "The person who harmed your brother was probably not very tall, very thin, perhaps not that strong, and his left foot might be different from others, maybe naturally six-toed—"

Wang Yongzhu was utterly shocked.

She hadn’t expected Song Chongjin to be so remarkable, to arrive at the same conclusions as the Xiao Tiantian System with just his naked eye.

She almost suspected that Song Chongjin had a system of his own.

In her mind, Xiao Tiantian was quite disdainful, "In this backward time-space, it’s impossible for two high-tech dimensional systems to exist, host, you’re overthinking it! This only proves that the love interest we selected for our host is very reliable, we..."

The self-praise that followed was omitted for the sake of brevity, totaling ten thousand words.

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