Chapter 1490: The Portrait

"He wore a mask, claiming he had pharyngitis, just to guard against me, but I remember everything else clearly."

Huang Tiekou’s voice carried a hint of certainty.

"Then why didn’t you proactively explain the situation?"

"How could I proactively explain? I should go up to them and say, ’I know what the big fire was about; I deduced the bizarre windy weather and then used the Shock Thunder Talisman left by my master to ignite the granary, so no matter how you investigate, you won’t find the cause of the fire...’"

Huang Tiekou’s voice carried a trace of frustration.

Gu Qiaoqiao actually agreed with these words in her heart, because it was indeed the truth.

No one would believe Huang Tiekou.

He might even be mistaken for a lunatic and arrested.

"Therefore, I can only wait for someone knowledgeable to come to me. Actually, when you came yesterday, I already had a premonition. I did a divination, the outcome was hard to determine, but either way, I felt relieved. Whatever you need me to do next, I will cooperate."

Gu Qiaoqiao pondered for a moment, "Describe the main characteristics of the Martin you were in contact with, and I’ll have Xiao Guo draw it..."

Then she stood up; she remembered Xiao Guo could accurately portray a suspect based on verbal descriptions.

Huang Tiekou nodded, "Even though I’m getting older, I’ve been in this field for so long that I accurately remember people’s facial features."

Gu Qiaoqiao called out Da Liu and Xiao Guo. Xiao Guo came prepared with his drawing board and pencils.

One narrated, the other drew.

Their speed was fast; it was completed in less than half an hour.

Upon seeing the drawing, Huang Tiekou couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s so similar, just identical."

It was a portrait showing only the upper part of a person’s face, with the mask’s outline faintly below, yet the eyes were very expressive.

Gu Qiaoqiao was stunned at the sight of the portrait.

She had seemingly seen this person before.

It was the day when she went with Dongfang Yu to look for Nie Luan’s cave entrance; she had seen this person then. He was the one who escaped Qin Yize’s clutches.

However, she couldn’t be certain, as it was night, and her current judgment was based on first impressions, which, upon closer inspection, weren’t entirely accurate.

Still, the familiarity of this person’s eyes struck her now.

Gu Qiaoqiao suppressed her doubts.

The day’s objective was achieved too; finding this person would solve most of the issues.

Da Liu took out a badge and showed it to Huang Tiekou, calmly saying, "Before the suspect is caught, you can’t leave Sky Sea City, nor speak recklessly. Our colleagues will soon inform you of what specifically needs to be done."

At this point, Da Liu shifted from his usual cheerful demeanor to a serious and earnest expression.

Huang Tiekou naturally cooperated with nods.

In his heart, he finally sighed with relief, and subsequently smelled a strong floral fragrance wafting in from the open window.

The plum blossoms in the backyard had bloomed.

This signified his crisis was resolved.

As long as he didn’t say anything reckless, he would basically not be involved.

After all, adding him to the case would make it impossible to write the dossier.

Outside the courtyard, Gu Qiaoqiao turned to glance at the Moon Gate, which led to the rear courtyard of this residence. She hadn’t smelled such a strong plum blossom fragrance earlier when she arrived.

Huang Tiekou, escorting them out, glanced at several people and suddenly said happily, "These plum blossoms hadn’t bloomed for years; I thought they wouldn’t bloom this year either, but unexpectedly, today they did..."

"Can I come in and take a look?" Gu Qiaoqiao suddenly asked, with a hint of youthful playfulness.

Huang Tiekou naturally agreed wholeheartedly, then led several people into the Moon Gate.

Upon entering the gate, they saw the full courtyard awash with densely blooming plum blossoms.

The petals resembled amber, and their rich fragrance permeated walls inside and outside. Gu Qiaoqiao felt somewhat lighter, enthusiastically wandering around the Plum Garden.

Da Liu and Xiao Guo exchanged a glance, then casually strolled along, showing no impatience.

Gu Qiaoqiao wandered through the Plum Garden without any particular goal or discoveries, genuinely acting without any intention.

After a round, Gu Qiaoqiao found that the plum blossom’s bloom was actually due to the Ice Arrow Talisman she condensed in the hall yesterday.

Nevertheless, she didn’t reveal it nor inform Huang Tiekou. Perhaps the old man knew.

Gu Qiaoqiao felt she had a newfound understanding of her spiritual energy.

A moment later, the three left Huang Tiekou’s home, and on the road, Xiao Guo informed Gu Qiaoqiao that the drawing would need further processing. Based on bones and natural laws, the part covered by the mask should be redrawn.

Gu Qiaoqiao hoped to see the finished drawing when Xiao Guo completed it. Xiao Guo agreed cheerfully, then drove Gu Qiaoqiao back to the hospital and drove away.

Gu Qiaoqiao turned and went upstairs.

Everything was the same as when Gu Qiaoqiao left, but the only difference was the check-up report had come out...

The previous diagnosis was correct.

Thus, the military prepared a helicopter and informed Gu Qiaoqiao of her departure time from Sky Sea City.

Departure was scheduled for eight o’clock tomorrow morning.

In the afternoon, Captain Wu arrived to escort Zhao Yuan, and the news from the precinct was that Zhao Yuan described that the Jin Jing on Xiao Guo’s drawn portrait and the Martin connected to Huang Tiekou were the same person.

This was way more than just framing the Gu Family.

This involved a coalition of reactionary forces.

However, since there wasn’t a complete portrait, a warrant couldn’t be issued yet. Because the nature of the incident was becoming increasingly severe, Xiao Guo had to be more cautious than ever before.

Gu Qiaoqiao learned all of this from Captain Wu.

Captain Wu came to visit Qin Yize.

Meanwhile, he informed Gu Qiaoqiao that the Yubao Square in Jinling City and the Gu Family’s two brothers had been cleared ahead of suspicion.

This allowed Gu Qiaoqiao to breathe a sigh of relief in her heart; at least, her attention wouldn’t be divided by the matters in Jinling City anymore.

By midnight, Captain Su was admitted to Sky Sea City Hospital.

His mission was accomplished.

He wasn’t unconscious, but his leg was slightly injured.

Because of Qin Yize’s situation, the leadership arranged for him to be admitted to the adjacent ward.

None intended to disturb Gu Qiaoqiao, but she still woke up.

She carried an envelope to the neighboring ward.

Seeing Gu Qiaoqiao entering, Captain Su seemed to instantly become serious, and said to several colleagues, "You all step out for a while; Qiaoqiao and I have something to discuss."

His colleagues had no objections.

They quickly left, with smiles on their faces; after all, it was truly incredible that their captain survived such a dangerous situation.