NOS Chapter 13

Chapter 13 Mopan Mountain (13)

Chapter 13 Mopan Mountain (13)

Separated by a layer of iron bars, the two sat opposite Liu Bin.

Guan Yao rummaged through the file bag and pulled out a photo of the swill bucket outside the barbecue restaurant. He stood up and held it in front of Liu Bin’s eyes: “Have you been here?”

Liu Bin flinched violently, staring at the scene photo, and called out hoarsely.

He was wearing a yellow vest uniformly distributed by the detention center. Perhaps he hadn’t washed his face when he got up in the morning, and there was still a thick layer of secretions hanging on the corners of his eyes. His lips were white, his face was blue, and he looked dazed and distracted.

Especially after seeing the scene photo full of flesh and bones, Liu Bin couldn’t help but tremble.

“Speak.” Guan Yao cleared his throat. “If you don’t speak, it’s meaningless for us to stay here. When the chain of evidence is complete, even if you don’t admit it, the People’s Procuratorate will still file a public prosecution. So, in my opinion, you might as well confess early, and then we can submit the evidence early. When you are sentenced, your wife and children can visit you early.”

“Xiaoxia, Shuangxi…” Hearing Guan Yao mention his wife and children, Liu Bin’s originally cloudy eyes slowly lifted up.

“Yes, Su Xiaoxia and Liu Shuangxi,” Guan Yao pointed to the outside. “Just now, they were kneeling outside. Think about what the weather is like now. There was even frost last night, and it’s below zero today. Those two, one is a female comrade, and the other is not in good health, isn’t it cold for them to kneel on the ground?”

“No…” Liu Bin became anxious, “Money, did Xiaoxia receive the money?”

“What money?” Yu Chunming interjected.

“The money for me!” Liu Bin was so anxious that he almost stood up from his chair. “That person promised to give me 500,000 yuan. I, I have waited so long, when will he give it?”

Guan Yao glanced at Yu Chunming, signaling him to ask.

Yu Chunming understood and directly asked: “The person you are talking about, is your employer?”

Liu Bin hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

“Since he promised to give you money, did he say how the money should be given?” Yu Chunming asked slowly.

Liu Bin pursed his lips. He remembered that he had always claimed that the money would be directly transferred to his family’s account.

“Yesterday morning, when we found you at the driving school, you were walking around and looked very nervous. What were you doing at that time?” Yu Chunming asked again.

Liu Bin swallowed, he blinked his eyes quickly, his voice weak: “Xiaoxia and them… really didn’t receive the money?”

“No.” Yu Chunming answered without hesitation.

Liu Bin buried his head in his hands, as if he was struggling with something, deciding something.

After a while, the man murmured, “I, I was looking for money at that time. Yesterday morning, I went to the driving school to find the 500,000 yuan. Before, before, I had already gone to look for it once, according to the information that person left me, but… I didn’t find anything.”

After speaking, he added: “Then I remembered that he told me before that if he was being watched by the police, the money would be transferred to my wife’s account.”

“What else?” Yu Chunming continued to ask, “Did your employer agree on these things with you in person? Because we didn’t find relevant information in your chat history with him.”

Liu Bin’s eyes flickered, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he admitted: “Yes, we… agreed in person.”

Yu Chunming’s hand on the table curled slightly.

“Where and when did you meet him?” Guan Yao saw that the person next to him was not speaking, and immediately continued to ask.

“We met in the rest room of the driving school. The time, the time was… the third day after I pushed Lao Lin down the hill.” Liu Bin answered with difficulty.

“The third day?” Guan Yao sensed something was wrong, his eyelids twitched, and he blurted out, “At that time, were there any other people in the rest room besides you and your employer?”

Liu Bin’s lips trembled, and he uttered a word: “Yes.”

Who else could it be? Of course, it was Lin Zhimin.

Earlier, Liu Bin had already admitted that he had personally pushed Lin Zhimin down the hill after an argument. He also admitted that he had climbed down the steep cliff as soon as possible to look for Lin Zhimin.

But strangely, he did not find Lin Zhimin’s shadow, and there was only a pool of fresh blood under the steep cliff. The injured person was nowhere to be found.

“So I didn’t dare to go home, and I didn’t dare to tell anyone. I, I was looking for him in the mountains, and I couldn’t find him for three days.” Liu Bin said annoyed, “I didn’t want to hurt him. I really lost my hand at the time, and I didn’t know he would fall to his death.”

“He fell to his death?” Yu Chunming frowned.

Liu Bin nodded: “On the third day, I really couldn’t help it and went back to the driving school, and then I was, I saw him in the rest room, no, I saw his… corpse.”

Yu Chunming narrowed his eyes: “Are you sure he was already dead at that time?”

“I’m sure!” Liu Bin’s lips were dry, he swallowed with difficulty, and said, “At that time, Lao Lin was covered in injuries. I, I was so scared, I went up to touch his neck, and it was so cold that there was no life in him.”

“Then what about your employer? Why would he appear in the rest room at the same time as Lin Zhimin’s body? And how did you judge that the person you saw was the netizen who hired you on the social platform?” Yu Chunming asked.

Liu Bin hesitated and replied: “It was him… it should be him, but I hadn’t seen him before, he said it was him, then it should be him.”

“If that’s the case, then describe his physical characteristics.” Yu Chunming said.

Liu Bin thought for a moment and replied: “Physical characteristics… I saw that the person was quite strong, he should be over 1.85 meters tall, more than a head taller than me. He was also strong, with thick arms. However, I didn’t see his face, he covered it very tightly. And I think he should be quite old.”

“Why do you think he is not young?” Guan Yao asked puzzled.

“Listen to his voice,” Liu Bin explained, “Old smoker’s voice, the tone of his speech… doesn’t sound like a young person.”

“Then why was he there?” Guan Yao asked again.

“He…” Liu Bin couldn’t explain it himself, “He told me that he found Lao Lin at the bottom of the cliff, and kindly carried him out to seek help, but before he could get out of the mountain, Lao Lin had already died, so he had been waiting for me at the driving school…”

This didn’t sound like a lie. Obviously, Liu Bin didn’t know what had happened in that rest room.

Of course, at the same time, his confession also confirmed one thing – the person who really killed Lin Zhimin was the employer.

So, Guan Yao asked: “What did he want you to do?”

Liu Bin’s shoulders shrank, and his eyes contained tears: “He said that Lao Lin was killed by me. When he hired me to investigate, he didn’t let me hurt him at all. Now that Lao Lin is dead because of me, in case the public investigates and finds him, then the money that was originally going to be given to me… can’t be given.”

“Then what? What conditions did your employer propose?” Guan Yao continued to ask.

Liu Bin couldn’t hold back his tears any longer, he sobbed: “That person asked me to, asked me to dispose of Lao Lin’s body. As long as it wasn’t discovered, I could get the money. He also told me that we would meet at the driving school after it was done, but I went there so many times, and he wasn’t there…”

According to Liu Bin’s statement, Lin Zhimin had already died when he stepped into the rest room following the “employer” and Lin Zhimin’s footprints. This poor man was covered in injuries and his clothes were stained with blood. The room was very clean, so Liu Bin couldn’t judge whether those injuries were caused by falling off the cliff. But no matter what, Lin Zhimin was indeed dead.

Since Lin Zhimin was dead, and the two didn’t want to be discovered, they could only destroy the evidence. And for the money, Liu Bin had to comply with the “employer’s” request and personally dispose of Lin Zhimin’s body.

So, how should he dispose of it?

“I know there is an abandoned watchtower on Mopan Mountain. When I was in charge of the keys at the No. 2 Timber Factory, only I could open that tower. Later, the No. 2 Factory closed down, and the tower was also abandoned. The key… is still with me.” Liu Bin said in a low voice, “So, that night, I sneaked home while Xiaoxia and Shuangxi were asleep, took the key box I put behind the warehouse at home, and prepared to leave Lao Lin… in that tower. But who could have thought, who could have thought…”

Who could have thought that the man-eating bear would appear.

There are not often wild animals on Mopan Mountain. The earliest “wild animal injury case” that can be found here can be traced back to the county chronicles from eighty or ninety years ago. Therefore, Liu Bin didn’t think that the strong bloody smell on Lin Zhimin’s body would attract the wolves and brown bears from the depths of Jin A Lin Mountain.

That night, he used all his strength to drag Lin Zhimin’s body into the abandoned watchtower on Mopan Mountain with a flatbed cart. Then, he carefully closed the door and locked it.

Liu Bin knew that no one would easily set foot in that tower, and even the forest rangers on routine patrols had never entered it. Perhaps, it would not be discovered until Lin Zhimin had rotted into a skeleton.

But the next morning, when Liu Bin returned to the watchtower to check his “crime scene” again, the scene under the watchtower gave him a head-on blow.

– The body that was originally locked in the tower had become a pile of fragmented bones and flesh, and even the door that only he could open had been smashed by wild animals.

“It might be a wolf, or it might be a bear. I, I was really startled,” Liu Bin said tremblingly, “The ground was covered with bones with skin and tendons, the intestines and other things had been eaten clean, and half of the head was broken. It looked like… it was done by a bear. I, I really…”

Liu Bin couldn’t go on. He covered his face and cried.

It is not difficult to guess what Liu Bin did after seeing this tragic scene.

He had never done bad things in the first half of his life, so he naturally didn’t know how to cover up his tracks. Therefore, he would only futilely collect the broken corpses and clothes, and then turn some of the rotten meat on the ground that was rotten under the fallen leaves and mud into the soil.

But Liu Bin didn’t expect that bears are not human, and no one can control its tracks. And the broken corpses on the ground were not all of them. The bones and epithelial tissues that were taken by wild animals to the forest ranger station, and the severed hand hidden in the bushes of the trestle road, eventually brought all of this into everyone’s view.

Guan Yao sighed silently, he knocked on the table, forcing Liu Bin to look up: “So, you transferred those broken corpses into the swill bucket outside the kitchen of this barbecue restaurant?”

Liu Bin trembled and replied: “Yes, it was me. I really had no choice, so I could only do this. I thought that they would definitely dispose of the garbage from the first night the next day, but this, this…”

“The boss didn’t open for business that day at all, because something happened in his hometown the night before, so he closed the store.” Guan Yao said.

Liu Bin opened his mouth, staring blankly at the two people interrogating him opposite.

“Okay, we have learned almost everything about the situation. You write down the storage location of the flatbed cart and related tools you used to transfer the body, and we will end here today.” After speaking, Guan Yao took the newly released confession record form and got up to ask someone to hand it in for Liu Bin to sign.

But at this moment, Yu Chunming suddenly took out a photo from the inner pocket of his clothes, and he held the photo in front of Liu Bin: “Does this person look like your employer?”

Liu Bin was stunned, his mind was still blank, but the words had already come out of his mouth: “It seems to be him…”

“What the hell?” Guan Yao’s face changed instantly, he turned to take the photo from Yu Chunming’s hand, but Yu Chunming only gave it a glance and stuffed it back into his pocket.

When Guan Yao turned his head again, Liu Bin had already signed the confession record form with the help of the detention center police.

When leaving the detention center, neither of them spoke. It was not until they got in the car that Guan Yao drove three miles before suddenly slamming on the brakes, stopping Yu Chunming on the side of the road.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Chunming asked calmly.

Guan Yao turned to look at him: “What the hell did you ask Liu Bin to identify just now?”

“A person.” Yu Chunming replied.

“What person?” Guan Yao asked sternly.

“A suspect.” Yu Chunming said generously, “I suspect that the suspect in this case is highly similar to Yi Jun, the suspect in the Songlan 6.13 dismemberment case, is that not allowed?”

“Then why did you ask after the confession record form had been filled out?” Guan Yao was amused by Yu Chunming’s shameless appearance, “Officer Yu was still accusing me of not following the rules last night, and this morning he started violating the rules himself? Tell me, is it more serious to break the rules in that broken thing, or is it more serious what you just did?”

Yu Chunming calmly replied: “There is currently no conclusive evidence to prove that the two cases are related. Han Chen is suppressing it from above, and I can’t apply for a joint investigation. He won’t allow me to take the suspect’s image from the previous case to ask the suspect in this case.”

“You also know that Deputy Team Leader Han won’t agree?” Guan Yao laughed, “I thought you didn’t know.”

Yu Chunming was a little helpless, he was about to take out the photo from his pocket for Guan Yao to see: “Because the suspect in the previous case is indeed similar to the employer in Liu Bin’s mouth…”

“Don’t give it to me, I won’t look at it, I don’t want to violate the rules.” Guan Yao raised his hand, seriously said, “You keep it yourself, and then compare it yourself according to Liu Bin’s confession and the body shape and appearance calculated from the footprints, okay? Don’t drag me into this kind of thing again in the future.”

Yu Chunming paused, put the photo back in, and then, after a moment of silence, he reopened his mouth: “I’m sorry.”

Guan Yao started the car and replied to him: “Don’t, I can’t afford it.”

Yu Chunming looked at the person next to him, as if he wanted to explain something, but in the end, he still didn’t say anything.

The two were silent all the way. When they returned to the Linchang Police Station, they were still silent.

Meng Changqing saw the problem at a glance. He went up to inquire: “Master, did you and Officer Yu quarrel again?”

Guan Yao replied with a cold face: “No.”

“If not, why are you scanning him from time to time?” Meng Changqing smiled, “Master, what’s wrong with you two again? Weren’t you doing pretty well these days?”

“Good my ass,” Guan Yao said impatiently, “Do what you should do, and don’t be annoying in front of me.”

Meng Changqing walked away dejectedly, and on the other side, Na Fei also sneaked up.

She stretched her head across half the office and looked at Guan Yao, who had pulled up his clothes, lay down on the chair, and started to catch up on sleep. She turned around and grabbed Yu Chunming: “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on?” Yu Chunming pressed the back of his neck, his expression a little dim.

Na Fei asked curiously: “Are you having a conflict with Officer Guan?”

“Yes.” Yu Chunming did not avoid it and directly admitted it.

“Why?” Na Fei didn’t understand, “Why are you having a conflict with him?”

Yu Chunming twitched the corners of his mouth and replied: “In the few months I’ve been here, I’ve had conflicts with him every day, don’t you know?”

“Really?” Na Fei looked incredulous.

“Go ask around, the people at the Linchang Police Station all know, he hates me.” Yu Chunming said.

Na Fei muttered in a low voice: “Can’t be? I asked his apprentice that day, and his apprentice said he was very good to you. I thought he was taking good care of you here.”

Yu Chunming glanced at Guan Yao, who was probably already asleep, bent down and locked all the medicine bottles, cigarette cases, lighters, and that photo in the drawer: “I’m going to the Municipal Hospital this morning, if you have anything, talk to Han Chen directly.”

“Talk to Han Chen about what? I get a headache just looking at him.” Na Fei pouted, and wanted to say something more, but caught sight of the medicine Yu Chunming threw into the drawer, “What are you doing at the Municipal Hospital? Why are you always taking painkillers? Is your injury acting up again?”

Yu Chunming was vague: “No, I had a headache a few days ago.”

“Then what are you doing at the Municipal Hospital?” Na Fei’s voice immediately rose.

Yu Chunming quickly silenced her, and then replied: “My aunt is here, I have to go see her.”

“Teacher Wang?” Na Fei mouthed.

Yu Chunming frowned and nodded.

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