NOS Chapter 44
by VolareAnalyzing the suspect’s escape route after jumping from the vehicle wasn’t easy. After all, the Jianzhong River was surrounded by mountains, villages were scattered, and the highway was far away. To accurately pinpoint the route, one had to either thoroughly understand the suspect himself or have a sufficient understanding of the area around the Jianzhong River.
And Yu Chunming happened to possess both.
He had conducted over a year of research on this serial killer who had once disguised himself as a “cleaner,” carried out bombings, and had his hands stained with the blood of countless people. Although the only face-to-face encounter between the two occurred on that train, Yu Chunming’s understanding of him wasn’t limited to that train.
As for the area around the Jianzhong River, it was Jiang Min’s hometown, near the state farm where Yu Chunming’s maternal grandfather and grandmother lived. He had visited there several times as a child and was incredibly familiar with the Jianzhong River and every plant and tree around the Jianzhong River Bridge.
Opening the map, Yu Chunming immediately found the “Eighteen Mile Village Health Clinic” that Guan Yao had mentioned.
Based on the speculations of Wang Zhen and others, after jumping into the river, this person originally intended to quickly leave the depopulated area. However, the Jin A Lin Mountain area was too large, and entering it carried the risk of getting lost. Therefore, for safety, the suspect, after jumping into the river and fleeing, should have followed the river in a northeast direction.
But this raised another question: since the suspect had been following the river northeast, why didn’t the criminal investigators find any traces he left behind when conducting on-site investigations on both banks? The Jianzhong River hadn’t completely frozen over, and there were still large areas of wet mud on the riverbanks. Walking through such places, it was impossible not to leave a single footprint.
Therefore, Yu Chunming judged that this person must have plunged directly into the Jin A Lin Mountain area. And this also corroborated the fact that the suspect indeed came from Za Mu Er, or at least from the Jin A Lin Mountain area. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the courage to step into this primeval forest at all.
Based on this idea, Yu Chunming used the Mopan Mountain Watchtower, No. 18 Beilin Village, and other places where the suspect had already been active as blueprints, and planned three possible routes. And when outlining the third route, he discovered that the extension of this route was very likely to overlap with Qianjinping, where Li Ying was located.
Knock, knock, knock—
Suddenly, a burst of rapid knocking on the door interrupted Yu Chunming, who was deep in thought. The commotion came so suddenly that it startled him, and even the pen in his hand almost fell to the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Yu Chunming realized that the knocking wasn’t coming from the door in front of him, but from the door of Jiang Min’s house across the way.
“Who is it?” Jiang Min’s voice faintly came.
Yu Chunming had a bad feeling in his heart. He stood up, walked to the door, and carefully listened to the commotion next door.
“It’s me!” A slightly impatient man called out, “Open the door quickly, I’m freezing to death!”
It was Qin Tian. Qin Tian’s detention period had ended, and he had been released from the detention center.
Yu Chunming felt a slight relief and was about to sit back down at the table. But after a burst of noise, a scream suddenly rang out outside the door.
“Ah!” Jiang Min shouted.
Without a second thought, Yu Chunming directly pushed open the door and went out, immediately seeing Qin Tian grabbing Jiang Min’s neck and pressing her against the wall. Qin Tian was still cursing and swearing, seemingly complaining that Jiang Min wouldn’t spend money to pay his fine, so he could get out early.
“What are you doing? Let go!” Yu Chunming shouted angrily.
Qin Tian didn’t even notice that there was another person behind him. He was holding Jiang Min’s neck and was about to slam his own mother to the ground.
Yu Chunming grabbed Qin Tian’s shoulder and punched him in the jaw.
Bang! Qin Tian staggered and crashed into the stair railing.
“You, who are you?” He yelled.
After seeing Jiang Min shakily stand up from the ground on her own, Yu Chunming sternly replied, “Who am I? I’m a police officer. Are you planning to go back to the lockup and continue squatting after just getting out?”
Qin Tian narrowed his eyes and finally saw Yu Chunming’s face clearly. His mouth twitched, and he took a step back.
“Go inside, close the door,” Yu Chunming said to Jiang Min.
Jiang Min was extremely obedient, turned around, went inside, and closed the door.
Qin Tian’s expression immediately changed drastically. He rushed up and was about to smash the door.
“Stand there!” Yu Chunming sternly shouted.
Qin Tian said plausibly, “Police comrade, I want to go back to my own home. You can’t just leave me outside for the night, right?”
Yu Chunming coldly scrutinized Qin Tian from head to toe.
This person was still dressed a bit thinly, obviously in the clothes he had worn when he entered the detention center a few days ago before the temperature dropped. He probably hadn’t showered in over ten days. He smelled terrible, his hair was greasy and messy, and he looked extremely listless.
But Yu Chunming didn’t soften his heart at all. He questioned, “That’s your mother, do you understand?”
Qin Tian said flippantly, “If she were my mother, would she be able to say those things?”
What things? Yu Chunming hadn’t heard. He only bothered to raise his voice and scold, “If I let you in tonight, are you going to continue punching and kicking?”
“I told you, it’s none of your business,” Qin Tian turned his head and was about to slap the door.
Yu Chunming grabbed his arm and used a grappling technique to press him against the stair railing. The series of movements hurt Qin Tian so much that he squealed, and even Auntie Wang, who was already asleep downstairs, was attracted to watch the excitement.
“Oh my, is that Little Tian?” Auntie Wang asked, draped in a cotton-padded jacket and shining a flashlight, “What’s going on? Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night, making a racket upstairs? My grandson has to go to school tomorrow morning.”
Qin Tian howled, “Auntie Wang, Auntie Wang, save me!”
“Oh dear me!” Auntie Wang saw Qin Tian’s miserable state and quickly walked upstairs, “Why are you fighting?”
Yu Chunming let go, and then kicked Qin Tian in the butt, almost slamming him into the wall, “Don’t you know what you did? You still have the nerve to act innocent here.”
Qin Tian straightened his neck, “What did I do? I didn’t do anything! Why didn’t you come out when that woman was cursing me? Now you’re sticking your head out, who do you think you are, why are you lecturing me?”
Auntie Wang looked at Yu Chunming, and couldn’t tell who this person was, but she heard him say, “I’m Guan Yao’s colleague. If you dare to lay a hand on your mother again, I’ll immediately make a call to Guan Yao and have him take you back to the detention center to continue squatting.”
As soon as Qin Tian heard this, his arrogance instantly dissipated.
And Auntie Wang, this neighbor who knew this person very well, also raised her eyebrows, she clicked her tongue and said, “You little brat, why are you as hopeless as your father? You even dare to hit your own mother, you’re really tired of living!”
“Auntie Wang…”
“Alright, stop talking, go to my house and make do for the night, don’t fight with your mother at home.” Auntie Wang still protected her own, she pulled Qin Tian, dragged him away, and turned back to be polite to Yu Chunming, “Police comrade, don’t take it to heart, this kid is just like this, when he was little, his brother didn’t hold him steady and dropped him, damaging his brain.”
Yu Chunming’s expression was stern, and he didn’t say a word.
——When did he drop Qin Tian and damage his brain?
Watching the two of them leave, the motion-activated lights in the stairwell also went out. Only then did Yu Chunming slowly exhale and prepare to go back inside.
Who knew that at this moment, the door of Jiang Min’s house suddenly creaked open, and the woman who had almost been strangled by Qin Tian appeared behind the crack in the door.
Yu Chunming paused.
“You live in Guan Yao’s house?” Jiang Min asked.
Yu Chunming hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“It’s said that there are always unfamiliar faces wandering around this compound recently. You police officers should pay more attention,” Jiang Min said.
Yu Chunming looked at her, not saying anything.
But Jiang Min didn’t seem to need an answer. She slowly brought out a basin of red and large apples, raised her hand, and handed it to Yu Chunming, “Thank you.”
Yu Chunming nodded lightly, not refusing, took the basin of apples, and replied, “You’re welcome.”
The stairwell returned to silence, and the commotion just now vanished like smoke.
Yu Chunming sat at the table, looking at the basin of apples that Jiang Min had given him, and inexplicably felt it was very funny.
When Jiang Min was young, she was a madwoman, but when she got older, she became normal. But by the time she was normal, he was no longer her son. Thinking of this, Yu Chunming couldn’t help but sigh softly.
He was now living in Guan Yao’s house, and his lighter and cigarette case had long been taken away by Guan Yao. At this moment, he didn’t even have a way to relieve his boredom, so he had to go to the balcony and stand in front of the window, letting the cold wind blow on him.
Za Mu Er was especially quiet and desolate at night. This was a small city without a single high-rise building. In the distance, the low and scattered factories and family buildings silently sprawled under the gray sky. The narrow chimneys were emitting white smoke, like an old dog that had already grown old, wheezing and panting.
Yu Chunming suddenly remembered the day he left more than twenty years ago. The Za Mu Er he saw when he looked back was just like this.
“Mom, when are we coming back?” Nine-year-old Jiang Xin was dragged by Jiang Min, staggering away from the riverbank. He said reluctantly, “I made an appointment with Guan Yao to meet here tonight.”
Jiang Min had a cigarette in her mouth and didn’t say a word. She didn’t know where she had gotten a small van, and she raised her hand and pushed Jiang Xin into it.
“Mom, when are we coming back?” Jiang Xin asked in a weak voice.
Jiang Min closed the car door and said to the driver who also had a cigarette in his mouth, “Let’s go, to the train station.”
“Train station?” Jiang Xin was confused, “Mom, what are we going to the train station for?”
Jiang Min turned her head and glanced at her son, slowly raised the corners of her mouth, and said, “Mom is sending you to Songlan to live a good life.”
“A good life…” Yu Chunming chuckled.
He still couldn’t help himself. At daybreak, he went downstairs and bought a pack of cigarettes at the small store that had just opened at the entrance of the family compound. After finishing his cigarette outside the doorway, he ran into Auntie Wang, who was coming out to take out the trash.
“You’re Guan Yao’s colleague?” Auntie Wang asked enthusiastically.
Yu Chunming twitched the corners of his mouth.
“Oh,” Auntie Wang smiled, “You’re new to the Linchang Police Station this year? I haven’t seen you before.”
“I came in June,” Yu Chunming replied, “I used to be a criminal police officer in Songlan.”
“Oh, Songlan!” Auntie Wang said in surprise, “Then why did you come to Za Mu Er?”
Yu Chunming inadvertently raised his eyes and glanced upstairs, just in time to see Jiang Min standing by the window—she was looking into the distance, not knowing if she was pretending to cover up the fact that she was “eavesdropping” on their conversation.
But Yu Chunming didn’t care. He smiled and replied, “To investigate a case, I applied for a transfer.”
“Investigate a case,” Auntie Wang’s gaze was fixed on Yu Chunming and couldn’t be moved away. She asked, “You’re staying at Guan Yao’s house, is it because there have been strangers wandering around our compound recently, and your station is here to investigate?”
Yu Chunming casually responded, “Yes, I’m here to take a look.”
Auntie Wang looked him up and down several times, and finally asked, “Have you eaten breakfast? If you haven’t eaten breakfast, come to my house.”
“No need, I’m going to the station’s cafeteria.” As Yu Chunming spoke, he hid the cigarette case and lighter in the inner pocket of his jacket.
Before long, Auntie Wang left, and the breakfast shop at the entrance also opened, the fragrant smoke and fire spreading far away.
After watching Qin Tian knock on the door honestly and enter the house honestly, Yu Chunming also changed his clothes and prepared to go to work.
It was still early, and the road was still deserted, but who knew that as soon as Yu Chunming walked out of the gate of the Linchang Family Compound, he ran into a man walking inside with his head buried low.
This man looked to be over fifty years old. His temperament was ordinary, but he was dressed very elegantly. After accidentally bumping into someone, this man pulled on his collar and said in a low voice, “Sorry.”
Yu Chunming paused slightly and turned back to look at him.
The man also noticed the scrutinizing gaze, so he smiled friendly and then turned around and walked inside.
At this moment, Yu Chunming suddenly realized that the man’s face seemed somewhat familiar.
“Hey, wait a minute…” He called out subconsciously.
The man’s figure froze, and he turned his head to look at Yu Chunming with some surprise.
It was this one glance that made Yu Chunming, who was still trying to recall where he had seen him before, instantly break out in a cold sweat.
That day, he had told Guan Yao that his ability to recognize people wasn’t bragging. This was his talent, and also his insight into the criminal investigation field.
Although he hadn’t been a police officer for long, Yu Chunming’s eyes were sometimes sharper than those of the old criminal investigation experts in the provincial department. Some key suspects, as long as he had seen them once, he would never forget them for the rest of his life.
For example, the man in front of him. Although his appearance and figure had changed slightly, Yu Chunming still recognized him in an instant—
He was Ai Hua.
Ai Hua, that’s right, the Ai Hua who died in the 9.24 fire thirty-three years ago. Just one day ago, Yu Chunming had just seen his death certificate, and now this person was standing alive in front of him.
“Is there something?” The man who seemed to have “come back to life” smiled amiably.
Yu Chunming quickly adjusted his expression, put away his measuring gaze, and said, “Are you a new tenant in our compound? I haven’t seen you before.”
The man touched his nose and smiled, “I’m not, I’m here to find someone.”
“Looking for someone? Who are you looking for?” Yu Chunming asked, pretending to be friendly, “The planning of this compound is so-so, it’s very chaotic inside. I’ve lived here for ten or twenty years, who are you looking for? I’ll take you there.”
“Oh, no need,” the man politely declined, “The person I’m looking for… might not be home today, I just came to wander around.”
Asking any further would arouse suspicion. Yu Chunming understood this, so he didn’t say much. He exchanged a few more casual greetings, and then turned around and left.
——Saying that he left, but in fact, he didn’t go far.
After making sure that he had left the man’s line of sight, he quickly walked into the noodle shop that had just opened next door, and directly pulled over the sleepy-eyed proprietress, “Take me to the second floor, find a window that can see the Linchang Family Compound.”
The proprietress knew that Yu Chunming was a police officer, so she didn’t dare to ask any more questions. She turned her head and led him to the window in the second-floor storage room, “You can see the opposite side from here.”
Yu Chunming nodded, “Thank you.”
After saying that, he quickly pulled out the photo album he had taken at Jiang Min’s house before from his phone.
Ai Hua, it was Ai Hua. After comparing the photos three times, Yu Chunming confirmed that the middle-aged man who walked into the Linchang Family Compound alone early in the morning was Ai Hua.
A person’s appearance will change with the loss of collagen, a person’s posture will become hunched with the shrinking and aging of joints, but a person’s bone structure will never change, just like He Wang’s nasal bridge that Guan Yao recognized at a glance, Ai Hua’s face had the most obvious characteristic, that was, his cheekbones were particularly high and erect.
High and erect cheekbones would allow the skin and flesh to still hang firmly on the face after a long period of time, but the cheeks would be deeply sunken as a result. The person just now, happened to meet this point.
Yu Chunming’s hands were shaking slightly. He recalled the guess he had made last year, the guess that Wang Zhen had scolded and recklessly criticized. Although the current Yu Chunming didn’t know what it meant if Ai Hua was alive, and couldn’t tell what kind of connection it had with the case, this was undoubtedly a huge clue.
But clues wouldn’t appear out of thin air, why would Ai Hua appear at this time? Who gave him the clue?
“Police comrade, are you looking at that person who’s been coming to the Linchang Compound recently?” At this time, the noodle shop proprietress standing next to Yu Chunming said.
Yu Chunming’s brow furrowed, “Every morning?”
“Oh, it’s not really every morning, but he comes pretty frequently,” the noodle shop proprietress replied. “A few days ago, he came as early as five o’clock, and didn’t go upstairs, just wandered around downstairs. I was still thinking about when I would see Officer Guan, and ask him about it.”
Yu Chunming hurriedly asked, “When exactly did he start coming? And which building was he wandering around under? Do you remember, Sister?”
The proprietress had a good memory, and after thinking about it carefully, she remembered, “About… a week ago, actually he didn’t come every day at first, he came every few days, but these past two days he’s been coming continuously, he just wanders around… around Officer Guan’s building. I initially thought something was wrong, I thought he was a thief casing the place, my man even went up and asked him.”
“Asked him?” Yu Chunming frowned, “What did he say?”
The proprietress smiled a little embarrassedly, “He said… he had seen that someone’s performance before, and he was about to leave, and wanted to take another look at her.”
Yu Chunming’s heart was almost in his throat. He asked, “Whose performance?”
The proprietress had to tell the truth, “It’s that one across from Officer Guan’s house, besides her, who else has performed on stage?”