NOS Chapter 52

Chapter 52 Beilin Village (2)

Chapter 52 Beilin Village (2)

These words prompted Han Chen to try to argue, “We can’t be sure yet…”

“We can’t be sure yet that Ge Xiaopei was instructed by the murderer to send the letter to Yu Chunming.” Guan Yao interrupted Han Chen mercilessly, “But we can be sure now that the letter was definitely not forged by Chunming himself.”

These words, which seemed to favor an outsider, made Wang Zhen raise his eyebrows and look at Guan Yao.

Guan Yao seemed oblivious and continued, “If that’s the case, then we might as well assume that the letter was sent by the murderer or someone who knew the inside story. So why did they specifically send the letter to Chunming, and not to you or Wang?”

“Good question,” Wang Zhen clapped his hands. “Before we found out about Chunming’s informant, I had been wondering why. But then I got distracted, and I didn’t look into it further. Now that you mention it… it really reminds me of something.”

Han Chen’s eyes flickered, and then he pursed his lips tightly.

Wang Zhen was referring to something that happened a year ago, during the months when Yu Chunming was injured in the explosion and suspended from his duties for investigation. According to his recollection, this happened around November last year, when Yu Chunming had just been discharged from the hospital.

“Mainly because the political review was pressing, so he was discharged from the hospital in a hurry before he had fully recovered.” Wang Zhen rubbed the tip of his nose and said, “Chunming couldn’t resume his job due to the explosion and various reasons related to previous cases, but he was… he was worried about our team, so he was secretly investigating that man named Yi Jun. Unexpectedly, he actually managed to find some clues about him.”

“Managed to find some clues about him?” Guan Yao immediately thought of the “dead end” that Yu Chunming had mentioned.

“Yes, he did,” Wang Zhen nodded. “Yi Jun is a janitor registered with He Chun Property Management, but because his surveillance footage and ID information don’t match, we can’t guarantee that ‘Yi Jun’ is his real name. Chunming thought so too. However, he believed that although the name ‘Yi Jun’ was fake, his conversation with He Wang in the surveillance footage was real. In other words, ‘Yi Jun’ is most likely from Za Mu Er, and for some reason, he can’t return to Za Mu Er openly.”

Guan Yao frowned as he listened.

“According to Chunming, ‘Yi Jun’ is very likely a fugitive, and the case he committed may not have been discovered yet.” Wang Zhen retrieved the video recorded by the private surveillance camera of He Wang’s neighbor from the computer and pushed it in front of Guan Yao. “The basis is these two sentences of dialogue.”

Guan Yao leaned over and looked at it seriously.

There were two people in the surveillance video. One was “He Wang,” who only showed half of his profile. Compared with the suspect who appeared in the San Kuang Staff Family Compound, nothing about him, except for his straight nose bridge, was similar in terms of body shape or gait. The other, with his back to the camera, was “Yi Jun.”

Guan Yao had seen this figure countless times. “Yi Jun” was tall and had strong arms. Because he was too burly, most of He Wang’s face was blocked.

The two of them stood in the stairwell, each with their arms crossed, looking wary and vigilant.

“Have you been to Za Mu Er?” Along with the crackling current in the headset, Guan Yao heard “He Wang” say.

“No.” “Yi Jun” standing opposite him replied.

“Is it because you dare not, or because you cannot?” After asking this, “He Wang” seemed to laugh.

“Yi Jun” did not give an answer. Instead, he talked about the garbage accumulation in the corridor and the debris under the unit door, which left Guan Yao confused.

“‘Is it because you dare not, or because you cannot’? Chunming judged from this sentence that ‘Yi Jun’ was very likely a fugitive.” Wang Zhen said.

“‘Is it because you dare not, or because you cannot’…” Guan Yao repeated, shaking his head, muttering to himself, “These words sound like they are not only spoken by ‘He Wang’ to ‘Yi Jun’, but also by ‘He Wang’ to himself, the tone is obviously self-deprecating.”

“We can’t be sure who it’s said to, but there must be a problem between the two.” Wang Zhen replied, “So, Chunming checked the unsolved cases in Za Mu Er over the past few decades, and finally, he identified one.”

Guan Yao did not hesitate, “The 9.24 fire thirty-three years ago.”

“Yes, the 9.24 fire thirty-three years ago.” Wang Zhen nodded.

Guan Yao was suspicious: “Za Mu Er does have a few unsolved cases, but either the suspect has been proven dead, or the case itself is not serious enough to warrant the suspect fleeing for so many years. But the culprit of the 9.24 fire is clearly already…”

“Have you forgotten the fragmented corpses at the Auto Repair Shop?” Wang Zhen paused. “The information on the fragmented corpses is the key, but before Chunming made this guess, we had no clue about the location ‘Za Mu Er, District 11, Number 35’. Until he pointed out that the fire caused a total of 57 deaths and 12 missing, this key point of 12 missing people. Haven’t I told you that Chunming actually suspected a year ago that there were still survivors among the 12 missing people?”

Guan Yao’s heart sank.

But Wang Zhen smiled indifferently: “It doesn’t matter, solving a case is such a repetitive process, with mistakes and rights. Just like a year ago, Chunming almost caught the suspect along this line, but I denied it, that was the mistake I made. That’s why I have to shamelessly run to him and ask for forgiveness now.”

Wang Zhen described the situation in detail. He told Guan Yao that Yu Chunming’s house next to the Songlan office in One Zero Three Forest Farm was rented for that matter.

“He originally lived in the police family building, but then he specifically moved out.” Wang Zhen said, “Chunming firmly believes that no matter how a person changes, their most essential habits will not change. For example, ‘Yi Jun’s’ excessively clean room, and the chemicals piled up in the room. When you searched No. 18 Beilin Village, were the characteristics inside the house the same?”

“Yes.” Guan Yao nodded.

“That’s why he suspected early on that the murderer in the Mopan Mountain fragmented corpse case was ‘Yi Jun’. Chunming never makes unfounded assumptions.” Wang Zhen sighed. “Do you know how he found the suspect’s residence in Songcheng Building last year?”

“He checked the pharmacies and express stations near the Songlan office in the forest farm.” Guan Yao replied.

Wang Zhen snapped his fingers: “He illegally checked the pharmacies and express stations near the Songlan office in the forest farm.”

Guan Yao smiled wryly.

Wang Zhen continued: “Then, Chunming found a suspicious resident on the third floor of Songcheng Building. The neighbor of this resident said that there was often a strange smell from the window next door. Moreover, after checking the express cabinet downstairs in this building, Chunming found that a tenant in this household had purchased a large number of chemicals six months ago. Although these chemicals are not in the category of prohibited items, they can be refined and prepared to carry out some high-risk processing.”

“And then?”

“And then,” Wang Zhen shook his head, “Then there was no then. The day after Chunming reported these illegally obtained materials to me, he received that letter. We… therefore no longer continued to pay attention. When I remembered to check the owner of that household, the house had already been transferred to an agency and sold. I found a tenant who had moved out of Songlan based on the original owner’s information. He told me that the household was a shared apartment, and there was a phenomenon of subletting, which means that we missed the best opportunity for investigation.”

Guan Yao sighed and didn’t know what to say.

“Now that I think about it, perhaps this clue was correct. Chunming did not investigate in the wrong direction, and that letter was because the murderer discovered his actions, so he framed him with it.” Wang Zhen said halfway, and felt that it was inappropriate, so he added, “Of course, there is no conclusive evidence now, these are all my speculations.”

Guan Yao looked solemn after listening. He pondered for a long time and suddenly said, “Then you said, did Chunming receive any more letters later?”

Yu Chunming, who was in the Linchang Police Station office, was sorting out his drawer, which was always locked tightly. He glanced at Jiang Min, who was identifying suspect photos under the direction of Deputy Director Wang Zun not far away, and turned his head to lock the drawer tightly again.

“How is it? Do you recognize them all?” After taking out the key, Yu Chunming walked up and asked.

Jiang Min seemed to cast her eyes on Yu Chunming intentionally or unintentionally, and then pointed to Wang Xinsheng’s photo: “This one looks a bit familiar.”

“What about the other one?” Yu Chunming pushed He Wang’s ID photo in front of Jiang Min.

Jiang Min didn’t speak.

Wang Zun cleared his throat: “It’s okay, don’t worry, take your time to look, if you don’t recognize it, I’ll take the photos to the old people in the forest farm to see in the afternoon.”

“I recognize Wang Xinsheng, I remember.” Jiang Min said seriously.

Yu Chunming’s spirit was lifted: “You recognize Wang Xinsheng?”

“Yes,” Jiang Min nodded heavily, “Wang Xinsheng’s face looks exactly like Xu Wen’s.”

Xu Wen had a big round face and small eyes. He was not as handsome as Ai Hua, nor as handsome as Qian Guowei, but it was because of this big round face and those small eyes that Jiang Min recognized him at a glance after more than thirty years.

“He’s gained a lot of weight, but he looks no different from Xu Wen.” For some reason, Jiang Min looked a little regretful after saying this. She pointed at He Wang’s photo and shook her head, “This person… is a bit like Qian Guowei, but he’s not Qian Guowei.”

Yu Chunming was a little puzzled by these words: “Not Qian Guowei? How are you so sure?”

Jiang Min rested her chin in her hand, wondering what she was thinking.

The Linchang Police Station did not ask Jiang Min about the case that Ai Hua confessed to openly, firstly because Jiang Min was not the one who reported the case, and secondly, Jiang Min’s mental state was unstable, and no one dared to use that kind of thing to stimulate her.

Now, Yu Chunming saw her expression and had a bad feeling in his heart.

But Jiang Min answered very firmly: “I’m just sure.”

“Forget it, forget it,” Wang Zun had heard a lot about Jiang Min’s “nerves”. He didn’t want to make things difficult for her, so he smiled politely, “Thank you for your cooperation today, old sister, you can go back first.”

“Hey, wait.” Yu Chunming stopped Jiang Min. He asked, “Have any suspicious people called you recently, or sent you messages?”

“Suspicious people?” Jiang Min tilted her head to look at Yu Chunming, “What are suspicious people?”

“It’s just…” Yu Chunming couldn’t explain, “It’s just people you haven’t seen before, or calls from strange numbers, or strange text messages.”

“No.” Jiang Min answered very quickly. She stood up, her eyes swept over the box of cigarettes that Yu Chunming put on the table, and then pointed, “Can you give it to me?”

Yu Chunming was surprised: “What?”

“Your cigarettes, can you give them to me?” Jiang Min asked with confidence.

Yu Chunming was a little dazed. Before he could answer, Wang Zun answered for him first: “Come, come, take it, thank you for your cooperation.”

Jiang Min tucked the box of cigarettes away with satisfaction.

Wang Zun, who was only responsible for collecting information, was too lazy to participate in the task force’s affairs. Seeing Yu Chunming still standing there, he casually ordered, “This afternoon to tomorrow morning, you and Fang Wang will be on duty at Qianjinping. Hurry up and pack your things and go there to hand over.”

Yu Chunming put down the photos helplessly and turned to look at Fang Wang.

As the “number one good guy” in the Linchang Police Station, Fang Wang immediately smiled at him: “Hello, Officer Yu!”

Yu Chunming immediately became depressed.

Meng Changqing interjected at the right time, “Officer Yu, why don’t I go for you? My master said that you are not feeling well, don’t run back and forth.”

Yu Chunming wanted to refuse, but Meng Changqing said with a smile: “When I come back, Officer Yu, you have to treat me to dinner.”

Two days ago, Yu Chunming had just handed over the suspect’s escape route map to Wang Zhen and asked him to send more people to Qianjinping. Therefore, there are now people on duty there not only during the day but also at night.

Yu Chunming was not someone who would refuse work, especially since Qianjinping had a lot of problems. He had the idea of ​​going there himself, but Meng Changqing had already begun to put on his belt very keenly. He said with a smile: “Officer Yu, if I don’t keep an eye on you, my master will skin me alive.”

“Then be careful,” Yu Chunming had to say, he pinned a police baton on Meng Changqing, “When you come back tomorrow afternoon, I’ll treat you to iron pot stew.”

Meng Changqing’s eyes lit up immediately: “I want to add ribs!”

Yu Chunming laughed: “Add, add everything, and add a big black river carp for you.”

With this guarantee, Meng Changqing immediately beamed with joy.

Li Xiaotian said in a strange tone behind him: “Xiao Meng, have you recognized Officer Yu as your master’s wife?”

Meng Changqing blushed and quickly looked at Yu Chunming.

Yu Chunming was quite calm. He smiled and said to Meng Changqing, “Bring more clothes at night, it’s cold, I’ll give you all my heating pads.”

Meng Changqing agreed readily.

Being on duty in Qianjinping has always been the responsibility of the police officers of the Linchang Police Station’s law enforcement team, and several people including Meng Changqing, Fang Wang, and Li Xiaotian have been complaining about it every day.

After all, Qianjinping is remote, and dozens of kilometers further north is the border. There are few residents in the village, and the mountain roads are difficult to walk. After the frost, it takes three or four hours to go back and forth. Squatting in that place, firstly, it is impossible to warm up at the homes of the villagers, and secondly, you have to pay attention to the abnormalities in the forest. The car cannot be started, and the warm air cannot be turned on at all. You have to wear heating pads all over your body to survive the night. This is also the reason why Guan Yao doesn’t let Yu Chunming go.

Fortunately, Meng Changqing has become familiar with the road after running back and forth several times. He said happily to Fang Wang, “I now know where to park the car in a leeward spot, it will be warmer at night.”

Fang Wang exhaled a breath of cold air and shook his head: “No matter how warm it is, it’s not as warm as going home and sleeping with my wife.”

Hearing this, Meng Changqing sighed regretfully: “I haven’t seen that police officer for many days.”

“Drive, drive.” Fang Wang said quickly after hearing this.

That police officer, who Meng Changqing was thinking about, was in the city branch office sorting out Ai Hua’s confession records. She glanced at Guan Yao, who had just sent Wang Zhen to the station, and smiled: “The Songlan City Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Detachment is a place that people can’t get into even if they squeeze their heads. How can you figure it out and be willing to stay in Za Mu Er for the rest of your life?”

Guan Yao leaned back in the swivel chair and looked up at the ceiling: “What’s so good about Songlan? Isn’t Yu Chunming unwilling to stay there?”

Hearing this, Na Fei raised her eyebrows: “My senior brother has something on his mind. Does Officer Guan also have something on his mind?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Guan Yao sat up straight, picked up Ai Hua’s confession and looked at it twice, “I’m just used to staying in Za Mu Er. Besides, when people get old, they don’t want to work hard anymore.”

“Oh,” Na Fei joked, “Officer Guan, how old are you? You actually say you’re old. If Wang were here, he would definitely criticize you.”

Guan Yao smiled and absentmindedly flipped through Ai Hua’s confession. Just then, there was suddenly an uproar in the office next door.

“The suspect’s account has just gone online!” someone shouted.