Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 298 Go early and come back early
Zhou Yi's other concern is that today is April 23rd, and there are less than two weeks left since the grand case in his previous life occurred.

He had considered that his intervention had caused Lu Xiaoshuang's life trajectory to deviate significantly from that of her previous life, and whether this might also affect the occurrence of a major case in this life.

It might happen earlier, it might happen later, or it might not happen at all.

But he dared not gamble on this uncertainty, because it concerned Lu Xiaoshuang's life or death.

He wanted to refuse the business trip to Anyuan at this critical juncture.

But seeing Zhang Xianglan's distraught appearance, and recalling Niu Fengxian's pitiful pleas for him, Zhou Yi's heart softened again.

He silently told himself: Then I'll go and try to finish this quickly!

"Captain Wu, I'll follow your instructions. I want to close this case as soon as possible."

Wu Yongcheng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Kid, don't put so much pressure on yourself. Not all cases can be solved immediately."

Zhou Yi sighed inwardly: Captain Wu, I had no choice either.

Now that the decision had been made, Zhou Yi walked over to Zhang Xianglan and said, "Ms. Zhang, don't worry. Our leader just decided that I need to go to Anyuan to assist in the investigation of your husband's case."

A glimmer of hope immediately flashed in Zhang Xianglan's eyes, and she asked, "Then... can I go with you?"

"I need to complete some paperwork, so it might not be quick."

"It's okay, I can wait."

"Okay, then leave me your contact information and I'll get in touch with you later."

"Okay, okay, thank you, Officer Zhou." Zhang Xianglan bowed to Zhou Yi, then bowed repeatedly to Wu Yongcheng, "Thank you, leader, thank you, leader."

Back at the station, Wu Yongcheng asked Chen Yan to call An Yuan to confirm that Li Youqiang was carrying a gun, as well as to find out about the water and electricity situation at Fu Daqing's house, which Jiang Biao later discovered.

Just as Zhou Yi guessed, Fu Daqing's family used water and electricity in both March and April, with significantly more usage in April than in March, indicating that he spent less time at home in March than in April.

This is basically consistent with Zhou Yi's prediction of his movements.

That would mean that, according to Zhou Yi's speculation, Fu Daqing might not be the murderer who killed Li Youqiang.

The two sides communicated the specific details of the investigation by phone.

The next priorities in Hongcheng are quite clear: first, to track down and capture the fugitive Fu Daqing, focusing on the direction and approach provided by Zhou Yi, and to investigate in remote rural areas, while mobilizing resources from both inside and outside the province to work together on the investigation.

The second is the man named Dajun who has connections with Fu Daqing and Li Youqiang. He is currently the only clue in Hongcheng.

Pan Hongjie said that they have already started a large-scale investigation in Anyuan, starting with hotels and guesthouses, to track down Li Youqiang and Fu Daqing. Later, based on clues provided by Hongcheng, they will investigate people in Anyuan who are engaged in the watermelon wholesale business and watermelon farmers to see if they can find anyone who has had contact with Fu Daqing.

At the same time, a thorough search was conducted outwards from the well where the body was found, with the aim of finding any possible discarded murder weapon.

However, given the current situation, both directions of investigation are extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

Zhou Yi noticed that Wu Yongcheng hadn't mentioned sending him over to Pan Hongjie, probably thinking it would be better to go through higher-ups for such matters.

Before the conference call ended, Pan Hongjie asked a question: "Deputy Chief Wu, I would like to ask you a question."

"You said."

"I've heard you mention the name Zhou Yi several times. I'd like to ask who Zhou Yi is?"

Zhou Yi immediately leaned over the phone and said, "Hello, Captain Pan, this is Zhou Yi, a member of the Third Brigade under Captain Wu."

"Oh, that voice sounds so young. With such good analytical and reasoning skills, I thought you were a veteran detective," Pan Hongjie said in surprise.

“Hey, he’s just a little kid, he just guessed,” Wu Yongcheng said. “I was thinking of sending him to your place to study sometime.”

"No problem, you're welcome! Let's learn from each other."

Pan Hongjie might have just been being polite, but Zhou Yi knew Wu Yongcheng was not. What seemed like a casual remark was actually a prelude.

Captain Wu is really good at this subtle and pervasive approach.

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yongcheng patted Zhou Yi on the shoulder, stood up, and said, "Get ready yourself. I'm going to find Director Xie."

The other three asked in confusion, "Prepare what?"

Zhou Yi innocently spread his hands and said, "Zhang Xianglan insisted on going to Anyuan to retrieve Li Youqiang's body. Captain Wu was afraid that something might go wrong, so he made me do the hard labor and run errands."

That's all he could say. Keep a low profile for now, so things can end better later.

Jiang Biao chuckled and said, "Going on a business trip? Not bad, not bad. I heard the watermelons in Anyuan are delicious. It's a pity it's not summer yet, otherwise you would have to bring two back."

"By the way, Brother Biao, speaking of watermelons, something just came to mind," Zhou Yi said.

"What's the matter?"

"Back when Fu Daqing was doing business, he sourced watermelons from Anyuan. It's impossible that he made that connection out of thin air. We can check his interpersonal relationships from when he was in the fruit business. Following the trail, we might be able to find his social connections in Anyuan. However, it's been a long time, so it will take some effort."

"It's alright, I'll go check it out right away."

Li Youqiang's case is a typical homicide, and since the crime scene was not in Hongcheng, it was impossible to deploy a large number of police officers. The Third Brigade conducted its own investigation and search.

So just following a few clues will take a lot of effort.

After returning from the director's office upstairs, Wu Yongcheng told Zhou Yi that Director Xie had agreed. It just so happened that Li Youqiang had already been listed as a missing person, which coincided with the city's searchlight plan, so it was necessary to follow up and cooperate in the investigation.

He would contact An Yuan and have Wu Yongcheng follow the procedures for handling and assisting in the investigation. "It's my first business trip, so I'll let my family know so they won't worry," Wu Yongcheng said.

"clear."

"You can decide on the timing yourself."

Zhou Yi said without hesitation, "Tomorrow it is. I'll try to go and come back as soon as possible."

Zhou Yi immediately called Zhang Xianglan and told her that they would meet at the train station at nine o'clock the next morning.

The straight-line distance between Hongcheng and Anyuan is more than 500 kilometers, but there is no expressway that connects the two places directly. Taking the expressway involves a considerable detour.

Moreover, Zhang Xianglan is a relative of the deceased, and it is not in accordance with regulations for Zhou Yi to drive her. If any accident occurs on the road, Zhou Yi will be held responsible.

So taking the train is definitely the safest option. However, these days, express trains have just appeared and are not yet widespread. Most trains are still ordinary trains, which are the old-fashioned green trains.

The speed is a little over 100 kilometers per hour, but due to the many intermediate stops, it takes more than seven hours to get from Hongcheng to Anyuan.

On the phone, Zhang Xianglan asked, "Officer Zhou, is there anything I need to bring?"

"Your ID card, household registration book, and your marriage certificate with Li Youqiang will be needed for the application. Also, bring some money with you, as you'll definitely need to stay there that day. I suggest you come back the next day after submitting the report, and wait for the procedures in Anyuan to be completed. If cremation is permitted, you can come back later."

"Shouldn't I... wait over there?"

“Zhang Xianglan, you still have a son. You need to think about your son. He needs his mother the most right now.”

One sentence was enough to break Zhang Xianglan's defenses. She sobbed softly and said, "I understand. I'll listen to you."

On this day, several investigative approaches were being pursued simultaneously, but by evening, there had been no progress.

Wu Yongcheng handed the approved documents to Zhou Yi and told him that he had already communicated with Pan Hongjie and that he would go directly to the Municipal Bureau to find Pan Hongjie after arriving in Anyuan, and he would arrange the follow-up matters.

Then Wu Yongcheng told him to hurry back and pack his things.

"Zhou Yi," Wu Yongcheng called out to Zhou Yi, who was about to turn and leave.

"What's wrong, Captain Wu?"

"be careful."

Zhou Yi nodded and walked away.

Zhou Yi went straight to her parents' house, just in time for dinner.

There were no meat dishes on the table; the only meat dish was chives and eggs.

When Zhang Qiuxia saw her son return, she immediately put down her chopsticks and said she wanted to stir-fry some cured pork for him.

"Mom, no need, the chives and eggs are fine, just give me a bowl of rice."

"It's okay, it'll be quick. You eat first, it'll be ready soon." Zhang Qiuxia said, bringing a bowl and chopsticks and placing them in front of Zhou Yi. Then she went into the kitchen, and soon the sound of spatulas clattering could be heard.

Zhou Jianguo said, "Don't stop your mother. Your grandfather and I have been eating vegetarian food for several days. We're practically monks now. We might as well benefit from your good fortune."

"Dad, is there any news from Uncle San?"

"I was just about to tell you. Your third uncle called this afternoon. The steel coils from that tractor factory have passed the trial application."

"Great! Did Uncle San send over the contract?"

“It arrived the day before yesterday by registered mail, and I’ve already given it to the factory. Your third uncle told me to go and ask them first thing tomorrow morning. If the factory has no problems with the contract, he’ll have them stamp it and send it over as soon as possible.”

Zhou Yi nodded; this matter had finally come to a good conclusion.

"Dad, go and urge the factory manager to confirm the contract tomorrow. If there are any problems, call Uncle San on the spot. You don't understand contract matters, so let him handle it."

"it is good."

"Remember to bring Confucius along."

Zhou Jianguo was stunned: "Why would I bring him along? He can't even read many words."

"Make him wear a rope."

Upon hearing the word "rope," Zhou Jianguo instantly understood. "Okay!"

Soon, a steaming plate of stir-fried sausage was served.

Zhang Qiuxia placed the sausage in front of Zhou Yi and said, "Son, eat quickly."

Zhou Jianguo said, "Son, you were right. It's all over the factory. They say the second batch of layoffs will be announced soon."

Zhou Yi thought about it and realized that the announcement of the second batch of names was later than in the previous life, probably because of his father's commotion.

"So many people came to see me today, they asked me if I could..."

Before Zhou Jianguo could finish speaking, Zhou Yi said decisively, "No!"

He knew what his father was going to say.

"I haven't even said that yet..."

(End of this chapter)