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

Chapter 309 Miss Bao (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Zhou Yi was starting to dislike Anyuan. After a whole day of searching, he had not only come up empty-handed, but he was also soaking wet, especially since his feet were blistered from wearing rain boots all day.

Back at the Anyuan Municipal Public Security Bureau, judging from the expressions of Pan Hongjie and the others, it was clear that they hadn't gained anything.

The only possible clue now is the person Ding Wenyuan mentioned who tricked Fu Daqing back then.

This man ruined Fu Daqing's life, caused his business to fail, led to his divorce, and left him devastated.

Logically speaking, he should be the person most likely to face retaliation from Fu Daqing.

Li Youqiang may have been recruited or hired by Fu Daqing to help Fu Daqing kill and seek revenge; of course, it is also possible that Li Youqiang was acting out of loyalty.

Hopefully, Ding Wenyuan can find out the whereabouts of this swindler as soon as possible, so as to confirm whether Fu Daqing and Li Youqiang's visit to Anyuan is related to this matter.

However, Zhou Yi still felt something was strange, because more than five years had passed. It wasn't that Fu Daqing wouldn't seek revenge; after all, in criminal cases, it's not uncommon for a gentleman to take revenge even after ten years.

But the point of contention is that Fu Daqing has been living in Hongcheng all these years, not in Anyuan.

If the reason for not seeking revenge back then was that the person had run away and couldn't be found, then how could they be found inexplicably more than five years later?

Based on the information gathered from Ding Wenyuan and the people he provided, it is basically confirmed that Fu Daqing had little contact with An Yuan after his business failed.

He no longer associates with these old acquaintances who used to be close to him. Could it be that some other acquaintance is keeping an eye on the person who cheated him for him?

The possibility of this is extremely small.

Pan Hongjie affirmed their investigation progress and told Zhou Yi not to be under too much pressure, to go back and get some rest. He said he had checked the weather forecast for tonight, and it should turn into light rain tomorrow, which would make the investigation easier.

When Zhou Yi returned to the hotel, he first asked the receptionist if the lady in room 306 had checked out. After learning that Zhang Xianglan had not only checked out but also asked for directions to the train station, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This was in the 1990s, when the internet and media information were not yet well-developed.

If this happened twenty years from now, and the body was discovered shortly after the deceased's mother passed away, who knows what kind of uproar the public would cause.

Zhou Yi could only hope that Zhang Xianglan could process her emotions on her own, after all, they had a child together and life had to go on.

Zhou Yi took a hot shower, washed the socks and pants she had changed out of during the day, hung them to dry in the bathroom, and then turned on the TV.

He picked up his mobile phone and checked it. The Third Brigade hadn't called him today, which meant there was no progress.

He had just put down his phone when he saw a shadowy figure moving through the crack in the door below the room, and he immediately looked over alertly.

There was a small card on the ground by the door.

I walked over and picked it up. It had a picture of a beautiful woman in a bikini printed on it, along with some suggestive and seductive words. In the center were three large characters and a mobile phone number. The three characters read: Miss Bao.

"Anyuan's economy is so-so, but its prostitution activities are quite rampant." Zhou Yi smiled helplessly and casually threw the small card into the trash can.

After watching TV for a while and finding there was nothing to watch, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.

He didn't know what time it was, but he suddenly heard a knock on the door, which instantly woke him up.

"Who?" Zhou Yi asked warily.

A sweet, delicate voice replied, "Miss Bao."

Zhou Yi's face darkened instantly. What's wrong? Have those little cards come to life?

I had just gotten up to open the door when I heard the sound of the door opening across the street. A man called out anxiously, "Wrong number! This way, this way!"

Then, a few seconds later, the door slammed shut.

The surroundings returned to calm, but Zhou Yi couldn't sleep, and a surge of anger welled up in his heart.

I hadn't even intended to get involved in this kind of thing, but they actually provoked me. Well then, don't blame me for being impolite.

He immediately picked up the phone and called the police, then decided not to sleep and simply turned on the light to watch the show.

After more than ten minutes, Zhou Yi heard a noise from across the street, so he peered through the peephole at the door.

Two uniformed police officers were standing at the door across the street, shouting for the people inside to open the door.

But the door opposite remained unmoved until two police officers warned the people inside that if they didn't open the door, the hotel would use a spare key to force it open. Only then did the door open.

A portly, disheveled man opened the door, and inside, a curly-haired woman was hurriedly getting dressed.

Then came the standard anti-prostitution procedure: hands behind head, squat down, show ID, ask the two people what their relationship was, question them separately, and then take them away.

When Zhou Yi was a beat cop, he also went to raid prostitution rings with his mentor Zhang Ning. At the time, he felt embarrassed and disgusted to see those naked men and women who didn't have time to put on clothes.

After becoming a criminal investigator, I didn't have many opportunities. Today, I was an observer, and it felt pretty good.

"You disturbed my sleep, now you're getting a ten-day detention bonus!" Zhou Yi said, turning to go back to bed.

But as soon as he turned around, there was a knock on the door.

When Zhou Yi opened the door, he saw a policeman across the street. He was over fifty years old, and his sharp eyes showed that he was very experienced.

"Did you call the police?" the older policeman asked.

"Yes, the woman knocked on the wrong door, so I just called the police." Zhou Yi remembered that the phone in the room had an extension number.

"Oh—" The old policeman looked into the house, seemingly searching for anyone else.

"Put your clothes on and come back with us to make a statement," the old policeman said.

Hey, why are you making things so difficult for me?

Zhou Yi said, "Wait a moment," turned around, took out his ID from his coat pocket, handed it to the other person, and said with a smile, "We're all on the same side. This is my ID. Please take a look."

The older policeman took the document with some skepticism, examining it repeatedly to confirm its authenticity. After a long while, he returned it to Zhou Yi, asking in a friendly manner, "From Hongcheng, on official business?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "Yes, it's related to a case at the Municipal Public Security Bureau."

"Alright, since we're all on the same side, you should get some rest."

"Thank you for your hard work."

The old policeman waved and turned to leave.

Zhou Yi then closed the door.

Just as they were about to close, the old policeman muttered something to himself, which startled Zhou Yi.

"Why are there so many people from Hongcheng today?"

Zhou Yi suddenly flung open the door and asked, "Excuse me, did you run into anyone from Hongcheng today?"

The old policeman turned around and said, "Yes, there was a woman, in her forties, also from Hongcheng."

The woman, in her forties, sounds so much like Zhang Xianglan.

But didn't she already go to the train station to return to Hongcheng?

"One more question, what's this person's name? Is his surname Zhang?"

"Oh, I don't know that. I only heard it from them when I was handing over my shift."

Where is this person now?

"She's being held at our police station. She beat up a street vendor and insists he killed her husband. She doesn't seem quite right in the head. What, do you know her?"

"Killed her husband?" Okay, there's no mistake, it must be Zhang Xianglan.

"I'm sorry, but I probably still have to go to your place with you," Zhou Yi said helplessly.

……

There were only a few police officers on duty at the Xiping Road Police Station in Anyuan City.

The old policeman led Zhou Yi into a room, where Zhou Yi immediately saw Zhang Xianglan lying on a single bed.

"Could you please open the door for me? I need to go in and find out what's going on. There might be a problem here, related to a case that the Municipal Public Security Bureau is investigating," Zhou Yi said politely.

"Okay, you should ask what happened first. If it's really related to a case at the city bureau, have them put in a good word for you." The old policeman's implication was clear.

This was originally a simple dispute, and it wouldn't have been a big problem to let Zhou Yi in. But if it's really related to a case at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, then the matter of the assault is definitely a different story.

Upon hearing the door open, Zhang Xianglan immediately sat up in bed.

Upon seeing that it was Zhou Yi who entered, he was both surprised and delighted, and immediately stood up.

Before Zhou Yi could ask what was going on, Zhang Xianglan immediately said, "Officer Zhou, that vendor is definitely related to my husband's death. The hidden knife my husband took away is in his hands."

"What?" Zhou Yi knew there must be a reason why Zhang Xianglan was here.

But he never expected it to be for this reason.

"Tell me the details of what happened."

Then, Zhang Xianglan recounted what happened after she left the hotel.

As she crossed the overpass, Zhang Xianglan subconsciously turned around to look at the vendor after he shouted something.

Then she spotted something that made her freeze and her scalp tingle.

On the vendor's stall were various antique items, including a knife that she recognized very well.

It was the Tibetan knife that her husband, Li Youqiang, really liked.

Her mind went blank for a moment. She turned around, walked to the stall, squatted down, and picked up the Tibetan knife.

The short shop owner was quite happy a second ago, thinking that a buyer had come, and said proudly, "Big sister, you have a good eye, this is a good product."

The next second, the woman in front of him raised her head and asked him fiercely, "Did you kill my husband?"

The vendor was startled and snatched the knife from Zhang Xianglan's hand, saying, "Get out of here if you're not buying, are you crazy?"

Zhang Xianglan immediately pounced on the other person and started fighting with him, which frightened someone nearby into calling the police.

When the police arrived, the vendor had several scratches on his face, and his goods were scattered all over the ground.

The police then took the two men back. Since the vendor fought back during the incident, the matter was classified as a fight.

The vendor felt utterly wronged, having been beaten for no reason by a crazy woman.

Zhang Xianglan was extremely agitated and spoke incoherently, so they locked both of them up and decided to question them the next day.

After listening, Zhou Yi asked, "Ms. Zhang, are you sure? Could it just look similar?"

Zhang Xianglan said through gritted teeth, "There's absolutely no mistake, I'd recognize that knife even if it were reduced to ashes!"

　Happy May Day everyone! Double rewards on May 1st! Requesting monthly votes, thank you.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)