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

Chapter 355 Cat and Mouse
Zhou Yi didn't know how Yang Jian obtained the ledger, or how he discovered the irregularities in it.

But just from the fact that he could directly call Zheng Guangming to extort money, you can tell that this was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

At least it was the result of his careful consideration after he received the ledger.

Zhou Yi couldn't deduce his thought process, because based solely on the restaurant owner and his colleagues, he was a loving husband who went bankrupt trying to treat his wife's illness, ultimately losing both his money and his wife.

But people are complex and contradictory. Being good in one thing does not mean being a good person in another; it is only relative.

For Zheng Guangming, 50,000 yuan was nothing, but what truly made him wary was Yang Jian's last sentence.

He promised not to report the company.

This means that he not only knows what the ledger means, but also knows how to report it.

Then he became a thorn in Zheng Guangming's side, and there was no way to leave him alone.

A person like Zheng Guangming would never tolerate the presence of someone who could threaten or blackmail him at any time.

Even if the ledgers are returned, the fact of tax evasion remains.

"What did you do?" Zhou Yi asked.

"General Manager Zheng called me back and gave me a severe scolding, and then... he asked me to go with him to make a deal with Yang Jian the next day."

"Be more specific. When, where, and where did you meet Yang Jian? And what did you do after the meeting?"

Fan Zhongliang said, "The ledger went missing on January 26th. Mr. Zheng received the phone call in his office on the afternoon of January 27th. At the time, we didn't know it was Yang Jian because the other party didn't say who he was. Then, the time and place of the meeting were set by Yang Jian over the phone. The time was 6 pm on January 28th, and the place was the back mountain of Huangjiapo. Oh, that's only two or three kilometers away from Chicken Farm No. 5."

“On the night of the 28th, Mr. Zheng asked me to drive him to the back mountain of Huangjiapo to get the account books. It was a long night, and it got dark around 5 a.m., even darker and colder in the mountains. I felt then that he might have already decided to kill me.”

"why?"

"Because he had a dark face the whole way and didn't say a word, I didn't dare to ask him a question. After we arrived at the agreed place, Yang Jian finally appeared after about seven or eight minutes."

"How did Yang Jian get here? By motorcycle or bicycle?"

Fan Zhongliang shook his head: "I don't know. He didn't come up from the mountain path; he came out of the forest."

Zhou Yi estimated that Yang Jian must have been lying in ambush in the woods on the mountain beforehand, observing the two for seven or eight minutes before coming out to make sure there was no danger.

"Mr. Zheng didn't know him, but I had seen him before and recognized him immediately. Mr. Zheng didn't say anything, but took out the 50,000 yuan he had prepared and asked him where the account book was. He took the account book out of his clothes and said that it was cash on delivery. Mr. Zheng handed the money to me and told me to go and make the deal with Yang Jian."

"I gave him the money and received the ledger. I checked the ledger, confirmed there were no problems, and told Mr. Zheng that everything was fine. Then Yang Jian counted the money and happily told Mr. Zheng..."

Seeing his hesitation, Zhou Yi asked, "What did Yang Jian say?"

"He said... if he encounters any more trouble in the future, he might have to trouble General Manager Zheng again..."

Zhou Yi was speechless. Was Yang Jian afraid that he wouldn't have a chance to die? How dare he say that? Wasn't this obviously telling Zheng Guangming that he would ask him for money again later?

"And then what happened?"

"Then I opened the car door and got in, and Mr. Zheng also opened the car door. When Yang Jian saw that we were getting in the car, he took the money and turned to walk into the woods. As soon as he turned around, Zheng Guangming suddenly rushed over and stabbed him directly in the back."

"But the knife didn't kill him. Yang Jian screamed and pushed Zheng Guangming away, running into the woods. I was completely stunned. I didn't expect him to actually do it. Then... Zheng Guangming chased after him, tackled him, and stabbed him several more times until Yang Jian stopped moving."

Zhou Yi listened with a furrowed brow the entire time, and asked, "So what were you doing during this process?"

Fan Zhongliang said impatiently, "I... I was sitting in the car, I was so scared."

"You just sit there doing nothing?"

"This... Zheng Guangming didn't say he was going to kill me to cover it up. I wasn't prepared at all. My mind went completely blank."

Zhou Yi scrutinized him and asked, "Do you think I believe you?"

"Officer, I swear, I really didn't lie..."

“A legal oath is useless and cannot be used as evidence. We will send someone to conduct an on-site investigation of the place you mentioned immediately.”

That being said, it happened several months ago, and given the frequent rain in Anyuan, there probably isn't much left at the scene.

But at least it could scare Fan Zhongliang, so he quickly added, "I...I got out of the car and ran over to help Zheng Guangming deal with the body."

"How to deal with it?"

“He…he told me to take a bag out of the trunk. It was a black nylon bag with a waterproof lining. I don’t know what it was originally for. Then he told me to put the body in the bag and put it in the trunk of the car.”

"that's it?"

"Then Zheng Guangming told me to find some soil to cover the bloodstains on the ground, and he went to rest in the car. I worked on it for a long time, and my hands were all cut up," Fan Zhongliang said, glancing at Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi knew that his words were probably exaggerated. It was simple: of the three people at the time, besides him, the other two were dead.

Attributing the crime of killing Yang Jian to the dead Zheng Guangming was the best way for him to reduce his own responsibility.

"Fan Zhongliang," Zhou Yi called out.

Fan Zhongliang felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly had a bad feeling.

"You said that Yang Jian was killed by Zheng Guangming, and you only participated in disposing of the body, is that right?"

Fan Zhongliang nodded vigorously.

"What evidence do you have to prove that Zheng Guangming was indeed the killer, and that you yourself did not participate in the murder of Yang Jian?"

"I……"

"Have it?"

"But I really didn't..."

Zhou Yi coldly repeated, "Is that so?"

Fan Zhongliang said dejectedly, "No...no, it's quite remote there, there's no one else around."

“Fan Zhongliang, you may really not understand the law, so you have been using your petty cleverness to play tricks and try to shift the blame to others in order to reduce your own guilt. Well then, let me give you a lesson in the law today.”

"First of all, you conspired with Zheng Guangming to murder Yang Jian, that's a crime, you admit that, right?"

Just as Fan Zhongliang was about to nod, Zhou Yi said again, "Of course, it's no use denying it. We know exactly what you did at the crematorium on January 29th. You can't deny it even if you want to."

Upon hearing the word "crematorium," Fan Zhongliang's face immediately turned grim.

"Legally, you have committed intentional homicide and acted as an accomplice in a crime. As for your claim that you did nothing, that is a one-sided statement. If you do not have evidence to prove it, the court will generally not accept your statement during the trial. Therefore, the veracity of what you said is questionable."

"In the end, the police investigate cases and the courts make judgments based on more than just your testimony. The car you were driving that day, the murder weapon, the bloodstains and footprints at the crime scene—all of these are relevant evidence. Fan Zhongliang, you need to understand that everything a person does in this world leaves a trace. Do you think you can escape our watchful eyes?"

During the interrogation, Zhou Yi did only one thing: he constantly put psychological pressure on Fan Zhongliang, blocking his attempts to confuse the public and deceive the authorities from all aspects.

It's like a cat teasing a mouse.

"Come on, continue, but I'm reminding you, think before you speak."

Fan Zhongliang felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if the young policeman could see through any wicked thoughts he might have.

He sighed and said, "Officer, please stop talking. I'll confess, I'll confess everything."

Xia Yu glanced at Zhou Yi out of the corner of his eye, feeling a deep sense of admiration.

Several times, he thought Fan Zhongliang had told the truth, but Zhou Yi always managed to expose him, and quite calmly at that.

The case was nearing its end, and he suddenly felt a pang of melancholy, because it meant that he didn't have much time left to learn from Zhou Yi.

When Fan Zhongliang spoke again, he told the whole truth.

He admitted that he also participated in the murder of Yang Jian on the night of January 28th.

He also said that before he went there, Zheng Guangming had clearly told him that no matter who this person was, he could not leave any survivors and had to be silenced tonight.

He had expressed concern, since he was only an accomplice in the tax evasion case and his crime was not that serious.

But Zheng Guangming warned him that the two of them were in the same boat, and that he was the one who lost the ledger. He said that if he didn't take action today, he would kill him too.

So he chickened out, not only because of Zheng Guangming's threat, but also because of all the benefits he had gained by clinging to Zheng Guangming over the years.

So, as Yang Jian was taking money from Zheng Guangming, Zheng Guangming, as planned, strangled Yang Jian from behind with a rope, and then took the opportunity to stab Yang Jian with a dagger.

Zhou Yi asked him what happened to the rope and the dagger, and he said he really didn't know, because Zheng Guangming took the murder weapon.

However, after Zheng Guangming stabbed Yang Jian, Yang Jian did not die at the time, but lost the ability to resist. He fell to the ground crying and said that he dared not do it again and begged them to let him go. He also had a five-year-old daughter at home to take care of.

But Zheng Guangming certainly wouldn't let him go, and forced Fan Zhongliang to use that dagger to stab Yang Jian in the heart, ending his life.

The cause of death for the fourth victim in this case has finally been determined.

However, the case has not yet been fully solved.

(End of this chapter)