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

Chapter 390 Outside the Special Task Force

Lu Xiaoshuang has been identified as a criminal suspect?
Are you kidding me?
This is the most outrageous thing Zhou Yi has ever heard in his past and present lives.

She's clearly a victim, how did she become a suspect? And what case is she a suspect in? A dismemberment case? Are you kidding me?!
Murder, dismemberment, deep-frying, and disposing of a body—could a weak woman accomplish these things?
"Officer Xiang, there must be a mistake. How could Lu Xiaoshuang be a criminal suspect?" Zhou Yi tried to get some information out of Xiang Jie, the officer in charge of the brigade. It seemed that he had some connection with Captain Wu, otherwise he wouldn't have given him this information.

Unexpectedly, Xiang Jie said in a businesslike manner, "I cannot disclose any information about the case to you. If you want to know, you can apply through the normal procedures. From now on, Lu Xiaoshuang will be under our care."

Zhou Yi then noticed that there were two policemen, a man and a woman, standing not far away, who should be the people Xiang Jie brought.

Xiang Jie gestured for him to go back: "Comrade Zhou Yi, you can go back now. Thank you for your hard work."

Zhou Yi knew that saying more would be pointless.

Putting aside the fact that Xiang Jie came from the Provincial Criminal Investigation Corps, even if he wasn't Zhou Yi's superior, he was still a direct subordinate of Zhou Yi, and Zhou Yi had no reason to disobey orders.

Furthermore, he stated that he was a member of the special task force. The fact that a special task force could be established indicates that the deceased's identity has been confirmed, and it is highly likely that it was Xu Liu.

The reason the provincial department set up the special task force was exactly the same as in the previous life: a heinous dismemberment case, plus the fact that the victim was a student at Hongda University.

He had spoken with Wu Yongcheng and Qiao Jiali by phone the day before yesterday. Neither of them mentioned the special task force. He had asked, but the identity of the deceased had not yet been confirmed.

In other words, all the changes should have happened yesterday.

The deceased's identity was confirmed yesterday, and a special task force was immediately established.

Then, for some reason, Lu Xiaoshuang was identified as the suspect in the murder of Xu Liu.

According to relevant laws, members of the task force are not allowed to disclose information to the public and must keep case information strictly confidential.

Therefore, Zhou Yi knew that he could only cooperate with the work.

"Officer Xiang, may I take some of my personal belongings?" Although he wasn't a member of the task force, he was still a police officer, so he figured the other party wouldn't make things too difficult for him.

After all, it was just a normal handover process following procedures, and I didn't make any mistakes.

Moreover, Zhou Yi guessed that Xiang Jie was probably unaware of his relationship with Lu Xiaoshuang, unless Wu Yongcheng brought it up himself, but Zhou Yi thought it was impossible for Captain Wu to do so.

As for why he wasn't on the task force, Zhou Yi guessed it might be related to his seniority.

In his previous life, Zhou Yi had also participated in the work of special task forces for some cases, and experience was indeed one of the important reference factors when selecting people for special task forces.

I've only been transferred to the municipal bureau for less than two months. In terms of seniority, education, and background, I'm not outstanding. It's reasonable that I wasn't on the list when the provincial department reviewed my application.

Although several major cases have been solved before, solving cases is a collective achievement, not an individual show. Besides, the first-class merits for Long Zhiqiang and Chen Yan have not yet been awarded.

Xiang Jie did not make things difficult for Zhou Yi and nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yi thanked him and quickly went into the ward.

He quickly calmed Lu Xiaoshuang down, telling her that he had other work to do and would entrust her to the police in the provincial capital for care.

Lu Xiaoshuang was very weak and wanted to speak, but the doctor told her not to open her mouth yet, saying that she had edema in her throat that had not subsided and she could not make a sound.

Zhou Yi knew he couldn't say much, so he patted her hand to comfort her, saying, "Trust me, no matter what happens, you have to trust me!"

Lu Xiaoshuang, lying on the hospital bed, nodded gently.

About two or three minutes later, Xiang Jie and two other police officers walked in.

Zhou Yi nodded to them and walked out.

He dared not turn around, for fear of meeting Lu Xiaoshuang's gaze.

Xiang Jie's next move was predictable: he would have the hospital arrange a separate ward for Lu Xiaoshuang and then send people to watch over her 24 hours a day.

Once the doctor says that she has recovered enough to be discharged, they will arrange a special car to escort Lu Xiaoshuang back to Hongcheng for interrogation by the special task force.

Zhou Yi's only uncertainty was whether they would handcuff Lu Xiaoshuang during her detention.

In theory, this is a necessary measure for criminal suspects. The police must protect the human rights of suspects while ensuring that they do not escape or engage in self-harm.

During this process, neither he nor the suspect's family members will be able to meet with Lu Xiaoshuang again.

Poor Lu Xiaoshuang, she almost lost her life in the abandoned mine, barely survived, and then inexplicably became a suspect.

Is it possible that she was destined to face this calamity, whether in her previous life or this one?

Zhou Yi did not leave the hospital immediately, but quietly went to find the attending physician to learn about Lu Xiaoshuang's current physical condition.

The attending physician remembered Zhou Yi, since he was arranged by Wu Yongcheng's former comrade-in-arms, and told Zhou Yi that the patient's condition was improving, but a full recovery would still take some time.

This finally put Zhou Yi's mind at ease; as long as one is alive, there is always hope.

He believes that Lu Xiaoshuang being treated as a criminal suspect was definitely due to some misleading information during the investigation.

For example, if Xu Liu and Lu Xiaoshuang had a previous conflict, and Xu Liu allegedly damaged Lu Xiaoshuang's sweater, then by deduction, Lu Xiaoshuang would have had the criminal motive and instigation to kill Xu Liu.

Another point is that the student ID appeared on Lu Xiaoshuang, which led the investigation to focus on her. "Hmm, it's definitely just a temporary suspicion of Xiaoshuang," Zhou Yi nodded, muttering to himself.

He left the inpatient building, but instead of leaving the hospital directly, he found a secluded corner and called Wu Yongcheng.

"Beep beep beep..." After a long wait, a click suddenly came from the phone.

Zhou Yi assumed the other side had answered and instinctively called out, "Captain Wu..."

But immediately a busy signal came through the phone.

Did Wu Yongcheng hang up his phone?
What's the situation?
He immediately became nervous and called Qiao Jiali, Jiang Biao, and Chen Yan one by one, but no one answered the phone.

Are they in a meeting? Or carrying out an investigation?
Zhou Yi waited for about ten minutes, then nervously dialed the number for the Third Brigade's office.

This time, the phone was answered in less than three rings.

"Hello, this is the Third Brigade." It was Chen Yan's voice on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Yi called out in a deep voice, "Brother Yan, it's me. What's going on?"

The call ended in less than a minute.

Chen Yan's three short sentences made Zhou Yi realize that the situation had reached a level of seriousness that exceeded his expectations.

Chen Yan's three sentences are:

"The deceased has been confirmed as Xu Liu."

"All the clues and evidence discovered so far point to Lu Xiaoshuang as the suspect."

"Except for you, everyone else from the Third Brigade has joined the task force."

The last thing he said before hanging up was, "Master wants you to come back first."

Zhou Yi's hand holding the phone fell limply to his side. What on earth was going on with this massive case? Why was it so different from his previous life?

Go back! Go back to Hongcheng! Find Wu Yongcheng in person and ask him what exactly happened.

It wasn't surprising that Xu Liu was the deceased; he had guessed this possibility from the moment Lu Xiaoshuang was discovered.

Are there clues and evidence pointing to Lu Xiaoshuang? What kind of evidence? Witness testimony or physical evidence?

The last question is, why was I the only one from the Third Brigade excluded from the task force?
Was your name not even on the list when the task force was being drafted, or were you kicked out?
Zhou Yi rushed out of the hospital with his bag on his back, just as he was about to hail a taxi to go to the train station.

He suddenly remembered the first case analysis meeting that day, when Xie Guoqiang asked him in front of everyone if he had a close relationship with Lu Xiaoshuang.

Could it be Director Xie?

Based on the situation of the special task force in the previous life, the main investigators of the task force were still from the Criminal Investigation Detachment of Hongcheng City Bureau, and several core members were seconded from the Provincial Department to provide support. Xiang Jie mentioned earlier was one of them.

So even if Xie Guoqiang didn't decide on the personnel list from the Hongcheng City Bureau, he at least reviewed it.

That's possible. Xie Guoqiang didn't want him to participate in the investigation because he thought his close relationship with Lu Xiaoshuang was too much of a problem.

Should we ask Xie Guoqiang for an explanation?
He didn't know what kind of person the other person was. On the surface, the other person seemed to be a kind and approachable person, but Zhou Yi knew that people who could reach this level would not reveal their true personality.

Moreover, there's the July 27 shooting incident, in which Xie Guoqiang was a key participant.

Zhou Yi felt a little guilty. If Xie Guoqiang really didn't want him to participate in the task force, then no matter what his reasons were, it would be useless for him to explain to him.

Those in high positions cannot be easily persuaded to change their thoughts and stances with just a few words.

He needs to find a way to circumvent the issue from the sidelines and resolve it through other channels and methods.

Because not being able to join the task force meant that everything was meaningless, and he could only watch helplessly as Lu Xiaoshuang was imprisoned, unable to help her.

No one was more certain than him that Lu Xiaoshuang could not be the murderer.

Putting everything else aside, just based on the fact that she was the victim of a major case in her previous life, it's absolutely impossible!

But how can I solve the problem of joining the task force?

Standing on the street outside the hospital, looking at the bustling streets of the provincial capital, Zhou Yi suddenly felt so insignificant.

Even if he were reborn, he would only have the memories of one more lifetime; he would not have any ability to turn the tide.

I need to leverage this opportunity! I need someone to lend a hand and get me back on track.

Suddenly, he thought of someone.

He immediately picked up his phone and dialed the person's number.

　Don't take Zhou Yi's perspective, knowing Lu Xiaoshuang is definitely innocent, and criticize the task force for being idiotic by saying how a woman could possibly have the physical strength to do such a thing. Of course, if you insist on thinking that way, there's nothing I can do about it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)