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

Chapter 397 Anonymous Report
May 6th, Sunday.

On this day in the previous life, the grand case officially began.

In this life, the grand case has been unfolding for a week.

On the surface, the grand case in this lifetime seems to be progressing astonishingly: the victim has been identified, the head has been found, the murder weapon has been located, and the suspect has been identified.

But only Zhou Yi knew that the bizarre development of this case was even more terrifying than in his previous life.

The grand case in my previous life was completely unsolved.

This life has become increasingly unpredictable.

After leaving Wu Yongcheng's house last night, Zhou Yi finally returned home after more than half a month.

After opening the door, Zhou Yi found that there was no musty smell in the room, which was caused by long-term lack of ventilation.

But he immediately realized that it was probably his parents who often came over to air out the house.

He fell asleep immediately and slept until the next morning. He then got up, took a shower, changed his clothes, cooked a bowl of noodles, and prepared to go out.

Anyway, everyone in the Third Brigade except myself is in the large task force, so it doesn't matter whether I go early or late.

Just as I was slurping down my noodles, the door opened.

When Zhou Yi looked up, he saw his father, Zhou Jianguo.

"Oh, you're back." Zhou Jianguo exclaimed in surprise, "When did you get back?"

"last night."

"Oh, why did it take you so long this time?" Zhou Jianguo asked as he entered the house.

"Yeah, lots of things to do," Zhou Yi replied vaguely, then lowered his head to eat his noodles.

Before returning to Hongcheng from Anyuan, he hadn't called his parents to tell them. He had planned to go to Lu Xiaoshuang first, then take her to his parents' house for a meal, and then stay with her peacefully until the Hongda case was over.

Everything happened so suddenly.

After the Hongda case, he naturally had no time or energy to contact his parents anymore; he didn't even go home.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Your mother and grandfather have been living in constant fear." Zhou Jianguo didn't dare to say that a few days ago, Zhang Qiuxia was watching a TV series where a policeman was shot and killed by bad guys. She was reminded of him by the sight of the TV series and secretly hid away to wipe her tears.

“Xiao Shuang hasn’t come over these days either, is she busy?” Zhou Jianguo asked.

"Yes, Xiaoshuang went to the provincial capital."

"You went to the provincial capital? What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand what's going on at school."

"Oh, it's good that the child is alright. When she comes back, why don't you bring her over for dinner? Your uncle sent some homemade cured meat, but your mother didn't want your grandfather and me to eat it, saying she wanted to wait for you and Xiaoshuang to come."

Zhou Yi nodded, having just finished eating his noodles. He wiped his mouth and said, "I know. Tell my mom not to worry. I'll take her back to see you guys after I'm done with this."

It's best not to let the elderly know about this kind of thing, especially if your own mother is a gossipy middle-aged or elderly woman.

Saying that Xiaoshuang went to the provincial capital would also prevent her mother from suddenly deciding to go to the school. If they heard about this, they would be worried to death.

But getting anxious won't help.

The only way to help Lu Xiaoshuang escape her predicament is to find the mastermind behind this two-lifetime affair.

"Dad, I'm going to work," Zhou Yi said, picking up his keys to leave.

“Son,” Zhou Jianguo called out.

"what happened?"

Zhou Jianguo walked over, tilted his head back, and adjusted Zhou Yi's collar: "This collar isn't right. You've been quite busy lately, haven't you? You've even lost weight."

Zhou Yi noticed that his father's eyes were a little moist and that he had white hair, which moved him deeply.

He laughed and said, "I haven't lost weight. The food at work is great. You all need to take care of yourselves. I'm too busy with work to take care of you."

"It's alright, you go ahead," Zhou Jianguo said with a smile.

Zhou Jianguo stood on the corridor of the tenement building and saw Zhou Yi walking hurriedly downstairs.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi, who was walking forward, turned around and looked up at the building, then waved to him.

At that moment, he seemed to see that boy wearing a red scarf from back then, in the same spot, turning around and waving at him.

"My son has really grown up." Zhou Jianguo smiled and waved, but tears of joy streamed down his face.

……

Zhou Yi actually doesn't have much to do now that he's back at the Municipal Bureau.

Although Wu Yongcheng didn't mention the anonymous whistleblower incident, the fact that there was never an investigation targeting him suggests that it wasn't made public.

At this critical juncture, it's certainly better for city leaders to avoid trouble.

Although finding an internship is not a big deal, making a big fuss about it can have negative consequences. The best approach is to let it cool down.

However, everyone, from top to bottom, knew that Zhou Yi hadn't joined the task force, so it was inevitable that people would speculate about the reasons.

After all, Zhou Yi was already a prominent figure in the Municipal Public Security Bureau before this.

So today, Zhou Yi noticed that the way people around him were looking at him was a little strange.

He knew the reason, of course, but he could only pretend to be nonchalant.

Because he hasn't figured out how to solve this problem yet.

To be precise, we couldn't think of a suitable solution.

Sitting in the empty office of the Third Brigade, Zhou Yi couldn't help but feel a little sad, while the sunlight outside the window was just right.

But he thought of the night he was reborn, the first time he walked into the Third Brigade's office in this life.

That night, it rained heavily.

Just like yesterday.

Zhou Yi was feeling down when a head suddenly popped up at the door.

"Team Leader Shi?"

Shi Tao's round head appeared at the doorway.

"So you're the only one here," Shi Tao said with a smile as he walked in. "Yeah, it's just me, nothing much to do. Captain Shi, do you need any help over there?"

"Come on, all my people have been borrowed by the task force, and they're all helping with this case now."

Why didn't you go with Team Leader Shi?

Shi Tao plopped down and said, "Hey, let's take a break. I'm indifferent to fame and fortune, so let them do the credit."

Zhou Yi got up, poured him a glass of water, and smiled.

Only the first three words of Shi Tao's statement are true.

Zhou Yi knew that he was the kind of person who could take credit for others' work without ever taking the initiative. He seemed unreliable on the surface, but in fact, he was very dependable in critical moments.

So it's perfectly normal for him to slack off when everyone else is busy as a bee.

The two idle men started chatting, mainly about the follow-up progress of two cases they had handled together with the second team. It was clear that Shi Tao was quite touched that Zhou Yi had given him the credit for catching Lao Qiang.

As they chatted, Shi Tao asked, "Zhou Yi, have you offended someone?"

Zhou Yi smiled wryly: "I want to know too. Captain Shi, you're a leader and a senior with rich experience, why don't you help me analyze this?"

Shi Tao glanced at the doorway, then leaned closer and whispered, "I think it's because you've been performing too well lately that someone's jealous and is making trouble behind your back."

As he spoke, he glanced upwards.

Zhou Yi knew who he was talking about, and said with a smile, "Team Leader Shi is better, he's not so petty."

"That's right, we're on the same side. Old Wu and I definitely hope you young people do better and better, so that we old guys can slack off. But they're here to gain experience. If you shine too brightly, it will affect their ability to brag to the leaders, don't you think?"

Zhou Yi smiled faintly. This Captain Ni is really not well-liked.

"Team Leader Shi, it shouldn't be the person you're thinking of."

Shi Tao asked in surprise, "Are you sure?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

"Oh...I see..." Shi Tao looked slightly embarrassed.

However, Zhou Yi knew that the other party was doing it for his own good, so he said, "Team Leader Shi, don't worry, this is just a temporary matter and will be resolved soon. I still have a lot to learn from you and Team Leader Wu in the future."

"That's good. Since you know what you're doing, I won't say anything more." Shi Tao stood up and said, "Anyway, if you ever need any help in the future, just ask. With me, Zhou Yi, I'll do anything you ask."

Zhou Yi really wanted to go up and give Shi Tao a hug. True friendship is revealed in times of trouble, and for Shi Tao to say these words at this critical moment was truly a timely help.

But Zhou Yi held back. It was inappropriate for two grown men to be hugging in the office. If people saw them, they would think that he couldn't make it in the Third Brigade and had to cling to the Second Brigade.

After seeing Shi Tao off, Zhou Yi continued to ponder what to do.

I thought about it all day but still couldn't find a solution, so I could only sigh helplessly in the end.

Outside the window, it had already gotten dark.

I did nothing all day, and I wonder how Lu Xiaoshuang is doing in the provincial capital? Someone as smart as her might have already noticed something is wrong.

Zhou Yi sighed softly again, but when she looked up, she found someone had walked in.

"Why are you back?" she exclaimed in surprise.

……

Right now, in the director's office upstairs.

Xie Guoqiang sat in the chair with a dark expression.

On the desk in front of him was a manila envelope with three large, crooked characters written on it: "Letter of Whistleblowing".

The person standing opposite him was Wu Yongcheng.

Wu Yongcheng remained silent. Xie Guoqiang threw the letter of complaint in front of him and said coldly, "This is an anonymous letter of complaint that the supervisory department received this afternoon."

Wu Yongcheng exclaimed in surprise, "An anonymous tip-off? Another one accusing Zhou Yi?"

He then picked up the letter of complaint.

Xie Guoqiang said irritably, "This time I'm reporting you!"

Wu Yongcheng was startled: "What? Report me? Are you kidding me? I'm an upright person. Apart from smoking a bit too much, what stain could I possibly have that could be reported?" As he spoke, he opened the envelope, pulled out a piece of paper, and began to read it with a mixture of doubt and anger.

As he watched, Wu Yongcheng fell silent.

"Thank you... Director Xie..." Wu Yongcheng awkwardly put the envelope and letter back on the table.

Xie Guoqiang asked with a gloomy expression, "Tell me the truth, was Lu Xiaoshuang's internship at the tax bureau arranged by Zhou Yi or by you?"

Wu Yongcheng sighed: "Sigh, I admit, I did ask an acquaintance at the tax bureau for help."

"What exactly is your relationship with this Lu Xiaoshuang?" Xie Guoqiang asked, sizing him up.

"It's alright. Director Xie, please don't listen to the nonsense in this letter. I'm so old, how could I possibly be interested in an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl? I helped her find a job simply because I felt sorry for her. A top student working as a waitress, I just wanted to help her. If you don't believe me, just follow the normal investigation procedures, investigate thoroughly, and clear my name!"

Xie Guoqiang slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Wu Yongcheng, Wu Yongcheng, don't you know what's going on? Investigating your affairs at this critical juncture? Are you trying to embarrass Hongcheng in front of the comrades from the provincial department?"

Wu Yongcheng frowned and said aggrievedly, "How could I have imagined it would turn out like this..."

"Alright, I'll hold off on this whistleblower letter for now, and deal with it after the major case is over. As for you, put your work with the special task force aside for now and take sick leave."

　Let me emphasize again that my stance on Lu Xiaoshuang being a suspect has been made clear through the conversation between Zhou Yi and Captain Wu.

　　I find it strange that someone would use the assumption that I should portray Lu Xiaoshuang as the murderer to deduce logic.

　　The fact is, if there is physical evidence but no alibi, the investigation must be carried out according to regulations; this is an objective fact.

　　"She was incapable of doing it, so she cannot be considered a suspect. Even if there is physical evidence, it must have been planted by the murderer." This is called subjective opinion, although this subjective opinion may be reasonable.

　　To put it bluntly, if the fingerprints on the knife handle today were Xie Guoqiang's instead of Lu Xiaoshuang's, then Xie Guoqiang would be a criminal suspect and would have to be investigated.

　　If the police handle cases based on their subjective opinions, then it's all over; there is no justice in the judicial system.

　　The principle of equality before the law applies not only to the protection of citizens but also to their constraints.

　　Furthermore, the definition of a suspect is "the object of investigation by criminal investigation authorities or a suspected individual initially identified by the leads being investigated."

　　Of course, I've already written it clearly and directly enough. Just like with Lu Xiaoshuang's disappearance but not death, everyone knows that the murderer is framing her. What I need to do next is to rationalize the murderer's purpose and logic.

　　If you can't accept this, let's part ways amicably and wish each other well. That's all.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)