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

Chapter 436 Xiao Bing's Autopsy Results (10,000 words per day, 15 days)
When Chen Gengyun went upstairs, he saw Zhou Yi.

He greeted Zhou Yi with a smile and shook hands, saying, "Comrade Zhou Yi, thank you for your hard work."

Liang Wei and Ni Jianrong walked out of the office. Liang Wei's eyes had returned to their usual indifference, completely unlike the coldness he had shown on the phone earlier.

Zhou Yi then realized that the kind demeanor of this expert from the provincial department's general team, who was in charge of major cases, was just a facade.

Conceal your sharpness in your sheath.

"Dean Chen, thank you for your hard work. It's really kind of you to make this trip in person." Liang Wei stepped forward and shook hands with the other party warmly.

"Of course, of course, I'll cooperate with your work without hesitation." Chen Gengyun looked around and asked, "Where's Vice Principal Liu? Is it over?"

"It's over, I just left," Liang Wei said with a smile. "We had a very pleasant chat."

"Vice Principal Liu is setting an example for all teachers and students, so I can't fall behind. I will definitely speak my mind without reservation."

Looking at Chen Gengyun's smiling face, Zhou Yi suddenly realized that this was not just a disguise.

The fact that the task force expanded the scope of its investigation was tantamount to confirming to Chen Gengyun that Fan Tianyou had successfully evaded the task force's investigation.

Otherwise, there would be no need to expand the scope.

That's why he acts so understanding.

Fan Tianyou did indeed pass the special task force's test, but he couldn't pass Zhou Yi's test.

Old man, you won't be laughing for long.

Moreover, Chen Gengyun's reaction was very beneficial to Zhou Yi.

Because he had recently provoked Fan Tianyou, if Fan Tianyou had immediately approached Chen Gengyun to discuss the matter and devise a solution, Chen Gengyun would not be acting so courteously now.

Before Fan Tianyou could even speak, Captain Wu might have already made a discovery.

"Thank you for your hard work, Dean Chen. Please come in." Liang Wei gestured for him to enter.

Ni Jianrong led Chen Gengyun into the office.

Liang Wei suddenly handed Zhou Yi a piece of paper, then went into the house and closed the door.

Zhou Yi looked down, opened the slip of paper in his hand, and saw that it was an approval note with Liang Wei's signature, allowing him to access the school leaders' files.

Zhou Yi was overjoyed. It seemed that Captain Liang was entrusting him with the investigation of the clues about Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun.

He quickly called Chen Yan to the internal affairs group, found Director Wang, and handed him the note Liang Wei had given him.

Upon seeing the approval slip, Director Wang took out his key and opened a safe, which contained documents that had been moved from the school the previous night.

Who are you looking for?

Zhou Yi replied: "Liu Baoguo, Chen Gengyun."

Director Wang bent down and began rummaging through the safe, saying as he searched, "These are all leaders, at least deputy division chief level. You can only look at them here, you can't take them away, and you can't make copies."

Director Wang handed two file folders to Zhou Yi and said, "It's not that I'm not allowing it, it's the school's requirement. They said the school leaders' information is confidential, and if it's leaked, we'll be held responsible."

Chen Yan asked, puzzled, "Our public security organs are handling cases according to the law, yet we are still subject to their constraints?"

Director Wang patted Chen Yan on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Little Chen, I've never heard of a higher-ranking official being able to crush you."

"Thank you, Director Wang." Zhou Yi immediately opened the two file folders.

Just then, the phone in Zhou Yi's pocket rang. He picked it up and saw that it was An Yuan calling.

He handed the documents to Chen Yan and told him to look at them first, because Director Wang had said that the documents could not leave this office.

So he went outside to answer the phone.

"Officer Zhou, this is Xia Yu," Xia Yu said on the other end of the phone.

"Officer Xia, is there any news?"

“Yes, we contacted Feng Qiang, and he admitted that he is Xu Liu’s cousin. He said that when Xu Liu was admitted to university, he asked his mother to give her 300 yuan. The siblings have a good relationship, but he said that since he went out to work, they can only see each other during holidays.”

That's right!

"When was the last time Feng Qiang contacted Xu Liu?" Zhou Yi asked hurriedly.

“Feng Qiang couldn’t remember the exact time, but he remembered it was at the end of March. At that time, he was still driving for Zheng Guangming in Anyuan. He called the cell phone that the company had provided for him.”

What did Xu Liu say on the phone?

"It seems she's going abroad to study in the second half of the year, and that it's arranged by the school."

Are you planning to study abroad in the second half of the year? Or is it arranged by the school?
Xia Yu asked, "I wonder if this information will be useful to you?"

"Of course, it's crucial. Thank you for your hard work, Officer Xia."

Hearing that he could help Zhou Yi, Xia Yu was genuinely happy. "If there's anything else you need our help with, just let me know anytime."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi's mind raced, trying to figure out the cause and effect of the message.

First of all, the information is unlikely to be false, because according to Feng Qiang, he should be the only relative Xu Liu is willing to talk to and share her feelings with.

The fact that Xu Liu specifically called him about this shows that she needed a place to vent her emotions.

In other words, she must have just received confirmation recently.

She also said it was arranged by the school, which meant it was a government-funded study abroad program.

The second half of the year probably refers to the second year of university.

To be able to get a government-funded overseas study opportunity in your sophomore year? That must be an exceptionally outstanding student.

But Xu Liu's grades in all subjects were just average.

Moreover, after so many investigations, if Xu Liu had really been selected by the school to study abroad next year, the task force should have known long ago.

But there is absolutely no information on that.

This indicates that studying abroad was not a public matter.

Since it's not public, but Xu Liu is eager to share it with her cousin, it means that someone has made a promise to her to send her to study abroad, and that the person who made the promise has the power to make such a statement that Xu Liu can completely believe.

The school's cleaning staff said they could send her abroad on a government scholarship; no one would believe that.

The first person Zhou Yi thought of was Liu Baoguo, who had just been throwing a tantrum.

He is the vice principal, and if his responsibilities happen to cover this area, then he is undoubtedly the prime suspect.

And with that phone call, could Xu Liu's sugar daddy really be him?
But his outburst of rage just now was really out of character for someone of his level.

He wanted to cover it up by saying that he dialed the wrong number and only realized it after calling.

Moreover, Zhou Yi also remembered someone: Fan Tianyou.

Fan Tianyou is a child from a mountain village, so it's definitely impossible for him to study abroad at his own expense.

In the 1990s, studying abroad at one's own expense was incredibly expensive; ordinary people couldn't afford it even if they sold everything they owned. Only families like Qian Hongxing's could afford it.

Therefore, the only option left for him should be to go abroad at public expense.

Was that also arranged by Liu Baoguo?

But Fan Tianyou and Liu Baoguo didn't seem to have any connection.

Zhou Yi returned to his office and told Chen Yan about the clue, also asking about the process for going abroad from university.

After all, the provincial police academy he attended did not have such an arrangement.

“Government-sponsored study abroad, especially to police academies, is very rare. Not only does your school not offer this, but even police universities don't have many, because of the special nature of the majors,” Chen Yan said.

Zhou Yi nodded. Indeed, after all, graduates of police academies are supposed to work in the police system, so there's no need to go abroad. Besides, they might even be recruited by foreign forces to become spies.

Zhou Yi remembered seeing a news story in his previous life about a scholar who went abroad to study but was later recruited by external forces to become a spy. After returning to China, he provided intelligence to hostile forces, which ultimately led to the leakage of many of my country's confidential research materials.

“Universities in general should have more international exchanges,” Chen Yan said.

International exchange?

"Yes, it's also called an exchange student program. It's a program where students are exchanged with universities abroad. This is the most common type, and it usually lasts from six months to a year, with a maximum of two years. Although exchange students can get free tuition, they still have to pay for their own visas, passports, round-trip airfare, accommodation, and living expenses. It's not a program that just anyone can attend."

Chen Yan added, "If it's a government-sponsored study abroad program approved by the state, there will be regular subsidies, which can roughly cover basic accommodation, transportation, and living costs. However, the cost of living abroad is too high, so it can still be a considerable burden."

Only a top student like Chen Yan could understand this kind of question.

Zhou Yi asked, "Who usually manages government-sponsored overseas study programs?"

"The final review is conducted by the China Scholarship Council. At the school level, it is generally handled by the department responsible for student management. The deans of each college have the authority to apply for undergraduate or graduate student quotas for their respective colleges."

"Dean?" Zhou Yi immediately thought of Chen Gengyun. "Does the dean have the authority to apply for positions across colleges?"

"Probably not."

"Brother Yan, give me Liu Baoguo's information."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan handed over the documents he had already taken out of the file folder.

Currently, we only have household registration information and resume data; there are no investigation records yet, because Liang Wei's side has only just begun.

The household registration information was simple, but the resume information was very complicated, a thick stack. Zhou Yi flipped through it and found that it was basically about academic achievements, projects he had led or participated in, and papers he had published in academic journals on various topics.

It doesn't seem to make much sense. Perhaps these things are classified at the school, but they might not be important to the task force.

What Zhou Yi wanted to see were the professional resumes of these two people, hoping to find some clues.

Sure enough, student management was within Liu Baoguo's purview, which explains why the school assigned him to liaise with the special task force.

Soon, Zhou Yi found something in the documents: a group called "Hongda International Academic Exchange Research Association," with Liu Baoguo as its president.

It sounds like something very abstract.

Zhou Yi flipped through the academic achievements and indeed found the information about this research association.

This was a project spearheaded by Liu Baoguo, which started in 1994. Anyway, a lot of themes and objectives were written, but Zhou Yi grasped a few key words: improve the level of international academic development and vigorously cultivate diversified international compound talents.

He asked Chen Yan to take a look and see if this research association had any potential for government-sponsored overseas study.

After carefully reading through it, Chen Yanzai nodded and said, "Although this research association is called a research association, it is actually a long-term academic research project. You see, it says here that the first phase of research is five years. Academic research projects will have special funds, and they do have the authority to conduct overseas study based on the project's research outline."

“Wait, I think I’ve seen this project before.” Chen Yan said, flipping through Chen Gengyun’s files in his hand, and then pointing to a page, “Look, this project is also in Chen Gengyun’s files.”

Zhou Yi leaned closer to take a look, and sure enough!

Chen Gengyun's academic resume also has a similar entry, with almost identical content.

The only difference is that Liu Baoguo's position is listed as president, while Chen Gengyun's position is vice president.

Looks like this is it!
This project could be used to send Xu Liu abroad.

Moreover, there are not just one, but two people with this ability.

Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun were among them.

On the surface, Liu Baoguo is definitely more suspicious, but Zhou Yi suspects Chen Gengyun more.

Because he protected Fan Tianyou, he might even be the murderer.

Although the connection between Fan Tianyou and Lu Xiaoshuang is rather subtle, there are still clues to be found by reverse deduction.

The fact that Lu Xiaoshuang could seek his advice after class shows that, subconsciously, she was not wary of Fan Tianyou and had a certain degree of trust in him.

The book Zheng Jianxin borrowed was supposedly an award given by Fan Tianyou to the first-place winner, but theoretically, as a teacher, he should have known who could get first place. This was probably just a way for him to get closer to Lu Xiaoshuang.

Zheng Jianxin's stalking of Lu Xiaoshuang was exposed, probably because Fan Tianyou was the one unaware of the trap; only the person stalking could immediately recognize who was following.

However, no connection can be found between Fan Tianyou and Xu Liu, and even reverse deduction cannot be performed.

If Fan Tianyou was the one keeping Xu Liu as a mistress, then Lu Xiaoshuang wouldn't have a chance.

Because Lu Xiaoshuang never had any emotional entanglement with these two people.

But Chen Gengyun is different. Xu Liu's biggest obsession is to go abroad, and Chen Gengyun has the ability to send her there.

Having suffered a loss in Zhang Wenhua's affair, Xu Liu will certainly become more cautious when choosing her next financial backer.

Fan Tianyou is certainly not bad; a thirty-something associate professor is already a dragon among men, but in the end, he can't compare to Chen Gengyun.

For Xu Liu, she might not be able to wait, nor is she willing to wait.

Even if Fan Tianyou could afford to send her abroad, she wouldn't make the same mistake again. A man's continued financial support would keep her in a perpetually passive position. Besides, once abroad, without her physical attraction, her sugar daddy could cut off the money at any time, which would put her in real trouble.

Therefore, the best way is to use public funds; only that official document can protect her.

Moreover, the fact that she was able to go abroad means that the financial backer must have engaged in illegal activities. In that case, the two of them are in the same boat, and she is not afraid of being abandoned or betrayed.

Xu Liu was indeed a former top student; her plan was brilliant.

From the time she was first tricked by Zhang Wenhua last August and fell into the abyss to her murder, only a little over eight months had passed.

She is growing at an astonishing pace. After experiencing repeated hurt, she is constantly learning the dark rules of the game in society and using her body to maximize her benefits.

Therefore, only people like Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun, who have resources and authority in their hands and cherish their reputation, can meet her requirements.

In most cases, she was too clever for her own good and died because of her own cleverness.

Zhou Yi remembered the flyer and wondered what had happened before April 12th that caused Chen Gengyun to develop murderous intent towards Xu Liu.

Could this matter be related to Lu Xiaoshuang? Or rather... related to myself?

Because on April 13th, he came to Hongda to find Lu Xiaoshuang and went to the orphanage.

On this very day, Xu Liu suddenly showed hostility towards Lu Xiaoshuang, even cutting up her sweater, which led to the outbreak of conflict.

Could this change be the reason why the cases in the two lifetimes are different?
I'll have to find Liang Wei again and ask him how the alibis of Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun are going.

"Director Wang, can we make copies of these two photos?" Zhou Yi asked.

Director Wang, who was engrossed in his work, looked up and said, "Yes, the photos have been developed. You can take them yourselves."

Besides Jiang Biao, he also needed to have Lu Xiaoshuang and Mo Youyou identify whether Chen Gengyun or Liu Baoguo had ever appeared in their field of vision.

Zhou Yi reads the documents very quickly. Even though he had just answered a phone call, Chen Yan hadn't finished reading them yet, but Zhou Yi had already finished reading them all.

Chen Yan looked at him in surprise and asked, "So fast?"

Zhou Yi smiled. He had been reviewing case files for eight whole years, so how could he not be fast?

Another important discovery in Liu Baoguo's materials may confirm Zhou Yi's previous speculation.

When Liu Baoguo was transferred to Hongda in 1981, he served as the deputy director of the Academic Affairs Office. He was promoted to director in 1983.

In 1988, he was temporarily assigned to work at the Graduate School.

In other words, when Dong Lu got into trouble, he was connected to both Chen Gengyun and Liu Baoguo. In terms of professional teaching, he was under the jurisdiction of the School of Sociology, and in terms of administration, he was under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School.

Then, in 1990, Liu Baoguo was promoted to vice principal.

Zhou Yi had Chen Yan examine it carefully, and Chen Yan analyzed several pieces of information from it.

First, in most universities, the graduate school is not actually a physical entity, but rather a department responsible for the administrative and student registration management of all graduate students. However, a research department like the School of Social Sciences is a real, established department.

Second, temporary appointments are usually made when the original person in charge has retired, retired due to illness, or been imprisoned, and a suitable replacement cannot be found temporarily, so a suitable person is temporarily appointed to take over the position.

Third, the fact that he served concurrently in 1988 and was promoted to vice principal in 1990 indicates that the organization intentionally promoted him, and that his previous concurrent positions were just to build up his resume and qualifications, serving as a transition.

Therefore, if the matter of Dong Lu's burns were to become public, it would actually have a greater impact on Liu Baoguo.

Because it just so happened that he was placed within the probationary period before being promoted.

For him, the natural thing was to minimize the problem and resolve it altogether.

Zhou Yi clearly remembered that when she and Liang Wei went to Liu Baoguo's office, Liu Baoguo patted Chen Gengyun on the shoulder as he stood up, and then Chen Gengyun took out a responsibility confirmation letter signed by Dong Lu and a withdrawal application from his pocket. The implication of this action and words was obvious: Chen Gengyun was to handle it himself.

For some reason, Zhou Yi suddenly thought of Fan Tianyou.

Dong Lu was burned by arson, which constitutes murder.

Arsonists and murderers who dismember bodies are both individuals with extreme violent tendencies and serious psychological pathologies.

So it's very likely that it was done by the same person.

However, Fan Tianyou's records state that he went abroad to study in August 1989, while Dong Lu's incident occurred in November 1989, a difference of several months, which is theoretically impossible.

But as the case has progressed, Zhou Yi no longer believes in these superficial things.

Before a nationwide data network was established, data could be easily tampered with as long as one had the necessary permissions.

He wanted to seek justice for Xiao Bing and also to reveal the truth to Dong Lu!
Overall, there seems to be no problem with Chen Gengyun's information.

Chen Yan said that according to Chen Gengyun's resume, he should step down as dean in two years, because after his term, he will only have two years left before retirement. The term of office for university deans is generally four to five years, and unless specially approved, deans who are close to retirement will not hold substantive positions.

Chen Gengyun was a native of Hongcheng. He was a college student in the 1960s and had a daughter with his wife, Chen Lin. She attended Hongda University, majoring in social psychology, which was the same college her father, Chen Gengyun, was in.

This is not surprising. What Zhou Yi is curious about is how Fan Tianyou from the School of Accounting managed to get together with Chen Lin from the School of Sociology.
Moreover, how did the daughter of a hospital director fall for a poor boy from the mountains?

In terms of academic knowledge? With a dean as his father, Chen Lin, why would he be surprised by other people's academic knowledge?

As for appearance? Fan Tianyou is not particularly handsome, but he has a very intellectual air about him.

This needs to be investigated, and the cause of Chen Lin's death is still unclear.

In addition, Zhou Yi found a ambiguity in Chen Gengyun's resume: the records for 1963 and 1964 are blank.

While it's normal for some information to be missing due to its age, much of the information in the document was handwritten. Even if it wasn't written by Chen Gengyun himself, it was copied from what he said. Didn't Chen Gengyun himself say that?

Moreover, both Fan Tianyou and Chen Lin were born in 1964.

Zhou Yi asked Director Wang for help, requesting him to retrieve the academic records of Fan Tianyou and Chen Lin from their undergraduate studies.

This was outside the scope of the school leadership, so Director Wang immediately arranged for someone to look for it.

After returning Liu and Chen's information to Director Wang, he and Chen Yan walked out of the internal affairs group's office with the copied photos. The office door upstairs was still closed, indicating that Liang Wei had not finished asking questions.

"Should I give the photos to Brother Biao first?" Chen Yan asked.

Zhou Yi nodded: "There are two more things, Brother Yan, I'll have to trouble you to take care of them."

"You said."

"Go to the traffic police brigade and check if Chen Gengyun or Fan Tianyou have any records of paying tickets. If they find a car, immediately find Section Chief Qiu to verify the tire tracks that Team Leader Shi found in Xinbei Town." Not having a car in one's name doesn't mean one doesn't use a car regularly. It could be a borrowed car from a friend or a company car. If someone is stopped and receives a ticket, the driver's information is usually recorded.

"it is good."

"Then we'll go to the housing administration bureau to check if Chen Gengyun and Fan Tianyou own any other properties." Although both of them live in dormitories provided by the school, it doesn't mean they don't own any houses.

Dormitories are not equipped with the facilities to dismember or cook corpses, so there's no need to search them.

However, if the two individuals own other properties, then it is highly likely that these properties were the primary crime scene for the murder and dismemberment!

"I'll go right away."

Chen Yan didn't hesitate at all when Zhou Yi spoke. He wasn't stupid; he knew that Zhou Yi suspected Fan Tianyou and Chen Gengyun were the murderers, although this time Zhou Yi didn't elaborate on his suspicions and analysis.

However, he went to his master, and his master clearly agreed with Zhou Yi's judgment.

That's enough. Especially since his master believes it, he doesn't need to know the details or reasons. He can just do as instructed.

His only question was why Zhou Yi hadn't reported this to the task force.

No sooner had Chen Yan left than Zhou Yi was already busy.

He immediately went to find Qiu Zhiyong, took out his police ID card (which he hadn't touched since) from his pocket, and asked him to extract his fingerprints.

Qiu Zhiyong asked, "Whose fingerprints are we trying to confirm?"
Zhou Yi replied, "The murderer's."

Qiu Zhiyong was stunned for a moment, then began the extraction without saying a word.

Two sets of fingerprints were quickly extracted. Zhou Yi verified them on the spot, eliminating his own fingerprints and leaving Fan Tianyou's.

Zhou Yi told Qiu Zhiyong to keep these fingerprints safe, as they might come in handy later.

Then he asked another question about the quarter footprint: if the murderer lost or destroyed the shoes he was wearing at the time, could the footprints from the murderer's other shoes be matched?

Qiu Zhiyong shook his head helplessly and said, "No, at most we can only confirm that the footprint size matches. If the shoe sole pattern doesn't match, the accuracy is not enough. Moreover, there are other key technical evidences for confirming footprints, such as bloodstains and soil analysis. It's not enough to just compare the size."

After hearing this, Zhou Yi knew that the footprint clue was essentially useless. After so long, Fan Tianyou must have disposed of the shoes he wore that day long ago.

If he had been careful enough, he would have even thrown away or burned the clothes he wore that day.

Then Zhou Yi asked about the cigarette butt. Qiu Zhiyong said that the cigarette butt was sent back to the bureau for technical processing immediately after the meeting because the task force did not have enough equipment. Today, a special person would be sent to the provincial department for DNA testing.

Qiu Zhiyong said with a mix of emotion and envy, "If only Hongcheng had its own DNA lab."

"Don't worry, Section Chief Qiu, it will be available."

"Hopefully."

"Oh, by the way, we've found out the brand of the cigarette butt."

Zhou Yi hurriedly asked, "What brand is it?"

"panda."

Zhou Yi was startled: "Special supply cigarettes?"

Qiu Zhiyong nodded.

Before Hong Kong's return to China in 1997, Panda cigarettes were exclusively supplied to the market. After 1997, special commemorative editions became available. Later, the special supply system was abolished, and some special supply cigarette brands began to be sold on the market.

This piece of evidence really excludes ordinary people; its implications are far too obvious.

How could Fan Tianyou and Chen Gengyun have revealed such a big flaw?

After thanking Qiu Zhiyong, Zhou Yi went to see Mo Youyou again.

Show Mo Youyou two photos and ask her to identify whether she had seen these two people in the vicinity between February 14th and the time of the incident.

Mo Youyou looked at it again and again, but still shook her head and said she had never seen it before.

The principal might recognize the first-year female student, but he most likely wouldn't recognize the vice-principal or the dean of another college.

"Wait a minute." Mo Youyou suddenly pointed to Chen Gengyun's photo and said, "I think I've seen this person before."

"Where?" Zhou Yi asked hurriedly, "Is it near Xu Liu?"

Mo Youyou shook her head. "No... Xu Liu had already taken leave at that time."

"You took leave? So it's something that happens after the 28th?"

"Yeah, it was the second day after Xu Liu took leave, the 29th, around 8 p.m. I was craving roasted pig's trotters, so I sneaked out of the back gate of the school by myself. When I was walking back after buying them, I saw a car stop across the street, and an old man wearing a hat was standing on the side of the road."

"Wearing a hat? What kind of hat?"

"No... I don't know. The streetlights on the road near the back gate are the dimmest, so I can't see clearly. Anyway, it's just a very common baseball cap."

Zhou Yi asked, "Then how did you know it was an old man?"

Wearing a hat, in poor lighting, and with the street in between, it would theoretically be difficult to tell if he was an old man.

"He took off his hat later. I thought he was waiting for the bus, but when the bus came, the driver got off, and the person on the side of the road gave the hat to the driver and then got on the bus. I took a second look because their act of exchanging hats seemed really strange."

"and then?"

"Then the old man drove away."

"Where is the person wearing a hat who got off the car?"

"He jogged right into the school gate."

"Are you sure this is the person?" Zhou Yi asked, pointing to Chen Gengyun in the photo.

Mo Youyou frowned and thought for a while, then shook her head and said, "It looked somewhat similar at first, but now I can't be sure."

It was indeed difficult to see clearly at the time, but that's okay. If the investigation later finds that the two people are indeed Chen Gengyun and Fan Tianyou, Mo Youyou can still serve as a witness.

"Mo Youyou, that person who got off the bus didn't see you when they entered the school gate, did they?" Zhou Yi asked, concerned for the other person's safety.

"I don't think so. The streetlights here are broken, it's pitch black. I hesitated for a long time about whether to come out and buy it because I'm afraid of the dark."

"Didn't you ask Xiaoshuang to come with you?"

Mo Youyou smiled shyly: "I asked her to supervise my weight loss before, so... I didn't dare let her know, hehe. And I told her I went for a run, so after buying the food and returning to school, I ate at a pavilion before going back."

Zhou Yi was both amused and exasperated, never expecting that her craving for food would lead her to inadvertently witness such a crucial scene.

This was a small matter for Mo Youyou. From going out to buy pig's trotters to eating and returning to her dorm, it took less than half an hour. Moreover, she had told her roommate that she was going for a run.

It's normal that they didn't confess, and even if they did, it would just be to buy something to eat, and the task force wouldn't pay much attention.

Besides, he didn't see Xu Liu or any other acquaintances in the car, so he naturally wouldn't bring it up on purpose.

If Zhou Yi hadn't shown her Chen Gengyun's photo and asked her about it, she probably would have forgotten about it herself.

Furthermore, the fact that she didn't recognize the driver who got out of the car indicates that he deliberately concealed his appearance. Otherwise, she would have remembered the face of Chen Gengyun, whom she had never seen before, so how could she not recognize Fan Tianyou, who had been teaching her for more than half a year?

That hat is the best proof; it's very likely the same hat that Jiang Biao found on the old man who bought the oil.

Zhou Yi asked her to carefully recall the details of the incident, and she found that it was indeed as she had expected.

When the driver got out of the car, he was facing the old man, and the old man was facing her, so the driver had his back to her. She could only see that the two were about the same height. Then the old man took off his hat and handed it to the driver. After putting on the hat, the driver lowered his head, crossed the road, and jogged into the school gate.

She also confirmed that the car was black, but she didn't see any logo.

But at least the car's color is the same as what the two old ladies in Xinbei Town saw.

Hopefully, Chen Yan can find some clues at the traffic police brigade.

Mo Youyou's eyewitness account confirms Zhou Yi's previous speculation that Fan Tianyou and Chen Gengyun took turns dismembering and cooking the corpse.

Fan Tianyou's alibi stated that he missed dinner on the evening of the 29th because he was busy with academic research, and ate at the cafeteria around 8 pm, with a record of swiping his card.

This comes about a two-hour gap since his last public appearance.

Mo Youyou's eyewitness account fully demonstrates that during those two hours, Fan Tianyou, who was "so-called alone," was actually dealing with the body at the first crime scene.

When the time was almost up, he drove back and reappeared in public, leaving behind evidence and witnesses.

As for the driver's license issue, Zhou Yi thought about it later. He had studied abroad for many years, so if he had obtained his driver's license overseas, there would naturally be no record of it in the domestic system.

Not having a driver's license doesn't mean you can't drive.

All we need to do next is look at Chen Gengyun's alibi for the 29th.

If the gaps in his and Fan Tianyou's alibis coincide, then the time spent on the continuous disposal of the body would match up.

Of course, witness testimony alone is not enough; it needs to be combined with physical evidence.

Just in case, Zhou Yi warned Mo Youyou before leaving that she should be careful and not sneak out to buy food late at night anymore. If she noticed anything amiss, she should immediately go to the task force to find him.

Although she said she wasn't noticed by the other party, what if? What if Fan Tianyou remembered her as a witness and became desperate?

Seeing that he was speaking very seriously, and thinking about Xu Liu's death and Lu Xiaoshuang, Mo Youyou suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and nodded repeatedly.

I secretly made up my mind that I must give up this gluttonous habit.

As Zhou Yi emerged from the teaching building, he stood in the open space in front of it, and surprisingly felt a sense of bewilderment.

He has now determined that there are two murderers in the grand case: Fan Tianyou and Chen Gengyun.

Fan Tianyou was the principal offender, and Chen Gengyun was an accomplice.

There are many clues now, but they are scattered and fragmented.

Moreover, many clues cannot be considered key clues. For example, tire tracks. Even if the black car is found, what if they changed the tires?

Even if you find the old tire, how can you prove that it was taken from that car?

We need conclusive evidence, at least enough to detain one of them and make the task force realize they are suspects!
We must mobilize the organization's resources and investigate them thoroughly; then we will surely find a way to break through.

Suddenly, he thought of someone.

Xiao Bing.

Shouldn't the autopsy results for Xiao Bing be out by now?

He decided to go straight back to the station to find Song Yiming and Xu Nian.

Because the autopsy could only be conducted within the bureau, the task force was only allowed to perform clerical work.

Since he had obtained some clues from Mo Youyou, he decided to temporarily refrain from going to Lu Xiaoshuang to identify Liu Baoguo and Chen Gengyun's photos.

The murderer has been identified; we need to act quickly.

Back at the municipal bureau, I went to the forensic lab to look for someone, only to find all three forensic doctors there. They seemed to have just come out of the autopsy room and hadn't had time to change their clothes.

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Yi couldn't wait to inquire about the autopsy results.

Song Yiming said that they didn't even have time to write the report, so he wouldn't go into the details. He would just mention a few conclusions that you were interested in.

Zhou Yi nodded and said okay. Details weren't important, nor was the report. He just wanted to know if Xiao Bing had left any message for him.

He only hoped that Xiao Bing, who had protected Dong Lu for so many years, wouldn't have died in vain!

Song Yiming said, "After an autopsy, it was confirmed that Xiao Bing did indeed drown, rather than being dumped after death."

Zhou Yi had anticipated this outcome, but drowning does not necessarily mean it wasn't homicide.

"Then, we took a blood sample from Xiao Bing and tested it. If it weren't for Teacher Wang, we really wouldn't have been able to confirm the drug components in it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi immediately straightened up and indeed found the drug's ingredients!

"Teacher Wang, how about you suggest this one?"

Wang Yao nodded and said, "The drug component detected in Xiao Bing's blood is called a non-benzodiazepine."

“No…” Zhou Yi shook his head and said, “Never heard of it. Is it a type of sleeping pill?”

"That's right, it's a hypnotic psychotropic drug, but it's different from the sleeping pills we usually see. The sleeping pills we usually see are usually diazepam, also called Valium, which contains benzodiazepines. This non-benzodiazepine drug is called zolpidem, and it's an imported drug. There are currently no domestically produced versions of this drug."

"Imported drugs?" This means that ordinary people simply cannot obtain such drugs.

“When Professor Qin went abroad for research and study, he bought a lot of foreign drugs and gave them to us to do component research, including this zolpidem.”

"The biggest difference between this drug and the sleeping pills we commonly use is that it is metabolized quickly and has a short half-life. It is usually metabolized by the body within two to three hours. After three hours, the blood drug concentration will drop significantly, making it difficult to detect drug residues using conventional testing methods in China."

"Of course, the price of a fast metabolism is a short duration of action, so it is usually taken in combination with other sedative drugs in other countries."

Zhou Yi blurted out, "It's him! The murderer must have fed Lu Xiaoshuang this imported drug. No wonder no sleeping pills could be found in Lu Xiaoshuang's blood."

Song Yiming nodded: "Yes, your initial question was on the right track. After Xiao Bing died, his body's metabolic functions stopped, which is why the drugs remained in his blood and were not completely broken down."

In other words, did Xiao Bing drink the water given to him by the murderer, Fan Tianyou or Chen Gengyun?
Regardless of who it was, the time of Xiao Bing's death and the discovery of sleeping pills were enough for Liang Wei to reopen the investigation into the alibi for the night of the 10th. The presence of sleeping pills in his body indicated that Xiao Bing's death was not a suicide or an accident, but a homicide!

It's a murder!
The cases should be investigated together!
Anyone without an alibi will be subject to close investigation.

If Fan Tianyou and Chen Gengyun resort to the same old tricks and find reasons to corroborate each other, then I will question their relationship. After all, their repeated acts of corroborating each other at key moments in the case make it impossible not to investigate.

"Is there anything else?" Zhou Yi asked.

Song Yiming said with a serious expression, "Yes! We found something in Xiao Bing's stomach!"

(End of this chapter)