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

Chapter 476 Intentional Homicide
The darkest hour is just before dawn.

In another interrogation room in Yunshan County, Ding Fei was handcuffed to a chair, looking like a drowning dog.

Wu Yongcheng had just sat down and hadn't even started asking questions yet.

Ding Fei couldn't wait to shout, "Officer, it wasn't me! It was Li Yanan! It was all Li Yanan! Liang Bin hit her, so she held a grudge. She's the one who cut the rope!"

Wu Yongcheng knew that Ding Fei was easy to deal with, since he had wet his pants when they arrested him.

But he didn't expect it to be so easy to deal with; before he even asked anything, the man started to confess.

With this level of skill, I reckon it would take less than ten minutes to finish.

Just as Wu Yongcheng was about to ask a question, his cell phone rang.

……

From the beginning, Wu Yongcheng's original intention was to get the exact coordinates of Liang Bin and Zhou Yi's fall from the cliff from the students involved.

Especially after discovering something fishy was going on, he became even more certain that the three students were deliberately concealing the truth.

Li Yanan did confess everything, but she was also so shocked that she couldn't remember the exact location.

So we have to ask Ding Fei and Tang Mengjie.

However, based on Li Yanan's description, Tang Mengjie should not have been involved in the crime.

That's right, she and Ding Fei committed intentional homicide.

Because they cut Zhou Yi's rope.

Li Yanan confessed that her scream was actually intended for Ding Fei and Tang Mengjie to hear, as they were taking shelter from the rain nearby. Just as Ding Fei said, Tang Mengjie was overly frightened due to her emotional outburst.

She wanted to draw their attention with the scream and then prove to them that Liang Bin had fallen suddenly.

However, shortly after Ding Fei and Tang Mengjie arrived upon hearing the commotion, Zhou Yi was also drawn over.

Li Yanan felt both happy and scared about Zhou Yi's unexpected arrival, as his appearance caught her completely off guard.

Ding Fei and Tang Mengjie were overjoyed and shouted for the police to save them.

Li Yanan said that Zhou Yi inquired about their situation and asked who was screaming just now and what happened.

Since Li Yanan had already told Ding Fei and the others about Liang Bin's accidental fall off the cliff, she couldn't hide it from Zhou Yi, so she repeated the lie she had told Ding Fei and the others.

Zhou Yi did not have any doubts because, from his perspective at the time, there were four of them together, and one of them had fallen off a cliff. It was impossible for his first reaction to be that the three of them had conspired to kill each other; it was normal logic to treat it as an accident.

So Zhou Yi walked to the edge of the cliff, first shone his flashlight down, then shouted a few times, and finally found a rock and threw it down, avoiding the spot where Liang Bin had fallen.

The purpose of doing this was clearly to determine the height of the cliff by observing the feedback from the stones hitting the ground.

Hearing this, Wu Yongcheng felt a mix of emotions. He knew that Zhou Yi was making a difficult choice at the time.

Should they first lead Li Yanan and the other two to safety, or should they first confirm whether Liang Bin is still alive?

Although Liang Bin fell off the cliff, it cannot be concluded that he is dead until his body is seen.

Conversely, Li Yanan and the others were not in immediate danger.

Given that Zhou Yi must have judged that the height of the cliff was within the controllable range of the rope, that's probably why he chose to go down.

Of course, from Li Yanan's perspective, they neither knew nor would they speculate on Zhou Yi's motives.

Li Yanan said that after Zhou Yi tied the rope to the tree, he climbed down the rope and reminded them to be careful and not to go near the cliff to avoid another accident.

Li Yanan said that Ding Fei took Tang Mengjie and hid far away, while she stayed by the edge of the cliff.

She said she was very scared at the time because she wasn't sure if Liang Bin was really dead.

If he doesn't die and is eventually saved, then once he recovers, she'll be finished.

She said that what she was thinking about was not whether she would bear legal responsibility, but that Liang Bin would definitely beat her to death.

Just when she was so nervous that her heart was about to jump out of her chest, she said that Ding Fei suddenly appeared beside her.

Then she heard Ding Fei say in her ear: "If Liang Bin hadn't died, he definitely wouldn't have let you go, because you didn't save him!"

Li Yanan said she was so scared she almost lost her mind, because Ding Fei's words meant that he knew everything that had happened before Liang Bin fell.

It is highly likely that while he was retreating and Liang Bin was struggling to survive, Ding Fei was hiding in the shadows nearby, watching everything.

This gave her the creeps and chills.

But at this point, she was completely flustered and desperately asked Ding Fei what she should do.

Ding Fei told her that she couldn't let that policeman come up!
Li Yanan said that Ding Fei's words made her mind go blank for a moment, but reason made her immediately reject Ding Fei's suggestion, because she knew that doing so would be murder.

To her surprise, Ding Fei did it himself instead of her.

Ding Fei asked her for the scissors.

Some of the boys had actually brought some tools, but Liang Bin was used to ordering Yao Li to carry things for him, and Ding Fei, taking advantage of his master's power, also threw his things to Yao Li.

Then, when Yao Li fell earlier, he not only cut his thigh, but also dropped the bag containing his tools.

So when it rained heavily later, Liang Bin and Ding Fei cursed Yao Li for being a burden, which was just them venting their anger.

Finally, the two abandoned Yao Li.

As for the two girls, they didn't have much say to begin with.

Therefore, when bandaging Yao Li, Li Yanan used the small scissors in her bag to cut her own clothes.

Li Yanan handed the scissors to Ding Fei, who then used them to cut the rope tied to the tree.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yongcheng's breath hitched, and he quickly asked her if she had heard any screams.

Li Yanan shook her head and said no, she only heard a muffled thud, like the sound of someone falling.

Wu Yongcheng's heart tightened, which meant that Zhou Yi was still on the rope when it broke.

He quickly asked again, "How long did it take between the policeman going down and the rope being cut?"
Li Yanan thought for a moment and replied, "In a little while."

This puzzled Wu Yongcheng. Theoretically, the ropes carried by individuals in rescue emergencies are at most twenty or thirty meters long.

If the cliff were longer than the rope, Zhou Yi probably wouldn't have chosen to go down.

Was Zhou Yi in such poor condition that it took him so long to climb down?

That shouldn't be the case. Going down is usually easy; the hard part is climbing back up.

But when asked about what happened next, Li Yanan didn't know.

She said that after Ding Fei cut the rope, they were so scared that they immediately fled from there, heading in the direction Zhou Yi had come from, because Zhou Yi had said that they had saved Yao Li ahead.

After walking for a long time, we encountered a follow-up rescue team that had arrived.

Then, Li Yanan lied, meaning that Ding Fei wanted her to lie and say that Liang Bin and Zhou Yi had both fallen off the cliff accidentally.

Because he was helping Li Yanan, and since there was no way to prove it now that she was dead.

Ding Fei also warned her not to tell the police the specific location where the two bodies fell off the cliff, because Yunxia Mountain is so big that the police wouldn't be able to find them.

If the police find anything unusual, she will be the main culprit, and I will at most be an accomplice, because I did this because I couldn't stand Liang Bin treating her badly and I was thinking of her.

Although no one doubted them from the moment they met the rescue team until they were taken to the hospital, Li Yanan remained extremely nervous.

Because she remembered that policeman, who had kindly warned them to be careful just a few days earlier.

She said she didn't want to kill the policeman, but if he really rescued Liang Bin, she would be finished.

Liang Bin will kill her one day.

So she had no choice.

This reason infuriated Wu Yongcheng.

He wanted to curse, but he held back. No matter how harsh the curses were, it would be meaningless, because they were worse than animals. They were two beasts in human skin, without any moral bottom line, humanity, or conscience.

Only by accepting legal punishment, falling from the heights of fame to prison, and being forced to stare at cold iron bars day and night, can they be truly tormented.

So after learning the truth from Li Yanan, Wu Yongcheng and Wang Tao immediately went to arrest Ding Fei.

Ding Fei wanted to interrogate Zhou Yi immediately, firstly because he needed to find the exact coordinates of where Zhou Yi had fallen so that a rescue could be carried out; secondly, he couldn't understand Ding Fei's motives for doing so.

It couldn't be that he disapproved of Liang Bin's actions and therefore stood up for Li Yanan, as he claimed.

From Li Yanan's confession, we know that Ding Fei was Liang Bin's lackey in the gang, flattering Liang Bin in order to gain some benefits.

Such a petty person is unlikely to be someone who single-mindedly stands up for others.

Could it be that Ding Fei had feelings for Li Yanan? Li Yanan denied this possibility, saying she had never sensed any interest in Ding Fei. Furthermore, Ding Fei already had a girlfriend, who was also a member of the gang. Therefore, his motive for the crime needs to be determined before the case can be closed.

Just as Ding Fei surrendered without questioning, Wu Yongcheng's phone rang.

It was Ni Jianrong who called.

Wu Yongcheng's heart skipped a beat, and he walked out of the interrogation room to answer the phone.

"Old Wu, fantastic news! Zhou Yi has been found, and he's alright. He's being carried down the mountain on a stretcher right now. I've already got an ambulance on standby. As soon as Zhou Yi arrives, we'll take him to the county hospital!" Ni Jianrong said, almost beaming with joy. No rescue workers died in this incident, and especially Zhou Yi did, so he could practically keep his position as the county bureau chief, which he hadn't even had a chance to warm up yet.

If he were demoted again, he would never be able to hold his head up high in his father-in-law's family again.

Upon hearing this, the heavy weight that had been pressing on Wu Yongcheng's heart finally disappeared.

He let out a long sigh, as if he were expelling all the pent-up frustration in his heart.

He kept saying into the phone, "That's good, that's good. I'll go to the county hospital to see him once I've finished dealing with things here."

Ni Jianrong nodded repeatedly, "Alright, alright, Lao Wu, you can rest assured now. By the way, what's the story behind arresting that female college student?"

"It's nothing, just giving you some credit." As he spoke, Wu Yongcheng reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, skillfully took one out, then put the pack away and reached for his lighter.

"Performance?" Ni Jianrong was taken aback for a moment, then as if he suddenly remembered something, he quickly said, "Oh right, I almost forgot something."

With a snap, Wu Yongcheng lit a cigarette, frowned, and asked, "What else is it?"

"Zhou Yi found a skeleton at the spot where he fell off the cliff."

Wu Yongcheng was startled: "A skeleton?"

“Yes, I’ve already arranged for people to conduct a site investigation. It’s very strange; the skeleton just happened to be stuck in a crevice in the mountainside, and then it was covered by vines.” Ni Jianrong sighed, “Zhou Yi has really good eyesight; he managed to find this. Sigh, I don’t know if it was an accidental death or a long-standing cold case that hasn’t been discovered for many years.”

Wu Yongcheng exhaled a puff of smoke, which gave off a feeling similar to that of Hongcheng before, like the impending storm.

……

Five days later, Zhou Yi was taken back to Hongcheng by special car and received treatment and recuperation at the Third People's Hospital of the city.

After Zhou Yi was carried down the mountain that day, he was immediately sent to Yunshan County Hospital for treatment.

After a thorough examination, the doctor confirmed that Zhou Yi's overall condition was good and there was no danger to her life.

However, he suffered a moderate concussion, likely caused by the impact of the fall, which explains why he was found unconscious.

Therefore, long-term bed rest is required.

I was a little weak and had a low-grade fever, which was probably caused by hypothermia. I recovered after two days of IV fluids.

There are no fractures, but there are two cracks in the ribs, so rest is also necessary.

He has multiple bruises on his body, with severe hematoma on his left shoulder being the most serious injury on his entire body.

However, according to Zhou Yi's own account, the injury to his left shoulder was not caused by the fall off the cliff.

Because of his youth and good physical condition, Zhou Yi recovered quickly.

Due to the concussion, I will still feel dizzy and need to rest.

Wu Yongcheng also learned about the circumstances of the fall from the cliff from Zhou Yi.

The reason why Zhou Yi was still on the rope when Ding Fei cut it was because a period of time had passed since he climbed down.

It was because when he was halfway up the rope, he stopped to check the situation below, so he used both feet and one hand to hold the rope, and used the other hand to take out a flashlight to shine down.

When the flashlight came on, he was immediately startled.

Because beneath the thick vines covering the mountainside, less than twenty centimeters away, separated only by a layer of vines, lay a skull.

To make sure he wasn't seeing things, he carefully shone his flashlight around to see clearly whether it was a partial skeleton or a complete skeleton.

However, the skeleton was completely wrapped in vines, indicating that it had been here for quite some time. In addition, the environment was too dark, making it difficult to see clearly.

Zhou Yi tried to pull the vines with his hands, but found that he couldn't budge them at all.

So he put away the flashlight and took out the axe tucked behind his waist.

It was the axe that Lü Tiezhu had given him when they parted ways earlier.

He wanted to use an axe to split the vines a bit more before taking a look.

It was at this moment that the rope above suddenly snapped.

The sudden feeling of falling made him instinctively grab the axe in his hand, just as he had swung it down and hadn't pulled it back yet.

He fell to the ground, but the axe caught on a vine, providing some cushioning.

Then he fell down, feeling excruciating pain all over his body.

He tried to get up, but due to the concussion, he felt dizzy as soon as he got up even a little bit.

He could only lie on the cold, hard ground, thinking he should rest for a while before calling for help from Li Yanan and the others upstairs.

But soon he fell into a coma and lost consciousness.

After daybreak, Ni Jianrong conducted a comprehensive investigation of the accident site.

The place where Liang Bin fell off the cliff was about 25 meters high. Falling from that height, the chances of survival were indeed slim.

In addition, Liang Bin landed on the back of his head, leaving a large hole in the back of his head. His skull was shattered and the fragments smashed into his brain. By the time he was discovered, his brain had already drained out.

It was obvious that he died on the spot.

As for Zhou Yi, the location of the skeleton he found on the mountainside was about ten meters above the ground.

It was indeed covered by vines from the deep mountains and forests, and was stuck in a crevic in the mountain. If Zhou Yi hadn't been so sharp-eyed, he might not have noticed it even during the day, let alone at night.

Judging from the way the vines broke, when Zhou Yi fell, the axe in his hand tore a distance of three or four meters, effectively cushioning his fall.

Considering Zhou Yi's height, the actual height of the fall was probably about two stories.

And Zhou Yi said that when he fell, he instinctively rolled over to dissipate the force.

Even so, it was an extremely dangerous situation, and it's a miracle that he didn't die.

Moreover, the place where they fell off the cliff was only in the middle section of a mountain stream in Yunxia Mountain, with cliffs above and below.

Just over two meters ahead of where Zhou Yi finally lost consciousness, there was another cliff.

It truly can be described as a near-death experience.

After staying at the county hospital for a few days, Ni Jianrong insisted on sending Zhou Yi to the city hospital, but Wu Yongcheng felt that since the problem wasn't serious, they might as well just transfer her back to Hongcheng.

His exact words were: "I don't trust you with Zhou Yi!"

During this period, county leaders from Yunshan County came to visit. After all, the accident happened within Yunshan County's territory, and the injured person was a policeman from the neighboring city of Hongcheng. The county leaders had to come forward to make a statement and do things as gracefully as possible.

Then, leaders from the Wuguang City Public Security Bureau also came to visit, and the one who came as a representative was Cao Anmin, the head of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Wuguang City Public Security Bureau, who will be Zhou Yi's direct superior next month.

This Captain Cao was in his early fifties, noticeably older than Wu Yongcheng. He had some graying temples, a very reserved look in his eyes, and was a bit overweight. When he smiled, he looked like Maitreya Buddha.

Wu Yongcheng introduced Cao Anmin to Zhou Yi, referring to him as his senior.

Then, smiling, he said to Cao Anmin, "Captain Cao, this is Zhou Yi."

Cao Anmin smiled and nodded repeatedly, giving a thumbs up and saying, "Very good, very good. Heroes have always emerged from among the young."

Zhou Yi greeted Captain Cao and tried to sit up.

Cao Anmin quickly pressed him down, indicating that he should lie down and not get up. "Your Captain Wu has told me about the situation. You need to rest and recuperate now."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cao Anmin asked Wu Yongcheng, "Captain Wu, given Zhou Yi's current situation, do you think we should delay his reporting to Wuguang for another month? Getting him to recover is the most important thing. Give him some time off. I heard from my colleagues at the provincial department that Comrade Zhou Yi has performed exceptionally well in Hongcheng, actively participating in the investigation of several major cases. As a leader, you can't just demand high performance from your subordinates without allowing them to rest."

Wu Yongcheng quickly waved his hand: "No, I still understand their situation."

At this moment, Zhou Yi, who was lying in the hospital bed, said, "Captain Cao, I'm fine. The doctor said I should be fine after two weeks of rest. Lying down for too long makes me feel uncomfortable. I will definitely report to Wuguang on time on August 1st."

If Zhou Yi had come to Wuguang a month later, how could he have waited?

Hu Dali's affair, Li Chong's death, Ding Chunmei's fate in Wu Guang, that bastard who cheated Uncle San out of money, that gang of evil-doing criminals, and the skeleton found on Yunxia Mountain.

With so many unresolved issues, how could he possibly wait another month?

Wu Yongcheng said with a smile, "Captain Cao, you'll find out another day. He's got that personality; he can't wait."

"He can't sleep soundly until the case is solved."

(End of this chapter)