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

Chapter 495 The Huangniu Township Massacre (Vote for a chance to win an 888 RMB red envelope)

Zhao Liang and the old policeman stood outside the hospital building, waiting and waiting, but Zhou Yi did not come out, so they began to get anxious.

"I'll go take a look." Zhao Liang had barely finished speaking when he saw Zhou Yi rushing out from inside.

"How is it?" he asked as he went up to her.

When Ge Fangfang disappeared, Ma Weichang said he went to Antong. Where is Antong?

"A county in the neighboring city."

Zhou Yi nodded: "He said that Miao Zhuang drove him there, so he definitely has a solid alibi."

"That's it."

As the three walked, they said, "Miao Genhua lied about Shi Jian!"

"How did you lie?"

“I asked her when she last saw Shi Jian, and she replied that it was more than a year ago. But if I’m not mistaken, Shi Jian should have come to the hospital to see her last night.”

Zhao Liang was startled: "What? Last night?"

Then he was stunned. He was the one who asked Miao Genhua the question just now. How could Zhou Yi know such details that even he didn't know?

Hey, the director is absolutely right, people from big cities are just different.

"Brother Zhao, let's go back to town first and ask Chief Chen if he's found Shi Jian. This guy is crucial; he probably knows something."

The three drove away from the county hospital.

Not long after, Ma Weichang walked out of the hospital building with a gloomy expression.

Upstairs in the ward, Miao Genhua stood by the window, staring intently at the hospital entrance not far away.

Until they saw Ma Weichang's old car drive out of the hospital and disappear from sight.

Then, she walked out of the ward, stood in the corridor looking around for a while, and went straight to the stairwell.

……

On the way back to Shacao Town, Zhou Yi explained to the two how he knew Shi Jian had come looking for Miao Genhua.

The person the nurse described could, of course, be some other man, but Zhou Yi felt it was more likely to be Shi Jian.

Zhou Yi hasn't seen this kind of trendy hairstyle much these past few days, after all, it's not a big city.

People with this hairstyle often look like petty thugs or hooligans in small towns. Shi Jian is described as such in Miao Genhua's description. Of course, at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, he is considered an old thug.

Given Shi Jian's circumstances, it's unlikely he could afford a mobile phone. Besides, he's not from Xipinggou, so he couldn't possibly know Miao Genhua's whereabouts all the time.

There's only one explanation for why Miao Genhua came to the county hospital and Shi Jian came to see her right after.

This indicates that Miao Genhua had called him.

why?
Judging from Ma Weichang's description of the situation, Miao Genhua should genuinely want to be with him. After all, Miao Genhua had put a lot of effort into the things she had done before, which moved Ma Weichang.

I didn't ask Ma Weichang about his current financial situation, whether he still gives Miao Gen 100 yuan a month, or more.

So there must be some hidden story behind this.

But it's not very useful to keep focusing on Miao Genhua; let's find Shi Jian first.

The main problem is that Ge Fangfang has disappeared without a trace, making the nature of the case ambiguous.

Even if, for example, bloodstains are found on the clothes the child was wearing when he went missing, that would be evidence to support the possibility of a murder.

However, Zhou Yi couldn't interfere with such major decisions because, for the same reason, if the police station confirmed a criminal offense, it would have to be reported to the county-level public security bureau at least.

He'll be out of the game then.

This case is really inexplicable. It's not a big case, and there's no bloodshed, yet it gives Zhou Yi the feeling of walking on a tightrope.

Zhou Yi called the Shacao Town Police Station and then played the call out loud so Zhao Liang and the others could ask questions.

The person who answered the phone happened to be Director Chen. Zhao Liang first reported the basic situation, mainly saying that the suspicion was now focused on Shi Jianshen.

After listening, Director Chen launched into a long, rambling explanation.

Zhou Yi could barely understand a word because the two were communicating in dialect. Zhao Liang spoke clearly, and since Zhou Yi already knew what he was saying, she could understand him.

But Director Chen's accent was too heavy, so he couldn't understand a single word and could only stand by and create atmosphere.

It's amazing how our country is so vast, with thousands of dialects, and in some places even the accents of people speaking in the north and south of a city are different.

After Zhao Liang and Director Chen talked for five or six minutes, Director Chen hung up the phone.

"Brother Zhao, what's going on?"

"Oh, you don't understand our language, do you?"

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "What you said is alright, I can understand some of it, but I really can't understand what Director Chen said."

"Here's the thing, Shi Jian and Miao Genhua were classmates in junior high school, right? While we were looking for Miao Genhua, the director took some people to the town's middle school. They found Miao Genhua's former homeroom teacher, and it turned out that the homeroom teacher still remembered Miao Genhua's early romance. She had caught the two of them dating and publicly criticized and educated them. Because Shi Jian talked back, she even slapped him twice."

Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow. Although it was normal for teachers to scold and physically punish students in the early years, and schools, teachers, parents and students themselves did not find it strange, it was not like later when public values ​​changed and such things became social news.

However, it's quite rare to see someone slap two people in public. Usually, it's more common to hit their palms or knock their heads. Some female teachers even like to pinch people.

"Later, after Shi Jian graduated, he took revenge on her by urinating on her on her way home from get off work, which is why she remembered him so vividly. After learning his name, the director found Shi Jian's home address, but Shi Jian's family situation was a bit complicated."

"How so?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Shi Jian's parents divorced when he was eight years old. After the divorce, his mother remarried and then never took care of him again. His father said that he went out to work on a ship to earn money, but then he disappeared. No one knows whether he ran away or died. So he lived with his grandfather, but later his grandfather died of a cerebral hemorrhage."

"So his relatives had no idea where he was. They said they didn't usually have any contact with him. The director went to his house and found that no one lived there. The grass there was taller than a person."

After hearing this, Zhou Yi understood why Miao Genhua hadn't married Shi Jian—because she was poor.

Given Shi Jian's family's financial situation, it's like starting with just a bowl of rice; they have nothing else.

The key is that if people who are extremely poor recognize their situation and life from a young age, and then work hard to get into university and make a name for themselves, they have a chance to turn their lives around.

But he gave up even this last path. He started dating in junior high school. What else can he do after entering society if he doesn't become a hoodlum?

“Then we need to investigate Shi Jian’s social connections. This kind of person doesn’t do anything productive and usually hangs out in places like game arcades, billiard rooms, and nightclubs in town,” Zhou Yi analyzed.

Zhao Liang nodded: "Yes, the director told us to go back and conduct some investigations."

Zhou Yi instinctively replied, "Okay."

"I'll take you home first."

Zhao Liang's words made him realize what was happening.

Yes, I hitched a ride to get my medicine, not to investigate a case. I won't be involved in the subsequent investigations.

I can't exactly tell people, "I want to go to all the dance halls, billiard rooms, and game rooms in your town, so I'll go wherever you go."
Zhou Yi had no choice but to nod: "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhao."

"Hey, no big deal, just a step on the gas."

The heatwave outside the car window, carrying sand and dust, blew in. Zhou Yi pondered how he could truly participate in the investigation.

Unfortunately, even rebirth cannot supersede the rules of reality, something he simply couldn't have imagined.

Halfway there, Zhou Yi casually asked, "Brother Zhao, I remember Director Chen called the county bureau incompetent before. Is there any explanation for that?"

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, the old policeman in the passenger seat said helplessly, "Xiao Zhao doesn't know about this matter because it's been a while."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi quickly offered the other person a cigarette.

Zhao Liang also pricked up his ears. He knew that the director was at odds with someone in the county bureau, but he didn't know the specifics. No one in the station mentioned it, so he didn't dare to ask.

Now is the perfect time to listen to it.

The old policeman took a puff of his cigarette and then started talking.

Ten years ago, in 1987, a murder occurred in Huangniu Township, which is next to Shacao Town. It is a cold case that has not been solved to this day.

An eighteen-year-old high school senior with excellent grades mysteriously disappeared. His family searched everywhere but could not find him. Finally, his body was found in their abandoned cowshed, with marks on the back of his head indicating that he had been hit.

The case quickly reached the hands of the county's criminal investigation team and was formally opened. Because the crime occurred in a rural area under the jurisdiction of Huangniu Township, there were no witnesses.

At the time of the incident, the boy's father was working in a field a few hundred meters away.

The mother took her youngest daughter back to her parents' home.

Because conditions were so backward back then, the police would be called by a villager riding a bicycle. By the time the police from the township police station arrived at the scene, the area was already surrounded by villagers, and the boy's father was holding the body and wailing.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi knew the situation was dire, because it meant the scene had been completely destroyed.

In an era of limited technology, footprints and fingerprints were crucial pieces of on-site evidence that provided key clues for solving cases.

With no witnesses, no valid on-site evidence, and the veteran police officer stating that no murder weapon was found, the chances of solving this case were indeed extremely slim, given the technological limitations of the time.

Therefore, the local county bureau could only investigate the social relationships of the boy and his family.

The old policeman said that this incident caused quite a stir back then, and the news spread far and wide.

They investigated almost everyone, including classmates, teachers, and villagers. People from the same village were the prime suspects, and even those who had argued with the boy's parents seven or eight years ago were repeatedly questioned as key suspects.

But the result was fruitless; no matter how much they investigated the case, they couldn't find a clue.

Because they couldn't find any motive for the crime no matter what they tried.

Due to the limitations of the era, the lack of information, and the backwardness of the rural area, this case was bound to be shelved.

In Zhou Yi's memory, many unsolved cases from the early years came about in this way.

When external conditions such as witnesses, evidence left at the scene, and murder weapons are insufficient, the only option is to investigate internal conditions such as social relationships and criminal motives.

But if the internal checks also go down, then there's nothing that can be done.

Of course, this also depends on the ability of the investigators.

But Zhou Yi couldn't judge that.

"That's it?" Zhao Liang asked.

The old policeman nodded: "Yeah."

"This case doesn't sound that complicated."

The veteran policeman smiled helplessly and said, "You think it's not complicated? Okay then, tell me what's going on with this case?"

"Who could possibly have a deep-seated grudge against a high school student? It must be that they hate his parents. In the countryside, it's mostly related to land. For example, when the land was being distributed, his family got the land that someone else wanted, so someone has been holding a grudge ever since."

"Pshaw, how could it be that simple?"

"Some people are just that petty, I think that's possible."

The two talked back and forth, and finally the older policeman pointed to Zhou Yi in the back seat: "Let Zhou Yi tell me, is what you're saying possible?"

Zhou Yi was looking down, deep in thought.

Seeing that they were pointing at him, he looked up and said, "I think what Brother Zhao said is not a bad direction for investigation."

Zhao Liang said smugly, "Look, even Zhou Yi agrees with my point of view. He's from a big city, he's really something."

Zhou Yi then changed the subject, saying, "But I personally feel that there are still some logical shortcomings in this."

The old policeman turned his head with great interest and said, "Quickly, tell me about it."

Zhao Liang glanced at him through the rearview mirror, wanting to hear his opinion.

Zhou Yi said, "I think there are three main points."

"First, I remember that before 1985, the rural system was still the people's commune system. The land was collectively owned, and the production team organized production and management in a unified manner. Everyone earned work points, which was the so-called era of the big pot."

"In 1985, the people's commune was transformed into a township government. Land was also distributed to households and farmers were given land on a per capita basis through contracts. Even so, the land distribution was carried out uniformly. I remember that for the sake of fairness, the land was divided into grades. Basically, every family had good land and bad land, as well as land that was near and land that was far away."

"Therefore, it is unlikely that a large amount of hatred will arise from an unfair distribution of a piece of land."

These words surprised the two people in front of him, because Zhou Yi was the youngest among them, but he spoke about these old stories in great detail.

"Secondly, even if such a possibility exists, human nature is unpredictable, and it is inevitable that some people will hold grudges against others for some strange reasons."

Zhao Liang nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Yi continued, "But such people are generally quite eccentric. In those days, the probability of illiteracy was probably very high, which means that the possibility of such people being very cunning is extremely low. Rural population mobility is low, and many rural areas remain unchanged for ten years, so unless someone is extremely cunning, it's impossible for someone to have grievances against someone else without anyone noticing. I think the county's criminal investigation team wouldn't have missed such details when they were investigating."

After listening, Zhao Liang fell silent, because he couldn't refute Zhou Yi's words.

The veteran policeman gave a thumbs up.

"Third, every murder case has a triggering opportunity. Unequal land distribution is a trigger or root cause of criminal motives, but why not kill to vent anger shortly after the distribution? Why just that one day? This trigger could be an event, a word, or even a glance."

"If all the leads are blocked, then the key may lie in the opportunity to commit the crime."

The last point is no longer an answer to Zhao Liang's question, but rather an answer to the case itself.

The old policeman said, "Look, look, this young man is really amazing, his analysis is so logical and insightful."

At this point, Zhou Yi asked a question: "This case is indeed difficult to handle, but from what I've heard, the county bureau has been very responsible in handling this case, and it seems that they have investigated everything that needed to be investigated."

Generally, when manpower is limited, cases without leads will be downgraded in priority after a month or two of investigation.

Even with the major case in the previous life, the task force withdrew after investigating for three months. Although the investigation is still ongoing, the efforts have been quite limited.

Unless a new clue pops up from some obscure corner.

"So why is Director Chen so dissatisfied with the county bureau's criminal investigation team?" Zhou Yi asked, voicing his doubts.

The old policeman sighed: "Sigh... because the male student who died was his cousin. I heard from the station chief that when his cousin later died of an illness, she glared at him and said that you police officers are really useless."

After hearing this, Zhou Yi finally understood. This matter was a knot in Director Chen's heart. He was a policeman in Shacao Town, and he couldn't touch the cases in the neighboring Huangniu Township, so he could only vent his resentment on the people in the county bureau.

Although it's a bit unreasonable, it's understandable.

Actually, no one was wrong; the only one at fault was the murderer!
The veteran policeman told Zhao Liang not to mention this to the station chief later, as it was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Zhao Liang nodded repeatedly.

Soon the car arrived at Yangjiatun. Zhou Yi didn't let them drive in, but stopped at the intersection. He said he wanted to walk a bit because the road was making his butt hurt.

After saying goodbye to the two, Zhou Yi headed towards Yangjiatun.

He lowered his head, deep in thought.

The old policeman's description of the unsolved case in Huangniu Township felt like something he'd heard before.

So when the old policeman was arguing with Zhao Liang, he kept his head down and didn't say anything, because he was racking his brains trying to remember where he had heard it before.

It's definitely impossible that they've seen the files, since they're thousands of miles away and wouldn't be able to see them at all.

Moreover, having seen the files, he was confident he wouldn't forget.

After thinking it over and over, I still couldn't think of anything, so I could only shake my head and clear my head of confusion.

Looking up, he saw Lu Xiaoshuang standing on a high place not far away, looking at him.

Seeing him look up, she immediately waved happily at him.

……

In the dead of night, Zhou Yi lay on his bed in the classroom, unable to fall asleep.

Lu Guohua, who was next to him, had already fallen asleep, emitting even but not very loud snores.

Looking through the skylight in the roof, Zhou Yi gazed at the distant starry sky.

I still can't remember where I heard about the case in Huangniu Township.

He felt a little disoriented after thinking about it too much, wondering if he had gotten confused. After all, there was so much information online, and short videos kept popping up, so he was bound to see some strange and unusual things.

Lost in thought, I fell asleep without even realizing it.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but suddenly he sat up with a start!

He remembered!
The case in Huangniu Township was later solved!
(End of this chapter)