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

Chapter 528 A Great Fire

As Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang exited the train station, they immediately spotted Wu Yongcheng and his group in the crowd.

Because Brother Biao's height makes him too conspicuous and easy to spot in a crowd.

Jiang Biao also saw the two of them and immediately waved to them, shouting in a thunderous voice, "Zhou Yi, over here!"

This shout startled everyone around.

The two immediately waved to them.

Wu Yongcheng, Jiang Biao, and Qiao Jiali were all present.

There was a fat guy next to Captain Wu, who turned out to be Shi Tao.

I didn't see Chen Yan, because according to the normal plan, Chen Yan should already be at Luohe by now.

However, a familiar face appeared beside Brother Biao: Lu Zhengfeng, his "old partner" from Luohe.

"Zhou Yi, Lu Xiaoshuang, welcome home," Wu Yongcheng said with a smile.

Everyone greeted each other. Qiao Jiali affectionately hugged Lu Xiaoshuang, while Jiang Biao patted Zhou Yi's back twice as a greeting.

"Thank you everyone for coming to pick us up. I didn't expect so many people to come."

Wu Yongcheng pointed to Shi Tao beside him and said, "This one is superfluous; he insisted on coming along."

Upon hearing this, Shi Tao immediately became displeased: "Hey, Lao Wu, you're a leader now, how come you still speak so rudely? What do you mean I'm superfluous? I came here with full enthusiasm."

Wu Yongcheng chuckled: "Look at what you're saying. Am I a new leader? Or did you, Captain Shi, not take me, the deputy detachment leader, seriously before?"

Seeing the two bickering, Zhou Yi smiled and acted as a peacemaker, knowing that they were just joking around.

"Zhou Yi, I thought I wouldn't have a chance to meet you." Lu Zhengfeng walked over and said with a smile, "I didn't expect that Captain Wu said you were delayed by something and only came back today. I'm really lucky. Our Captain Liu asked me to give you my regards."

Zhou Yi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Thank you for picking me up, my good brother, and thank you for remembering me, Captain Liu."

Lu Zhengfeng and Zhou Yi had only met once before, when they investigated Long Zhiqiang's background and Liu, the team leader from Luohe, brought him to Hongcheng.

Strangely, Zhou Yi seemed very friendly towards him, even though it was their first meeting, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.

Even when they went back, Captain Liu asked him if he knew Zhou Yi before.

He shook his head vigorously, because he was 100% certain that he had never met Zhou Yi before.

Little did he know that the two were not people he had met before, but rather people he would meet in the future.

So when the provincial department issued the notice, Captain Liu immediately secured a spot for him to go to Hongcheng.

Because after the Long Zhiqiang case, he heard that a shocking dismemberment case had occurred in Hongcheng, which had taken place throughout the province, and a special task force had been established.

Although he was also puzzled as to why there were so many major cases in Hongcheng, he knew that major cases were the best way to hone one's abilities, mindset, and experience.

Therefore, Captain Liu registered Lu Zhengfeng for the trip to Hongcheng well in advance.

Lu Zhengfeng himself was also very enthusiastic and wanted to go to Hongcheng to learn and train. He also knew Liu's good intentions.

Originally, Wu Yongcheng thought he would never see Zhou Yi again, but unexpectedly, Wu Yongcheng told him that Zhou Yi was late, so the two of them still had a chance to meet before Zhou Yi went to Wu Guang to report for duty.

Therefore, I was very happy to hear that Zhou Yi was back today.

Because there were many people, including Zhou Yi and his group of seven, they came in two cars.

Finally, Lu Xiaoshuang got into Shi Tao's car with Qiao Jiali, while the remaining four men rode in one car, with Jiang Biao driving.

"So, how was your trip to the Northwest?" Wu Yongcheng, sitting in the passenger seat, asked with a smile, lighting a cigarette.

Zhou Yi smiled calmly and said, "It's a bit hard to explain in a few words."

“That Director Li from Yuanbei County called me yesterday and expressed his gratitude to me in a very formal manner. He said that without me, the truth of this case might have been buried.”

Jiang Biao chuckled and said, "Our Zhou Yi is the best wherever he goes. He's certainly impressed them."

Lu Zhengfeng asked in surprise, "Weren't you accompanying your girlfriend home to visit her family? Why are you on a case?"

"I just happened to be there, so I lent a hand," Zhou Yi said with a smile.

But Lu Zhengfeng wasn't stupid. Wu Yongcheng had already said so, so how could it be just helping out casually?

"By the way, Captain Wu, how's it going here lately? Is everything peaceful?" Zhou Yi asked.

Wu Yongcheng nodded: "Peaceful? How could it not be peaceful? A few days ago, Director Xie told me that he had figured out that as long as you, Zhou Yi, are not here, everything will be peaceful here."

Zhou Yi frowned and said exaggeratedly, "It's over, Director Xie has discovered my secret."

According to my memories from my previous life, after the major case, there were indeed far fewer murders.

The main reason is the huge case in the previous life, and its continued impact is too great. After all, the case has not been solved, and all kinds of rumors are flying around among the people, causing panic.

The government will naturally need to strengthen security patrols and increase police presence to reassure the public.

This atmosphere lasted for more than six months before it gradually subsided.

After all, information spread very slowly in 1997, unlike later when even the most sensational news on the internet would only stay popular for a week or two before being gradually forgotten.

So during this period, although the atmosphere was tense, the public security situation did improve a lot.

Many acts of male theft and female prostitution no longer dare to surface.

But in this life, the major case was solved, and for a case of this severity, it was solved very quickly.

Therefore, its influence is far less than in the previous life, since it was suppressed much faster.

However, the series of major cases has served as a deterrent to many people with ill intentions.

Theoretically, something shouldn't happen so quickly.

"By the way, Captain Wu, is Xu Nian at the bureau? I was so grateful for her help with the autopsy in that case in the Northwest; otherwise, we would have missed crucial clues. I need to thank her in person."

Although Zhou Yi said that, what he really wanted to find out was Xu Nian's recent condition.

As expected, Wu Yongcheng didn't rush to answer. Instead, he took a couple of puffs of his cigarette before speaking: "Xu Nian, I'm not too sure about that. Biaozi, have you seen her at the station?"

Jiang Biao said, "I have seen her, but I heard from Xiao Qiao that she seems to be taking a lot of leave lately, saying that something is going on at home. I don't know if she's here today."

Zhou Yi's heart sank, and she nodded slightly: "Oh, it's alright if she's not here. I'll thank her next time."

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "By the way, Captain Wu, I'm quite curious, how is Chen Gengyun doing now? And what about Jiang Zhengdao's Jianghai Haoting? Is there any new information you can share with us?"

After the Hongda case was closed, Zhou Yi knew nothing about Chen Gengyun's situation because the Discipline Inspection Commission had intervened.

However, he knew that Director Xie and Captain Wu definitely knew a lot of things, but they just didn't say anything.

What he wanted to find out was whether Director Xu's villa in Jianghai Mansion had been exposed along with other things.

Because if the villa is discovered, Director Xu won't be able to escape; he'll most likely be punished.

But if he hasn't been discovered yet, or if he's not one of the owners of these villas, then it means things may not have progressed to the level of the previous life.

After all, there are still several years until Director Xu's accident in the previous life.

What if Director Xu hasn't reached that level yet?

He asked in a gossipy tone, but Wu Yongcheng didn't answer. Instead, he rested one arm on the open car window and silently smoked without saying a word.

Zhou Yi found his reaction a bit strange. Could it be that he had really discovered that Xu Nian's father was one of the owners of the villa in Jianghai Mansion?

Zhou Yi glanced at Jiang Biao through the rearview mirror and noticed that he seemed hesitant to speak.

“Captain Wu…” Zhou Yi spoke again.

Just then, Wu Yongcheng finished smoking a cigarette and stubbed it out with his thumb and forefinger.

Then he said, "Jianghai Mansion was burned down."

Wu Yongcheng's few casual words sent chills down Zhou Yi's spine, and his mind went blank.

"What? It burned? When did this happen?" he asked anxiously.

At this moment, Jiang Biao spoke up: "Just five days ago, when you were still in the Northwest."

Zhou Yi stared wide-eyed and asked, "How did it burn?"

Wu Yongcheng took out another cigarette, lit it, and said calmly, "The fire department's test results said that the gas pipeline ruptured, which was caused by the aging of electrical components."

"Bullshit!" Zhou Yi was about to curse that this result was pure nonsense, but seeing Wu Yongcheng's calm appearance, he swallowed the curse back.

"The entire villa area was burned down?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Pretty much. There are still a few buildings left on the west side. The real estate company said those buildings were all vacant and even opened them up for us to see. Anyway, the assessment said that there was a strong wind that night, and the weather was hot, so the fire spread very quickly. You know how that place is, Jianghai Haoting. It's in the middle of nowhere. By the time passing vehicles discovered it and called the fire department, it was already almost completely burned down."

Zhou Yi understood that Wu Yongcheng was so calm because he had already seen through the true nature of the fire.

How could this be an accident caused by a pipe rupture and aging components? This is clearly arson to destroy evidence!
Zhou Yi is the best witness!

Since there was no such fire in the previous life, if such a large fire had occurred locally, public officials would have heard about it.

An accident that didn't happen in the previous life, how could it possibly happen in this life?

No matter how hard Zhou Yi flaps his wings, he can't make the pipe break!

But knowing the truth about the fire is useless, because there is no evidence to prove it.

The mastermind behind this fire is undoubtedly Jiang Zhengdao.

Chen Gengyun's capture will inevitably stir up undercurrents, and Jiang Zhengdao's actions are a desperate attempt to survive.

Whether they actually tampered with the pipes and wiring, or set the fire and then manipulated the fire department's test results, this fire was undoubtedly a meticulously planned conspiracy.

Such a large villa area, how big of a fire would it take to burn it all down? So Wu Yongcheng appeared calm, but in reality, he was aware of how deep the waters were here.

Everyone knows there's something wrong with this fire, but so what!
"Captain Wu, did this fire cause any casualties?" Zhou Yi asked.

Wu Yongcheng shook his head.

No one died from the fire, so the police don't have much right to intervene. This matter mainly falls under the jurisdiction of the fire department, and the disciplinary committee will definitely conduct further investigations.

But if the fire is fierce enough to burn everything you want to burn, then what can you do even if you want to investigate?

"Don't worry about this. We'll just follow the leader's instructions and do our jobs well," Wu Yongcheng said casually.

The other three people in the car nodded in understanding.

Lu Zhengfeng was unaware of the cause and effect of the matter, but judging from Zhou Yi's solemn expression, he knew that this fire was definitely not simple.

"By the way, regarding Wu Guang, I've already spoken with Captain Cao, and you can report for duty on the 7th. I wasn't sure how long your case in the Northwest would take, so I postponed it by a week, giving you a chance to rest and regroup."

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yi replied directly, "No need. Today is the 3rd, I'll go to Wuguang tomorrow."

“There’s no need to be in such a hurry. I’ve already asked Captain Cao about the skeleton found in Yunxia Mountain, but we still haven’t been able to identify it.” Wu Yongcheng thought he was anxious about the Yunxia Mountain case.

But glancing through the rearview mirror, he noticed that Zhou Yi's eyes looked a little strange, and he immediately had a weird premonition.

What's on this kid's mind?

This time, he turned around directly and asked with a smile, "You kid, you don't actually have special abilities, do you? Is Wu Guang going to get into trouble?"

Wu Yongcheng was joking, and Zhou Yi knew he was joking.

But he did have something on his mind, namely the phone call Ding Chunmei had just made to him.

"Captain Wu, do you remember a female reporter from the TV station named Ding Chunmei?"

"Ding Chunmei? Is she the one who recorded that 'Heart to Heart' program, the one who followed me the whole time with a camera?"

“Yes, it’s her.” Zhou Yi nodded.

"I vaguely remember her. What happened to her?"

"About a month ago, she quit her job at the TV station and went to Wuguang."

Wu Yongcheng was slightly surprised. A job at a TV station was a golden opportunity, so why would he resign?
"Oh... what, is there some better development?"

“She had a senior from university who worked at the Wuguang City Daily. The two had a very good relationship, almost to the point of mutual attraction. This senior was a reporter with a very strong sense of justice, but just over a month ago, he inexplicably jumped off a building and committed suicide.”

Wu Yongcheng listened calmly.

"Ding Chunmei showed me their last correspondence. In the last paragraph of the letter, the journalist named Li Chong expressed a strong sense of tragic heroism and a persistent pursuit of the truth."

Wu Yongcheng asked, "So, Ding Chunmei resigned from her job at the TV station to go to Wuguang to investigate the cause of Li Chong's death?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

Wu Yongcheng added, "The reporter, with a strong sense of justice, inexplicably committed suicide. This Li Chong... did he discover some shady dealings and want to expose them, but was silenced?"

“Captain Wu, it has to be you. I think so too. I believe that when Li Chong wrote his last letter to Ding Chunmei, he must have realized that someone might be plotting against him.”

The last few words from Li Chong in that letter, written with powerful strokes and sharp, incisive language, left a deep impression on Zhou Yi.

"Where justice lies, I will not yield to power or disregard personal gain. I am willing to use my pen as a torch and my heart as a witness, even if it means burning myself out, I will never allow the truth to be shrouded in silence."

We must never let the truth be obscured by silence...

What kind of truth would cost him his life?
This is why Zhou Yi repeatedly warned Ding Chunmei to be careful after going to Wuguang.

Because he thought the same way as Wu Yongcheng.

Li Chong's suicide was most likely due to him being silenced.

“Just as I got off the bus, I received a call from Ding Chunmei,” Zhou Yi said. “Through some connections, she successfully got a job at Wuguang Metropolitan Daily, though it’s a contract job without a permanent position.”

In fact, Zhou Yi knew from Ding Chunmei's selfless pursuit of the thief that led to her death in her previous life that she and Li Chong were the same kind of people.

They have a strong sense of justice and are willing to risk their lives for what is right.

This is probably why the two of them were able to attract each other.

That's why Ding Chunmei resolutely resigned from her tenured job at Hongcheng TV Station for Li Chong.

In their previous life, the two passed away one after the other, and could only meet again in the underworld.

In this life, Zhou Yi saved Ding Chunmei, but he was unaware of the existence of Li Chong.

Therefore, they became separated by life and death.

Wu Yongcheng asked, "Has Ding Chunmei encountered any danger?"

Being able to make phone calls means that your personal safety is not a problem for the time being.

But Zhou Yi's eagerness to go to Wu Guang indicates that Ding Chunmei must have encountered a problem.

Zhou Yi nodded: "She must have been being watched. She said she's had a feeling of being spied on these past few days. Then, early this morning, the window of her rented room was smashed with a brick, and then someone threw a bag into the room."

Lu Zhengfeng couldn't help but ask, "What's in the bag?"

"A dead cat with its skin peeled off."

Zhou Yi was also startled when he heard on the phone that the bag contained a skinned dead cat.

This couldn't have been an accident; it was a blatant warning, telling her that the way she treats cats is the same way she treats you, a young girl!
"Did you call the police?" Wu Yongcheng asked.

“She called the police immediately after the incident. Then she went to the nearby police station with the police and spent the night there. She just called me again.”

"The police station probably didn't find anything, right?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "It was early morning, before dawn, so there were no witnesses. Ding Chunmei lived on the second floor, so it wouldn't have been difficult for her to throw bricks and a dead cat directly from downstairs."

Wu Yongcheng took a puff of his cigarette and remained silent.

The fact that someone could smash a window and throw a dead cat out in the middle of the night shows that the person who did this had already figured out where Ding Chunmei lived.

In this situation, killing someone to silence them would be incredibly easy.

"Did Ding Chunmei discover anything during her investigation into Li Chong's death?" Wu Yongcheng asked.

“I asked, and Ding Chunmei said she hasn’t found any suspicious clues yet, but she did go to Li Chong’s former rented place to inquire about the situation as Li Chong’s friend.” Zhou Yi had actually warned Ding Chunmei not to reveal her relationship with Li Chong to others.

But Ding Chunmei was clearly losing her composure.

Although you can't blame her, after all, she's still young, and most people wouldn't think there's any risk in asking the landlord about things.

But if Li Chong was really silenced, then it's hard to say.

However, it was difficult to explain over the phone, and Ding Chunmei was quite agitated, so Zhou Yi could only try to calm her down and tell her to move as soon as possible and find a hotel with good security measures, preferably one with surveillance cameras.

Besides that, I should be extra careful and wait until I go to Wu Guang to find her.

Because Zhou Yi knew that it was impossible for her to give up.

As for what to do after he went to Wuguang, to be honest, Zhou Yi himself didn't know.

Because in the previous life, none of the files in that room were related to the name Li Chong.

Li Chong is a dead man buried by time.

To uncover the truth, we can only take it one step at a time.

That's why he was in a hurry to go to Wuguang; he wanted to find Ding Chunmei to understand the situation.

He feared that Ding Chunmei might have come into contact with some information without realizing it, and thus become a target.

He was afraid that if he arrived late, something might happen to Ding Chunmei.

After all, this was someone he had saved from the clutches of fate.

If he can save someone once, he can definitely save them a second time!

“Zhou Yi, we still don’t know how deep the water is in this matter. After you go to Wu Guang, you must be careful and cautious,” Wu Yongcheng said earnestly. “Don’t be impulsive, and don’t do anything risky.”

Zhou Yi nodded: "I understand."

"But don't act rashly without evidence. You have to understand that every place has its own water."

Wu Yongcheng's words made Zhou Yi's heart skip a beat. Was Captain Wu implying something to her?

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Captain Wu." But Wu Yongcheng didn't say it explicitly, and he wouldn't press for details.

He knew that Wu Yongcheng would never cheat or harm him, and that he must have his reasons for speaking. If he didn't speak now, it meant it wasn't the right time.

"I'll call Captain Cao later and tell him you're reporting for duty tomorrow afternoon, so he can make the arrangements. Biaozi, you drive there and take Zhou Yi to Wuguang."

Jiang Biao immediately replied, "Okay, no problem. I can also visit my old comrades-in-arms while I'm at it."

Zhou Yi asked in surprise, "Brother Biao, you used to work in Wu Guang?"

Jiang Biao nodded: "Yes, I have. When I was a member of the armed police, our unit was stationed in Wuguang."

Zhou Yi immediately said half-jokingly, "That's great! Looks like I have someone protecting me in Wuguang."

He had just finished speaking when he glanced out the car window and suddenly realized something was wrong. He asked in confusion, "Captain Wu, this isn't the way back to the Municipal Bureau."

It was neither the way back to the municipal bureau nor the way back home.

Wu Yongcheng smiled and said, "I'll take you somewhere. You'll see when we get there."

(End of this chapter)