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

Chapter 534 What's the date today? (Monthly ticket giveaway: 1000-yuan grand prize)
The face that suddenly appeared next to Zhou Yi had a stubble beard, as if he hadn't shaved for years.

His hair was a mess, making him look like a homeless person on the street.

He was wearing a pair of old-fashioned thick-rimmed glasses, one of the lenses of which was cracked and covered with transparent tape.

Only the eyes behind the lenses, though cloudy, possessed a unique sharpness.

The man was holding a white enamel bowl with peeling paint, and he was staring intently at Zhou Yi at close range.

His gaze wasn't that of someone looking at an ordinary person; it was the gaze of someone scrutinizing a criminal.

But that's not all, because there's also a hint of neuroticism in that look.

The man didn't say anything, just stared intently at Zhou Yi, making even Zhou Yi feel a little uneasy.

On the other side, Yao Yi awkwardly called out, "Captain Zhong... this is Zhou Yi, one of us, one of us."

This unkempt old man, who resembled a beggar, was the living judge who once struck fear into the hearts of Wu Guang's criminals.

Zhou Yi quickly introduced himself and extended his hand: "Hello, Captain Zhong, my name is Zhou Yi, and I was just transferred from Hongcheng today."

Zhong Ming stared intently at him without reaching out, and instead asked, "Where are your IDs? Show them to me."

Yao Yi quickly said, "Captain Zhong, Zhou Yi just arrived. I'll take him out for a meal first. We haven't picked up his credentials yet."

Zhong Ming stared intently and said, "Without identification, how can you prove he's a good person!"

Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat, because he sensed something was wrong and understood why Director Yao's expression had been off when he mentioned the three detachments here earlier.

Zhong Ming seems to be experiencing some mental issues.

Helpless, Yao Yi smiled wryly and pulled out one of the documents that Zhou Yi had just signed. "Captain Zhong, I have some documents here, would you like to take a look?"

Zhong Ming cautiously took the document, glanced at it, then looked at Zhou Yi, his eyes still filled with hostility.

Just when Zhou Yi thought that he had seen the document, Zhong Ming suddenly said seriously, "Show me your ID card! Otherwise, how can you prove that you are Zhou Yi?"

“Captain Zhong…” Yao Yi wanted to say a few words of advice, but Zhou Yi smiled wryly and shook his head at him.

Then he took out his ID card and handed it over.

Zhong Ming held his ID card in his left hand and documents in his right, looking at this and that, before finally staring at Zhou Yi.

Then he suddenly said something that sent a chill down Zhou Yi's spine.

"You look the same, but something's wrong with your eyes. They look too mature, not like a young person's."

Yao Yi quickly stood up, took the items back from Zhong Ming, returned the ID card to Zhou Yi, and said, "Captain Zhong, you've confirmed it, right? This is one of our own, not a criminal."

He didn't doubt Zhong Ming's words at all.

Zhou Yi was genuinely startled by Zhong Ming's words.

Was this person mentally unstable when they said that, or did they really see through Zhou Yi's biggest secret?
If it's the latter, then how formidable must this person have been when he was still mentally sound? No wonder he had the nickname "Judge".

Zhou Yi quickly changed the subject, saying, "Captain Zhong, I am Wu Yongcheng's subordinate. Captain Wu asked me to give you my regards."

After confirming Zhou Yi's identity, the sharpness in Zhong Ming's eyes vanished instantly, leaving only a cloudiness.

He seemed not to have heard Zhou Yi's last sentence, and without saying goodbye, he turned and left, his movements as slow as an old man's.

He muttered to himself, "Another one."

Watching him stagger towards the cafeteria exit, Zhou Yi felt a pang of sorrow.

But he still pretended not to know and asked, "Director Yao, what's going on with Captain Zhong?"

Yao Yi shook his head helplessly: "Sigh, it's all ancient history, let's talk about it later."

Zhou Yi nodded and did not ask any further questions.

After dinner, perhaps because of the pressure Zhong Ming had put on them, Yao Yi took Zhou Yi to collect her documents and equipment.

Then take him on a tour of the various departments to get acquainted with them.

According to Yao Yi, in addition to Zhou Yi, there was another young policeman who was temporarily transferred from Taicheng City Public Security Bureau, named Hou Kun.

I officially reported for duty on August 1st.

Yao Yi said to take him around, and finally led him back to the main office of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, because the colleagues from Team One and Team Two all worked together.

Zhou Yi casually asked, "What about Captain Zhong?"

Yao Yi scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed, and said, "Captain Zhong and the others have a separate office."

Just when Zhou Yi thought this was the Municipal Bureau taking care of Zhong Ming.

Yao Yi added, "We won't go to Captain Zhong's place. You've already met Captain Zhong; there are only two people in their office."

Zhou Yi was taken aback. Two people?
Connecting the information before and after, Zhou Yi most likely understands what's going on.

This Third Brigade, which is specifically responsible for old and unsolved cases and has only two members, was originally set up to properly settle Zhong Ming.

Zhong Ming's mental state was clearly not good; he was somewhat neurotic, probably due to his obsession with capturing Wang Qiang, the fugitive who raped and murdered his eldest daughter.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that other things may have happened in the past seven years.

Giving him a separate office is probably to prevent him from interfering with the normal work of others.

If he's in this state, his superiors definitely won't feel comfortable letting him investigate cases.

Although they are in charge of old and backlog cases, with only two people, they can probably only do some desk work and some routine interviews and investigations.

Even if some useful new clues are found in an old case, a large team will likely get involved very quickly.

Therefore, Wu Guang's three major squads were just for show, a psychological comfort for Zhong Ming.

The sight of Zhong Ming was both the most terrifying and the most heartbreaking.

Although Captain Wu also suffered a lot, the pain of losing his unborn child and being raped and murdered by the daughter he had raised for nineteen years is incomparable.

This further solidified Zhou Yi's determination to help Zhong Ming, at least to prevent this poor man from waiting another three years.

Yao Yi led Zhou Yi around for a while, and then they arrived at the door of the forensic room.

Just as I was about to knock, the door opened.

"Director Yao."

"Forensic Doctor Yun, perfect timing! If we had arrived any later, we would have missed you."

Yun Yao, the only forensic doctor in Wuguang Public Security Bureau, laughed and said, "Look at what you're saying, I'm just delivering a report to the team."

Judging from what Yao Yi said earlier, Yun Yao should be over thirty years old.

In reality, this cloud-based forensic doctor looked very young, making Zhou Yi think he was at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

Perhaps because of her baby face and the two dimples when she smiles, she looks more like a member of an arts and culture soldier, making it hard to associate her with a forensic doctor.

"Forensic Doctor Yun, let me introduce you, this is..."

Before Yao Yi could finish speaking, Yun Yao asked with a smile, "Zhou Yi, right?"

Yao Yi said with slight surprise, "Forensic Doctor Yun, you are really amazing! I haven't even told you yet."

"Teacher Qin mentioned Zhou Yi to me before."

Yao Yi was taken aback: "Teacher Qin? Which...which Qin..."

Then he turned to Zhou Yi in surprise and asked, "You know Old Qin?"

Zhou Yi nodded shyly.

Others call Qin Lao, but Yun Yao calls him Teacher Qin, which precisely shows that they have a close relationship.

"Why didn't you mention Elder Qin earlier when I brought him up?" Yao Yi said with a smile.

But then he immediately felt something was amiss. Professor Qin was a leading figure in the field of forensic medicine; how could he be connected to Zhou Yi? He had reviewed Zhou Yi's file and found no connection to Professor Qin. Moreover, Professor Qin had specifically mentioned Zhou Yi to his students.

So he tentatively asked, "Then Old Qin is yours..."

Yun Yao smiled slightly and said four words that startled Yao Yi: "Like father and son." Director Yao was half bewildered and half shocked, his forehead practically covered in question marks.

Zhou Yi quickly waved his hand and said, "Forensic Doctor Yun is joking. Elder Qin is a senior I greatly respect. I am honored to have been valued by Elder Qin, and I am very humbled."

Yun Yao smiled and patted Zhou Yi's arm, saying, "Don't call me that like them. We're family. Call me Sister Yun from now on."

"Okay, Sister Yun." Although Yun Yao said those four words half-jokingly, the fact that she could say them showed that she knew why Qin Beihai cared about her, which indeed proved that Old Master Qin trusted this student very much.

"There's plenty of time. You can get to know Director Yao first, and then come find me when you have time, and we can have a good chat."

"Okay, then Sister Yun, you go ahead and get busy."

"Forensic Doctor Yun, take care." Yao Yi turned his head, and the way he looked at Zhou Yi immediately changed.

Earlier, he and Zhu Hongying were discussing how Director Gu mentioned that this young man had connections with provincial leaders, and they were even guessing what those connections were.

He solved the case; it turned out to be Old Qin.

He had already decided that he would have to tell Captain Cao about this discovery later.

If Old Qin is happy, he can arrange for two more of his disciples and grand-disciples to come to Wuguang to work as forensic doctors. That would be a huge profit for him!
"Come, come, Zhou Yi, this way please."

Zhou Yi was both amused and exasperated by his enthusiasm. Although Director Yao had always been quite polite, he had become even more so now.

After completing the rounds, Yao Yi said, "Let's go back to the brigade office and meet with the squad leader and other colleagues."

In a large office on the third floor of the Wuguang City Public Security Bureau, several large ceiling fans were humming and spinning.

Because the office faces west, it was the hottest time of the afternoon, and the room felt like a steamer, making everyone inside feel drowsy.

Early August in the Gregorian calendar is the hottest time of the year.

Someone complained, "What is the logistics department doing? They've been trying to install curtains since last year, and they still haven't done it for us."

Another person replied, "Logistics said they don't have the budget to buy curtains anymore."

"If there's no budget, go ask the boss for approval. It's so hot, people are practically steaming. What's going on?"

"How about we paste some more newspaper on it?"

"Newspapers are no good. Fine, I'll bring the bed sheets from home tomorrow and nail them up first, so we can at least get through this summer."

From afar, Zhou Yi could hear voices coming from inside.

Yao Yi wiped his sweat and said, "Their office gets a lot of afternoon sun, so it's cold in winter and hot in summer. But no one in the bureau has an office this big, so they have to make do for now."

The two went inside, and Yao Yi stood at the door and looked around.

There weren't many people in the room; there were at least twenty desks, but only seven or eight people.

Yao Yi clearly didn't see the person he was looking for, so he asked the person closest to the door, "Where is your squad?"

"Team Leader Fang? He was just here. Did he go to the restroom?" the man replied casually, but a quick glance revealed Yao Yi, and he immediately stood up. "Oh, Director Yao. Are you looking for Team Leader Fang? Shall I go and see him for you?"

"It's okay, just go about your business."

No sooner had Yao Yi finished speaking than a voice called out from the corridor, "Old Yao, you were looking for me?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, a man who was not yet forty years old walked towards them. He was short and rather thin.

"I'm looking for you, squad leader. They said you went to the restroom."

"No, it's too hot. I'm just buying some popsicles for the guys." The soldier smiled and lifted the plastic bag in his hand.

He then pulled two popsicles out of the bag and said, "Here, cool me down."

He handed one to Yao Yi, and when he handed the other to Zhou Yi, he asked with a smile, "Is this Zhou Yi? Welcome, welcome!"

"Hello, Squad Leader Fang, I am Zhou Yi. It is an honor to join the Criminal Investigation Detachment of Wuguang."

The two shook hands, and Fang said, "I'm just the vice-captain. You can just call me by my name, Fang Jianqing."

The other party was just being polite and modest. It would be foolish to take it seriously, since even Yao Yi calls him "Team Leader."

"I'll need the team's guidance in the future," Zhou Yi said with a smile.

Fang Jianqing said with a smile, "Eat popsicles, they'll melt in a bit."

He walked into the house and invited everyone to eat popsicles.

Yao Yi took a bite of his popsicle and whispered, "This squad member was just transferred from Qingyuan County Bureau at the end of last year. I heard his family is well-off and he's generous, so... you know..."

Zhou Yi nodded slightly. Hearing Yao Yi say this, he knew that Fang Jianqing was a rather shrewd person.

In the context of working within the system, being generous with money is actually a rather subtle thing.

Being too generous and taking on too much responsibility can easily cause resentment from others. When the benefits are too great, the beneficiary may be grateful, but those who do not benefit will hold a grudge.

If the benefit is too small, people will look down on you and cause them to have a negative reaction, especially if the other person's family is well-off, it is easy for them to feel that it is charity.

Therefore, a person who can strike a good balance must be very shrewd.

When it's unbearably hot, quietly going to buy an ice pop is an example of letting emotions outweigh the value.

It was also unbearably hot, but he didn't take the initiative to spend money to solve the office curtain problem. He was weighing the pros and cons, even though it wouldn't cost much.

"Old Yao, Zhou Yi, what are you doing standing at the door? Come in," Fang Jianqing waved.

The two went inside, and Yao Yi said with a smile, "Team Leader Fang, I've already shown Zhou Yi around once, and everything that needed to be done has been taken care of. My task is complete, so I'm handing him over to you now."

"Thank you for your hard work, Director Yao."

Yao Yi then said to Zhou Yi, "Zhou Yi, if you encounter any problems at work or in life, you can talk to Team Leader Fang, or you can talk to me or Section Chief Zhu."

"Thank you, Director Yao, for your trouble."

"Hey, don't be so polite. Okay, you two can chat all you want."

After Yao Yi left, Fang Jianqing pointed to a desk and told Zhou Yi that this was his seat.

He also introduced him to several colleagues who were in the office at that moment. Among them, the one sitting opposite Zhou Yi was Hou Kun, who came from Taicheng.

Judging from his appearance, he should be a few years older than Zhou Yi, with a full beard that makes him look somewhat rugged.

After the introduction, Zhou Yi saw that he didn't intend to assign her any work, nor did he assign her a partner or give her any case files to familiarize her with Wu Guang's situation.

He then took the initiative to ask, "Team Leader, is the Yunxia Mountain case currently being handled by Director Ni of the Yunshan County Public Security Bureau, or has it been handed over to us?"

He was the one who discovered the skeleton, so Fang Jianqing couldn't possibly not know about it. Asking about other things might not be appropriate, but asking about this was definitely fine.

More than half a month has passed since the skeleton was discovered, and he is very concerned about whether there has been any progress.

Unexpectedly, Fang Jianqing said with a smile, "You just arrived today, and you haven't even had a chance to sit down yet. Don't rush to work. Take a break and adjust yourself first. If Cao Zhi finds out that I'm ordering you around as soon as you arrive, he'll definitely criticize me when I get back."

Since he had already said that, Zhou Yi naturally didn't press him further, thinking that there was no rush.

Moreover, he told me to go and rest, so I might as well go and find Ding Chunmei.

When Fang Jianqing learned that the dormitory had been arranged, he said that he could go back and pack his things first, and then start the specific work tomorrow after Cao Anmin returned.

Zhou Yi thanked her and prepared to return to his dormitory first before contacting Ding Chunmei.

Just as he reached the door, he heard someone behind him say something to Fang Jianqing.

These words sent chills down his spine, as if he had heard something extremely terrifying.

The man said, "Team Leader, Forensic Doctor Yun just came by. The preliminary autopsy report for the headless female corpse found in Qingyuan last night is on your desk."

Zhou Yi was momentarily dazed, his first thought being, "What day is it today?"

I quickly took out my phone to check.

On the limited screen of the mobile phone, the date displayed in the upper right corner was clearly 1997/8/04.

That's right, today is August 4th!

Today is not August 11th!
The headless case of August 11th has occurred ahead of schedule!
(End of this chapter)