Animal Detective

Chapter 125 Tramp

The main conference room of the Criminal Investigation Brigade.

Chen Chao tapped the blackboard and said, "In short, we must learn from this lesson, optimize our handling procedures, and ensure that similar situations do not happen again."

After speaking, he turned to the crowd and asked if anyone had remembered it and if anyone had any questions.

At the same time, Chen Gui raised his hand and said with a half-smile, "Captain Chen, you've been talking about optimization for so long, but how exactly do you optimize it? You should explain it more clearly."

As soon as he opened his mouth, the seasoned veterans present all fired back.

"Exactly, Wang Yuansheng is like a madman. He just comes up and starts slashing people. You talk about optimizing the process, but when we try to negotiate with him, he doesn't give us a chance."

"Captain Chen, this is a special case; you might not encounter one like this even every few years."

"The higher-ups have already determined that there was no problem with Lao Zhou's handling of the matter, so what's the point of optimization?"

This meeting was about Wang Yuansheng's case.

The incident injured innocent bystanders, and the department's intention is to reflect on the situation, optimize procedures, and prevent similar incidents from happening again.

"Hey!"

Chen Chao's eyebrows twitched, and he suppressed the voices of the crowd, saying, "If the leader tells you to optimize, then just optimize, why bother with all that?"

As soon as he said that, all the seasoned veterans understood and laughed.

Sun Zhao, who was standing next to him, immediately coughed, glared at Chen Chao with annoyance, signaling him to go away, and then tapped the table and said, "Alright, stop laughing. We were lucky this time. Next time something like this happens, be more careful."

If Wang Yuansheng hadn't been so determined to kill the adulterer, and had instead gone on a killing spree, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"correct."

Sun Zhao peeked out, looked around, and his gaze settled on Shen Xin, who was slumped in the corner. He asked, "Little Shen, have you gotten any results with that bounty you posted?"

Everyone turned to look at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin was in a daze when he suddenly snapped out of it and asked a question.

Sun Zhao repeated the question.

"No."

Shen Xin said dejectedly.

The reward offered two days ago has now reached nine million views.

The number of comments was unusually high, approaching 30,000.

Over two days, I received dozens of phone calls, but most of them were meaningless or harassing.

Some people even called to ask if DaMei was selling.

There wasn't a single truly useful clue.

"Xiao Shen, don't be discouraged. After all, this case has been going on for six years," his colleague Lao Ma comforted him.

Sun Zhao also said, "That's right. I told you before not to have too high hopes for this reward. It's best if there are clues, but don't be too disappointed if there aren't. Take it slow. Some cases will be solved sooner or later."

He gave an example: in 13, a home invasion murder occurred in Jigang, and the suspect could not be found, so it was shelved for almost two years.

In 15, a burglary occurred in Tongnan. After the suspect was arrested, in order to gain merit, he voluntarily confessed that in 13, he and a fellow villager had committed a crime in Jigang.

This refers to the murder case in Jigang.

"So, maybe one day in the future, the murderer who killed Xiao Hong might be arrested by us for some other reason, and at that time, the truth about Xiao Hong's case will come to light."

Shen Xin nodded.

I understand the reasoning, but I still can't help feeling a little disappointed.

"Alright, meeting adjourned."

Sun Zhao waved his hand, signaling the meeting to adjourn.

However, he specifically stopped Shen Xin and told him not to keep focusing on Xiao Hong's case, but to choose another unsolved case to investigate.

There are still many unsolved cases.

Moreover, in cold case investigations like this, clues are discovered periodically, supplemented, and then we continue to wait.

There's no need to rush.

Back at my desk, I had just sat down when my phone rang.

Work phone.

Shen Xin was startled and quickly answered the call.

"Depend on!"

Shen Xin cursed and hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Ding Yuwei asked, peeking out from across the room.

Shen Xin said dejectedly, "A salesperson who sells cat food wants to talk to me about cooperation and promote their cat food." This is the branch office's official account, and they're still promoting it? What are they thinking?

Sighing, Shen Xin leaned back in his chair and thought for a while before saying, "Ding Yuwei, do you remember the disappearance case at the Sand Gold Farm in 15?"

Shen Xin felt that Sun Zhao was right; he couldn't keep wasting time on Xiao Hong's case.

There are so many unsolved cases in the bureau. Now that the leadership is determined to make me handle unsolved cases, are they going to ignore the other cases?

Ding Yuwei has an amazing memory. She nodded and said, "I remember. The victim's name is Zhu Guishen. He has been missing for two years. There are some suspicious points in the case itself. It is suspected to be a robbery and murder, but we can't find any supporting evidence."

Shen Xin sat up straight, about to speak, when his phone rang again.

It's still my work phone.

I glanced at the number; it was from out of town, from Wenyuan City in Shandong Province, north of Ningjiang.

With a helpless sigh, Shen Xin answered the phone.

A man's voice came through the phone: "Are you Officer Shen?"

"Yes, it is. Is there something you need?"

The man immediately replied, "That's right, I saw the reward notice you posted online. I think I saw the driver you mentioned."

Shen Xin, who had initially thought it was just another pointless phone call, suddenly jumped up.

"Wait, are you sure? No, you said you saw the driver during the time period mentioned in the announcement?" Shen Xin asked urgently, then immediately waved to Ding Yuwei.

Ding Yuwei's expression changed slightly, and she immediately walked over.

Zhao Tianxing, who was standing nearby, and Chen Chao, who was talking to Zhou Zhongyi not far away, also gathered around.

Shen Xin turned on the speakerphone and call recording, and asked, "Sir, what is your name? Also, are you sure it's the time period mentioned in the announcement?"

Xiao Hong died between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Then yesterday, Shen Xin also received a phone call saying that he had seen Xiao Hong and remembered him.

After asking carefully, I learned that the other person was also a driver, and that Xiao Hong met him when he was eating at a restaurant in Yaojiali Village.

But I only met him once and did not witness the process of Xiao Hong being killed.

"Oh, my surname is Song, and my name is Song Shifeng."

"Speaking of which, it was my daughter who first came across your video, and then she asked me about it, because I went back to Nanjiang on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month in 11."

“At the time, I was working at a machining factory in Nanjiang. We started work on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year and produced a batch of goods. However, there was a problem with the tolerances, and that batch of goods might have to be scrapped. I originally planned to return to the factory after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but because of this incident, I had no choice but to return to the factory early to deal with it.”

"Because of this, I made a promise with my daughter to go to the temple fair on the fifteenth, but I missed it, so she remembered it and asked me about it specifically."

Shen Xin turned his head and glanced at Chen Chao.

What Song Shifeng said sounds very credible.

Chen Chao had already given Zhao Tianxing a nudge, signaling him to go find Sun Zhao.

Shen Xin asked, "So what exactly is the situation?"

Song Shifeng said, "My factory is located in Wangde Steel City. I came down from the Qianqi exit of Jigang Port and took the Liyang Highway back."

"I was supposed to arrive around 7 or 8 p.m., but there was an accident on the bridge across the river. A truck overturned, causing a traffic jam for more than two hours. So I didn't get off the highway until almost 11 p.m.

"I may not remember the exact time, but I do remember that after passing Dazhang Village, I was going from north to south, and there was a large single-column billboard on the opposite side of the road."

"They must have changed the advertisement after the New Year, and it was changed to an advertisement for Yanghe liquor. I subconsciously took a few more glances because I was thinking about how to ask the client to make an exception and give us a few more days to finish the project."

Upon hearing the news, Sun Zhao's eyes lit up.

Shen Xin immediately looked up.

There was indeed a roadside billboard at the scene of the crime, which still exists today.

"Did you see the truck parked on the side of the road, and the driver?" Shen Xin asked softly.

Song Shifeng said, "That's right. I was driving at the time. I glanced at the billboard first, and then I saw the truck you mentioned. It was parked on the side of the road. It was a high-sided truck."

"Then, with the headlights on, I saw two people in front of the headlights... pulling and tugging."

“I was driving and didn’t brake, I just sped through, and at most I only noticed it for a second or two. To be honest, if it weren’t for this reward you offered, I would have forgotten about it long ago, and I would never have known that the driver died.”

Shen Xin clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his excitement.

Their wild imaginations actually came true; someone did happen to be passing by and witnessed the incident.

"Mr. Song, do you remember what the person who had the conflict with the driver looked like?" Shen Xin asked cautiously.

Song Shifeng said, "How could they possibly remember? They were separated by the guardrail in the middle, and the car was going so fast. To be honest, at night, if it weren't for the headlights shining on them, who would have noticed them?"

"However, although I don't remember what the man looked like, I know he must have been a homeless man because he was carrying a snakeskin bag and wasn't wearing proper clothes. He looked like a homeless man at first glance."

(End of this chapter)