You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 20 Hua Zi's Charm!
The walkie-talkie in Zheng Kang's hand immediately responded: "Uncle Zheng, are you sure the suspect's height and weight are that precise? This really narrows down the scope of the investigation!"

Another person added, "That's right, Uncle Zheng. I just asked one group, and they didn't add that condition."

Zheng Kang took a drag of his cigarette, picked up the walkie-talkie, and replied, "Stop talking nonsense, just do as I say and investigate!"

"It's up to you."

"Fine!"

Inside the convenience store, Yang Jinwen listened to the call on the walkie-talkie and sighed softly.

"Boss, give me two bottles of Jianlibao."

Yang Jinwen took out his wallet and pointed to the Zhonghua cigarettes on the shelf: "How much are these Zhonghua cigarettes?"

"Soft or hard?"

"Soft."

"30 yuan."

"Okay, give me one box."

After Yang Jinwen paid the bill and came out, Zheng Kang had already walked towards a noodle shop next door.

He quickened his pace and stuffed what he was holding into his master's arms.

Zheng Kang looked down and said in a serious tone, "What? Trying to bribe me?"

Yang Jinwen nodded: "Yes, would you dare to accept a bribe?"

"You're not afraid of bribes, so why should I be afraid of anything!" Zheng Kang took the Zhonghua cigarette, tore open the packaging, pulled out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

He lit one with a lighter, took a satisfying drag, and initially wanted to offer one to Yang Jinwen, but then changed his mind.

Yang Jinwen beamed and leaned closer, saying, "Master, once this case is solved, I'll give you a bottle of Moutai with an iron cap, one of my dad's treasured possessions."

Zheng Kang quickly waved his hand and refused: "That won't do, otherwise I'll really be considered a bribe-taker."

Yang Jinwen smiled and said, "Let's find a small restaurant, I'll open the bottle, and we'll drink together. That won't be considered bribery, right?"

After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Kang agreed: "Your father is the deputy director of the steel factory, and your family is well-off, unlike Maozi, who has a gambling father and a sick mother."

"I'll take advantage of you this once, but I'll call Captain He along too. He's a good guy, and he can help you out in the future."

"Understood." Yang Jinwen nodded.

"Alright, let's check them one by one. Nobody knows what the final result will be right now." Zheng Kang finished his cigarette and led Yang Jinwen into the noodle shop.

........................

By afternoon, the search had been going on for five hours.

At the junction of the water supply and drainage systems, there is an open-air billiard hall covered with a green tarpaulin. Underneath the tarpaulin, a large bulge is filled with rainwater that fell last night.

Lu Shaohua and Zhang Bin stood by the pool table, both with serious expressions. One had his hands on his hips, and the other had his hands behind his back.

He Jinbo pointed to the paper map on the pool table and said, "Director Lu, Zhang Da, the joint defense team has searched two-thirds of the Sheung Shui Road area. The key is the area within one mile of the crime scene. We have questioned everyone there."

Between 7 and 8 p.m. on May 30th, no one noticed any suspicious men riding motorcycles in and out of the old town. However, several witnesses saw the victim, Huang Cuicui.

Zhang Bin asked doubtfully, "After the murderer killed the person, would he not leave the old town until very late?"

Lu Shaohua nodded: "That's possible, but if the dismemberment scene is elsewhere, the murderer might not have enough time to dismember and dispose of the body."

He Jinbo replied, "We have been checking the residents of Sheung Shui Road, including those in the Shai Shui Road area. We have found a total of 134 motorcycles, both registered and unregistered. There are also five households with motorcycles and residents with mental illnesses. My Major Crimes Unit is already screening them."

Lu Shaohua asked, "Are there any that meet the criteria?"

He Jinbo shook his head: "We haven't received any notification yet."

Zhang Bin stroked his chin: "Director Lu, could it be a mistake? I have a feeling the murderer suffers from mental illness, so this speculation is not very reliable."

Lu Shaohua didn't say anything, but looked at He Jinbo, who explained, "Zhang Da, I think this feature is very necessary."

The murderer only took the victim's internal organs, dismembered the body, and disposed of it, but not completely. This is contradictory.

The murderer was not after money or profit, and we have thoroughly investigated all those who had a grudge against the victim, but we have not found any suspicious persons to commit the crime.

Through various deductions, I figured that even if the murderer seemed normal on the surface, there must be something wrong with their psychology.

Lu Shaohua chimed in, "Regardless of whether this characteristic is correct or not, it is still necessary to conduct an investigation around the crime scene."

“Director Lu is right,” Zhang Bin nodded.

He Jinbo glanced at Zhang Bin briefly. It was obvious that Old Zhang wanted to order Yang Jinwen, but he and Lu Shaohua nipped that in the bud.

Lu Shaohua pondered for a moment, then instructed He Jinbo: "Go and notify the joint defense team and the local police station. Whoever digs the person out for me, the branch office will apply for a third-class merit for him."

“Great!” He Jinbo nodded: “There’s a lot of people in the joint defense team who want to get credit and become permanent members, so this is a good opportunity to motivate them.”

By 8 p.m., the search team was exhausted, but the area was too large to be completely searched.

But now is not the time to slack off. The daytime investigation is relatively easy, but in the evening, when everyone is at home after get off work, it is even more necessary to visit every household without missing a single one.

Yang Jinwen's feet were blistered, and his soles were sore and numb, so he could only wobble as he followed behind Zheng Kang.

Zheng Kang was used to it. Having been a police officer for decades, he had to go out to visit people every now and then, and had long since developed a pair of iron feet.

Through the dark stairwell, they arrived at a courtyard surrounded by residential buildings, each seven stories high. The stairwells were not inside the buildings but built on the exterior walls, accessible from either side.

Zheng Kang first knocked on the doors of several households on the first floor, but after asking around, he got no results.

Just as he was about to go upstairs, Yang Jinwen pointed to a cubicle against the wall on the first floor.

“Master, the light in this house was on just now, but it suddenly went out when we were checking other houses.”

Zheng Kang stepped back and looked at the door. There was no house number on the lintel, so it didn't look like a normal room; it looked more like a storage room.

He went over and knocked on the door a few times: "Is anyone home?"

"Is anyone inside?" Yang Jinwen called out as well.

But there was no response from inside the house, and there were no windows outside the door, so it was impossible to see what was happening inside.

Yang Jinwen said, "Master, I'll go ask the neighbors next door."

"Okay," Zheng Kang replied.

Just as Yang Jinwen was about to move, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.

Zheng Kang immediately called out to him, and a moment later, the door was opened from the inside.

A gaunt old man appeared before them, his face sallow and his voice hoarse: "Who are you looking for?"

Just as Yang Jinwen was about to speak, Zheng Kang quickly tugged at his sleeve and smiled at the old man inside the room, saying, "Old brother, we meet again."

(End of this chapter)