I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 138 Half a Month Later

The case is basically closed. All that's left is to secure the evidence and submit it to the prosecutor's office for review once everything is in order.

In this case, securing the evidence was a challenge.

Cyanide is a consumable; once it's used up, it's gone. Furthermore, surveillance footage didn't capture Ma Chen entering or leaving Ping An Garden. Therefore, the task force relied more on testimonies to find indirect evidence.

For example, where did the three meet, and was it captured on surveillance footage?

For example, when and where did Ren Yi give the cyanide to Ma Chen? What was the container used to hold the cyanide? After Ma Chen administered the poison, did he throw away or destroy the container?

This includes Lü Zhanpeng's shoes and Ma Chen's slingshot used to sabotage surveillance.

and many more.

The details will be very complicated, and the task force will have to work overtime for several more days.

During this time, Lü Zhanpeng's father from the south arrived, and for him, his whole world collapsed.

With the rapid economic development in the south, he went south to work and earn money for many years in order to support Lü Zhanpeng's education and to help him buy a house and a car after graduation. Now, the mother and son are suspected of murder.

Women tend to approach problems from a more emotional perspective and lack a certain degree of rationality.

Lu Zhanpeng is a college graduate and is considered quite outstanding. Pan Xia subconsciously tends to trust her son more, which may be one of the reasons why she did not do her best to stop him from committing crimes.

a few days later.

The case-handling hall of the First Squadron.

Han Ling stretched his shoulders at his workstation, then casually picked up a spray bottle to water the spider plant, avoiding the leaf axils. Zhang Yandong had taught him that this could prevent yellowing leaves.

Having a plant around makes him feel better; he takes great care of it.

Tong Feng opened the door and walked in. He saw Han Ling fiddling with the spider plant and said as he walked, "The crackdown on prostitution is coming. I heard we have to participate in the support as well."

"Anti-prostitution?" Han Ling turned his head. "Isn't anti-prostitution the job of the public security brigade?"

Tong Feng filled a cup with water and, with his back to Han Ling, said, "Don't you usually pay attention to our internal news? Don't you ever go out for a stroll or chat with your colleagues? Such a big thing happened in Jinghua recently, didn't you know?"

Han Ling: "Did you check an entertainment venue?"

Tong Feng came over after getting the water: "Oh, you know? That's right. It's because of this incident that the investigation in May was only recently completed, and a nationwide crackdown on prostitution is about to begin."

Our Major Crimes Unit has extensive experience and strong combat capabilities. Unless there are major cases, we might be reassigned to the front lines to participate in intensive operations.

Han Ling didn't care and continued watering the plants: "Go ahead and sweep them up. Sweeping up prostitution is more interesting than investigating cases."

Tong Feng sat down: "That entertainment venue in Jinghua is called Heaven on Earth. It's said to be the most luxurious club, with an area of ​​over 10,000 square meters and forty or fifty private rooms. It's incredibly expensive."

Han Ling laughed and said, "Do you regret not going there before the seizure?"

"What are you saying?" Tong Feng glared. "I'm a policeman, how can I break the law? But to be honest... I really want to see for myself."

Han Ling: "If you can't finish investigating, you can go to other places, like the East... It's okay."

"East what?" Tong Feng asked, intrigued.

Han Ling: "Donghai, go find the Dragon King of the East Sea."

Tong Feng scoffed, "The second half of the year is going to be busy. Besides cracking down on prostitution, there will be big operations against human trafficking, and what else..."

Han Ling: "Stop counting. I know you're well-informed. So what if you have connections?"

"If a murder suddenly occurs, we won't be able to participate in any of these special operations."

Tong Feng: "You jinx! Du Juncai's case isn't even finished yet. Can't you wish for something better? Ever since you came to the branch office, I've noticed that the cases in our jurisdiction are getting weirder and weirder."

Han Ling: "Are the cases in other branches very simple?"

Tong Feng thought for a moment and said, "Fortunately, there are more violent and passionate crimes in Languang District, and more smuggling crimes in Tianning District."

Of the three districts and eight counties in Qingchang, apart from Gu'an District, the remaining two are Languang District and Tianning District. Tianning District is located near the coast, so smuggling cases occur frequently.

"Speaking of Languang District, last month, a woman was stabbed three times, each time in the heart, and died on the spot."

Han Ling: "Has the case been solved?"

Tong Feng: "It seems not yet."

Every stab to the heart was clearly aimed at killing; it was either a revenge killing or a crime of passion. I wonder if they've even identified a suspect yet; almost a month has passed, so I doubt they have.

Han Ling chatted casually: "If no suspect has been identified, it's unlikely to be a crime of passion."

The relationships involved in crimes of passion are very strong, and in all likelihood, the police should be able to find out—even if it's a secret relationship, it can't be hidden forever.

Tong Feng: "Who knows? There are many entertainment venues and a large migrant population in Langguang District. The public security is a bit worse than here. They might rob and assault us. The case is in the confidential stage, and we haven't seen the autopsy report."

Han Ling: "Where did you hear this news? Let me know when the case is solved. I want to know who would stab a woman in the heart three times, what the motive was, and what kind of deep hatred that would cause such a thing."

Tong Feng guessed, "They might have cheated the man out of money."

Han Ling: "If that were the case, it would have been solved long ago. Do you think the detectives at the Languang branch are idiots?"

Tong Feng said awkwardly, "That's true."

It's impossible to scam someone without leaving a trace.

The two chatted for a while, and then Fang Zhou came in to notify everyone to gather in the conference room for a meeting to summarize the case of Du Juncai's murder.

At the end of the meeting, Ji Bowei mentioned that he might be involved in a crackdown on prostitution in the near future, which is also part of the work of the Major Crimes Squad.

The Major Crimes Unit is the "sharpest knife" of the entire organization. It needs to be integrated into the overall work, both to provide support and to get to know other colleagues, and to gain experience.

Of the four vices—gambling, prostitution, and drugs—gambling ranks first.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the social harm caused by these three things.

Two weeks later, the crackdown on prostitution indeed began, sweeping across the country with a large number of police officers involved in every city.

The city bureau leaders personally convened a mobilization meeting to conduct a large-scale, unannounced investigation of entertainment venues throughout the city, cracking down on organizers and operators, and also uncovering their protectors.

Han Ling, merely a "filler," blended in like a husky among wolves, failing to pique much interest. His earlier comment that cracking down on prostitution was more interesting than investigating cases was just a joke; in his view, it was consensual, one for money and the other for sex, with no harm done to others, making the potential harm negligible.

However, he also understood that this was only on the surface. The state had its reasons for setting laws, and once the door was opened, prostitution would be one thing, but the other crimes that arose from it would be very serious.

For example, human trafficking, or forcing women into prostitution, once the door is opened, it's hard to stop.

The focus of the crackdown is not on prostitution itself, but on the dark side behind it.

Furthermore, moral order also needs to be maintained, as each country has its own cultural characteristics.

Tonight at a karaoke bar.

Han Ling dragged a man in his thirties out of the private room, ignoring his pleas and explanations.

"Alright, stop explaining. We all know why you're here." Han Ling was still quite polite and didn't pull out handcuffs in the face of slight resistance. "Going to a karaoke bar all by yourself, not bad. You've got a life."

After a period of investigation and undercover visits, it has been found that major business KTVs in Qingchang are hotspots for prostitution. On the surface, they offer singing and companionship, but once the doors are closed and the lights are off, something else is definitely not going on.

They made the transaction right there in the private room; they were incredibly bold.

To be honest, it was quite exciting, and not expensive at all.

The man was still trying to argue: "Officer, I was in a bad mood today, so I came to sing to relieve stress. I found a girl to keep me company while I sang. You can search me if you don't believe me, there's nothing there."

Han Ling laughed and said, "Brother, that woman probably won't say that. Besides... I'm a criminal police officer, temporarily transferred here. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll call my forensic colleagues over to give you a thorough check-up on your body and the sofa, and then detain you for a few more days."

man:"????"

He was a little confused and fell silent.

Han Ling pulled him along, asking as they walked, "Big brother, how much is it?"

The man forced a smile: "It's not expensive, it's not expensive..."

"Married?"

"not yet."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Oh...I understand. Try to find a girlfriend. You're not bad looking."

The man sighed. He knew his matter wasn't serious, so the police were very accommodating. He would only be detained for ten days and then released; it was just embarrassing.

Fortunately, they weren't married, so there was no need to notify their families.

I just hope I don't lose my job.

It doesn't matter. I don't have a government job and I'm not planning to take the exam for one. So what if I'm detained?

When you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause problems.

The KTV owner was also taken away; how he is dealt with is no longer Han Ling's concern.

The anti-prostitution work was relatively easy. After the work was over, Han Ling returned to the branch office and left on his bicycle. He did not go home, but instead went to the barbecue stall where Wang Mengjie was arrested and wandered around for a while.

Coincidentally, he saw Sun Lang, who might often eat here.

Han Ling parked her bicycle by the roadside and walked over.

When Sun Lang saw Han Ling from afar, his expression immediately changed. His first thought was that the other party had come to arrest someone again.

"Damn it, which of you got into trouble again?!" Before Han Ling could get close, Sun Lang pointed at his friends at the table and started yelling, "Didn't I tell you? Follow me and make money honestly. You can get rich without breaking the law. Did you just ignore me? Haven't you learned your lesson from Wang Mengjie?"

The friends looked at each other, their faces full of confusion.

"No... I didn't do anything wrong," someone whispered. "I just made a big sword last month."

Han Ling had already arrived at this moment, and Sun Lang quickly stood up and said with a smile, "Officer Han, what a coincidence?"

Han Ling responded with a smile, "Unfortunately, I came here specifically to eat, and I'm hungry."

Sun Lang inwardly cried out in alarm at the first half of the sentence, but the second half instantly eased his mind.

Oh, I was just hungry.

It's good to be hungry, it's good to be hungry.

"Sit down, sit down, freshly made skewers!" Sun Lang greeted enthusiastically, kicking his friend next to him, "Get out of the way, save a seat for Officer Han!"

Originally, four people were just right for a table, but after Han Ling joined, it felt a bit crowded.

Sun Lang opened a new bottle of beer and placed it in front of Han Ling: "This meal is on me, it's just extra cutlery. You can't secretly pay for it later, or I'll be furious with you."

Han Ling: "Okay, I won't eat much."

Sun Lang's three friends huddled together, heads down, eating heartily without interrupting or pretending not to hear what the two were saying.

The criminal police officers at the branch office were somewhat apprehensive.

These construction workers might not commit serious crimes, but they're not immune to breaking the law. If they were to be arrested, it would be entirely justified; nobody wants to spend a few days in detention eating nothing but plain soup and steamed buns.

"Just call me Han Ling, we're already acquaintances." Han Ling changed how he addressed him.

Sun Lang accepted: "Okay, Han Ling, there's been a crackdown on prostitution in Qingchang recently, right? Are you busy with that?"

Han Ling nodded: "Yes."

After several days of operation, it is no longer a secret; everyone knows about it.

Upon hearing this, the guy who had mentioned the "big sword" earlier instantly felt a chill run down his spine.

That was close!

(End of this chapter)