I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 149 Full-Scale Investigation Begins

In the corner, Han Ling looked at the content displayed on the big screen and felt a sense of familiarity with this continuous vengeful mentality, which was somewhat similar to his past self.

It wasn't a provocation. Provocation is a typical manifestation of antisocial personality disorder. He doesn't believe this case is related to antisocial behavior, or at least it's not the main cause.

It should be a sarcastic remark.

To mock legal injustice or police incompetence.

If the motive is to mock legal injustice or police incompetence, then the motive is quite clear: it's definitely revenge.

The victims, Wu Cuicui and Xiong Chuan, must have done something that caused physical or psychological harm to the murderer, yet they have not received the punishment they deserve.

Both of them were short of money.

Is it related to money?

If Wu Cuicui and Xiong Chuan were scumbags, then they'd be dead, and there's nothing to pity about them.

However, based on the current investigation, neither Wu Cuicui nor Xiong Chuan deserves to be called scum. Han Ling's understanding of scum is different from that of the general public. The core standard is causing irreparable and huge harm to others for no reason, and it is done intentionally.

"Let's not worry about whether it's provocation or not," Gao Bingyang responded to Feng Yao. "What's the status quo with the investigation into the Xiong Chuan murder case during the crucial period?"

Feng Yao replied, "Xiong Chuan is involved in gambling, prostitution, and drugs. We are currently investigating these three aspects. We have already discovered that there is likely an underground casino on the fifth floor of the Phoenix Nightclub, and we have sent people to investigate it at night."

If the casino is confirmed to exist, the joint security team will shut it down and conduct a thorough investigation to determine if Xiong Chuan's death is related to this casino.

Upon hearing this, Gao Bingyang thought for a moment, then turned to look at the big screen: "This Wu Cuicui doesn't seem to be involved in gambling at all, and there's no trace of prostitution or drugs. The Languang branch has already conducted a very thorough investigation, and I believe there shouldn't be any omissions."

His opinion was that this case had nothing to do with gambling, prostitution, or drugs.

“We still need to investigate,” Gao Bingyang said. “Since the casino exists, we shouldn’t let it continue to exist. I know the owner of Phoenix Nightclub. He’s from Hong Kong Island and has a complicated network of connections in Qingchang. I even know him. If we need to investigate him or even arrest him, we must have solid evidence.”

He spoke very frankly, without hiding anything.

Feng Yao nodded: "Yes, Chief Gao, I understand."

Gao Bingyang: "Where does Xiong Chuan's child go to school?"

Feng Yao: "He hasn't started school yet, he's not even three years old."

Gao Bingyang: "Wu Cuicui's two children are both in middle school, so it seems unlikely that the problem lies with the children. Does Xiong Chuan usually stay in Gu'an District or frequently go to Langguang District?"

Feng Yao: "His wife said that he mainly stays in Gu'an District."

Upon hearing this, Gao Bingyang looked at Qiao Yuanqi and said, "Captain Qiao, let's bring the investigation to Gu'an District. The victim, Wu Cuicui, comes to Gu'an District once or twice a month. You only went through it once before and did not investigate it in depth as a key area."

Now that there are new victims, it seems likely that the problem lies in Gu'an District. We need to thoroughly investigate Wu Cuicui's route from Languang District to Gu'an District, including who she met, who she met new, and what happened to her, including her father.

Qiao Yuanqi: "Yes!"

Gao Bingyang then said to Feng Yao, "Captain Feng, the same goes for Xiong Chuan's side. Investigate each case separately and thoroughly. Don't overlook Wu Cuicui's existence during the process. Keep information exchanged between your two branches. The ultimate goal is to find the intersection between the two victims."

Even if two people have visited the same supermarket, it should be recorded as an important clue.

Feng Yao nodded: "Okay."

The meeting proceeded quickly, with each leader making no unnecessary remarks and focusing every word on the case.

The location of the victims' wounds is also a point of discussion. Both Wu Cuicui and Xiong Chuan suffered three stab wounds to the heart, but the locations were different, and both had rib wounds, indicating that the murderer stabbed randomly without deliberately aiming.

Whether this can be used to deduce the killer's profession is not accurate enough to meet the screening standards, as everyone knows the heart is a vital organ.

During the meeting, Liang Yan, the captain of the first brigade of the criminal investigation detachment, mentioned indirect interpersonal relationships.

The victim, Wu Cuicui, did not know Xiong Chuan. Did Wu Cuicui know Xiong Chuan's wife? Did Wu Cuicui's husband know Xiong Chuan?
Even, do Wu Cuicui's husband and Xiong Chuan's wife know each other?

These all need to be included in the scope of the investigation.

Intersect all of the victim's relationships and look for overlaps.

The tree-like structure inevitably leads to a large number of characters, and this matter is handled by the First Brigade of the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

The meeting lasted until 4:30 p.m. With time running out, Gao Bingyang stopped talking and scanned everyone with his eyes: "Does anyone have anything to add? Don't be afraid of being wrong. Now is the time to brainstorm. Eliminating wrong answers will also be a major step forward for the case."

Having covered most of what needed to be discussed, the meeting room fell silent.

Gao Bingyang looked at young police officers like Fang Zhou and said, "What about you? Since you're here, don't feel pressured. Do you have any ideas about this case?"

Fang Zhou shook his head and looked at Han Ling, who didn't mince words and said, "I'd like to mention the provocation that Captain Feng mentioned earlier. It shouldn't be called provocation, but rather mockery."

Everyone looked over.

Everyone is familiar with this year's first-class merit award. He solved several cases within a year, which is very rare for a new police officer. It shows that he is definitely capable and should not be underestimated.

"Mockery? What do you mean?" Gao Bingyang became interested. "Based on what point do you determine it's mockery?"

Han Ling said, "As Gao Zhi just mentioned, the murderer didn't throw the body into the river, but chose a worse method, which to some extent reduced the difficulty of the police investigation. Perhaps it was intentional, or perhaps it was subconscious; that's not important. What's important is that the behavior definitely had logic. You could say he was mocking the police, or you could say he despised the law. In short, his perspective was condescending."

Why would someone have this mentality? Perhaps it's because they've experienced it firsthand.

Gao Bingyang understood: "You mean the murderer experienced legal injustices, which involved Wu Cuicui and Xiong Chuan."

Han Ling nodded: "This is a direction for investigation, and I think we can't ignore it."

At this point, Gao Bingyang looked at Qiao Yuanqi and asked, "Has Wu Cuicui ever been involved in any lawsuits? Or has she ever been to the police station due to any disputes?"

“We’ve never been to court,” Qiao Yuanqi replied immediately. “As for going to the police station… we asked her husband, Wu Cuicui, about her unusual behavior in recent years, but she didn’t mention it.”

Gao Bingyang: "Let's double-check this. Call every police station in the city and ask them. Don't delay, we need to be quick."

He did not deny Han Ling's words.

If you've only been to the police station, the relevant information may not be uploaded to the public security system. Asking directly is the safest way to ensure nothing is missed.

The Qingchang Police Station doesn't count the eight counties, but there are still fifty or sixty stations. If you make a phone call every five minutes, it only takes three hundred minutes, or five hours.

Han Ling was somewhat surprised, not expecting that the branch captain would actually assign people to investigate, and not ignore him just because he was a new police officer.

At this moment, he had a positive opinion of Gao Bingyang.

"Okay." Qiao Yuanqi glanced at Han Ling. "We'll finalize everything by noon tomorrow."

Gao Bingyang habitually rubbed the tip of his nose and finally asked, "Does anyone have any new opinions?"

Seeing that no one spoke, he signaled the meeting to adjourn, and all departments and police teams immediately took action, reporting the investigation results in real time and exchanging important information with zero delay.

"The criminal investigation team members who joined the task force are to immediately go to the crime scene where Xiong Chuan was murdered for a second investigation," Wu Bin said.

The orders were issued in an orderly manner.

There's also the issue of confidentiality.

All details of this case must not be disclosed to anyone outside the task force, including direct superiors.

Since Zheng Hongyi appointed Gao Bingyang as the head of the special task force, he naturally had the highest authority and absolute say in any matter related to the murder case.

The criminal investigation team of the Gu'an branch walked quickly out of the municipal bureau, with Fang Zhou and Han Ling following behind. This was the first time the two of them had participated in the investigation of a serial murder case, and they felt a surge of excitement.

It was clear that Fangzhou's expression was different from usual.

Investigating the case and catching the murderer are two main tasks, which are the duties of a criminal police officer. The goal is to uncover the truth and bring justice to the victim's family.

Gaining experience is the second point.

Thirdly, participating in the investigation of major cases at the city level, if ultimately solved, would be a significant achievement in one's career.

This isn't about being ambitious or eager for quick success; it's about a sense of accomplishment that others can't understand.

When the confidentiality agreement expires, talk to your family, your children, and your friends, letting them know that your husband and father were involved in the investigation of a certain case and played an indispensable role in it.

No one wants to lose their place in history.

A series of murders can be talked about for years, even decades, and might even be included in police academy textbooks.

This is one of the reasons why Zhang Yunhang was so eager to join the task force; after all, if the case couldn't be solved, Gao Bingyang would take responsibility.

"Weren't those provocations and taunts mentioned in the meeting a bit unreliable?" After leaving the city police station, Fang Zhou whispered to Han Ling, "Chief Gao said that throwing him into the river would be most advantageous for the murderer. Most murderers wouldn't think that far ahead; taking his life is the final outcome."

Han Ling said, "Gao Zhi took the criminal preparations into account. Killing two people in two months is definitely not a spur-of-the-moment decision. The murderer must have carried out a long period of preparation."

Therefore, he should have been aware of counter-surveillance measures, as evidenced by the fact that no clues were left at either crime scene.

Fang Zhou understood: "So, he could have handled the body better."

Han Ling nodded: "Yes, that's roughly the idea."

Fang Zhou: "If that's the case, then it's very likely that Wu Zhi said the suspect likes fishing. He knew that the police wouldn't be there for long, and committing the crime in the wild would ensure safety, allowing him to watch the victim die slowly. This perfectly fits the killer's mentality."

Han Ling: "Chief Wu will definitely investigate. I reckon our people will soon be infiltrated into all the fishing groups in Qingchang."

Back at the branch office, Feng Yao and Ji Bowei finalized the list of officers from each squadron who would be joining the task force, and the rest were not to inquire about the details of the case.

Yang Rui and Sun Yujie were among them.

The group held a short meeting and then continued their investigation.

Tonight, Han Ling and Tong Feng's mission is the Phoenix Nightclub.

(End of this chapter)