Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Zhou Jin pointed to the white cloth covering her and said, "Deputy Captain Jia, this is Wang Qiuyan."

We found skin flakes and blood under her fingernails, indicating she had scratched the assailant while struggling.

Jia Dongming gently lifted the white cloth to inspect it.

The woman's body had clear strangulation marks on her neck, indicating that she was indeed strangled while resisting.

Jia Dongming carefully examined the marks on the woman's neck and observed her fingers. After confirming that Xie Jian's account was accurate, he covered the body with the white sheet again and turned to Xie Jian, asking, "Xie Jian, who were Wang Qiuyan's close friends or colleagues?"

"Also, has she had any recent arguments with anyone? Does she have a romantic partner, and if so, where does he/she work?"

Xie Jian responded, "Captain Jia, according to our investigation, Wang Qiuyan has a close relationship with Shen Fang from the Finance Department of the Machine Repair Factory, and also frequently has contact with several colleagues from the Logistics Department."

Regarding whether she had any grudges against anyone, the interview showed that Wang Qiuyan was a warm-hearted person and had never had any conflicts with her colleagues.

Regarding her relationship status, her parents mentioned that she was recently introduced to a man who works at the Fisheries Bureau, but he is currently on a business trip to Tianjin and has not yet returned.

After a moment's thought, Jia Dongming instructed Xie Jian, "Let's go take a look at the crime scene."

Xie Jian immediately gathered two team members, and the group rode bicycles to the scene of the crime.

Soon after, the group arrived at an abandoned courtyard.

Xie Jian pointed to a half-collapsed house and said, "Deputy Captain Jia, that's the scene."

Jia Dongming approached the perimeter of the cabin and used his Eagle Eye skill to examine for traces and footprints.

Upon investigation, seven sets of shoe prints were found inside the house, one of which caught his attention.

After determining that the shoe print belonged to the suspect, Jia Dongming bent down to examine it closely and analyzed, "This set of shoe prints is very likely left by the murderer."

Based on the length, the perpetrator is estimated to be approximately 165 to 168 centimeters tall, around 35 years old, and of slender build.

After confirming the basic information, Jia Dongming moved towards the outside of the courtyard following the direction of the shoe prints.

The group followed closely behind and arrived at a ditch.

Jia Dongming looked at the wall across the ditch and asked Xie Jian, "What unit is on the other side?"

Xie Jian, who had been observing Jia Dongming's actions, looked surprised and replied, "Deputy Captain Jia, the machine repair factory is inside the wall."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming asserted, "The suspect most likely entered and exited the machine repair shop through this location."

He then said to everyone, "Let's go in and investigate the factory."

The four arrived at the gate of the machine repair shop. The shop's security personnel greeted Xie Jian, saying, "Captain Xie, you've arrived! Has Wang Qiuyan's case been solved?"

Xie Jian introduced, "This is Deputy Chief Jia of the Criminal Investigation Detachment."

We've come to find out more.

The security personnel immediately greeted Jia Dongming: "Deputy Chief Jia, welcome to our work."

Jia Dongming shook hands with the other person and asked, "Is your section chief here?"

The security guard replied, "The section chief is in his office. Please follow me."

The group arrived at the office of the head of the security department. A security guard knocked on the door and reported, "Head, the police officers need to see you."

When Liu Xianjin, the head of the security department, saw the visitor, he warmly greeted him.

Xie Jian introduced them: "Section Chief Liu, this is Deputy Chief Jia Dongming of the Criminal Investigation Detachment; Deputy Chief Jia, this is Comrade Liu Xianjin, the head of the Security Section of the Machine Repair Factory."

Liu Xianjin shook hands with Jia Dongming and said, "Deputy Captain Jia, welcome to visit."

"If there's anything you need to know, I'll cooperate fully."

Jia Dongming asked, "Section Chief Liu, how many security personnel are usually assigned to the night shift at your factory?"

Although Liu Xianjin was puzzled, he answered truthfully: "There are seven people on duty at night, two of whom guard the main gate and five of whom are responsible for patrolling."

After listening to Liu Xianjin's report, Jia Dongming immediately asked him, "Section Chief Liu, among the security personnel on duty last night, was there a member who was about 1.65 to 1.68 meters tall, around 35 years old, and of relatively slender build?"

Liu Xianjin carefully recalled the personnel in his department and quickly thought of one person, replying, "Deputy Captain Jia, based on the characteristics you just described, there is indeed someone in our department who meets the criteria."

Jia Dongming immediately pressed, "Section Chief Liu, what's this person's name? Is he currently at the factory?"

Liu Xianjin replied, "His name is Lin Xianfeng. He was on night shift last night and should be resting at home now."

Jia Dongming then asked, "Besides Lin Xianfeng, who else from the security team on duty last night is currently inside the factory?"

Liu Xianjin immediately replied, "Yes, Xiao Peng, who just brought you here, was also on the night shift last night."

Jia Dongming then instructed Xie Jian: "Old Xie, arrange for a comrade to go and invite that security guard over here."

Xie Jian then instructed one of his team members, "Xiao Zhang, go over there."

After Xiao Zhang left, Jia Dongming continued to ask Liu Xianjin, "Section Chief Liu, where does Lin Xianfeng live? How many people are in his family?"

Liu Xianjin introduced, "Deputy Captain Jia, Lin Xianfeng's home is in the machine repair factory's residential compound. He has a wife and two children at home."

At this point, Liu Xianjin tentatively asked, "Deputy Chief Jia, is Lin Xianfeng related to Wang Qiuyan's case?"

Jia Dongming smiled and replied, "Whether it's related or not, I can't be sure right now. I need to verify some information before I can tell you."

Soon after, Xiao Zhang led the security guard who had shown him the way into the office.

Upon seeing Jia Dongming and his group, the security guard asked with some confusion, "Section Chief, Deputy Chief Jia, what brings you here?"

Jia Dongming asked kindly, "Comrade Peng, I heard you were on duty last night."

I'd like to know if Lin Xianfeng ever left his post during his shift?

Upon hearing this question, the security guard showed a slight surprise, but still answered truthfully: "Deputy Captain Jia, last night around 8 o'clock, Lin Xianfeng said he had a stomachache and left his post for more than half an hour."

But how did you know that?

Having received this information, Jia Dongming felt somewhat confident and said to Liu Xianjin, "Section Chief Liu, could you take us to Lin Xianfeng's house?"

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's question to the security guard, even though Liu Xiangqian was slow to react, he vaguely guessed that Lin Xianfeng might be related to last night's case.

Faced with Jia Dongming's request, Liu Xiangqian immediately replied, "No problem, Deputy Captain Jia! I'll take you to Lin Xianfeng's house right away."

Soon, the five arrived at the machine repair factory's residential compound.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, several women in the yard greeted Liu Xiangqian, who was walking ahead of him, with courtesy.

"Section Chief Liu, what brings you here?"

"Section Chief Liu, you're free to come to the compound today?"

"Section Chief Liu, are you here to see Xianfeng? He's still sleeping inside. Should I go and wake him?"

Liu Xiangqian responded politely to each question.

It wasn't until a young woman asked that he smiled and explained, "Xianfeng's wife, could you please call Xianfeng?"

There are some things I need to know from this police officer.

The young woman readily replied, "Section Chief Liu, please wait a moment, I'll go home and wake him up right away."

Back in the room, she called out to the bed, "Xianfeng, Xianfeng! Section Chief Liu has come to see you with several police officers. They say they have something to discuss. Get up and go see them."

Lin Xianfeng, who was sleeping, was startled awake by his wife's words. Looking slightly flustered, he asked, "Da Ya, did Section Chief Liu say why the police officers are looking for me?"

Da Ya shook her head: "Section Chief Liu only said that he had something to discuss with you and asked me to wake you up, but he didn't specify what it was about."

A hint of panic flashed in Lin Xianfeng's eyes, and he nodded, saying, "I understand, I'll get up right away."

A moment later, Lin Xianfeng came out of the house, smiling, and asked Liu Xiangqian, "Section Chief Liu, I heard from Daya that you wanted to see me. What is it?"

Liu Xiangqian said to Lin Xianfeng with a serious expression, "Lin Xianfeng, this is a comrade from the Dongcheng Branch. They need to ask you about some things."

"Now, come back to the factory with us."

Lin Xianfeng glanced at Jia Dongming and the others and nodded quickly: "Okay, I'll tell my wife and then we'll go back to the factory together."

When Jia Dongming saw Lin Xianfeng come out of the house, he activated the Eagle Eye scanning system to examine his body, but unexpectedly found no expected scratches. This made him suspicious, and he wondered to himself, "Could this person not be the real killer?"

The group quickly returned to the security department of the machine repair shop.

Looking at Lin Xianfeng, who sat opposite him with a slightly uneasy expression, Jia Dongming slowly spoke: "Comrade Lin Xianfeng, do you know why we invited you here?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xianfeng subconsciously shook his head and replied, "Comrade, you haven't explained the reason, how would I know what it's about?"

Jia Dongming stared at his seemingly calm expression and continued to ask, "According to our information, you left your post for about half an hour last night while on duty, citing abdominal pain."

Could you please provide details about where you went, who you met, and what you did during that time?

Upon hearing the mention of leaving his post last night, Lin Xianfeng hurriedly explained, "Officer, I did leave my post temporarily to go to the restroom last night because I was feeling unwell..."

"Does it really take half an hour to go to the toilet? Also, why are there your footprints near the wall in the small ditch outside the factory?"

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Dongming interrupted him and pressed for an answer.

Upon hearing about the ditch and the wall, Lin Xianfeng's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, "Officer, we sometimes walk to the perimeter of the factory area during our patrols, so it's not surprising that we leave footprints there."

"Lin Xianfeng! Wang Qiuyan just left the machine repair shop last night, and you then excused yourself by saying you had a stomachache and left your post for half an hour."

"Tell me honestly, did you harm Wang Qiuyan?"

Judging from his reaction, Jia Dongming immediately concluded that even if Lin Xianfeng was not the murderer, he must have known about it.

Faced with Lin Xianfeng's explanation, his expression darkened, and he sternly pointed the finger at the other party.

"What? Wang Qiuyan is dead? How is that possible!"

Upon hearing of Wang Qiuyan's murder, Lin Xianfeng's face was filled with disbelief, and he instinctively asked a question.

Jia Dongming took in his reaction and, seeing no scratches, almost ruled out the possibility that Lin Xianfeng was the perpetrator.

However, Lin Xianfeng's shock precisely indicates that his relationship with Wang Qiuyan is extraordinary. Combined with the footprints at the scene, it is enough to infer that the two met last night.

With this thought in mind, Jia Dongming took advantage of Lin Xianfeng's distraction and immediately pressed him for answers: "Lin Xianfeng! Wang Qiuyan was murdered on her way home last night."

Upon comparison, a footprint left at the scene matches yours; therefore, we have reason to suspect that you are the murderer.

Upon hearing that he was being accused of the murder, Lin Xianfeng immediately panicked and cried out his innocence: "Officer! I'm innocent! I admit I did see Wang Qiuyan last night, but her death really has nothing to do with me!"

Jia Dongming's expression turned serious as he pressed, "Speak! Why did you meet with Wang Qiuyan last night? What is your relationship with her?"

When asked about his relationship with Wang Qiuyan, Lin Xianfeng was speechless and stood there dumbfounded, unsure of how to answer.

Seeing his hesitation, Jia Dongming immediately realized that there might be something hidden behind the case, so he sternly warned: "Lin Xianfeng, based on the footprints at the scene alone, we can identify you as the murderer."

You only have one chance. If you refuse to confess, I will have no choice but to take you back to the station for questioning.

Faced with this intimidation, Lin Xianfeng thought about his entanglement with Wang Qiuyan, and a look of struggle appeared on his face.

Ultimately, faced with the choice between the charge and the issue of his conduct, he chose the latter, replying in a low voice: "Officer, I did have a romantic relationship with Wang Qiuyan, but I swear to the great man that I never murdered her."

Although Wang Qiuyan was not a stunning beauty, she was still quite attractive; on the other hand, Lin Xianfeng was plain-looking and already married.

Why would an unmarried woman be willing to get entangled with him? Jia Dongming felt there must be something fishy going on.

So he asked seriously, "Lin Xianfeng, since you claim to have a romantic relationship with Wang Qiuyan, then tell me, how did you manage to make a virgin willingly follow you?"