Po Sir's Police Affairs: The Hunter

Zheng Jianguo's file was delivered to Jiang Bo's desk at 7:00 a.m. the next morning.

Liu Tong had stayed up all night, his eyes were as dark as a panda's, but he was still very excited. He put the file on the table, slumped into his chair, and kept muttering, "Pol, you know what? I spent all night searching through all the files from the five years before and after 1998, and this is all I found."

Jiang Bo picked up the file and opened it.

The first page contains Zheng Jianguo's basic information: Male, born in 1956, joined the police force in 1978, and retired early in 1995 due to illness. Before retirement, he was an investigator in the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau, police number 0742. He was awarded a third-class merit once and received three commendations.

"Early retirement due to illness?" Jiang Bo looked up. "What illness?"

Liu Tong shrugged: "It's not written in the file. It just says 'due to illness,' but it doesn't say what kind of illness. In those days, this kind of thing happened quite often."

Jiang Bo continued flipping through the pages.

The second page is the case file for Zheng Jianguo's "suicide." It's very thin, only a few pages long. It includes the scene investigation report, a copy of the suicide note, family interview records, and the case closure report.

Jiang Bo first reviewed the on-site investigation report. The time was 9:5 AM on May 12, 1998, and the location was Zheng Jian's middle school. The person who discovered the body was his wife, Wang Xiulan. According to Wang Xiulan's statement, she returned from grocery shopping that morning and found her husband lying on the bed in the bedroom with a gun beside him; he was already dead.

The photos from the scene are blurry and in black and white. They show Zheng Jianguo lying on the bed, dressed in his neat police uniform, with his eyes closed, as if he were asleep. On the bedside table is a gun, and next to it is a folded piece of paper—a suicide note.

Jiang Bo picked up a photocopy of the suicide note. The paper was yellowed, and the handwriting was messy, but it was still legible:

"I have a terminal illness and don't have much time left. I don't want to be a burden on my family, so I'm leaving now. I'm sorry."

Signed by: Zheng Jianguo. Date: May 12, 1998.

Jiang Bo stared at it for a long time.

"Have you compared this handwriting?"

Liu Tong nodded: "It's been compared. It's completely consistent with the materials Zheng Jianguo wrote before. It's his own handwriting."

"And his tone? Was it like his usual way of speaking?"

Liu Tong thought for a moment: "It's hard to say. It's a suicide note; when someone is about to die, it's normal for their tone to be different from usual."

Jiang Bo didn't speak. He put down the suicide note and picked up the family's interrogation record.

The person being questioned was Wang Xiulan, Zheng Jianguo's wife. The statement was very simple, only one page long. Wang Xiulan said that her husband had been unwell for the past few months, always complaining of being tired, and hospital checkups hadn't revealed anything wrong. She advised him to rest more, but he wouldn't listen. The night before the incident, he ate dinner and watched TV normally, and went to bed around 10 p.m. When she went out to buy groceries in the morning, he was still asleep. When she returned, she found him dead.

Signature of the person asking the question: Dong Jianguo.

Jiang Bo paused for a moment.

Dong Jianguo.

The person in charge of this case is Dong Jianguo.

He continued reading. The case report was also written by Dong Jianguo, dated May 15, 1998. Conclusion: Homicide ruled out; treated as suicide. The reasons were: no signs of struggle at the scene, no external injuries on the deceased, the suicide note was in the deceased's own handwriting, and the family had no objections.

Jiang Bo closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

Zheng Jianguo died. The case handled by Dong Jianguo. A month later, Dong Jianguo also died.

coincidence?

He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, it was already broad daylight, and sunlight shone on the river, shattering into pieces of gold. But his heart was ice-cold.

"Liu Tong, check Zheng Jianguo's medical records. He retired in 1995 due to illness. What exactly was his illness?"

Liu Tong sat up and tapped a few keys on the keyboard.

"Found it. Jiangcheng People's Hospital, March 1995, inpatient record. The diagnosis was—gastric ulcer."

Jiang Bo turned around.

"Stomach ulcer?"

Liu Tong nodded: "Yes, a stomach ulcer. He was hospitalized for half a month, and then he retired."

Jiang Bo walked back to the table and looked at the file.

Stomach ulcer. Not a terminal illness.

He retired in 1995 due to a stomach ulcer and committed suicide in 1998 after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Could a stomach ulcer really become a terminal illness in just three years?

"What about his medical records after retirement?"

Liu Tong shook his head: "No. He hasn't been to the hospital since he retired. The last time he saw a doctor was in 1995."

Jiang Bo remained silent for a while.

"Go to Zheng Jian's house and see his wife again."

Wang Xiulan was stunned for a moment when she opened the door.

"here we go again?"

Jiang Bo nodded.

"Aunt Wang, there are some things I'd like to ask you again."

Wang Xiulan stepped aside to let them in. The room was as clean and tidy as ever. In the black and white photograph on the wall, Zheng Jianguo was still smiling.

Jiang Bo sat down on the sofa and looked at the photo.

"Aunt Wang, what illness caused Officer Zheng to retire back then?"

Wang Xiulan sat down opposite him, lowered her head, and remained silent for a while.

"Stomach problems."

"Stomach ulcer?"

Wang Xiulan nodded.

"That's not a serious illness, is it?"

Wang Xiulan shook her head.

"It's not serious. He recovered after two weeks in the hospital."

"Then why did he retire?"

Wang Xiulan raised her head and looked at him. There was something indescribable in those cloudy eyes.

"He wanted to quit on his own. He said he was tired and wanted to rest."

Jiang Bo remained silent for a few seconds.

"And then what happened? How was his health after he retired?"

Wang Xiulan thought about it.

"He's doing great. His stomach problems haven't flared up again. He exercises every morning, takes a walk in the evening, and eats and sleeps well. He's much more energetic than when he was working."

Jiang Bo clenched his fist.

A perfectly healthy person suddenly announced three years later that he had a terminal illness and then committed suicide.

Was there anything unusual about him before he died?

Wang Xiulan remained silent for a long time.

Then she spoke. Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing something.

"have."

Jiang Bo waited.

"A month before he died, he didn't come home for a few nights. I asked him where he had gone, and he said he had some errands to run. I asked him what they were, but he wouldn't say."

What were the dates for those days?

Wang Xiulan thought about it.

"Mid-April, I think. I can't remember exactly."

Mid-April. Ah Zhen died in early April. Ding Laosan was arrested at the end of April.

The timing is right.

"Has anything changed since he came back?"

Wang Xiulan nodded.

"He's changed. He's like a lost soul. He doesn't eat well, he can't sleep, and he just sits there in a daze. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't say. Then one night, he woke me up and said one sentence."

"What did you say?"

Wang Xiulan looked at him, her eyes reddening.

He said, "Xiulan, if I die, don't investigate, don't ask questions, just pretend I died of illness."

Jiang Bo clenched his fist.

That same phrase again.

Did he say anything else?

Wang Xiulan shook her head.

"No. Just that one sentence. The next day, he—he—"

She couldn't continue.

Jiang Bo remained silent for a while.

"Aunt Wang, do you know who Officer Zheng associated with most during his lifetime?"

Wang Xiulan thought about it.

"His colleague, I think. He used to have colleagues come over for dinner often. But after he retired, they came less often."

Who are they?

"There was one surnamed Dong, he called people Old Dong. There was another surnamed Zhang, I forgot his name. And there was another one, I think his surname was Zhou."

Jiang Bo's heart skipped a beat.

His surname is Dong. Old Dong.

"What's that guy surnamed Dong's name?"

Wang Xiulan shook her head.

"I don't know. He just calls him Old Dong. That guy came over a few times and talked to him in the room for a long time. Once I heard them talking about 'the case' and 'Ding Laosan' or something like that. I asked Jianguo, but he wouldn't let me ask."

Jiang Bo stood up, walked to the wall, and looked at the photo.

"What does that old Dong look like?"

Wang Xiulan thought about it.

"A tall, thin man, half a head taller than him. He walks—he walks with a slight limp."

Jiang Bo's heart skipped a beat.

Limping.

He's limping again.

Are you sure?

Wang Xiulan nodded.

"I'm sure. He drags his right foot when he walks, and I can tell it's him just by the sound."

Jiang Bo turned around and looked at her.

"Did that person come back later?"

Wang Xiulan shook her head.

"After Jianguo died, he never came back."

When Jiang Bo came out of Wang Xiulan's house, the sky had already darkened. The clouds hung low, threatening rain. Jiang Bo stood downstairs and lit a cigarette.

Zhang Yuhang walked over and whispered, "Officer, could that lame old Dong be Dong Jianping?"

Jiang Bo took a drag of his cigarette but didn't answer.

Dong Jianping is lame. He admitted to standing at the door watching Ding Laosan commit murder. He also admitted to helping Ding Laosan cover up the case. If Zheng Jianguo finds anything, he should confront Dong Jianping, and then Dong Jianping should force him to commit suicide.

wrong.

Dong Jianping himself said that the person was "his protector." That person's limp was an act.

Who is this lame old Dong that Wang Xiulan mentioned?

Jiang Bo took out his phone and called Liu Tong.

"Check the colleagues who were close to Zheng Jianguo before 1998, the one surnamed Dong, who walks with a limp."

Liu Tong responded and hung up the phone.

Jiang Bo stubbed out his cigarette and got into the car.

"Go to the Municipal Bureau."

The car had just driven out of the alley when Liu Tong called.

"Officer Bo, we found it. There's only one colleague surnamed Dong who has a close relationship with Zheng Jianguo—Dong Jianguo."

Jiang Bo paused for a moment.

Dong Jianguo?

Dong Jianguo is not lame.

Are you sure?

Liu Tong said, "It's confirmed. Zheng Jianguo and Dong Jianguo joined the police force in the same year and had a very good relationship. Their families often visited each other. After Zheng Jianguo retired, Dong Jianguo visited his home a few times. Later, Dong Jianguo got sick and stopped going."

Jiang Bo remained silent for a few seconds.

Does Tung Chee-kwok walk with a limp?

Liu Tong said, "He wasn't lame. There's no record of him being injured in his file; he was always in good health. He was only forty-two when he died, in the prime of his life."

Jiang Bo hung up the phone and looked out the window.

Dong Jianguo is not lame. Then who is the lame old Dong that Wang Xiulan mentioned?

Unless—that person isn't Old Dong, but someone else. A man who walks with a limp and also has the surname Dong.

Dong Jianping.

The image in Jiang Bo's mind began to become clearer.

Zheng Jianguo discovered something and confronted Dong Jianping. Fearing exposure, Dong Jianping forced him to commit suicide. Then Dong Jianguo took over the case, discovered the truth, and was also silenced.

Within a month, two policemen died. One "committed suicide," and the other "died of illness."

Dong Jianping retired that year after being "injured," and disappeared from public view ever since.

As the car entered the municipal police station compound, the rain finally started. Large raindrops pounded against the car windows, making a loud pattering sound.

Jiang Bo got out of the car and ran into the building. Tang Yuan followed behind, shaking off the water.

He went directly to the interrogation room.

Dong Jianping remained seated, head bowed, like a statue. Hearing the door open, he looked up.

Jiang Bo sat down opposite him.

"Did Zheng Jianguo visit you before he died?"

Dong Jianping was taken aback for a moment. Then he lowered his head.

"Yes."

"When?"

"Early May 1998. I don't remember the exact date."

"What does he want with you?"

Dong Jianping remained silent for a while.

"He asked me what was going on with Ding Laosan's case."

Jiang Bo stared at him.

"What did you say?"

Dong Jianping looked up at him.

I said I didn't know.

Does he believe it?

Dong Jianping shook his head.

"He didn't believe it. He said he found out that Ding Laosan was protected. The person who protected him was from the bureau. He said that person's surname was Dong, the same as mine."

Jiang Bo clenched his fist.

"He suspects it's you?"

Dong Jianping nodded.

"Yes."

How do you explain that?

Dong Jianping gave a wry smile.

"I didn't explain. I took it as an admission."

Jiang Bo was stunned.

"So you're admitting it?"

Dong Jianping looked at him.

"I can't say. I can't name that person. He saved me, I owe him. Besides, if I say it, my brother will find out, my brother will investigate, and he'll die too."

Jiang Bo's hands were trembling.

"So you made Zheng Jianguo think it was you?"

Dong Jianping nodded.

"I knew something was going to happen to him after he left. But I didn't expect it to be so soon. He died a week later."

Jiang Bo stared at him.

"Did you kill him?"

Dong Jianping shook his head.

"No. I didn't do anything."

"Who is that?"

Dong Jianping looked at him.

"That person."

Jiang Bo stood up and walked a few steps in the interrogation room.

Why did he kill Zheng Jianguo?

Dong Jianping lowered his head.

"Because Zheng Jianguo found him."

"What did you find out?"

Dong Jianping remained silent for a long time.

Then he looked up.

"Zheng Jianguo found J."

Jiang Bo's hand stopped.

J.

It's J again.

"Does Zheng Jianguo know J?"

Dong Jianping nodded.

"He found out. The man had a 'J' tattoo on him. He saw it."

"Where did you see it?"

"I don't know. He didn't say."

Jiang Bo walked back to the table and sat down.

"Who exactly is that person?"

Dong Jianping looked at him with a strange light in his eyes.

"You really want to know?"

Jiang Bo nodded.

Dong Jianping remained silent for a long time.

Then he spoke. His voice was very soft, as if it were drifting from a great distance.

"His surname is Dong. He's the same as me. A few years older than us. Back then, he was a leader in the municipal bureau."

Jiang Bo's heart started racing.

"What's your name?"

Dong Jianping shook his head.

"I can't say. You'll die if I do.

Jiang Bo stared at him.

"I've investigated this far, do you think I can still turn back?"

Dong Jianping stared at him for a long time.

Then he laughed. It was a bitter laugh.

"You're just like him."

"What's the same?"

Dong Jianping pointed to his chest.

"He has the exact same mark on your chest."

Jiang Bo was stunned.

That person also has the mark of J?

"who is he?"

Dong Jianping closed his eyes.

"I can't say. Go look it up yourself."

Jiang Bo stood up and walked out of the interrogation room.

In the corridor, Zhang Yuhang stood there, holding a document in his hand.

"Officer Bo, Liu Tong has found it. Before 1998, there was only one leader in the Municipal Bureau with the surname Dong."

Jiang Bo took the document.

The photo above shows a person. Thick eyebrows, square face, sharp eyes. Wearing a police uniform, with two bars and three stars on his epaulets.

Name: Dong Zhenhua. Position: Deputy Director of the Municipal Bureau. Term of Office: 1990-1998.

Note: He was transferred to the provincial department in 1998 and subsequently disappeared.

Jiang Bo stared at the photo, his hands trembling.

Dong Zhenhua.

That person was Dong Zhenhua.

He remembered what Wang Xiulan had said about the lame old Dong—Dong Jianping. But Dong Zhenhua wasn't lame. Dong Jianping said that the man wasn't limping; he was faking it.

So, is Dong Zhenhua the one who "pretended to be lame"?

He recalled a sentence written in Dong Jianguo's diary: "When he left, he limped. Only then did I realize that there was something wrong with his leg."

What Dong Jianguo saw was Dong Zhenhua faking his lameness.

What Dong Jianping saw was Dong Zhenhua walking normally.

That person, in different situations, used different gaits to lead everyone's suspicions in different directions.

Jiang Bo gripped the photo tightly.

Dong Zhenhua. Where is he?

Liu Tong walked over and said softly, "Officer, there's one more thing. The last person Dong Zhenhua saw before he disappeared was Zhou Guoping."

Jiang Bo was stunned.

Master.

Dong Zhenhua went to see his master. Then he disappeared.

Master, what do you know?

He took out his phone and called Dong Jianjun.

"Director Dong, do you know Dong Zhenhua?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"I know him. He's my uncle."

Jiang Bo's hand stopped.

Is Dong Zhenhua Dong Jianjun's uncle? Or is he the son of Dong Jianguo and Dong Jianping?

"Is he your father's brother?"

Dong Jianjun's voice was very low.

"He's my dad's younger brother. My second uncle."

Jiang Bo stood there, his mind blank.

Dong Zhenhua, Dong Jianguo, and Dong Jianping. Three brothers.

One is missing, one is dead, and one is in custody.

He hung up the phone and looked out the window.

It's still raining.

Tangyuan walked over and rubbed against his leg.

He squatted down and stroked its head.

"Tangyuan, tell me, how much does Master know?"

Tangyuan, of course, wouldn't answer.

But it cried out.

That shout echoed through the empty corridor.