Anti-gang campaign: Female bureau chief

Jiang Ruolan leaned against the kitchen wall and closed her eyes.

The horrific scene of the seven remains in the four tombs on the back mountain of Qingshipu is still vivid in my mind.

Tang Yuanqing committed suicide during the manhunt, Shen Wangshan has been executed, and Ren Pengfei and Qian Shouyi are serving their sentences in prison.

Those key figures involved in those murders back then are either dead or in prison.

But now, a new set of remains has been unearthed from under the foundation of a demolition site in the east of the city, wrapped in Lin Xiaomei's work ID.

This means that the events of that year are not over yet; there are still those who escaped the net, there are still undiscovered corpse pits, and there are still murderers who have not been brought to justice.

Moreover, the murderer may be in Yi'an, right under their noses.

"Ruolan?" Zhou Pei's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Are you still listening?"

"exist."

Jiang Ruolan opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the snowflakes drifting outside the kitchen window. Her voice had returned to its usual calm, but her knuckles gripping the phone were slightly white. "Notify Lu Zheng and Zhao Rui to immediately seal off the scene and expand the excavation area."

There might be more than one body beneath the foundation of that building slated for demolition. Also, retrieve all the case files of Lin Xiaomei and re-examine them from beginning to end—I need to know where her work ID was found, how it was placed in the evidence bag, who signed it, and whether it was switched. If so, interview everyone involved in that process.”

"I've already told them to do it. Also, when are you coming back?"

Jiang Ruolan glanced at her mother, who was watching TV in the living room, and remained silent for two seconds.

Song Wanqing seemed to have heard something, turned her head to look at her, her eyes were very calm, and she just nodded slightly.

"The fastest flight," Jiang Ruolan said.

After hanging up the phone, she stood in the kitchen without moving immediately.

The flour on the cutting board hadn't been cleaned up yet, and there were a few cold dumplings left in the pot. Outside the window, the snowflakes were falling thicker and thicker.

She glanced back at the living room—Song Wanqing had already stood up, taken a house key from the key box on the shoe cabinet, and placed it on the side of the coffee table.

"This is freshly made. You said you didn't know where you put it last time, so take it. There's some pickled radish in the fridge, the kind you like. Take a few jars with you when you leave."

Song Wanqing's tone was calm and indifferent, as if her daughter had just gone out to buy groceries.

After saying that, she sat back down on the sofa, picked up the remote, and turned up the TV volume.

Jiang Ruolan walked over and put the key into her pocket.

She stood behind the sofa, looking at her mother's gray hair and slightly hunched shoulders, reached out and gently pressed her shoulder, then turned and went into her room to start packing her luggage.

When she had only packed half of her suitcase, her phone rang again.

This time it was Lu Zheng who called.

"Director Jiang, the excavation at the site has been expanded. We found another body about one meter below the first set of remains. It's also a woman, and the preliminary time of death is estimated to be between three and five years ago. The body was wrapped in an old bed sheet."

No items have been found yet to confirm the identity, but forensic examiners discovered a row of handwritten numbers in a corner of the bed sheet. The ink had faded considerably, and spectral reconstruction is currently underway.

Lu Zheng's voice was low and fast, as if he was typing while walking. "Also, an uninvited guest came to the Municipal Bureau—a deputy director of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Corps named Sun Zhengyang. He said he was on vacation in Yi'an and came over as soon as he heard the news."

Sun Zhengyang.

The name made Jiang Ruolan stop what she was doing.

Three years ago, Sun Zhengyang was the deputy head of the criminal investigation branch of the Xinzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. Fang Zhiqing's case was classified as "attempted robbery and murder" under his leadership and then shelved.

During the investigation of the Su Nian case last year, the task force discovered problems with Sun Zhengyang's handling of the case when they were digging into the old case files of Fang Zhiqing. He ignored the reminder from the on-site technician Lao Zhou about the lipstick mark, simplified the interview process, and signed "suggestion to postpone investigation" on the last page of the case file.

After the Su Nian case was solved, the Provincial Department's Inspection Division initiated an internal review of the Fang Zhiqing case. Sun Zhengyang was transferred from the front line of criminal investigation and assigned to a relatively peripheral department under the Provincial Department's Criminal Investigation Corps as deputy director. Although his rank was not reduced, his real power was greatly diminished.

"What is he doing here? Who notified him?" Jiang Ruolan's voice turned cold.

He said he "just happened to be passing by," but I don't think so.

Lu Zheng lowered his voice, "After he arrived, he kept walking around the perimeter of the site and asked the technicians several questions—whether the time of death of the remains had been determined, whether there were any other physical evidence on the quilt, and whether the work permit was the original or a copy."

The questions weren't particularly outrageous, but his expression was off when he asked them; he seemed nervous about something. I had Zhao Rui keep an eye on him. "Director Jiang, do you think he's involved in this case?"

"Whether it's closed or not, we'll talk about it when I get back."

Jiang Ruolan stuffed the last piece of clothing into her suitcase and zipped it up. "Before I arrive, no one on site is allowed to disclose any details, including Sun Zhengyang."

The excavation work continues to expand its scope, and all unearthed evidence is sealed on-site. Also, Lu Zheng, please retrieve Sun Zhengyang's personal file and his movements over the past three years, the more detailed the better.

She hung up the phone, picked up her suitcase, and walked out of the room.

Song Wanqing was still sitting on the sofa, her eyes on the TV, but she didn't change the channel with the remote control in her hand.

Jiang Ruolan walked to the door to change her shoes. The wheels of her suitcase rolled on the wooden floor, making a dull sound.

"Mom, I'm leaving."

"Um."

Song Wanqing didn't stand up, but just turned her head to look at her, "Send a message when you arrive."

"it is good."

"Remember to take the dried radish."

"it is good."

Jiang Ruolan opened the door, and the cold wind from the corridor rushed in, making the old calendar hanging behind the door rustle.

She turned around and took one last look at the living room—Song Wanqing was still sitting on the sofa, her back to the door, her head slightly lowered, whether watching TV or looking at the empty photo frame on the coffee table, she couldn't tell.

Jiang Ruolan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she simply closed the door gently.

The plane landed at Ngee Ann Airport at 4:30 pm.

Jiang Ruolan walked out of the terminal. Winter in Yi'an was much warmer than in the provincial capital, with the air filled with the humidity and hazy fog typical of southern cities.

Lu Zheng was waiting for her in the parking lot. When the car drove up, the tires ran over the water, splashing up a patch of mud.

She opened the car door and got into the passenger seat, her first words being: "Is Sun Zhengyang still at the scene?"

"He's gone. After you boarded the plane, he said he had something come up and took a taxi. I had Zhao Rui follow him for a while. He went to a budget hotel in the east of the city, checked in, and hasn't come out yet."

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