Chapter 138 What a coincidence

The office, which was very bustling before, became quiet again.

Ten minutes later, Ji An was the first to speak. He frowned and looked at Wang Yu and asked, "What were the identities and backgrounds of the two murderers, Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang, who killed Wang Huiqin's parents and brother?"

Wang Yu raised his hand and shone the laser pointer at two other photos next to the two men. He then continued, "According to colleagues in Shangshuang City, these two individuals were part of the same criminal gang as Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang, committing burglary and highway robbery. They committed multiple crimes between 2002 and 2005. However, since these two individuals were the principal offenders and Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang were accomplices, they were released from prison in September 2011. They were not released until April 2018. Coincidentally, in October of the same year, these two individuals committed crimes again, just like Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang had done before. Similarly, during their escape, they robbed a taxi, severely injuring and killing the taxi driver."

Guan Xia felt his brain nearly overwhelmed after hearing this incredibly informative speech. After struggling to digest it for a moment, he asked, "Could it be that these two individuals, like Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang, were also shot dead on the day of the crime for resisting arrest and taking hostages? And the taxi drivers whose families were subsequently murdered? Are the murderers also members of the same criminal gang as Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang—marginalized individuals with criminal records?"

Following Guan Xia's series of questions, Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu both widened their eyes and showed surprised expressions.

Wang Yu shook his head. "Not that similar. The two men fled in their car for hundreds of kilometers before being stopped and arrested by the pursuing police. Later, due to their heinous criminal behavior and repeated crimes, which caused the deaths of innocent people, they were sentenced to life imprisonment and are still in prison. However, the taxi driver's family was indeed murdered at home three months after his death. The victims included the taxi driver's parents, wife, 17-year-old son, and 29-year-old brother. The case was solved the next day. The murderer was a 28-year-old young man from a neighboring village. He had a grudge with the taxi driver's brother. One night, he passed by the deceased's home after drinking with friends. He happened to see the taxi driver's brother sitting in the yard playing games. He was furious and went back to his friend's house, picked up an axe, and rushed into the deceased's house, hacking five people in a row. The wounds were concentrated on the heads and necks of several of the deceased. In the end, all five died of excessive blood loss."

Guan Xia was filled with confusion. "It certainly doesn't sound like the work of that criminal organization, but the taxi driver and Wang Huiqin's parents and brother are very similar. Add to that the deaths of Yao Qingyan's stepfather, stepmother, and half-sister, and I have the feeling these are two organizations with similar ideologies but completely different methods of committing crimes..."

As Guan Xia spoke, he felt that something was a bit outrageous, so he stopped and continued to think.

Unexpectedly, Zhong Xiaoyu immediately said, "Is it possible that they are indeed the same organization? But as long as they are human, even if they initially share the same ideals, they will gradually be controlled by their own thoughts and desires over time, which is why their criminal methods are so different."

Guan Xia thought of Yao Qingyan and Wang Huiqin, and felt that what Zhong Xiaoyu said made sense.

Pang Le suddenly said, "I have a few questions. How did Wang Huiqin get in touch with that criminal organization? Also, since they are both members of the same organization, why is there such a big difference between her and Yao Qingyan? I can't remember when Yao Qingyan's stepfather and stepmother died, but it must not have been more than ten years. Assuming that Yao Qingyan joined the organization ten years ago, why did Yao Qingyan become a killer carrying out missions in ten years? Wang Huiqin has been in the organization for ten years, right? Her parents and brother died in 2012, which is 12 years ago. Why is she still a peripheral member? Logically speaking, someone like her who doesn't attract attention should be a good candidate for a mission to kill people."

This was another question no one had discussed. Zhong Xiaoyu said, "Perhaps it's talent? I've never met Yao Qingyan, but from Sister Ji's description of her and the photos I've seen, I can tell that even though she harbors hatred and has experienced many setbacks since childhood, she comes from a well-off family with enough money to study whatever she wants. Her camouflage skills prove this. Wang Huiqin, on the other hand, lived a hellish life. She's lucky to have survived, let alone studied. But it's precisely because she blends in with the crowd that tracking and observing her goes unnoticed. Of course, it's not ruled out that she's carried out murder missions similar to Yao Qingyan's, but we just don't know about it."

Zhong Xiaoyu's answer did make some sense. Pang Le was convinced. He nodded and said nothing more, but he frowned and was obviously still thinking.

Zhong Xiaoyu then said, "I suddenly have an idea. Instead of going to Linshan City, why not go to Shangshuang City? In Linshan City, all we can investigate is the kidnapping case of Luo's son. I remember Sister Ji told me at the time that no one had reported the case to the police. This means we have to start from the beginning. And because the case is most likely done by Yao Qingyan, with Wang Huiqin assisting her, given the cautiousness of that organization, we might alert the enemy. But Shangshuang City is different. We can investigate in several directions."

Zhong Xiaoyu's words reminded everyone, and Guan Xia and the others easily followed her train of thought. Their eyes lit up as they said, "We'll have cover if we go, and even if we stay a little longer, we won't attract attention. It's like killing two birds with one stone."

Pang Le also understood, and counted on his fingers, saying, "On the surface, no, actually, we are indeed going to investigate the case that Sister Ji is pursuing, but privately, we can use this case as an excuse to investigate Wang Huiqin, the criminal gang composed of four people, and the taxi driver. With so many targets, the probability of gaining something is also high. Although there are four people in that criminal gang, two of them are dead, but there are still two alive. If we follow the clues, we will always find something."

Following Pang Le's analysis, Guan Xia felt as if the ends of a large ball of wool had been pulled out, and suddenly everything became clear.

At that moment, Wang Yu's phone rang. She picked it up and glanced at the message, then looked at the crowd and said, "It's colleagues in Shangshuang City. They've been investigating the whereabouts of Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang's relatives. Through documentation and on-site visits, they learned that five years after the two were shot dead, in 2017, they left the area, using the excuse of seeking work. For the first few years, we were able to contact them and know where they were working and renting houses, but after 2020, there has been no news."

Guan Xia said, "That is to say... Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang's relatives are missing. What about the relatives of the other two people? They are still in prison, so they should still be in the local area."

Wang Yu said with a serious expression, "He also disappeared. He lost contact with the relatives of Lin Cheng and Xu Hongliang around the same time, also around 2020."

Guan Xia thought of something and her expression turned serious, "What a coincidence."

Ji An had obviously thought of this as well. The second after Guan Xia finished speaking, he asked, "Where is the murderer who killed the taxi driver's family of five? Are his relatives still in the area?"

Wang Yu shook his head. "That's unclear. On the surface, the murderer's crime was simply a revenge killing. He has no obvious connection with the criminal gang consisting of Lin Cheng and the other four. That's why our colleagues in Shangshuang City didn't join us for the on-site visit."

Zhong Xiaoyu blinked and suddenly laughed, "It would be interesting if the murderer's relatives also disappeared around 20 years ago. That means that even if Shangshuang City isn't the headquarters of the criminal organization, it's one of the cities they focus on recruiting members. In that case, we have to go there even more."

Because of the clues brought up by Wang Huiqin, Guan Xia and the others discussed the case for more than two hours. Afterwards, they briefly learned about the case of Luo Deye's son being kidnapped. When they finally finished the discussion and planned to leave the Pingjiang District Branch, it was almost dawn.

Pang Le glanced out the window, stretched himself, and said, "This life has been so fulfilling. I've worked more in one night than I have in six months combined. I need to go back and have a good sleep. I feel like my brain is on fire."

Guan Xia also patted her cervical spine and legs, which were a little numb from sitting, and she agreed with Pang Le's words in her heart.

Indeed, not only was Wang Huiqin's case complicated, but the case of Luo Deye's son being kidnapped was also not going smoothly. Xu Nian and his team went to the police station they had contacted before in Linshan City.

According to the feedback from their investigation, Luo Deye did not call the police at that time, but when he was treating the injured in the hospital, he noticed something was wrong through the wounds and called the police privately. However, Luo Deye and his son both denied it. The police officers who received the call later did not find any definite evidence during the investigation, and the case was eventually left unresolved.

After leaving the office building and heading to the parking lot, Guan Xia suddenly remembered something, perhaps because the fresh air suddenly cleared her mind. She turned to look at Xu Nian and asked, "Oh, I forgot to ask. In 2019, did Wang Huiqin leave Linshan City and return to Shangshuang City?"

After Guan Xia said this, Pang Le and Zhong Xiaoyu also remembered and looked at Xu Nian inquiringly.

Xu Nian said, "According to the information we've found, no. Ever since Wang Huiqin went to Linshan City, he hasn't left. He hasn't changed the shopping mall he works at in all these years."

Pang Le touched his chin and said, "This Wang Huiqin is really cautious. Compared to Yao Qingyan's disguise of appearance, she is better at disguising herself in life. If Guan Xia hadn't discovered her through Meng Lan's natural gas leak, she would still be like a transparent person, secretly carrying out some criminal activities without attracting our attention. It's a bit scary to think about it."

Qi Bai said, "Whether it's Wang Huiqin, Yao Qingyan, or Lu Manqing, none of them are unscrupulous. What's even more terrifying is that what we've uncovered is just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows how large this criminal organization is? From what we've uncovered so far, Jianyang City, Lian City, Linshan City, and Shangshuang City in Ningyun Province are all areas of their activity. I wouldn't be surprised if they someday reach Yongquan City as well."

Qi Bai's words triggered everyone's thinking again.

Guan Xia hesitated and said, "Jianyang, Lian, and Linshan are all in Dingyuan Province, but Shangshuang is in Ningyun Province. They're thousands of kilometers away. Why is Shangshuang so special? Aren't criminal organizations generally radiating from the center to the periphery? How did they jump directly to Shangshuang? It can't be that they didn't just skip over it, they actually radiated outward, right?"

Guan Xia said this, but he felt in his heart that it was impossible. Even if this world was a fusion of criminal investigation and literature, it would not be possible. Criminal organizations also need a soil to survive. They were rampant before the millennium, but with the severe crackdown in recent years, they have been severely restricted.

As expected, Zhong Xiaoyu said as soon as Guan Xia finished speaking, "Impossible. If a criminal organization radiates across several provinces, it's not a criminal organization but a terrorist organization. After thinking about it, I still think that it must be a core member with their own ideas and desires, running out to copy others and act accordingly. That's why it's similar yet different."

"Is it really possible?" Pang Le was skeptical. "I've watched some crime dramas, and it seems like the boss of a criminal organization pays special attention to whether his subordinates obey him or not. If someone really does that, won't they be silenced?"

Zhong Xiaoyu spread her hands and said, "Who knows? I'm just guessing. As for what's going on, we'll find out when we go to Shangshuang City and check."