Chapter 67 67 They are all deliberately confusing the police, and at the same time...

After obtaining the unexpected physical evidence, Xu Nian asked Hu Jun to copy the surveillance videos of the days before and after the night of the crime, and the group returned to the Pingjiang District Police Station.

"It's really going pretty smoothly," Pang Le said quietly as he walked beside Guan Xia, his steps brisk all day. "While reopening the case with Sister Ji last time was quite interesting, it definitely wasn't as exciting as this time. Not to mention you, I'm almost falling in love with this feeling. Unraveling the mystery and tracing back to the source, I feel like I can't even enjoy my meal without the answers."

Guan Xia turned around to look at her bright smile and couldn't help but smile too. "With such a big harvest today, it looks like you'll have a good appetite tonight."

"I think so," Pang Le said with a smile, "I'll stay at your house tonight, but I have to go back and pack my luggage first, and then I'll go to your house for dinner. I want wontons with sour soup."

Guan Xia agreed, "Okay, okay, I have to pack up tonight too. Judging by the progress, I guess I can book a flight tonight."

Guan Xia and her team were doing well, and Wang Yu and Jiang Yingyao also gained something.

When I pushed open the office door, everyone came back and was crowded around a desk, discussing something in a lively atmosphere.

Hearing the footsteps, several people turned around and called out to Captain Xu. Then Wang Yu stepped forward and said, "I've checked Yuan Yue's identity information. I also contacted my colleagues in Fu'an City and got a lot of information."

Jiang Yingyao also said, "I led people to investigate Yuan Yue's movements during her two visits to Yongquan City and obtained surveillance footage, but so far, we haven't found any trace of contact with Sha Junhao on June 7th, before the incident."

Qi Bai also stood on one leg and said, "I made calls all day and asked all the friends that Sha Junhao could contact. There were three people who rented houses in that urban village. Except for one who still lives there, the others moved out before the incident and never returned. They also haven't contacted the landlord in that area. However, one of Sha Junhao's friends provided some clues. He said that a week before the incident, around June 5th, they asked him for two people. They paid 500 yuan each to follow Sha Guoliang for two days, and also gave him a set of clothes, asking him to help put on the clothes on the night of June 6th, go to the bar where Cen Cuiman worked, wait for someone, and then take her home."

"June 6th?" Pang Le glanced at Guan Xia and said, "Isn't that the day before we met Sha Junhao and Yuan Yue?"

Jiang Yingyao spoke up, "We just discussed the clue Qi Bai found. We strongly suspect Sha Junhao originally planned to murder Sha Guoliang on the night of June 6th. The two people he hired to follow him were intended to determine Sha Guoliang's whereabouts and locate the murder site. The clothing and the fact that he asked a friend to pick up Cen Cuiman after get off work were all deliberate attempts to confuse the police and fabricate his alibi."

Xu Nian sat down at the conference table thinking, and said, "We have also made some discoveries here. Let's first summarize all the clues we have found so far."

Including Guan Xia and the other three, everyone sat down around the conference table. Wang Yu was the first to speak: "Through the integration of various information, I found out that Yuan Yue, female, is 28 years old and is from Linping County, Gangbai City, Guanglin Province. Because her parents went out to work, she lived with her grandparents since she was a child. When she was 10 years old, the two elderly people passed away and she was taken back by her parents. After Yuan Yue, her parents originally had another son, but he died in a car accident at the doorstep when he was 6 years old. So after taking Yuan Yue back, they took very strict care of her. However, because of the child who died in the accident, the two often quarreled, and even later evolved into serious physical conflicts. This phenomenon continued until Yuan Yue... When she was 15, her father died of asphyxiation after his vomit blocked his trachea while drunk. In 2012, when Yuan Yue was 16, her mother remarried. Her stepfather divorced his ex-wife due to infertility. Although his relationship with Yuan Yue's mother was not deep, his stepfather was gentle and the three of them lived a stable and peaceful life. However, when Yuan Yue was 19, they were killed in a car accident on the way to pick her up. After graduating from high school, Yuan Yue did not continue her studies and instead went out to work, moving from one factory to another. She finally got a job as a store salesperson at a women's clothing company called Duo Qiangwei, where she has worked ever since. She has been promoted to store manager with an annual salary of around 150,000 yuan.

"It sounds like Yuan Yue, despite having a rough life, is still a normal person," Qi Bai said, scratching his head. "It doesn't sound like he was particularly driven to the point of wanting to kill. Could it be that he had some special experiences during those years working?"

"Do you have a criminal record?" Xu Nian asked, "Or any police report?"

Wang Yu shook his head. "No, I asked my colleagues in Fu'an about this when I contacted them. They said they thoroughly investigated the 9/12 case and that Yuan Yue's past wasn't anything special. During her two years at the factory, she was frequently pursued by coworkers, even to the point of harassing them. But her roommates and supervisors, seeing her young age, took good care of her. They never left her alone and would even help her drive away harassing coworkers. So, she didn't suffer any setbacks, nor was she owed wages."

"That's strange," Pang Le asked with a frown, "How did the victim of the 912 incident and her friend know each other?"

Wang Yu said, "The victim of the 912 incident was named Zhuo Xuanya. Her mother, Xiang Zhenli, was a major customer of the store where Yuan Yue worked. The two of them often shopped there on weekends and holidays. Sometimes, when Xiang Zhenli didn't have time to shop, she would order online and have Yuan Yue deliver it to her home, or Zhuo Xuanya would pick it up. Over time, the two got to know each other and became friends. One time, Yuan Yue was delivering something to Xiang Zhenli's home when she encountered Zhuo Xuanya being harassed by a suitor. Coincidentally, Zhuo Xuanya's parents were not at home, so she helped deal with it."

"That sounds pretty normal," Guan Xia also frowned. "Based on these experiences, there's absolutely no way to analyze Yuan Yue's motive for wanting to kill Zhuo Xuanya."

Pang Le said, "A murder of passion? Both of them are single, so we can rule it out. Is it about money? Although Yuan Yue's parents passed away and she's alone, with an annual salary of 150,000, it's unlikely she'd kill for money unless she had any criminal hobbies. It's unlikely she'd later fall in love with gambling or drugs, right? As for revenge, judging from their life experiences, they've never had any contact before. Could it be a feud between their parents?"

Pang Le's eyes moved rapidly, obviously his thoughts were divergent.

Wang Yu smiled and replied, "I've also asked these questions to my colleagues in Fu'an City, and they've ruled out all the possibilities after their visits. Yuan Yue has no bad habits, and you could even say she was financially strapped. She already had 260,000 yuan in savings when she met Zhuo Xuanya. But after they met, she became extravagant with her money. Not only did she frequently give Zhuo Xuanya gifts, she also gave her parents expensive alcohol and skincare products. As a result, she got along very well with Zhuo Xuanya's family. Two years before Zhuo Xuanya's death, Yuan Yue spent every New Year holiday at her house. Zhuo Xuanya even jokingly called Yuan Yue her second daughter, her older sister."

Pang Le didn't know what he was thinking about. His eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "Is it possible that Zhuo Xuanya treats Yuan Yue as her sister, but Yuan Yue has a crush on her? She has given so much to her, but has never received a response, so her love has turned into hatred?"

Wang Yu denied it again, saying, "Our colleagues in Fu'an City have also investigated this topic. Yuan Yue didn't react in any particular way during Zhuo Xuanya's several blind dates after they met. She even helped Zhuo Xuanya's parents persuade her. The two had a few disagreements because of this, but they all ended with Yuan Yue apologizing and giving in, and they reconciled within a few days."

After guessing over and over again, nothing seemed right. Pang Le scratched his hair frantically, but in the end he said nothing more. He just leaned back in his chair, looked up at the ceiling, and continued to ponder.

Guan Xia couldn't figure out what was going on, so she just continued to listen quietly.

After Wang Yu finished explaining Yuan Yue's basic situation, Jiang Yingyao said, "I led people to investigate Yuan Yue's movements in Yongquan City twice. The first time was when Zhuo Xuanya came to Yongquan City to attend a classmate's wedding. Her parents were worried, so Yuan Yue took a day off with her colleagues to accompany her. She arrived in Yongquan City on the afternoon of June 5th and left on the afternoon of June 8th. From the afternoon of June 5th to the daytime of June 6th, Yuan Yue accompanied her throughout the wedding. On the evening of June 6th and June 7th, Zhuo Xuanya had a classmate reunion, and Yuan Yue was free to do whatever she wanted. Then on June 8th, they checked out of the hotel together and flew out of Yongquan City. The second time was when Yuan Yue was on a business trip and stayed in Yongquan City for a very short time, arriving on the morning of the 10th and leaving on the afternoon of the 11th. There was no record of any accommodation in between. At the same time, I verified with the company Yuan Yue worked for, and Yuan Yue did go to the store of another company that represented the same brand as her current company on the afternoon of June 10th, picked up three pieces of clothing, and left. She brought them back to Fu'an City and delivered them to the customer's home on the evening of the 11th."

"This timeline is incredibly well planned," Qi Bai exclaimed in amazement. "It's a perfect alibi. If it weren't for Guan Xia's clue, we wouldn't have listed her as a suspect no matter how many times we reinvestigated."

Guan Xia recalled and couldn't help but nodded in agreement. Indeed, during the only suspicious time period, Yuan Yue's reason for coming to Yongquan City was also very legitimate. If it weren't for the later emergence of the system, even if Guan Xia had only a fleeting glimpse of her at the time, who would have thought that such a girl would be involved in two murders?

After Jiang Yingyao finished talking about the results of the investigation, Xu Nian also shared their gains today.

Compared to the somewhat vague information, the physical evidence they obtained was much more concrete. The few people who didn't go with them today were all surprised. "You actually got a biological sample from the suspect. Doesn't that mean once we find evidence of contact between Sha Junhao and Yuan Yue, we can reopen the case and get closer to solving it?"

Xu Nian smiled and nodded, placing the surveillance footage he had copied from Hu Jun's office on the table. He said, "We've got the surveillance footage from the urban village, and Brother Jiang has also obtained the relevant surveillance footage. We can get started now. If all goes well, the case may be solved in a few days."

Not only were the people in the Second Squadron in high spirits, but Guan Xia's legs, which had been a little sore, were also full of strength again. Pang Le and Ji An were the same. Their faces were refreshed, and they opened their computers with their eyes shining brightly, and watched the surveillance video attentively.

Because the search was targeted, Guan Xia's system was completely useless this time. With the keen observation of several criminal police officers with extensive criminal investigation experience, they quickly found the two people in the surveillance video.

Wang Yu was the first to discover it. With the crisp sound of keyboard clicking and her slightly excited voice, she said, "Captain Xu, we've found something."

A group of people gathered around. Guan Xia's speed was not fast, but the Second Squadron made room for her, so she was able to see clearly. It was a video of an alley with few people.

Judging from the angle, the surveillance camera is located relatively high, probably mounted on a street lamp. In the paused picture, there is a tall man wearing a black T-shirt, black trousers, black sneakers, a black hat and a black mask.

"I remember this hat," Wang Yu said. "After the June 11th incident, we returned to the crime scene three times to search for evidence, and I saw it every time. It was hanging on the coat rack by the door. I can't mistake this silver-white capital H."

"I have some impression of it," Jiang Yingyao said. "Besides this black hat, there's also a white one next to it, with the H logo."

"So it seems that this is Sha Junhao?" Qi Bai said.

"Besides him, there is another person," Wang Yu said, then tapped the keyboard and the video began to play. A few minutes after the man in black who was suspected to be Sha Junhao walked into the alley and disappeared from the surveillance camera, a young woman in a white dress with long hair appeared.

The young woman first stopped at the entrance of the alley and looked around for a few seconds, then lowered her head to look at her mobile phone, and then turned her head around as if she was observing. Because of the movement of her head, her entire face was exposed to the surveillance camera. It was Yuan Yue.

The moment the young woman revealed her entire face, Wang Yu quickly tapped the keyboard to pause the screen.

"June 6th, 22:07," Xu Nian quickly glanced at the time on the surveillance video and said, "This is probably the time Sha Junhao originally planned to kill Sha Guoliang."

"So, it seems that Yuan Yue and Sha Junhao's acquaintance was completely accidental," Qi Bai said, scratching his cheek. "According to normal logic, Yuan Yue should have witnessed the entire process of Sha Junhao planning to kill Sha Guoliang. No, that's not right. He should have witnessed the process of preparing to kill Sha Guoliang. Somehow, Sha Junhao changed his plan and reached a deal with Yuan Yue. Are there any cameras in this alley?"

Jiang Yingyao said, "I've been to the scene. This alley is very short, only 70 meters long. It's flanked by the residential complex's outer walls. There are only two cameras at the entrance and exit, and none anywhere else. However, if you walk a little over a hundred meters out of this alley, you'll reach a small gate to a residential complex. That community has a famous food street. Seeing Yuan Yue looking down at her phone at the alley entrance, it's very likely she was led here by the navigation system."

There were no cameras. Except for Guan Xia and Pang Le, the others were not disappointed. Xu Nian said, "It seems that this crime scene was also carefully selected by Sha Junliang. Okay, let's continue working and find the surveillance video of the two people's contact on June 7th."