Chapter 31 Chapter 31 It’s my turn to assist my daughter...

The night was like thick ink, splashing heavily between heaven and earth. The moonlight that was bright just now now became pale and thin.

On the deserted county road, a large jeep and several police cars formed a convoy, their bright lights sweeping across the gravel road as they roared towards the distant Qingyi River bank shrouded in night fog.

Ji Yinhe sat in the back row, staring with his big, energetic eyes, not daring to make a sound.

As soon as she got in the car, she noticed the air pressure was very low. Tang Ci gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and didn't say a word the whole time. Che Zhiwen in the passenger seat sighed one after another, while Xiao Wu next to him was obviously pulled out of bed and yawned sleepily against the car window.

Why is everyone acting so abnormal?

Is the nature of this case particularly bad?

Ji Yinhe wrapped his denim jacket tightly around him and stared out of the car worriedly.

After driving for an unknown amount of time, the police car finally rumbled onto the dirt road in the desolate forest beside the county road.

The greasy and dirty water surface ahead was slowly wriggling. A huge dredging machine was parked by the river, like a monster with bared fangs and claws, making an uneasy buzzing sound in the silent night.

The car lights formed a band of light, and a large circle of policemen surrounded the open space, looking at the contents of the machine's bucket.

As soon as the members of the Serious Crime Team jumped out of the car, the police from the police station came over to greet them.

"Captain Tang." The Jixiang Police Station chief nodded at Tang Ci and quickly explained the case. "The person who reported the case was a worker from the Jiangtan City sand mining team. They dug up a car. We initially thought it had accidentally fallen into the water, but then we found a snakeskin bag inside..."

He took a few steps to the side and pointed at the half-open trunk behind him, hesitantly speaking.

Tang Ci, Ji Yinhe and Xiao Wu shone their flashlights at the same time - a ball of mud and water was barely visible.

It looks like a curled-up human body, but is abnormally large.

Ji Yinhe frowned deeply.

She finally understood why she smelled a strong, stale, fishy smell as soon as she got off the car.

The wind here was colder than in the city, and carried with it an indescribable, sweet stench like the decay of something deep in the swamp mire.

——This stench is the stench of a corpse. The snakeskin bag contains a corpse that has been soaked into a giant!

Suddenly, they heard a "wow" sound behind them, and turned around to see Che Zhiwen holding onto a big tree and vomiting all his dinner under the roots of the tree.

Tang Ci looked away with a hint of disdain and asked the director of Jixiang Station in a deep voice, "Did you open the bag?"

"No, we arrived at the scene and realized it might be a homicide, so we immediately called the city police."

"Well, thank you for your hard work. Leave this to us."

"Okay!" The director showed a relieved expression on his face, and quickly slipped into the police station car and left this strange and cold crime scene.

"Xiao Wu, take two people to search this woodland. Xiao Ji, you and Lao Che separately ask the workers of the sand mining team..." Tang Ci turned around to arrange the division of labor, and his eyes swept across the police car following the big jeep, his expression slightly stunned.

Cheng Mo was helping Ye Qing get a toolbox. When the trunk closed, a familiar tall figure appeared.

...Lu Zheng, why is he still here?

Tang Ci glanced at Ji Yinhe who was walking towards the dredging truck and took a deep breath.

*

"——Okay, that's it for now. If there's anything else we need to inquire about, we'll contact you again." Ji Yinhe closed his notebook and smiled, "Thank you for your cooperation."

The worker walked away with his head down. Mist spread from the surface of the water, and strands of wet and cold air seemed to be able to pierce through clothes and skin and reach the bones.

Even though Comrade Xiao Ji was very brave, he couldn't help but jump twice on the ground.

She looked back in the direction of the county road. This area was very far away from the urban area, even several hundred meters away from the county road. The road was not easy to travel on, and normally no car would drive specifically to the shore.

The most likely possibility is that someone deliberately sank the car into the river in an attempt to destroy the body!

"Are you cold?" A gentle, young male voice came from behind.

Ji Yinhe paused and turned his head back suddenly.

"Teacher Lu?" She opened her eyes wide, not noticing that she raised her voice with joy. "Aren't you going back to the provincial department?"

Lu Zheng wore a khaki long trench coat under his white coat, which made him look straight and upright.

"It's tonight's bus." He smiled slightly and nodded, his pupils sparkling more than the river. "I heard there was a sudden murder case and Jiangtan is short of manpower. I reported to the provincial department and will finish this case first before returning."

"Very good!"

But the next second, Ji Yinhe, with a smile on his face, heard Captain Tang shouting something ten meters away.

"——This is a murder scene! Come and help if you're done with your work! We can talk about personal matters when we get back!"

“…”

Comrade Xiao Ji immediately lowered his head and ran obediently to Tang Ci to see the body.

Cheng Mo and Xiao Wu spread a layer of plastic sheeting on the grass and then lifted the snakeskin bag out of the trunk.

Captain Tang, with a solemn expression, refused the latex gloves that Lu Zheng asked for from the provincial department, and tore off the adhesive strip on the bag with his bare hands.

A strong stench immediately spread all around.

Except for Che Zhiwen, who couldn't stand the stench of the corpse and hid far away while cursing and covering his nose, everyone held their breath and moved closer.

No one knew how long the unfortunate deceased had been submerged in the river, but his entire body had turned into an asymmetrical giant.

Ye Qing squatted down and professionally examined the deceased's torso and limbs.

"The deceased is a male. He has several blows and a noticeably distended abdomen. His limbs are barely holding their original shape due to the compression from the entanglement. The humidity inside the snakeskin bag is high, and parts of the skin have become macerated." She tilted her head back and reached out to press on a spot. "Captain Tang, look, it's like he took too long in the bathhouse and it's softened."

Xiao Wu slapped his thigh and concluded, "He was suddenly beaten and drowned in the lake!"

Tang Ci grumbled, suppressing the urge to vomit deep in his stomach, "What about these green spots?"

"Oh, that's because the soft tissue has decayed. You see there's some yellow-green liquid in the snakeskin bag. That's the decaying corpse fluid."

Everyone looked unhappy. Che Zhiwen, who had just come over after taking a breath, vomited again when he heard Ye Qing's words.

"Lao Che, go back to the car and wait for us." Tang Ci said impatiently, "Can we tell the time of death? Did he die before or after sinking into the river?"

"It's hard to say... The airtightness of the trunk might have accelerated decomposition, but sinking into the river would have slowed the overall decomposition process, leading to an abnormal state of decomposition and rigor mortis coexisting." Ye Qing's tone remained calm. "In this case, we need to take him back for a further autopsy to determine the true time of death."

"Alright, at your own pace." Tang Ci frowned. "This case is 100% murder. It's a serious matter. We must conduct an autopsy tonight."

"good."

Tang Ci looked up, "Lao Che, why don't you take Forensic Doctor Ye back—"

"I don't want it!" Che Zhiwen howled as he squatted in the big jeep, his voice mixed with the whistling wind. "I'm weak and frail, I don't want to stay in the same room with that corpse!"

Tang Ci sighed helplessly. Cheng Mo stood up suddenly and volunteered, "Old Tang, I'll take Xiao Ye back."

Ye Qing's eyes moved.

"Okay." Tang Ci sighed, and finally turned his eyes away reluctantly, "I'll leave this side of the scene to Mr. Lu..."

Lu Zheng didn't say anything, but calmly put on his gloves and walked towards the car that was parked on the shore by the dredging machine, carrying the inspection box.

He moved quickly. Just as Ji Yinhe followed Tang Ci to help put the deceased into the police car, Lu Zheng had already closed the lid of the box.

"What do you mean?" Tang Ci walked over with his hands on his hips.

"It rained recently in this area, and the grass is thick, so there aren't any traces of car tracks or footprints that can be retrieved... The car is a Jetta. It's simple, durable, and reasonably priced, so many people in Jiangtan can afford it." Lu Zheng said gravely, "But the license plate has fallen off. If it sank to the bottom of the river, it would be a small target and difficult to salvage. So, for now, we can't accurately identify the owner of the car."

Tang Ci's brows knitted together for a moment. "The body's soaked like that, and the car doesn't even have a license plate! How can we investigate this case?"

"Don't worry." Ji Yinhe breathed calmly, "This Jetta costs 200,000 yuan, which is simply a sky-high price for ordinary people. Most people can't afford it. Maybe it belongs to a commercial transportation company. At worst, we can slowly investigate..."

Tang Ci's expression softened a bit, and Lu Zheng nodded calmly, "Xiao Ji is right. I found the Feixun Transport Company logo on the inner door of the passenger seat, and also this—"

He opened his palm to Tang Ci, revealing a lighter that was shining with golden light.

"Gold-plated lighter?"

"Well, the coating has bubbled and peeled off a bit, but you can still see the brand... You can try asking at some of the major department stores in Jiangtan."

Tang Ci was silent for a few seconds, then admitted, "...It's a clue."

Ji Yinhe made a face at Lu Zheng, then took the lighter and put it into the evidence bag with swift movements.

Tang Ci turned around and pretended not to see anything.

"The transport company and the department store won't open for business for several hours yet, so there's nothing we can ask them right now." He wrinkled his nose helplessly. "Alright, call Xiao Wu back and call it a day."

*

Ji Yinhe had been working for two months, and this was the first time she was called to the site late at night.

Ever since they heard about their daughter's outrageous actions such as breaking into a crematorium and raiding a nightclub, Ji Jianguo and Lian Qiao were so nervous that they couldn't even sleep, fearing that she would cause trouble again.

But this time it was not as thrilling as imagined. Before dawn, Ji Yinhe was sent back by the city bureau's big jeep.

Comrade Xiao Ji was standing at the entrance changing his shoes and taking off his coat. His parents couldn't help but stick their heads out of the bedroom and ask him all sorts of questions.

Ji Yinhe could not reveal too many details of the case, and could only give a general idea. Finally, he concluded:

"…Aside from confirming the deceased was a man and the car was a Jetta, we still don't know anything. The forensic investigators have to work overtime tonight. I guess I'll either be visiting the Feixun Transport Company tomorrow or searching for evidence at the department store. Mom, please help me get some breakfast!"

"Okay, leave it to me."

Comrade Xiao Ji washed his face, yawned, and went back to his room, leaving Old Ji and Ms. Lian looking at each other in bewilderment.

Ji Jianguo took a deep breath: "Feixun Company——"

Lian Qiao quickly covered her husband's mouth and said, "Let's talk about it later!"

With a bang, the door of the master bedroom was closed tightly, and the couple climbed onto the bed at the same time and covered their heads with the quilt.

Comrade Ji Jianguo looked excited.

"It's Feixun!" He hugged his wife's arm and shook it vigorously. "Doesn't Gong Chenggong's ceramics factory cooperate with this transportation company? Can I help my daughter?"

The last time Lian Qiao assisted Ji Yinhe, he was extremely envious. Now that he finally came to his home court, he had to perform well! ?

"Yes, yes, but this case is different from the Su family's. This doesn't mean that Gong Chenggong was the one who killed him, right?"

Lian Qiao had a very bad impression of Gong Chenggong. Although, as the male protagonist Long Aotian in a certain business war novel "Jiangcheng Fengyun: Industry is King", he was very intelligent and tactical and had great charisma, but he was too much of a stud - he relied on women and his father-in-law to get to the top, he had two wives, and he had countless confidantes, and he was affectionate everywhere.

“…”

Ms. Lian hugged the quilt and closed her eyes, leaving Comrade Ji lying there, lost in thought.

Before crossing over, he was a handsome but lazy office boy. He just casually opened an online novel on his way to work and unexpectedly traveled into the world of the book.

This book, "River City Storm: Industry is King", is tens of millions of words long. He read it at a glance in the shaky subway, and many details were not very clear.

The current time point is already in the second half of the original book, close to the ending. In addition, he has changed several important plot points in order to complete the mission after traveling through the book, and many details may change accordingly.

But there is no doubt that Gong Chenggong's youngest son Gong Xie's drug trafficking runs through the whole book and will never change.

However, there is still no connection between the male corpse in Qingyi River and drug trafficking.

"My dear wife." Ji Jianguo patted Lian Qiao's shoulder, "Do you think it was a fight between two gangs and the killing?"

Lian Qiao snorted and muttered, "I've watched too much of Breaking Bad. If it's this complicated, Yinhe won't be able to handle this case."

"That's right..." Ji Jianguo thought for a moment, rubbing his big hands on Lian Qiao's smooth skin. "It could also be that the internal interests were not negotiated, or that the driver was unlucky and accidentally discovered the Gong family's secret—"

"Why think so much? Yinhe has plenty of skills in solving cases. The most we can do is help her a little bit." Lian Qiao woke up completely, turned over and sat up, pinched the man's chest muscles rudely, and said viciously, "If you can't sleep, then serve me first."

Ji Jianguo's eyes lit up, he happily hugged his wife's waist and lowered his voice, "Here it comes!"

*

The next morning.

Comrade Xiao Ji, who had only slept for three hours, appeared at the Jiangtan Municipal Bureau refreshed despite being young and in good shape.

He was also holding a huge net bag in his hand.

I don’t know why, but Ms. Lian Qiao was in a particularly good mood this morning. She hummed a song and prepared four or five different breakfasts for Ji Yinhe to share with her colleagues.

The aroma along the way attracted everyone to stop and praise.

"...Good morning! I brought my mom's homemade tea eggs, beef potstickers, soup dumplings, glutinous rice cakes, and red bean fermented rice!"

After entering the office, Ji Yinhe smiled and lined up seven or eight aluminum lunch boxes on the table. Then he stretched his neck to the adjacent anatomy room and called out, "Sister Ye Qing, don't work too hard. Your health is more important. You still need to eat breakfast!"

"Here they come!" It was Cheng Mo who answered, "Xiao Ye worked an all-night shift, and the autopsy report will be out soon!"

Ten minutes later, except for Che Zhiwen who insisted on staying in the cafeteria to drink white porridge due to a sensitive stomach, Ji Yinhe, Ye Qing, Cheng Mo, Xiao Wu, Tang Ci and Lu Zheng all sat in the large outer office of the Serious Crime Team, eating breakfast while sorting out the case.

With the continuous occurrence of serious crimes during this period, everyone seems to have become desensitized to the idea of ​​eating while looking at bloody autopsy photos.

Ye Qing nibbled at a glutinous rice cake and read aloud the key points from the report:

"White and light red mushroom-shaped foam was found in the deceased's trachea and bronchi. His abdomen was bulging, and there was no chyme in his stomach. Instead, there was a large amount of drowning fluid and a small amount of river grass and mud. The drowning fluid had entered his small intestine, indicating that he swallowed heavily after entering the water... If the body was dumped after death, the drowning fluid would most likely be in his stomach."

"In addition, Mr. Lu found scratches and broken nails inside the snakeskin bag, which is enough to prove that he was not dead when he was drowned in the lake and struggled in great pain for a while."

A "hiss" sounded in the office instantly.

Ji Yinhe frowned. The deceased had a miserable life. He was beaten and drowned. He must have suffered a lot. The murderer was so inhumane!

Tang Ci paused for two seconds and asked, "Did the deceased take drugs or drink alcohol? Are there any characteristics that can be used to identify him? I see that he can't even close his eyelids, as if he died with his eyes open."

"...No." Ye Qing shook her head.

She glanced at Ji Yinhe, whose face was full of encouragement, and continued to explain in a deep voice, "The deceased's eyeballs protruded due to high intraocular pressure, which pressed the eyelids closed. And you can see that the skin on his fingers has peeled off like a glove. This is all due to the influence of water pressure and the trunk... In short, he died about three to five days ago, but it's hard to tell exactly when."

Tang Ci was silent for a moment, then took a sip of the red bean wine. "Aren't there blows on the deceased's body? Can you tell what kind of weapon was used?"

"It can only be determined to be blunt force trauma. Stones, hammers, and the like can cause similar wounds."

"All right……"

Cheng Mo added, "Old Tang, that county road is rarely visited. Early this morning, I asked the police to go door to door and ask a few scattered households within a hundred meters. They all said they had no knowledge of the incident."

Everyone was silent, looking disappointed.

"...Xiao Ye, Lao Cheng, you've both done a great job." The subordinates had worked a full night, and what they needed now wasn't a blow, but a morale boost. Tang Ci, acting like a captain, nodded approvingly, "I'll have the officers from Jixiang continue searching the riverbank for any weapons that meet the criteria or have blood stains."

Although he didn't say it out loud, everyone understood it in their hearts - so many days have passed, there is little hope, and after all, the body dumping site is right on the bank of the Qingyi River, with rocks everywhere. Hammers are also common tools in cities and rural areas, and the area is really too large.

"Even after such a detailed autopsy, we still can't determine the identity and time of death." Xiao Wu sighed. "How can we solve this case? We can't just sit in the office and wait, can we?"

Captain Tang frowned, "Teacher Lu has given us two leads—one is that we found the Feixun Transport Company logo on the Jetta, and the other is that we found a gold-plated lighter inside the car. While we don't know if it belonged to the deceased or the murderer, it's definitely related to this case."

He turned around, picked up the two photos of physical evidence from the table, taped them to the blackboard, and tapped them hard with his index finger.

"Today's main task is to investigate these two clues separately. Teacher Lu, please tell us about it."

Lu Zheng, who had been concentrating on eating, reluctantly put down the beef pot stickers, drank a sip of tea and then stood up.

"Just as Captain Tang said, the car that drowned the deceased was a Jetta from Feixun Freight Company. This type of car is mostly used to carry passengers, but also for short-distance freight. As for whether the deceased was a driver or a passenger, that depends on the results of Feixun's investigation."

Everyone nodded as he continued in a calm and composed voice, "The lighter is made of pure copper with gold plating. It's a brand called Dupont. It doesn't have a valve lock, so you adjust the flame with the top cap. The bottom has a crescent-shaped screw on the gas port. It's probably an L1 series produced in the 1980s. It's quite expensive... Judging by the relatively cheap clothing fragments found on the deceased, this lighter most likely didn't belong to him."

Tang Ci frowned slightly and raised a question: "What if the deceased had a hobby in this area and saved money to buy it for collection?"

"That's impossible!" Ji Yinhe said immediately, "Captain Tang, look at the photo. There are several tiny scratches on the inside of the lighter's top cover. These aren't injuries caused by the impact of the sinking river, but rather traces of its owner's careless use. The collector certainly wouldn't be so careless..."

“…” Tang Ci felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

As the captain of a team, he was contradicted in front of everyone by a young police officer who had just joined the team for two months. Even if he had some feelings for her, he still felt a little embarrassed.

He couldn't find anything wrong with what she said, so he could only bite the bullet and admit, "Well... you're quite right."

The person being praised was completely unaware of this and was still immersed in his own profiling reasoning.

"...My hunch is that the owner of the lighter came from a wealthy family and had access to ordinary people like the deceased, who came from a poor family. If he was the murderer, then he chose to injure the deceased and then dump the body in the river to cover up his crime. He was probably some uneducated and undisciplined young man who committed illegal activities behind his family's back and then killed people to silence them after being discovered!"

Her heart was shocked, and the five big words "drug-dealing rich second generation" suddenly popped up in her mind.

Comrade Xiao Ji's breathing was a little trembling. No way, no way, this is too coincidental...

No one spoke. Although there was no evidence and it was all speculation, Ji Yinhe had already verified the 100% accuracy rate of profiling in the previous two cases.

The room was quiet, and the warm orange morning sun shone in from the window.

After a moment, Xiao Wu's confused voice rang out: "Why did it have to be a young master? I think such a cruel method is like the □□ boss killing people to silence them!"

Ji Yinhe explained: "If it was a gang that killed someone, they would have more people and more experience, so they would choose a more secluded place. They wouldn't use a sand mining machine to dig out the car, and they wouldn't leave obvious evidence like a lighter. So I am more inclined to believe that the murderer was a lone killer, with at most two or three people."

"Yes, the deceased was about 28 years old." Ye Qing said softly, "The murderer must have strong physical fitness, enough to compete with a strong young man."

Everyone nodded thoughtfully.

Tang Ci was a little confused, sorting out his thoughts from the clues on the blackboard and notebook. Amidst the discussion, Lu Zheng calmly said:

"My suggestion is to first investigate Feixun Company and the lighter, then compare it with Ji Yinhe's profile to determine the scope of suspects... However, one thing to note is that the logistics industry is developing rapidly and transportation is very developed. The lighter may have been purchased from another city, so you may not be able to find a suspect who meets the criteria in local department stores."

Tang Ci came back to his senses, touched his forehead and said "hmm", "Old Cheng, you were busy with Xiao Ye all night last night, go back and rest this morning, Xiao Wu and I will go to Feixun, Xiao Ji, you and Lao Che -"

Che Zhiwen, who happened to be passing by the corridor, poked his head in and said with a playful smile, "Captain Tang, my family has some urgent matters today, so I'd like to take a day off..."

Everyone: “………………”

Everyone worked on the case all night, but he asked for leave during the most arduous part of the investigation and interviews!

The veins on Tang Ci's forehead were throbbing, and he nodded with difficulty after a long while. Che Zhiwen had already guessed that Tang Ci had little experience, so he dared not refute him. He leisurely picked up the big teapot and went straight out to go home.

After a while, Ji Yinhe looked at the captain's dark face and asked cautiously, "Then should I go to the department store with Teacher Lu?"

Tang Ci waved his hands in frustration and said "hmm" in a bad mood.

*

There are several department stores in Jiangtan City, both state-owned and privately owned. However, the shareholding reform has only just begun, and the private stores are small in scale. Only large state-owned stores have counters for high-end brands like Dupont.

Before leaving, Ji Yinhe and Lu Zheng discussed it and decided to start the investigation from the largest state-owned shopping mall in the city center - Xinbai Building.

The big jeep was driven away directly by Tang Ci who was in a bad mood. Xiao Ji stood on tiptoe at the door of the motorcade on the first floor and smiled at the captain.

To get to Xinbai Building, one has to take several buses, which is inconvenient and a waste of time. The Tianhong 90 is parked in the carport, but one can't let a female comrade ride a motorcycle with provincial and ministerial experts.

Comrade Xiao Ji explained the situation to her and appealed to her emotions, and two minutes later, the keys to the Santana police car were handed to her.

However, when she sat in the driver's seat, she was still a little scared by the unfamiliar dashboard.

In her last semester at the police academy, after she was sure of getting a quota assigned by the municipal bureau, she went to the driving school to take the driver's license test.

Theoretical and road tests were a piece of cake for Ji Yinhe, who was very smart, but he hadn't touched the steering wheel for more than two months, so he was a little nervous when he suddenly got on the road.

Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows when he saw her standing there motionless.

"...How about I drive?" He suggested calmly, "I'm not familiar with the roads in Jiangtan. You can sit in the passenger seat and help me with the map."

"Okay!" Comrade Xiao Ji immediately changed seats.

However, when the car was on the road, she found that the expert from Lu University seemed to be familiar with the main roads in the center of Jiangtan City and did not make a wrong turn once.

Ji Yinhe turned his head and touched the tip of his nose guiltily.

...Could it be that he was helping me out just now?

Lu Zheng put his hands on the steering wheel, looked straight ahead, and said casually: "By the way, there is another detail about that gold-plated lighter that I didn't have time to tell Captain Tang."

Ji Yinhe suddenly sat up straight.

"I actually didn't find the lighter in the car...it fell out of his shirt breast pocket when you moved him from the snakeskin bag to the ground."

"......?" Ji Yinhe was stunned for a moment, and the dead man's long-sleeved polo shirt, which was soaked and tattered, appeared in front of his eyes. "The chest pocket...isn't that the position close to the heart?"

"Yes," Lu Zheng said, "From a psychological point of view, this pocket is usually used to store very important things. If it is someone else's belongings, it has a certain intimacy."

Ji Yinhe murmured in surprise: "...The owner of the lighter was in a relationship with the deceased? Could it be a woman?"

Lu Zheng didn't say anything. She squinted her eyes as she looked at the autumn street scene.

What did the deceased experience on his last night?

Could this case be related to the rich second generation who are drug traffickers?