Chapter 477 A Game

According to Zhu Mingxiang and Lao Shen, the case occurred in October 1979.

Sun Guobin, the director of the Liuliqiao Towel Factory, took the jade Buddha that he had dug out from under the factory building and boarded a train leaving Hongcheng and heading east.

According to later investigations, Sun Guobin found a buyer from another place who was willing to pay a high price through a friend, and then took the jade Buddha to trade.

According to the confessions of other cadres in the factory, not many valuable items were dug out from the tomb under the factory building. It was taken to the antique market and sold for not much.

Because these jade Buddhas looked valuable, Sun Guobin carefully asked many people about them, hoping to sell them for a good price so as to save the towel factory that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

But the price has always been less than ideal.

In the end, I don’t know how I found a buyer who was willing to pay a high price, but the condition was that the goods had to be delivered to the door and the transaction had to take place out of town.

That's why Sun Guobin took the Jade Buddha and left Hongcheng by train.

For safety reasons, Sun Guobin also brought a young and strong worker from the factory named Zhao Yang.

However, the jade Buddha was kept by Sun Guobin throughout the process. Zhao Yang's task was to protect Sun Guobin, and he had no contact with the jade Buddha at all.

According to Zhao Yang, Sun Guobin valued the jade Buddha more than his own life, because it was the only hope of the factory, so the jade Buddha was always hidden in the bag he carried with him. For safety reasons, Sun Guobin even tied the bag strap to himself with a rope and tied a knot, and he never took off the bag even when going to the toilet.

As a result, something happened when I went to the toilet.

Although the bag remained with him, the jade Buddha inside was gone, and what was even more terrifying was that he also lost his life.

On the way, Sun Guobin went to the toilet and didn't come back for a long time. Zhao Yang felt something was wrong and was about to get up to find him.

Then I heard a woman screaming and shouting that someone was dead.

This shout alarmed the entire carriage. Zhao Yang suddenly felt something was wrong. He squeezed through the crowd and was stunned when he saw what was happening.

Sun Guobin died in the toilet, with blood all over his body from the neck down.

The bag that was tied to his body with a rope was still there, but the zipper was open and the things inside were gone.

Although homicide is a major case no matter where it is, killing on a train is still very rare. The railway police who arrived were also shocked and immediately launched an investigation.

"I heard from colleagues who participated in this case that it had a particularly big impact at the time because they searched all the passengers on the train, which caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the passengers, but in the end they found nothing and the case was left unresolved," said Lao Shen.

Zhou Yi asked, "So, this is an unsolved case?"

The two nodded: "Yes, it's an unsolved case."

Old Shen sighed, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Ah, it was because the search of the entire train caused such a huge backlash that almost everyone who handled the case was implicated, and some even lost their jobs."

The police lost their jobs, which is enough to show how big the impact of this incident is.

Zhu Mingxiang did not describe the case in great detail, but the general idea was that Sun Guobin was strangled to death with a fishing line, and then the jade Buddha was stolen. The method was very clean and neat, and no clues were left behind.

And because the incident happened at night, there were no witnesses.

When the body was discovered later, there were too many people in the carriage and it was in a mess, and the scene was completely destroyed.

After listening to this, Zhou Yi asked, "So, the Uncle Li we arrested last time, couldn't he be the murderer in the Sun Guobin case?"

"Not really, it would be such a coincidence. But Uncle Li did provide us with some useful clues, and we are following them."

Zhu Mingxiang said that Uncle Li’s surname was not actually Li, but Li, and he was considered a semi-grandfather in the pickpocket business.

According to his own account, he was in a semi-retired state, meaning he did not do anything himself but was only responsible for selling the stolen goods for his apprentices.

This old gangster is very slick. Even though he was caught in the act, he still remained stubborn and refused to mention the dirty deeds he had done in the past.

So after interrogating the case several times, the railway police realized that this was a tough nut to crack.

So they turned to put pressure on his other accomplices, and the effect was very significant.

The other people each confessed some things, and what was interesting was that everyone avoided the important issues and only confessed things that were disadvantageous to others, trying their best to make themselves look innocent, and also to give the appearance of reporting and exposing crimes, and making meritorious contributions while serving their sentences.

But no matter how they fight each other, one person can't escape.

It’s Uncle Li.

After being betrayed by his apprentices, when all the old stories were placed before Uncle Li, the old fox was stunned and started cursing these traitors.

But faced with so many crimes, he had no excuse.

Then he said that he wanted to report the crime and make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence.

He said that he had accepted an apprentice in his early years, but they later parted ways because the apprentice was too cruel and ruthless, more like a bandit than a thief.

Later I heard that he hooked up with a female scammer, and the two of them became a couple and did a lot of bad things.

Later, Sun Guobin was murdered.

This incident was not only a big deal for the railway police, but also a huge bombshell for pickpockets.

Because in principle, pickpockets only target property, and if they are forced to hurt others in order to escape, it is already a bad idea.

Killing people and robbing them of their money is an even worse strategy.

Uncle Li said that according to the rules of their thief's ancestors, this was an act of betraying one's teacher and ancestors.

When he was young, if someone did this, according to the rules of the thief's trade, he would be expelled from the thief's business by having his tendons cut.

In other words, young people later on no longer follow the rules.

But the Sun Guobin incident also had a great impact on them, because for a long time after the incident, they were unable to "do business" at all because of the crackdown on the railway. The stations and trains were full of police uniforms, and there were even more plainclothes officers mixed in with the crowd.

At that time, many people gave up and went in.

So we can only lay low and wait for the storm to pass.

When the path to wealth is like killing one's parents, while the railway police are searching the world for the murderer, they, the pickpockets, are also looking for the person who broke the rules to settle the score.

But after some private discussions, no one knew who did it, so the matter was left unresolved.

About half a year later, Uncle Li said that the apprentice suddenly came to him and said that he had a treasure that he wanted to sell, but he couldn't find a suitable buyer, so he came to ask the master for advice, knowing that the master had a wide network of contacts.

Then the other party took out a tightly wrapped bag. When it was opened, there was a crystal clear, palm-sized jade Buddha inside.

Uncle Li said that as soon as he saw the jade Buddha, he liked it very much and couldn't let it go.

Just ask him where such good things come from?

But the other party was vague and said that he happened to collect it from the countryside.

Uncle Li said that he knew he was lying. It was possible that the pots and pans were taken away by country people who didn't know their value, but how could such a large jade Buddha statue be taken away so easily? It had to be hidden like a family heirloom.

But he did not think of Sun Guobin's case at that time, because from the perspective of pickpockets, they did not know what the lost treasure was in the Sun Guobin case.

Uncle Li said that he immediately wanted to eat this thing.

Then he began to find fault.

Then he actually found a flaw, which was a very small crack at the bottom of the base of the jade Buddha statue.

He told his apprentice that the item had a defect, so the price wouldn't be too high, three thousand at most, and he was willing to take a slight loss, so he added another eight hundred and accepted it for three thousand eighty.

It was 1980, and the national average salary was only 700 or 800 yuan. 3,800 yuan was already an astronomical figure for 99% of people.

But when the apprentice heard the price, he flew into a rage and snatched back the jade Buddha, saying, "You old bastard, you're trying to rob me. Don't think that just because I call you Master you're such a big shot."

Uncle Li said that he was very angry at the time, but he still endured it for the sake of the jade Buddha.

Then he smiled and told him not to get excited, and that he could name a price.

Uncle Li said that he thought ten thousand yuan was the maximum. After all, people with a monthly income of ten thousand yuan were very powerful back then. If the other party really wanted ten thousand yuan, he would sell everything he had to buy the jade Buddha.

As a result, the apprentice raised three fingers and said: Thirty thousand!

Uncle Li was horrified and scolded him for being wishful thinking, saying that at this price he would lose everything for the rest of his life.

Then the two parted ways unhappily and never had any contact again.

Zhou Yi calculated the average wage in 1980 and compared it with the average wage in 2020. The original 30,000 yuan would be equivalent to more than 3 million yuan forty years later. As a cultural relic or antique, it may not be very expensive, but as stolen goods, the price is indeed not low.

Uncle Li said that he thought about it for a long time afterwards and couldn't figure out where the other party got such a good thing.

Then he thought of the man who was strangled to death on the train half a year ago.

He suddenly realized.

However, he couldn't possibly call the police. He had been thinking about when he could get the jade Buddha, but later his apprentice seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. He estimated that he had probably gone somewhere else.

The only thing that made him regret was the jade Buddha, which would probably be priceless now.

"So he told us the information of his apprentice, and we are tracking him down," said Zhu Mingxiang.

Zhou Yi asked: "So how is it going now?"

"There are no effective clues yet, and the identity information he provided cannot be found. After all, it has been so many years."

Zhou Yi nodded and asked, "Do you want us to help? I can talk to the leader about this."

"Sure, let's report this to our leadership. They were just saying we need to learn a lot from you guys. You've solved several major cases this year."

After listening to it, Zhou Yi felt that this matter was not as simple as Uncle Li said.

There are many pickpockets on the train, and Sun Guobin's behavior is indeed too obvious, so it is normal for him to be targeted.

But pickpockets are not bandits or robbers who kill and rob. After all, the legal sentencing for theft and robbery is completely different.

Just like what Uncle Li said, this is against the rules.

Moreover, from the perspective of an ordinary pickpocket, it is too risky to kill and steal treasures without determining the value of the target.

What if there are only two sweet potatoes in the bag?

So either Sun Guobin revealed his true identity on the train and was targeted.

But Zhou Yi felt that this possibility was very small. After all, it was a matter of life and death for the entire factory. Sun Guobin was so cautious, so the jade Buddha must have been wrapped in three layers inside and three layers outside, and would not be taken out easily.

There is only one possibility left, that is, the fact that Sun Guobin took the jade Buddha on the train was probably a setup from the very beginning.

The so-called out-of-town buyer may be just a cover, and Sun Guobin would not be able to find the buyer even if he really went there.

Because the person who set up the scheme planned to do it in the car from the beginning.

It is not known whether he intended to kill from the beginning, or whether he found that Sun Guobin was too cautious on the train and had to resort to brutal force.

As for how credible Uncle Li's words were, Zhou Yi had not interrogated this person, so it was difficult for him to make a conclusion casually.

Besides, this case is handled by the Railway Police after all, so it is not easy for me to intervene on my own initiative.

"By the way, Zhou Yi, do you have something to talk to us about?" After chatting for so long, Zhu Mingxiang finally realized that Zhou Yi didn't know he was in the car, so he definitely didn't come to reminisce about the past.

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I do have something to ask for your help."

…

In the hard seat carriage, Jiang Guiyou was walking in the aisle when a young girl in jeans came towards him.

Jiang Guiyou turned sideways to make way for the other party.

The girl said thank you politely.

But just as the girl passed by, Jiang Guiyou's body suddenly leaned forward, and he fell on the girl as if he had lost his balance.

The girl was startled and pushed him away, yelling in disgust: "What are you doing?"

Jiang Guiyou turned around with an innocent look on his face and shouted, "Which bastard pushed me?"

The people sitting behind him all looked at each other, looking at each other.

Jiang Guiyou said with a smile: "Beautiful lady, I'm sorry."

The girl glared at him, walked away quickly in disgust, and returned to her seat.

Jiang Guiyou kept staring at the girl's butt wrapped in jeans, licked his tongue and said, "Fuck, it's twisting and turning, so fucking slutty."

When passing through the connection between the carriages, he brushed past a thin middle-aged man, and a gold bracelet was slipped from Jiang Guiyou's hand into the middle-aged man's hand without anyone noticing.

At this moment, the girl's cry came from the car behind him: "Where is my bracelet? Why is my bracelet gone?"

When Jiang Guiyou heard the noise behind him, he immediately walked forward quickly.

The girl standing in the aisle happened to see his back through the glass of the carriage door and chased after him without hesitation. Seeing this, the girl's friend also chased after him.

The girl rushed to the next car, grabbed Jiang Guiyou by the shoulder and asked, "Did you steal my gold bracelet?"

Jiang Guiyou turned around and cursed, "Are you fucking sick? Who stole your things?"

"You bumped into me just now, and then my gold bracelet disappeared. Who else could it be but you?"

The two of them started arguing with each other, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.

As they were arguing, Jiang Guiyou suddenly shouted, "Where's my gold ring? Why is the gold ring on my hand gone?"

Then he pointed at the girl's nose and said, "Oh, you bumped into me just now, and then my gold ring disappeared. You must have stolen it!"

The girl was so angry that she burst into tears and cried, "How can you be so shameless? It was you who stole my bracelet, but you turned around and accused me of stealing your ring."

As soon as the girl started crying, the people who were watching the scene became indignant, especially Jiang Guiyou, whose words and actions did not seem like those of a good person.

Some people suggested calling the police immediately, while others comforted the girl and told her not to be afraid, saying that everyone would support her.

But Jiang Guiyou said calmly, "Call the police? Go ahead if you dare. I'm not afraid even if the police come. I didn't steal anything anyway!"

At this moment, someone in the previous carriage shouted: "The police are coming!"

Zhu Mingxiang and Old Shen, both in police uniforms, pushed through the crowd and approached, asking, "What's going on?"

The girl pointed at Jiang Guiyou and cried, "I suspect he stole my gold necklace."

Jiang Guiyou immediately bit back, "Bullshit, you stole my gold ring!"

"I didn't!" the girl yelled.

"You stole it!" Jiang Guiyou shouted without giving in.

Zhu Mingxiang glared and scolded, "What are you arguing about? Come on, come back with us and let us investigate."

As he was about to pull Jiang Guiyou, he didn't expect that he would suddenly raise his arm and shake off Zhu Mingxiang's hand.

"Why!" Jiang Guiyou yelled, "If you have something to say, just say it right here. Why should I go with you?"

At this time, a bystander shouted: "If you don't dare to follow the police, it means you are guilty."

"That's right, you're scared." Everyone agreed.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Guiyou said loudly without fear: "I said I didn't steal! If you don't believe me, I can take off all my clothes on the spot to prove it!"

Everyone was about to yell, "Take it off!", but they saw Jiang Guiyou pointing at the girl and saying, "But I can't be the only one taking it off. You stole my gold ring, so after I take it off, you have to take it off too!"

Upon hearing this, the girl who had stopped crying when she saw the police arrived started crying again.

The crowd watching was in an uproar. Some were angry, but some were gloating and making a fuss. After all, if you can see a beautiful woman taking off her clothes in public, why not do it?

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Lao Shen and Zhu Mingxiang quickly took control of the situation. One asked the people around to stop making trouble, and the other warned Jiang Guiyou not to cause trouble.

But Jiang Guiyou shouted unscrupulously: "What's going on? Are you police officers trying to protect her?"

A sharp-faced man in the crowd shouted, "Exactly! You're not shielding this woman just because she's pretty, are you? The police are judging people by appearances."

The masses tend to follow the crowd, and what they fear most is someone maliciously leading the trend. As soon as these words were spoken, many people began to nod.

After all, a thief will not write his identity on his face. You say I stole something and I say you stole something. Who knows who is the thief?

Moreover, although this man doesn't look that good, he dares to take off all his clothes to prove his innocence, which shows that he has no guilty conscience.

On the other hand, this girl has been crying. Is she pretending to be pitiful to gain sympathy?

Once the rhythm is off, things will become difficult.

At this moment, someone outside the crowd suddenly asked loudly: "Whose gold chain is this?"

Everyone immediately looked in the direction of the sound. Jiang Guiyou also looked outside the crowd, but he was too short and his view was blocked by the crowd.

But immediately, he saw a tall figure squeezing through the crowd and walking in.

Jiang Guiyou was immediately startled. Isn’t this the man in the soft sleeper in front?

When he saw clearly what Zhou Yi was holding in his hand, he became even more confused.

There was a gold bracelet between Zhou Yi's two fingers.

It was the one he had just stolen from the girl and then given to his accomplice.

Jiang Guiyou's brain wasn't working very well. The moment he saw the bracelet, he blurted out, "What the hell, why is it with you?"