Chapter 121 An anomaly occurs
This week, Shen Zhenzhu continued to cooperate with grassroots patrols and got through it peacefully.
Section Chief Xiao Shen was secretly delighted, especially after work on Saturday. She had arranged to go to the beauty and hair salon this afternoon to buy hair styling tools and accessories wholesale, and they were also going to buy KFC burgers together tomorrow to visit Wu Xue.
Hexagonal Bridge is the city's largest beauty and hair salon plaza, with a network of pedestrian overpasses leading to six different buildings selling products such as hair coloring, makeup, and wigs.
Chen Zhenzhu was visiting for the first time, and everything seemed strange and wonderful to her.
Yuan Juan was picking out goods with a familiar shop owner when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Chen Zhenzhu, sporting a green mushroom-shaped haircut, making a face at her.
Yuan Juan laughed and pointed at the wig, saying, "You can't just wear this color anywhere."
Upon seeing this, the shop owner took out a pink mushroom-shaped hairpiece and put it on Chen Zhenzhu. Holding it up in the mirror, he said, "This one has the best value for money. Many young girls wear it when they go clubbing. Because it's not made of real hair, it'll be clean if you throw it in a basin of water and stir it up when it gets dirty."
Because of her profession, Chen Zhenzhu had never tried perming or dyeing her hair before. She was itching to try it out, and after the shopkeeper explained it to her, she tried it for a while and then bought this pink mushroom-shaped wig.
The crowded beauty and hair salon building was mostly filled with young people, all of whom had colorful hair, just like Wu Fuwang in the past, as if they had entered a bird park.
Because of Yuan Juan's influence, the shop owner only asked for the cost price, and Chen Zhenzhu bought the wig she wanted for ten yuan. All the way, she hummed a little tune and excitedly ran around with the pink wig on her head.
After a tiring day of shopping, Yuan Juan and I went to the snack street and bought some spicy hot pot. We ate it with gusto and it tasted so good!
Chen Zhenzhu wiped her mouth, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, and almost bumped into someone when she came out. Looking up, she exclaimed in surprise, "President Qian?"
Qian Changda was carrying two boxes of hair dye. When he saw Shen Zhenzhu, he was surprised and said, "Section Chief Shen is here too."
Shen Zhenzhu thought it was strange that a wealthy businessman like him would come to buy cheap hair dye.
"I came with my sister, just came to browse around." Chen Zhenzhu straightened her pink hair and waved to Qian Changda, "Let's go."
"Section Chief Shen, would you like a ride? My car is just outside."
"We're going to shop around for a bit longer, so there's no need to trouble yourself."
"Then I'll be going now." Qian Changda didn't insist.
Yuan Juan was still standing by the wall waiting when she saw Chen Zhenzhu come over and asked, "Did that person go to Sixth Sister's shop?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Yes, his boss is an acquaintance of my godfather. That day, his boss took him there to try and take over my family's meat business."
Yuan Juan said, "No wonder I was so polite to you."
Shen Zhenzhu whispered, "I even suspect they're trying to get in touch with Brother Zheng."
Yuan Juan had seen Gu Yanzheng's Cherokee and guessed that his family background must be extraordinary. Upon hearing this, she said, "Then let's keep our distance... But is it possible that he's trying to get closer to you?"
"Huh?" Shen Zhenzhu hadn't really thought of that. She scratched her pink hair and said, "Then I'm quite proud of myself. I wonder where I can help them."
Yuan Juan chuckled and said, "If you don't know, don't think about it. When you get tired of wearing it, I'll give you a proper haircut and style."
"That would be perfect." Shen Zhenzhu and she continued strolling hand in hand, affectionately, until dark before returning to Tiesi Commercial Street.
Yuan Jiangxue was already impatient and kept looking out the door. When she saw the two of them arrive late, she said, "I brought you a customer who is getting his hair dyed. He is a regular customer of mine. He will use the machine at Xinxin Hair Salon on the corner. I have already arranged it."
Yuan Juan hadn't sold many clothes in the past few days, but unexpectedly, Yuan Jiangxue brought her a customer first. She said gratefully, "Okay, let's split the profits."
"Hey, let's talk about it later." Yuan Jiangxue said to Chen Zhenzhu, "Oh, the pink-haired girl is quite beautiful. Let your mother see her."
Shen Zhenzhu dared not, so she took off her wig and stuffed it into Yuan Jiangxue's hand: "You hide it for me, and I'll ask you for it when I go out to play later."
"You're already a section chief, why would you care about this?" Yuan Jiangxue teased Chen Zhenzhu, "Alright, I'll put it away for you, don't worry about it."
Only then did Chen Zhenzhu feel relieved and return to the restaurant.
Sixth Sister's restaurant was as popular as ever. Chen Zhenzhu had no cooking skills, and the potatoes had been cleaned up by the assistant. So she stood behind the counter and used a calculator to settle the bill for the customers.
On the other side, unlike the bustling commercial street, Gu Yanzheng sat alone on the balcony of a luxurious villa, enjoying the night breeze.
If it weren't for Ms. Jin Fengfeng urging me to get married over the phone.
“I really like that girl, and I gave you more than half a year to make a move. You said not to alert the enemy, so your father and I stayed put. And what happened? And what happened!” Jin Xiaofeng, having eaten and drunk her fill, had enough energy to resolve the long-standing issues.
“Mom, she’s on the rise right now. She’s only 22 and she’s already reached this level. She’s even more impressive than I was at that age. I don’t want her to be distracted by relationship issues.”
"What distraction? If you two are getting along well, why can't you keep going together?"
“I’ve been to many places to participate in solving cases, and I’ve also traveled all over the country as a military representative in the army. It took me many years to stay in Liancheng. But she went to the Tiesi Police Station as a beat cop after graduation. She worked there for half a year and was promoted to the criminal investigation team. Then that was it. That was her whole life.”
Gu Yanzheng finally opened up about his innermost thoughts tonight. Jin Xiaofeng listened quietly on the other end of the phone as he said, "She will go further in the future, but she hasn't figured things out in terms of relationships yet. No one can guarantee whether relationships will have a more positive or negative impact on her... Director Liu also gave me two transfer suggestions, and I'm still considering them. Once two people are together, nothing is a one-person affair anymore."
"You're overthinking it." Gu Yuchao, who had been listening on the other end of the phone for an unknown amount of time, finally spoke up to advise, "When I pursued your mother, I was so straightforward. If I liked her, I just told her. Do you think my son, Gu Yuchao's son, doesn't even have the courage to confess his feelings?"
Gu Yanzheng said helplessly, "The provincial department has given me two transfer suggestions: one is to go to the provincial department's general office as the chief technical advisor for criminal investigation, and the other—"
He tried to speak calmly: "A nationwide campaign to crack down on organized crime will be launched. Each locality will establish a special task force to combat organized crime early next year. The task force will be headed by a member of the provincial standing committee, with the directors of the municipal bureaus serving as executive deputy heads. Additionally, a deputy head of the criminal investigation team will be needed to serve as the overall commander of the campaign."
This special task force for cracking down on organized crime and eliminating evil forces mobilized elite forces from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team, the Municipal Procuratorate, the Armed Police Detachment, the Public Security Detachment, and the Patrol Police Detachment to severely eradicate organized crime groups using a "wartime mechanism."
"You're being put in charge of the operation? So it really is..." Gu Yuchao said, "No wonder we received a call from the provincial department a few days ago asking about my and your mother's recent activities. They said you would let us know the details. We thought it would be similar to the previous political review... It turns out it's something like this."
"I'll tell you sooner or later, but you have to keep it a secret," Gu Yanzheng said. "Director Liu is not only asking for my opinion, but also for the opinions of our relatives."
There's one more thing I haven't said: in previous years' operations, many elite personnel have sacrificed their lives. Gu Jia is the province's top taxpayer, and as the only son of the Gu family, he needs the support of his relatives even more.
Thinking back to the anti-gang campaigns in his memory, where gangs could actually engage in gunfights with the police and use any means necessary, Gu Yuchao broke out in a cold sweat: "I think it's better to go to the General Affairs Office. It's closer to home, and you can take the political route. If you accumulate experience for three to five years, you'll at least be a deputy director in the Municipal Bureau. Being a deputy director before you're forty is quite an achievement."
“At this critical juncture, I need some more time.” Gu Yanzheng turned the topic back to Shen Zhenzhu: “If she chooses to go to the General Affairs Office, she will be in Liancheng and I will be in Shenshi. If I confess my feelings, it will be a long-distance relationship? I definitely cannot accept that. At worst, I will resign and become a stay-at-home dad in Liancheng.”
Jin Xiaofeng angrily retorted, "How dare you!"
Gu Yuchao was disheartened: "Haven't you even thought about inheriting the family business?"
"I haven't considered it yet." Gu Yanzheng smiled and said, "If I become the deputy leader of the anti-gang task force, to put it bluntly, what would happen to her if I were to sacrifice myself? Would I just leave her to live as a widow?"
"Pah, pah, pah! What nonsense are you spouting!" Jin Xiaofeng raised her voice angrily on the other end of the phone. "I only have one son. If they dare to risk their lives against my son, I'll blow up the entire Jinshan Mountain to fight them to the death!"
"So... Mom, my hesitation is because I sincerely hope to spend my life with her."
Gu Yanzheng pinched the bridge of his nose and softened his voice: "Calm down, Ms. Jin Fengfeng. Try to maintain a good mood. Exhale, exhale. Exhale, exhale—"
Jin Xiaofeng let out a sigh of relief, but before she could finish, she angrily said, "Anyway, I don't agree, so don't even think about it!" With that, she hung up the phone.
***
Shen Zhenzhu didn't rush home last night, unaware that her brother Zheng hadn't slept all night and arrived at the office with a radiant look and a flowing ponytail.
Wu Zhongguo, with his keen eye, noticed the unusually smooth and flowing ponytail and exclaimed, "What good food have you been eating? It's so shiny and glossy!"
Shen Zhenzhu lovingly touched the ends of her hair and said proudly, "Sister Yuan gave me a hair treatment. Feel it, it's so smooth."
Lu Ye came in through the door and said, "Hey, let me touch it too, see how smooth it is."
Shen Zhenzhu blocked his dirty hands, lovingly tugging at her ponytail, and said, "Get out of here."
"Am I still your brother Aye?" Lu Ye was hurt again: "It's just hair care, what's so special about it?"
Chen Zhenzhu, displaying her stingy nature, said, "Because I didn't spend any money!"
Lu Ye quipped, "Then it must be someone who couldn't bear to let you have what they had left."
Shen Zhenzhu denied it: "The imported ones are really expensive. Aunt Wu specially saved some for me to use. I only used a little bit and the effect was so good. I'll buy one too."
“I don’t believe you can afford that much money,” Zhao Qiqi said as she brought in a bowl of instant noodles.
Beep beep beep—
As soon as she finished speaking, a loud horn blared downstairs, and Shen Zhenzhu and the others pressed their faces against the window to look.
"Team Three has solved a major case," Gu Yanzheng said as he walked in. "Last night, Park Heung-sung and the customs officers caught several members of a criminal gang involved in trafficking corpses. The bodies have all been brought over. Shall we go down and take a look?"
“Go!” Shen Zhenzhu was the first to respond.
Wu Zhongguo followed behind, muttering, "Why are there so many perverts lately? There was just a 'wall of eyes' in the provincial capital, and now this cross-sea sale of corpses has come up."
Gu Yanzheng said nonchalantly, "With a population of over 40 million in the province, it's normal for some extreme and abnormal cases to occur."
"It's good that they caught him." Shen Zhenzhu skipped downstairs and said, "If it's just the problem of trafficking in corpses, that's not so bad. The real problem is that they kill people and then resell them."
She wanted to go down and see what was going on.
"Damn it!" Lu Ye couldn't take it anymore and rubbed his arm, saying, "Sister Pearl, stop letting your thoughts wander. I felt uncomfortable after seeing the news about Shen City yesterday, and now that I think about what you said, I feel like throwing up."
"Coward." After cursing, Shen Zhenzhu turned and ran away.
Qin An was directing the forensic doctors to transport the bodies. Six bodies were being unloaded from the hearse, varying in height and build.
"Some are preserved in formaldehyde, some are made into mummies, both men and women, the target range is very wide."
Shen Zhenzhu put on a mask and stood aside watching the busy forensic doctors when she suddenly saw a new small truck arrive, with a huge container being unloaded from the truck bed.
Qin An had been to the scene and specifically instructed people not to damage the container to preserve the condition of the body inside. Upon seeing this body approaching, he quickly stepped forward and said, "Xiao Bao, be careful, this one is quite special."
Lu Ye and his group arrived a step too late and saw a beautiful blonde girl lying inside a tall, cylindrical, transparent container. She was thin and frail, with snow-white skin and upturned lips, giving her an eerie sense of purity.
She had no idea what had happened to her.
Golden strands of hair floated in the liquid. The inside of the special glass seemed to have undergone some kind of treatment, with no bubbles or flaws, making her face lifelike. Her fair skin, refracted by the glass, cut her figure into countless fragmented reflections.
She was like a butterfly specimen sealed in resin in a museum, beautiful yet breathtaking.
Only her fingernails were lifeless, pale and bloodless, creating an eerie contrast with her vibrant life.
Some have transformed her death into an eternal, serene beauty.
"Everyone else looks like they're dead, but she's like she's in a daze." Zhao Qiqi said bluntly, "What kind of liquid is sloshing around inside? It's not poisonous, is it?"
The others put down what they were doing and rushed forward to lift the heavy, transparent container and gently place it on the cart.
Shen Zhenzhu took a step back to step aside, and she saw the girl's last moments before she died—
A hospital ward abroad.
Drip-drip-drip-
Drip-drip-drip-
Yulia stared at the ceiling, heartbroken, but the dim light reflecting off the lamp could not brighten her spirits.
“Oh, baby, he said on the phone that he didn’t want to come see you.” The woman caring for her stroked her bangs and kissed her. “Don’t hurt yourself for a man anymore. God bless you.”
Yulia's breathing was so shallow that her chest was almost invisible, and her once beautiful eyes, like the blue ocean, were now filled with despair.
After the woman left, the heartbroken girl painfully reopened the wound on her wrist. The still-unresponsive wound, after emergency treatment, instantly gushed forth bright red blood...
drop----
The piercing, long cry foreshadowed her death.
Chaos erupted in the ward; before the medical staff could even clean up the scene, they were all called out.
Soon, a cold-looking foreign man with thin lips appeared in the room. He stood in front of the hospital bed, gazing at Julia's still vibrant face.
"Let's begin."
"But...but she's my daughter."
“But you owe us a lot of money, and she committed suicide by cutting her wrists herself. It has nothing to do with us.”
Maurice's voice was flat and emotionless, as if he were handling an object. Julia's father watched helplessly as a group of unfamiliar doctors flooded into the ward.
They were extremely careful, wiping the blood off Julia's wrists with some kind of solution.
They smoothed her blonde hair, one of them supporting her head and neck, while the other placed a soft pad beneath her, waiting for the final emptying of her body.
Their every movement was highly skilled. They applied a milky white ointment to her entire body, as if to lock in the last bit of moisture, giving her skin a warm, lustrous glow and slowing down the decay.
Yulia was dressed in an expensive white tulle dress that she had never worn in her life. The hem of the dress was carefully arranged, and she was treated as if she were a real princess.
Maurice and Julia's father stood to one side, Maurice with his arms crossed, measuring every detail and occasionally issuing short commands.
"Lower your left arm a little further down... Interlace your fingers in front of your chest... After stitching up the wrist incision, tie a bow bracelet on top. Yes, just like that..."
In just ten minutes, Yulia was treated, all traces of medical procedures were covered up, her skin was fair and smooth, her golden hair shone like the sun, and her white gauze dress was pure and flawless.
Yulia did not appear to have committed suicide due to heartbreak. She was peaceful and serene, even more beautiful than when she was dying. Maurish used a scientific method that had stripped away all the struggles and pain of her life, leaving her in a state of eternal stillness.
Maurice was pleased with his work and had his subordinates hand a briefcase full of US dollars to Julia's father, saying as if to an old friend, "You are lucky to have such a beautiful daughter. Take it and squander it; it's enough to pay off your gambling debts."
Yulia's body was then quickly processed, placed in and sealed in a glass container filled with liquid. This completely isolated it from oxygen, moisture, and bacteria, halting the decomposition process and making Yulia's death an eternal moment.
......
Shen Zhenzhu breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that it was Yulia's father who sold her body.
Both the buyer and seller were from southern Russia, so the domestic police had no jurisdiction over them.
The only thing Shen Zhenzhu could be thankful for was that Yulia committed suicide... although that wasn't exactly something to be thankful for.
Shen Zhenzhu watched as "Yulia" entered the building. Despite losing a lot of blood, she was quickly treated and preserved with advanced anti-corrosion technology, which preserved her beauty.
"I'll go take a look." Shen Zhenzhu quickened her pace and arrived at the forensic morgue, where she looked at the five corpses lying in front of her.
Park Heung-sung was talking to Qin An, and Shen Zhenzhu did not disturb them. She watched all the Heavenly Eye replays of the five corpses in the moments before they died.
The final conclusion was that they all died from illness or accidents.
Do those foreigners who sell corpses even have a bottom line?
How long can this bottom line be maintained?
The container holding Yulia still gleamed under the incandescent light. The other corpses weren't as "lucky" as her; some were deeply decomposed, and others were missing body parts.
Because of Yulia's beauty, this uniqueness makes her more valuable, thus receiving better "packaging".
This case will likely be transferred to the criminal investigation department of the foreign country for further processing.
Shen Zhenzhu returned to her office with a heavy heart.
Late that night.
During the daytime, mud trucks, sand trucks, and transport trucks that are prohibited from driving in the city center roared past on the roads, all trying to make as many trips as possible before dawn.
Wufu Road, Ganqu District, Liancheng.
Exhausted, Liu Guangxia said goodbye to her colleagues after a late-night inventory check at the end of the month: "Thank you for giving me a ride, be careful on your bicycle."
She said goodbye to her colleagues, walked to the alley entrance, and looked up at the faint light appearing in the window at the end of the alley.
"I wonder if there's anything left to eat." Liu Guangxia slumped her shoulders and slowly walked into the alley. She was almost too weak to carry her handbag.
Perhaps because it had rained, the alley was dirty and slippery, and she almost slipped and fell. A rat darted out from under her feet, giving her a fright.
"Oh, that scared me to death! I'll buy some rat poison and poison you all to death." Liu Guangxia leaned against the wall and looked down to check her shoe heel, discovering that the heel of her left shoe was crooked.
She was thinking about the light in the window and was about to walk over when she felt something sharp pressing against her from behind: "Ah! Who?!"
"Don't move, give me the bag." The robber was a man who reeked of a foul odor; his breath on my cheeks sounded like he hadn't brushed his teeth in months.
Liu Guangxia remembered that someone had been robbed in this alley a while ago, reportedly by a homeless man. She hesitated for a moment and said, "You can have the bag, but could you give me the business card holder inside?"
She tried to turn around, but the other person held the knife firmly to her, preventing her from making any rash moves: "Don't get agitated, you can take it all."
The robber snatched the bag and then grabbed her ear.
"Ahhh—" Liu Guangxia's vision went black, and when she touched her ear again, she found that the gold earring had torn a hole in it.
"Who's yelling like that?" someone shouted from the alley.
"Help!"
When the robber saw that she was about to cry for help, he covered her mouth tightly. Liu Guangxia instinctively felt the danger and struggled to resist.
But the robber had already plunged the knife into her abdomen and stabbed her several more times.
Liu Guangxia, her limbs drained of strength, clutched her stomach and slumped beside the trash can...
The robber, who had snatched a pair of gold earrings and a handbag, left in a hurry and accidentally bumped into a trash can.
Inside, filthy garbage was scattered all over the floor. He disappeared into the night along with the scurrying rats, leaving behind a mess.
......
In the early morning, a sanitation worker riding a tricycle entered the alley to collect garbage. Seeing the overturned trash can, he sighed: "Who is so rude as to kick over the trash can again? If I don't put trash cans here, you'll all have to live in a garbage dump."
He cursed as he picked up the trash can. Suddenly, he saw the body lying on the ground and blood everywhere...
"Ah... Call the police... Call the police!" The sanitation worker ran out in a panic, forgetting to even ride his tricycle.
......
Half an hour later, Shen Zhenzhu, who had been dispatched to the scene, stood with her hands on her hips next to a stinking garbage can.
A sanitation worker stood at the entrance of the alley and pointed into the distance, saying, "Yes, that's the trash can over there. It was overturned on the ground when I came over. I don't know which kind person picked it up."
Shen Zhenzhu walked over and lowered her head, then turned to him and asked, "Are you sure you saw the body here?"
The sanitation worker nodded vigorously: "Yes, I can't be wrong, it's right next to the third trash can."
Shen Zhenzhu looked around in confusion and asked, "So...where is the body?"
The sanitation worker stood trembling behind Zhao Qiqi, peering towards the trash can. Not only was the body gone, but even the blood on the ground seemed to have evaporated.
He emerged from behind Lu Ye and searched the ground: "No, it's impossible, how could it be... The body was clearly here, how could it have disappeared?"
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming! [Let me see]
***
There's a delay in Jinjiang's updates, I've been refreshing for ages and it still won't load, sob sob sob.
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