Chapter 134 Chapter 134 A Real Mishap
National Day, 1993, Friday.
If she could have two days off on Friday and Saturday, Chen Zhenzhu could go to Chen City to play with Xiaobai.
But today she not only has to work a shift, but she also has to work tomorrow, and then she gets a weekend off the day after. According to her memory, it will be at least another two or three years before she gets a two-day weekend.
Even though there's only one day off for National Day, it can't stop people from engaging in simple, enthusiastic, and novel activities.
Shen Zhenzhu came to the streets to help maintain order. The streets and alleys were filled with a strong festive atmosphere. Red flags and red lanterns were hung a week in advance, and large-scale themed flower beds and sculptures were set up in the square.
The giant flower basket at Starfish Square has become an iconic landmark every year, attracting countless citizens and tourists to take commemorative photos.
After a busy day, Shen Zhenzhu returned to the Criminal Investigation Team and saw Ma, representing the Tiesi Police Station, and street officials conducting a blackboard newspaper competition to promote National Day in the Tiesi jurisdiction.
"The Municipal Bureau also organized a singing competition. Rehearsals and performances take a lot of time. Director Liu said we were busy with our case and blocked it for us. Otherwise, you would be on stage singing for the motherland today." Lu Ye easily broke open the big apple and gave half to Chen Zhenzhu.
"Actually, I quite enjoy participating in group activities." Chen Zhenzhu took a bite of the sweet and sour, crunchy treat. Not bad!
The two of them squatted side by side on the curb, watching the children running around drinking Jianlibao and eating Big Roll cigarettes, wearing new clothes and going out to play with their parents. This was the holiday that the children looked forward to the most.
"The boss wants you to learn to drive. When are you planning to go?" Lu Ye asked, chewing on an apple. "I want to go too."
"I'm free anytime." Chen Zhenzhu felt restricted in her travels without her little motorcycle. She hadn't thought much of it before, but alas, it's easy to go from simple to luxurious, but difficult to go back to frugality.
Gu Yanzheng no longer expects Wu Zhongguo to learn to drive. Yesterday, he specifically asked Shen Zhenzhu and Lu Ye to learn, so that they could respond to calls more quickly after they learn.
"How about we go in a couple of days?" Lu Ye said, "Think about it, once you finish learning to drive, you can drive to Chen City to pick up Xiaobai yourself. When you have a holiday, you can also drive Sixth Sister and Yuyuan out for fun. It's a win-win situation."
“That’s right, Brother Zheng said he would reimburse our tuition fees.” After finishing her apple, Chen Zhenzhu steadily threw the apple core into the trash can.
“My buddy’s family runs a huge driving school. I heard that a lot of celebrities go there to learn to drive. I’ll ask around to see if there are any spots available, and we can go there to learn. Who knows, we might even run into a celebrity.”
“That’s great!” Shen Zhenzhu became interested when she heard that she could meet a celebrity: “Like I said, I’m available anytime.”
******
After spending the National Day holiday with his parents, Gu Yanzheng went to the provincial department the next day for a secret meeting.
Accompanying him were several deputy leaders of special task forces for the crackdown on organized crime, selected from among other municipal bureaus. They all deeply abhorred the criminal gangs in their city.
Unexpectedly, the deputy leader of the Jing City team was Yang Mei, and even more unexpectedly, the deputy leader of the Shen City team was an unfamiliar veteran police officer.
“Lu Hai, he used to be a narcotics officer. He’s very capable of dealing with those kinds of organizations and is an iron-fisted leader.” Yang Mei was more familiar with Gu Yanzheng. The two of them waited outside the provincial department’s meeting room to talk to the department heads one by one, issue pledges, and express their opinions on preparations.
Before Gu Yanzheng arrived, he had a vague feeling that a special task force of this level in Shenyang would not be commanded by Liu Yiyang. Liu Yiyang would certainly be willing, but in terms of experience and the intensity of the crackdown, he was definitely not as good as this veteran anti-drug police officer.
Some large organizations often communicate within the province. To be honest, Gu Yanzheng didn't think much of Liu Yiyang's abilities. In seven words, he was indecisive and slow-paced, better suited for defending cities than for conquering mountains.
Gu Yanzheng also had a deep understanding of himself. Eight words sum it up: decisive and efficient, skilled in both literature and martial arts. He was wealthy, handsome, and devoted...
"Captain Gu, it's your turn." Lu Hai, a veteran anti-drug police officer, was fifty years old, and his face bore the marks of time and hardship from years of gunfire.
Gu Yanzheng extended his hand to greet him, saying, "Senior Lu, I look forward to your guidance in the future."
"You too, we have a long life ahead of us."
Gu Yanzheng entered the meeting room, where Director Zhou sat in the middle. On either side were several deputy directors and senior leaders. The group, though not angry, exuded authority as they scrutinized Gu Yanzheng, the youngest and most capable deputy leader of the province's anti-organized crime task force.
"Due to its geographical location, Liancheng is often the first choice for criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, smuggling, and human smuggling that collude with foreign forces. The transnational case you recently cracked is a typical example of an international case. In addition, due to the passage of time, several forces have been entrenched in Zhuang County, Shunlu County, Changhe County, and other places. Shunlu County has been taken over by the military for security and is being suppressed by force, while the safety of ordinary people in other places is still under great challenge... Next March..."
"......"
Gu Yanzheng made a solemn pledge inside, signed a confidentiality agreement, and came out without saying a word.
Starting today, he will officially begin preparations for the special task force to combat organized crime.
"What are you doing here?" Gu Yanzheng came out of the provincial government office building and saw Xiaobai standing guard next to the Cherokee.
Xiao Bai forced a fake smile at Gu Yanzheng and handed him a bottle of mineral water: "Captain Gu, please have some water."
Although she didn't know what Gu Yanzheng was doing here, she could tell from the fact that her father was coming home later and later every day that the provincial department was about to do something big again.
Gu Yanzheng wouldn't suspect that Xiaobai poisoned him, but he would suspect that Xiaobai had some ulterior motive.
He politely took a sip of water, then slowly screwed the cap back on and asked, "You don't come here unless you need something. So, what do you want me to do?"
Xiao Bai grinned and pulled an application form from his bag, handing it to Gu Yanzheng with both hands, saying, "I've passed my internship, and my official work location will be confirmed in a few days. This is my application report for working at the Liancheng Criminal Investigation Team. Please accept it, Captain Gu."
Without a second thought, Gu Yanzheng shoved the application back: "Liu Yiyang will be furious with me if he finds out."
Xiao Bai said, "What right does he have to be in a hurry? Personnel transfers within the province are all normal. Just because my dad works here doesn't mean I have to work here too, right? Your dad's still here, why haven't you come back?"
Gu Yanzheng: "..." The little brat was asking a question she already knew the answer to.
Xiao Bai forced a fake smile onto his chubby face and said in a low voice, "You know, there are so many unmarried criminal police officers in the province, and even more outstanding ones. Sister Pearl is so amazing, her superiors and family must have helped arrange things, right?"
"Are you threatening me?" Gu Yanzheng asked, raising an eyebrow.
Xiao Bai said with a straight face, "I'm concerned about Sister Pearl's personal life. I can introduce every single outstanding unmarried male cadre in the province to Sister Pearl."
Gu Yanzheng stopped joking and said with a straight face, "What does this mean?"
Xiao Bai stopped pretending: "I'll just ask you one question, do you want me to help you?" Then she pointed to her face: "Or do you want a stumbling block on your path to love?"
Gu Yanzheng: "......"
He took back the application and glanced at it. It was written with a righteous air, but as he looked at it, he laughed in anger: "Does your dad know that you've acted on your own?"
Xiao Bai said, "I don't know yet."
Gu Yanzheng stopped driving, slammed the car door shut, and turned to head into the provincial government office building: "I'm going to report your dad."
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!" Xiaobai chased after them.
******
On Monday morning, Shen Zhenzhu brought the mooncakes made by her sixth sister to the office.
Wu Zhongguo glanced at his watch: "You arrived half an hour early today?"
Chen Zhenzhu placed mooncakes on each desk, walked to the window and touched the golden spider plant that she often watered, saying, "My mom, sister, and I made mooncakes until midnight yesterday, and I can't wait to let you taste my cooking today."
"Then I have to take it back and enjoy it slowly with my wife and kids. The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and the moon is getting brighter every day."
Shen Zhenzhu felt reluctant to leave Team Four, as it might be the last Mid-Autumn Festival she would spend with everyone.
She grabbed the broom behind the door, swept the floor, wiped the table, and even changed the water for the goldfish. She was incredibly diligent.
There wasn't much to do in the morning. While the third team worked on a case, the fourth team gathered to exchange their experiences from last month's investigations. Gu Yanzheng brought over several foreign books on "New Crime Detection Techniques and Practices" for them to study.
After eating lunch at Sixth Sister's restaurant, Chen Zhenzhu habitually ran towards the archives. Upon reaching the door, she saw a bespectacled male police officer standing inside.
"Section Chief Shen? Do you need any documents?" The other person introduced himself, "I am Shang Xiaojun, a graduate of the Data and Archives major at the Municipal Police Academy. I just started working."
Shang Xiaojun was delighted to see Shen Zhenzhu arrive. This senior from the same school was an idol and role model for the younger students. He hadn't been accepted into the Major Crimes Unit of the Criminal Investigation Team, but he had managed to get here smoothly due to his major, taking over the work in the archives. He felt very lucky.
"So you're a junior from my alma mater, hello." Shen Zhenzhu concealed her disappointment, shook hands with Shang Xiaojun, and looked around the familiar archives room.
Zhang Jie has only been gone for a week, but I already feel that things have changed.
Shang Xiaojun, not even bothering to eat, excitedly said, "Section Chief Shen, I've already organized part of the bookshelves inside according to file management techniques. Could you please take a look?"
"It's not really an inspection, but I can take a look." Shen Zhenzhu walked in curiously and found that the files Zhang Jie had organized before leaving had been rearranged. Although Zhang Jie had not studied scientific organization methods, whenever she came to look up information, she could accurately find the required file folder from the marine materials within ten minutes.
I don't know if she'll still be there when I come back from my long vacation. And I don't even know how long my vacation will last.
It was rare for Chen Zhenzhu to feel sad. As she came out, thinking that she probably wouldn't be coming here for lunch breaks and roasted sweet potatoes again, she picked up the folding bed and small stove by the door and said, "I'm leaving. Good luck."
Shang Xiaojun quickly called out, "Wait, senior."
Chen Zhenzhu turned around: "What's wrong?"
Shang Xiaojun pointed somewhat embarrassedly to the folding bed and said, "This is provided by the government."
Chen Zhenzhu hurriedly put down the folding bed, feeling embarrassed.
Shang Xiaojun pursed his lips and looked at her without saying a word.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Zhenzhu put the small stove down again.
Oh dear, I thought Sister Zhang had left it there on purpose, sob sob.
Shang Xiaojun nodded and said with a smile, "Goodbye, senior."
Chen Zhenzhu: "...Goodbye."
After taking a few steps, Chen Zhenzhu realized that she felt like she was being kicked out of the house.
A few days later, Chen Zhenzhu had gotten into the habit of cleaning the office inside and out after returning from her workout.
Although next March seems a bit far away, time always flies by.
Shen Zhenzhu wanted to leave a good impression on the four teams in the end, so the more reluctant she was to leave, the more diligent she became. She was so diligent that even the oblivious Zhao Qiqi felt that something was off about her.
When Gu Yanzheng returned with Chen Junsheng after completing a case, he found the office spotless and the food cabinet filled with snacks and fruits.
Lu Ye chirped beside her, "I don't know what's wrong with Sister Pearl lately. She's been vying to provide snacks and fruits, and her mood is constantly shifting between good and bad."
Shen Zhenzhu was engrossed in learning the forensic techniques sent by her forensic sister and didn't notice that someone was cricketing at her.
Seeing that she was focused on studying, Gu Yanzheng couldn't help but take a second look, only to find his eyes meeting her beautiful almond-shaped eyes as she suddenly looked up.
"Brother Zheng, do you have time to talk?" The tone was suggestive, but Chen Zhenzhu had already stood up.
Gu Yanzheng walked to the door, glanced at his watch, and said, "Do you have time? Is there something you need?"
Shen Zhenzhu walked out of the door mysteriously and beckoned Gu Yanzheng to go to the sixth floor.
Gu Yanzheng followed her, bewildered, to the door of an empty office. Section Chief Xiao Shen stood with her hands behind her back, looking directly into Gu Yanzheng's eyes, and said playfully, "I already know what you want to say to me."
"Why so suddenly?" Gu Yanzheng's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be calm and said, "Since you guessed it, I won't hide it from you. Actually, I hesitated for a long time. This idea didn't come to me hastily. Now that you know, you can ask me what I'm thinking."
"What could I possibly think? I'm just so happy!" Chen Zhenzhu said, her eyes crinkling with joy. "Of course I'm willing!"
"Really?!" Gu Yanzheng suppressed his excitement and took a step forward, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Seeing that he looked even happier than she was, Shen Zhenzhu chuckled and said, "I know you've been holding back a lot."
Gu Yanzheng had never been so shy in his life. He lowered his head, looking at Chen Zhenzhu with gentle eyes, and said softly, "For you, it's worth enduring. After all, given the current situation—"
“I know the situation needs to be kept secret, and I don’t blame you for not telling me sooner.”
"Keep it a secret?" Gu Yanzheng was a beat slow on the uptake, not understanding why their relationship needed to be kept secret. There were many married couples working together in the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and they didn't keep it a secret either.
“Yeah.” Chen Zhenzhu said crisply, “Director Liu said that my promotion will be kept secret until next year, and it will only be announced when the public announcement period begins, hehe.”
"Promotion?"
"Yes, I already know, hehe." Shen Zhenzhu chuckled smugly.
Gu Yanzheng felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and stood there stiffly for a long time before recovering.
Shen Zhenzhu looked at Gu Yanzheng with a puzzled expression, then waved her hand in front of him: "Brother Zheng? What's wrong with you?"
You're going to ruin Zheng Ge's life.
Gu Yanzheng said with a wry smile, "I'm genuinely happy for you."
"Ha, I knew it!" Shen Zhenzhu jumped up excitedly, then realized she might have made a bit too much noise. She quickly looked around and, seeing no one else coming up, she put on her usual cheerful expression: "Am I amazing?"
"Yes, you're incredibly impressive." Gu Yanzheng realized he had misunderstood, his heart finally at ease, and said quietly, "Weren't you going to keep it a secret? Why couldn't you hold it in any longer?"
Shen Zhenzhu didn't hear the resentment in Gu Yanzheng's tone and wholeheartedly shared her joy with her "Brother Zheng": "Brother Zheng is no outsider."
Gu Yanzheng's heart was in his throat again; he really felt like he was going to be played to death.
"Are you happy?"
"I'm so happy!"
Okay, whatever makes you happy. Whether I'm happy or not is not important.
While trying to comfort himself with this thought, Gu Yanzheng still didn't let go of Chen Zhenzhu's large hand, giving her head a hard rub, and said through gritted teeth, "That's wonderful!!!"
After Gu Yanzheng left, Shen Zhenzhu hugged her hair, which had been ruffled into a mess, and chuckled to herself. She knew her brother Zheng would be happy for her!
From a little fan following behind, watching her back, to a comrade-in-arms fighting side by side. Gu Yanzheng could see her efforts, but he didn't see her doing her best to catch up in places he couldn't see.
Chen Zhenzhu didn't rush to leave. With her hair a mess, she squatted on the ground, placed a small mirror on her knees, and carefully combed her hair while biting a rubber band in her mouth.
After combing my hair, I looked at myself in the mirror. Great! Let all the unhappiness fly away. Today, I'll still be shiny and full of fighting spirit!
Feeling pleased with herself for having a shared secret with Brother Zheng, Shen Zhenzhu returned to her office.
Just as I sat down, Zhao Qiqi rushed in and said, "There's a home invasion murder case, it's still fresh in our minds, whoever's free, come with me right away!"
"I'll go!" Shen Zhenzhu grabbed her police cap and ran to the door, asking Zhao Qiqi, "Does the convoy have any cars?"
Zhao Qiqi, holding the keys, said, "Of course I have them. I know the team well."
As they were talking, Chen Junsheng followed them out: "Sister Pearl, I want to go too."
"Let's go then." Shen Zhenzhu agreed without saying a word.
The three were in the car when Zhao Qiqi briefly explained the case: "In apartment 902, Building 3, 'Shui Mu Qing Hua' residential complex behind the Guohai Hotel on Xinmin Road, the family discovered that the deceased hadn't gotten out of bed all morning. They knocked on the door at noon to call for lunch, but no one answered. When they opened the door with a spare key, they found the deceased tied up and hanging from the bed railing. We only learned the details after we got the information."
"Hanged to death by the bed railing, bound hand and foot?" Chen Zhenzhu repeated, then sat in the back seat and pondered for a moment before saying, "Logically speaking, the headboard isn't high enough to hang someone, is it?"
Chen Junsheng didn't know the common style of beds on the mainland, but he knew that beds in Hong Kong weren't that high. He said with a puzzlement, "The way he died was really strange. Was someone pressing him down and preventing him from getting up when he died?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "If we press down on his body, we will definitely leave some clues."
“Yes, once we get there, we need to carefully search for clues and not overlook any traces.” Zhao Qiqi had become a senior to Chen Junsheng. He drove quickly to Xinmin Road, sirens blaring, and it only took him twenty minutes from reporting the incident to arriving at the scene.
"Walk through the pool and you'll reach Building 3. Our community was one of the first new communities to have elevators. Sigh, I never expected something like this to happen," the community security guard said with a sigh as he led the way, jogging ahead.
"The literary atmosphere here is quite strong." Shen Zhenzhu followed behind, walking hurriedly, not forgetting to look around at the surrounding environment.
Lu Ye said, "You don't know this, but I've been here before. I heard that many professors from Dalian University live here. The environment is elegant, the residents are of high quality, and there are dedicated reading rooms, reading corners, calligraphy and music centers. They often organize activities for residents. I even saw on the news that retired professors here teach people to paint traditional Chinese paintings and write calligraphy for free."
"Wow, this place is really nice. If Mencius' mother had chosen this place after moving three times, she would have been guaranteed to become the top scholar in the imperial examination." Chen Zhenzhu walked around the fountain and followed the security guard to the foot of Building No. 3. Soon, they waited for the elevator to go up to the 9th floor.
Upon arrival, they discovered that forensic pathologist Rong Chengcheng had already led a team to conduct an on-site investigation.
"Section Chief Shen, you've arrived." Rong Chengcheng, wearing white gloves, was about to enter when he greeted them, saying, "It's my day off today, and since I live not far away, I came straight here. The family members are all educated people, and they've done a good job preserving the scene."
The deceased's home was a large apartment with two units per floor, four bedrooms and two living rooms. The interior was decorated in an antique style, with carved huanghuali wood above the doors of each room.
"Hello, I am Shen Zhenzhu from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team. My colleagues will now question you separately. Please cooperate." Shen Zhenzhu walked towards the deceased's family members who were sitting together in the living room. Following her gaze, she saw two elderly people with white hair and a middle-aged couple.
The family members were grief-stricken, especially the two elderly people who had lost their son; their sorrow was indescribable.
The middle-aged man stood up, shook hands with Shen Zhenzhu, and said, "My name is Hu Mingyu, police officer. Please investigate the cause of my brother Hu Mingyu's death thoroughly. He was optimistic and cheerful, a graduate student at Dalian University, with a bright future ahead of him!"
His mother suddenly burst into tears, her voice hoarse as she cried out, "Who was so jealous of him that they had to kill him? My beloved son, I didn't even know he was murdered! I can't go on living! It must be him! It must be him!"
Shen Zhenzhu pulled out a few papers and handed them to her, asking, "Is the 'he' you're talking about the murderer you suspect?"
Hu Mingyu said, "He is our adopted son. He is not highly educated, and his genes may be bad. We have put a lot of effort into raising him since he was a child, but we still couldn't get him to behave properly."
Mr. Hu, tears streaming down his face, held his wife and wiped away his tears, saying, "Mingyu won many literary awards from childhood to adulthood. He was our most valued son. He was sensible and well-behaved, but introverted. He was only 23 years old and had never even held a girl's hand. He's gone just like that. We really can't bear it. We beg the police to give him justice."
"Shoot that brat! Shoot him!" Mother Hu struggled to get up, shouting, "I want to kill him!"
Zhao Qiqi shouted, "Family members, please calm down. If you want the case solved as soon as possible, please cooperate with the investigation and don't cause any trouble."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "The identity of the murderer is still unknown, so please don't jump to conclusions. No one wants the real culprit to escape or to frame an innocent person."
Before Hu's mother could say anything more, Hu's father stopped her.
Shen Zhenzhu arrived at the bedroom door, and Rong Chengcheng approached, examining the body and describing the situation to facilitate the intern following behind: "The deceased was located at the head of the double bed in the bedroom, in a kneeling position. Both knees were bent and kneeling on the bed, with the upper body leaning forward due to suspension. The body was bound in a complex manner with nylon ropes, which wrapped around the chest, abdomen, arms, and legs, and connected the neck to the highest point of the wooden headboard, forming a kneeling hanged state."
Upon closer inspection of Chen Zhenzhu's neck, a deep and clear ligature mark, dark red in color, was found formed by a nylon rope knotted at the back of her neck.
“These are finger marks.” Shen Zhenzhu pointed to irregular subcutaneous bleeding on both sides of her Adam’s apple, consistent with bruises left by strangulation. However, there were no marks from struggling or defending herself; the pinch marks were restrained.
She squinted and observed carefully, then said, "The strangulation was not intense; it did not seriously endanger the deceased's safety. It was a case of stopping short of causing serious injury."
Rong Chengcheng glanced at it and said, "That's right."
He picked up his camera and took pictures of the deceased's bruised and swollen face. Then he leaned closer and said, "There are pinpoint hemorrhages in the conjunctiva of the eyes, the teeth are slightly cyanotic, and the tip of the tongue protrudes slightly from the teeth."
“Hmm... these are typical characteristics of death by suffocation,” Shen Zhenzhu said.
She looked around the small bedroom, which was about 20 square meters, and went to the balcony. She found that the room was well-sealed and there were no signs of forced entry. Turning back, she found three or four torn plastic bags next to the deceased's bed.
The deceased was emaciated, with clearly visible ribs, and completely naked. Chen Zhenzhu did not see any other signs of struggle. The items on the table were relatively tidy, showing no signs of a struggle or trespassing.
She approached again for a closer look and found old ligature marks on the deceased's wrists and ankles.
"So thin and not even tied up tightly, leaving such a big gap." Shen Zhenzhu put on gloves, lifted the deceased's hand and tried to pin it against the finger marks on the neck.
Before she could speak, the forensic intern next to her exclaimed, "How can it fit perfectly with his own finger?!"
“Because he pinched himself,” Shen Zhenzhu said calmly.
She didn't need to look through the celestial eye to reach her conclusion.
This person wanted to experience suffocating pleasure, and he went too far.
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming! [Let me see!]
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