Chapter 204 The Case Re-emerges
That night.
A passenger wearing a red scarf got into a taxi after getting off at Shapingba Railway Station and said to the driver, "Please hurry to Beigang."
"Catching the ferry, huh?" The taxi driver tossed away his cigarette and started the car. "Ten yuan, buckle up."
He saw the red scarf around the woman's neck in the rearview mirror and hesitated to speak.
The woman couldn't negotiate the price; it was the only taxi available in the dead of night. She leaned wearily against the back of the seat, took out her boat ticket, and glanced at it.
Upon arriving at Beigang, the woman paid her fare only to find that the passenger ferry was out of service. Frustrated, she asked the staff at the ticket booth, "Excuse me, where can I find accommodation?"
The ticket collector pointed to a spot and yawned, utterly bored. Ever since a female colleague went missing, none of the other female colleagues wanted to work the night shift, and he'd been working it for a week straight.
The woman thanked her and walked into the alley with her travel bag.
As she walked, the woman turned around and glanced back.
There is no one.
She held her breath and walked forward again. The neon sign of the small hotel was flashing in front of her, and she couldn't help but quicken her pace.
From the darkness, a figure emerged and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief: "Ah—mmm!"
A few seconds later, a dizzying halo appeared in front of the woman's eyes, and then the neon sign gradually dimmed and moved further and further away.
A tall figure trudged through the snow-covered ground, making a crunching sound. He pedaled his bicycle forward silently, disappearing into the distance.
After an unknown amount of time, Ning Dujuan woke up.
The ground was freezing cold, and she was completely frozen.
My vision was completely dark, and I smelled cold and foul odors. Something was stuffed in my mouth, so I couldn't make a sound.
Someone nearby made an "uh-huh" sound, which startled Ning Dujuan. She shrank into a corner and looked in the direction of the sound.
She was stunned when she saw what was happening. Several figures were moving in front of her, their mouths gagged, crawling on the ground, their hands and feet chained.
Hearing a sound coming in, the imprisoned women made noises and moved towards her. Upon getting closer and realizing it wasn't food, they retreated to a corner and huddled together for warmth.
Ning Dujuan desperately wanted to know who they were, but she couldn't make a sound; like them, she could only hum through her nose. The iron chains binding her hands and feet were tightly pressed against her bones and blood vessels, making it impossible for her to break free no matter how much she struggled.
She tried to bang her head against the wall, hoping someone outside would hear her. But after a few attempts, she realized it was all in vain. The wall was thickly padded with cardboard, and no amount of banging, biting, or scratching helped.
Finally, shivering in the cold, she joined them. Curled up on the cardboard, she strained to hear any other sounds, her body trembling.
Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching from afar, the women began to sob in panic. Ning Dujuan sensed that they were trembling even more violently.
The sound of an iron lock falling rang out, and the owner of the footsteps emerged from the darkness. He seemed to have exceptional eyesight, able to spot them easily without needing any light.
Ning Dujuan vaguely saw a tall and burly figure in the moonlight through the crack in the door. What terrified her even more was that the figure was holding a sharp iron axe and walking towards them.
don't want!
"Ugh!!"
They were so frightened that they moved around and made even louder noises.
The man with the iron axe drew closer, his hideous face becoming increasingly visible. Just as he raised the axe to swing at Ning Dujuan, a flashlight beam appeared from the other end, accompanied by a shout: "Stop! It's you, Dongbao!"
Dongbao suddenly turned around, no longer recognizing his own family. Even when scolded, he still swung his axe high again and chopped at the man!
Ning Dujuan silently prayed to the gods, desperately wanting to escape this place as soon as possible. She watched as two dark figures grappled, the burly man gaining the upper hand!
Another axe swung down with a whoosh, and Ning Dujuan steeled her heart and rushed forward, headbutting Dongbao!
Dongbao tilted his body, and the axe grazed the man's flesh. If Ning Dujuan hadn't bumped into him, he could have dislocated the man's arm!
The man who arrived was injured. Clutching his arm, he grabbed Ning Dujuan and said urgently, "I've come to save you! Come with me! He's gone mad, he's really gone mad!"
Ning Dujuan struggled to her feet, knowing her chance to survive was fleeting. However, her feet were also bound, preventing her from moving quickly.
Seeing another female victim stumble into the man's arms, the man reached out to grab her and escape before Dongbao could reach her.
Blinded by her will to survive, Ning Dujuan once again headbutted the woman.
"Ugh!" The staggering woman was knocked to the ground by Ning Dujuan, who fell headfirst into the man's arms, making "mmm" sounds.
Dongbao was stopped in her tracks by the woman who had fallen, and the man who had come to ask for help hurriedly left through the door carrying Ning Dujuan. Dongbao was only three steps behind her.
Ning Dujuan was extremely nervous.
I'm sorry, I need to live.
Just as Dongbao was about to grab them, Ning Dujuan forcefully closed the door to life that the victims had been hoping for.
"Die! Die!" Dongbao roared, turning and swinging his iron axe toward the fallen woman...
......
Liancheng City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Brigade, Fourth Team Office.
The case outline and tasks to be completed were written on the blackboard.
Xiao Bai was talking to the mother of Feng Le, the ferry ticket seller who was the first missing person: "Auntie, don't worry, this is Captain Chen, the criminal investigation team leader in charge of the case. My surname is Zhou. I know you are going through a lot of pain right now. We asked you to come here to ask a few questions, and our purpose is to find Feng Le as soon as possible. We are on your side, so please cooperate with us as much as possible."
She deliberately sat next to Feng Le's mother, her eyes firm and her tone steady. She leaned forward slightly, just like Shen Zhenzhu did when she asked questions, and focused on looking at Feng Le's mother, minimizing any sense of oppression or antagonism.
With two female police officers by her side, Feng Le's mother felt less nervous. She kept wiping away her tears with the tissues that Chen Zhenzhu handed her, and said in a choked voice, "I know, I'll tell you everything I can think of."
Even if she has said it many times, or even repeated it a thousand times, she is willing to do it, as long as she can find Feng Le.
Xiao Bai opened her notebook and asked, "The last time you saw her, what was she wearing? Did she mention meeting anyone?"
Feng Le's mother said, "She left early on the 4th, saying she was going to work. I also work at the calendar factory, and we left together. She was wearing a ticket seller's uniform with a black cotton-padded coat over it, her hair was tied up, she wasn't wearing a hat, and she had a red scarf wrapped around her neck. I... I even said she was vain, not wearing a cotton hat but prioritizing style over warmth, but she's only 25 years old, if she's not vain, am I?"
Recalling their last conversation, Feng Le's mother was filled with regret. Her dark circles under her eyes were constantly being washed away by tears: "What I said was so meaningless. I even told her to get married early... What's the point now that she's gone?"
Seeing that she was emotional, Chen Zhenzhu handed her a tissue and comforted her, saying, "Auntie, I know this makes you very sad, but we need your help to find her. Please think about it: was her red scarf a gift or did she buy it? When did she start wearing it?"
Feng Le's mother struggled to control her emotions, recalling, "She exchanged yarn with a colleague and knitted it herself. She wore it just a few days after it was finished. You know, sometimes there's no one at the ticket office, so she knitted the scarf to pass the time. You see, the sweater I'm wearing was knitted by her... sob..."
Xiaobai asked, "So she usually likes red?"
Feng Le's mother said, "I like it. I've liked it since I was a child."
Xiao Bai then asked, "Did anything unsettling happen to her during the days she was missing? Or did she have any disagreements with anyone?"
Feng Le's mother thought for a moment and said, "There was something recently... no, there was something. They said that the cargo ships next to the port kept making their horns, which gave her a headache."
Shen Zhenzhu asked definitively, "Then she hasn't had any arguments with anyone?"
Feng Le's mother said, "She had an incredibly good temper. When selling tickets, she would patiently repeat herself to elderly people who couldn't speak clearly or to out-of-towners with accents, even when others were impatient. Several times, seeing others in need, she even paid out of her own pocket to help them make up the fare. People from the cargo ship even came to chat with her. Her supervisor said she was too kind and criticized her once. She's so kind, why did this have to happen to her! Waaah... I'm so sorry, I'm really, really sad. I wish I could go in her place!"
Thinking of Feng Le, Feng Le's mother burst into tears once again.
Xiao Bai looked at Chen Zhenzhu, who sat down next to her, patted Feng Le's mother on the back, handed her a piece of paper and said, "Auntie, it's okay, we can stop for a while. You don't need to apologize, I know you love Feng Le very much."
Feeling a shared sentiment, Feng Le's mother clutched Chen Zhenzhu's clothes, lowered her head, and stammered, "I...I'll be fine soon, very soon...very soon..."
Xiao Bai sighed softly and turned her head away.
She knew the greatness of maternal love, and at this moment, she was even more heartbroken.
After chatting with Feng Le's mother for another half hour, when I saw her off, she said, "I'm so sorry, I couldn't help much. I told you everything I knew... I'll think about it myself when I get back, I'll try my best to think it through."
Shen Zhenzhu held her hand tightly and walked slowly with her towards the stairwell in the corridor. She said softly, "You said her scarf was just knitted, and that she has a good personality and is patient. These two points are very important to us."
"Really? Really?" Feng Le's mother's eyes lit up. "I helped?"
Xiao Bai understood Shen Zhenzhu's intentions and helped by saying, "Captain Shen said it's very important and he definitely didn't lie to you. Please keep our phone number safe. If you remember any detail when you get back, no matter how small, please contact us."
“Okay, I will definitely contact you.” Feng Le’s mother said excitedly, “Please help me find my child.”
......
"Sister Pearl, the fifth missing woman has been identified last night! Her name is Ning Dujuan, and she went missing near Beigang. She has an out-of-town household registration. According to the ticket seller in Beigang, Ning Dujuan went to the Zhaocai Hotel in the alley before she went missing." Wu Zhongguo hung up the phone and reported to Shen Zhenzhu: "This time it involves Beigang again. I remember that Feng Le is also a ferry ticket seller there."
"You're not mistaken." Chen Zhenzhu covered the phone, asking in confusion, "How did you know she was missing?"
Wu Zhongguo walked to Shen Zhenzhu's desk: "After Feng Le went missing, Beigang Wharf paid extra attention to this matter. They found a woman with luggage who hadn't boarded the ship according to her ticket time. After asking the staff, they realized something was wrong and went to the Zhaocai Hotel, but there was no check-in information there either. That's when they reported it to the police station. The police station found a night shift taxi driver who remembered that Ning Dujuan was wearing a red scarf and wanted to remind her. So she was brought directly to our team."
"Tell them to preserve the scene of the disappearance." Shen Zhenzhu grabbed her cotton-padded coat and said, "We shouldn't delay. Xiaobai, come with me. Uncle Wu, you continue the investigation."
"good."
Xiao Bai ran into the car and said to Shen Zhenzhu, "I've read all the testimonies and conducted interviews. The testimonies of the other victims are similar to those of Feng Le's mother. We've basically determined that they have no enemies and no one they know. This is like finding a needle in a haystack."
"Both disappearances in the Fourth Railway District occurred near Beigang, and Wang Jingjing was also taking a walk in the nearby seaside park. We're temporarily narrowing down our search to the Beigang area." Shen Zhenzhu was worried that the missing persons might be victims of some kind of evil ritual; the city bureau leaders' frequent inquiries about the case's progress suggested they shared this concern. With the victims' fate unknown, she had to act quickly.
Xiao Bai nodded: "Understood, I'll pass the message on right away."
Upon arriving at Beigang Wharf, Chen Zhenzhu immediately went into the alley.
In the freezing cold, police officers cordoned off the alley, preventing guests inside the Zhaocai Hotel from leaving and causing widespread complaints.
"What if we miss our tickets because we need to board the ship?"
"Your police are too domineering. I still need to take the samples back to report. Do you know how big this business is?"
"Oh dear, my wife is accusing me of fooling around outside again. I'm so innocent! What am I going to do if she goes back to her parents' house?"
"Mom, I'm scared, I want to go home."
......
Chen Zhenzhu noticed that because there weren't many people around in the alley, the traces of footsteps and tire tracks from the previous night were clearly visible. Most people were headed to the Fortune Hotel, having stayed home due to the freezing weather.
"Although it wasn't damaged, there are quite a few footprints." Xiaobai looked at the messy marks with a worried expression, feeling completely lost.
Technicians conducting the investigation are taking photos of each footprint as evidence, and the film that has been taken is being processed and printed as soon as possible.
Chen Zhenzhu glanced at them and said, "There are tracks from both handcarts and bicycles. The handcart tracks were probably for delivering goods to the Zhaocai Hotel; they were very deep when they went there, but became shallower after they came out. Bicycles were used for carrying luggage and for carrying people; they can all be used as means of transportation."
Xiao Bai asked curiously, "How can you tell if the tracks are from a cart or a bicycle?"
Shen Zhenzhu pointed to the marks on the ground and said, "There was a case before where a kindergarten cart was used as a tool. We investigated the cart at the time, and it was different from a bicycle tire in terms of tread pattern and specifications. If you remember the marks, you won't make a mistake. That's how you solve cases. You keep accumulating experience and updating your experience. You never know when you'll need it."
"That's really true," Xiaobai exclaimed.
Shen Zhenzhu walked all the way to the Fortune Inn, where quite a few people were standing and shouting. The footprints on the ground in front of the inn were overlapping and muddy, but as people walked up the steps, most of the footprints disappeared.
The operative guarding the door greeted Chen Zhenzhu, saying, "Sister Zhenzhu, the statements here have been taken. The personal information matching the portrait has been verified, and the fingerprints, shoe prints, and footprints have all been filed and recorded."
Shen Zhenzhu glanced at her; she was a newbie with only one stripe on her epaulettes. She said, "Thank you for your help. You did a good job. Let me see it."
The new operator clearly recognized Shen Zhenzhu and eagerly handed her the materials, saying, "Please take a look."
Shen Zhenzhu stood at the hotel entrance, silently scrutinizing every male comrade present. Her serious, case-handling aura made the new agent hold his breath, not daring to disturb her.
Gradually, the scene quieted down, and all eyes were on Shen Zhenzhu.
After a short while, Chen Zhenzhu spoke with each of the men at the Fortune Hotel for a few minutes before letting them leave.
"They're practically all exposed now, aren't there any suspects?" Xiaobai frowned, constantly scrutinizing the remaining men.
"The more urgent the situation, the calmer you need to be," Chen Zhenzhu said.
The other agents were the same. The men who had been making a lot of noise just now were now quiet, afraid of getting into trouble, and all hoped to pass the test of the pearl as soon as possible and leave this place.
All the customers at the Fortune Hotel had left. The hotel owner, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, sat on a bench and said impatiently, "How much longer are you going to stay here? You're delaying our business."
Shen Zhenzhu remained standing at the inn's entrance, seemingly oblivious to the biting cold wind. Xiao Bai rubbed her face and hands behind her.
Chen Zhenzhu suddenly turned around and asked the shopkeeper, "Sister, which way does this alley lead?"
The shop owner took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Just walk over there and you'll find the back of Huanghe Road. Almost no one walks there."
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "Is that near the courtyard alley?"
The boss said, "That's right, but the road ahead is difficult to walk on. There's a new road on the side, so everyone takes the new road. Only people who know the area occasionally come from that side to save walking time."
Shen Zhenzhu put her hands in her pockets to warm them, walked down the steps, and called back to Xiaobai: "Go take a look, bring a camera."
Xiao Bai borrowed a camera from the surveyor, glanced at the number of rolls of film, and quickly followed them.
Shen Zhenzhu pointed to the marks on the ground and said, "There are fewer footprints and tire tracks here. Take a clear picture. Let's keep looking ahead."
They struggled forward against the draft in the alley. The howling north wind seemed to be deliberately working against them, making a defiant sound in their ears.
"There are only two footprints and a tire track here." Xiaobai raised his camera, squatted down, and took careful pictures. After taking the pictures, he almost sat down on the snow.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly pulled her up: "You must be frozen stiff. Hang in there, let's go for a walk around the front."
Xiao Bai gritted her teeth, patted Xue's bottom, and said, "I'm fine, Sister Pearl. I can spin around ten times and still be fine."
Shen Zhenzhu smiled and walked forward side by side with her.
Stepping out of the alley, you reach the intersection behind Huanghe Road. Here, the crowd thickens, and all the marks on the ground are ruined, making it impossible to tell whose is whose.
“That intersection is Zayuan Alley. Dongbao, the one you saw running to my house last time, lives in there.” Chen Zhenzhu looked around at the surrounding scenery. The nearest residential area was the Zayuan Alley. She pointed and said, “Let’s go take a look.”
"Okay." The wind had died down considerably, and Xiaobai entered the courtyard. A strong sense of unpretentious, low-class life washed over him.
“The tenement has both permanent residents and transient residents. There are bound to be all sorts of weirdos.” As they walked, Chen Zhenzhu whispered to Xiaobai, “Last year, the city busted a drug manufacturing gang that was hiding in a tenement in the city.”
As she passed by the cat cage, Chen Zhenzhu lifted the lid and peeked inside. There were two more kittens huddled together for warmth.
Xiao Bai poured them some more water and said with frustration, "They'll freeze to death if this continues. I'll ask who raised them and try to get them rescued."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I've asked, but no one will say. I'll ask again later to find out how many little lives there are."
It's already difficult enough for people to live here, let alone small animals.
"Dongbao, Grandma told you not to eat the food over there, but you didn't, did you?" Grandma Tong's voice came from the No. 6 courtyard.
Dongbao replied, "I know that what's on the ground over there isn't edible; it's rat poison for the rats. The rats will get sick, so I won't fight with them for it."
Xiao Bai chuckled. Dong Bao turned around and glared at Xiao Bai, then saw Chen Zhenzhu and happily called out, "Mother!" After calling out, she ran towards Chen Zhenzhu.
"Don't pounce on me!" Chen Zhenzhu was on high alert, lest Dongbao carelessly throw her into the snow.
Just then, a group of people appeared from the opposite direction, holding wooden sticks and shouting, "Idiot! Come out here!"
Dongbao stopped in his tracks, sensing their hostile intentions, and a fierce glint appeared on his face: "I'll beat you up!"
The middle-aged man who was leading the group saw Chen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai wearing police uniforms and coats, and rushed over: "Officers, this is terrible! We've found something! It must have been him!"
"Your dad did it!" Dongbao rushed over upon seeing this, reaching out to smash the other person's head!
In a flash, Chen Zhenzhu kicked Dongbao in the stomach. Dongbao stumbled back two steps and bumped into the wall, clutching his stomach and crying, "Mommy, Mommy hit me!"
Chen Zhenzhu raised the small hammer: "Stop."
"Hmph, you're not my mother." Dongbao wasn't actually in pain. Shen Zhenzhu had just stopped exerting force, and seeing this, he lowered his hand and sulked at Shen Zhenzhu.
The middle-aged man was so frightened that he covered his head and squatted on the ground. He was helped up by his companions. Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu could actually deal with Dongbao, he glanced at her in surprise and pointed at Dongbao, saying, "Everyone says you're capable of doing bad things. Come on, let's go with the police to see if you did what happened over there!"
Grandma Tong came out of the yard, looking shocked: "Dongbao has gotten into trouble?"
Dongbao shook her head: "Dongbao doesn't have any."
Chen Zhenzhu said, "Let's go take a look."
The middle-aged man, who was probably also a resident of the courtyard, joined a group of people to surround Chen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai as they arrived at a snowman that had been knocked over.
He said angrily, "This idiot likes to build snowmen everywhere, and there are dead cats hidden in them. We've been keeping quiet about this for decades because of our friendship, but look what happened! There's a severed hand in today's snowman! I'm scared out of my wits! Officers, please take a look, it really is a human hand!"
Shen Zhenzhu took out her evidence-gathering gloves and put them on. Holding the evidence bag in her hand, she walked to the disintegrating snowman and indeed saw a severed hand inserted into the snowball!
The severed hand showed signs of freezing, bluish-white discoloration, with a red string still hanging from the wrist. It was the left hand of a young woman.
Frosty fingers were the first to emerge from the knocked-down snowdrift, the winter sun shining brightly on the icy crystals of the severed hand. The blood at the severed wrist was diluted pink by the snowmelt, staining the surrounding snow with a small, blurry pink patch.
“It must have undergone partial melting and refreezing,” Shen Zhenzhu said in a low voice. “There are irregular layers of ice on the surface, and icicles in the gaps between the fingers and at the broken edges. There are also white frost crystals on the hair on the hands.”
Because the low temperature greatly inhibits the decomposition process, there is no stench of decay. Squatting in front of the severed hand will give you a faint smell of raw, frozen meat stored in the refrigerator. But more than that, there is a cool, refreshing smell of snow.
The person is still alive.
"Xiao Bai, observe the cross-section of the severed hand first." Shen Zhenzhu stood up and, not seeing the Heavenly Eye's retrospective, confirmed that the person was definitely alive.
However, if the artery is severed and treatment is not received in time, the prognosis is likely to be very bad.
"This is Shen Zhenzhu. I request that the search area be further narrowed. All agents are now required to seal off the alleyway and courtyard; no one is allowed to enter or leave." Shen Zhenzhu stood up, took out her walkie-talkie, and finished speaking, then looked at the severed hand again. She had a hunch that this case was related to the missing persons case.
The middle-aged man and the others immediately started making a fuss. A short, fat man pointed at Chen Zhenzhu and said, "We all told you it was done by an idiot, so why did you blockade us for no reason?"
Shen Zhenzhu explained, "It cannot be confirmed at present that the suspect is Dongbao. It needs to be determined after investigation."
Dongbao clapped her hands beside her: "Mom, Mom is here."
The commotion outside attracted many people from the courtyard to come out and see what was happening. When they discovered the severed hand, everyone seemed to assume that Dongbao was responsible. A mixture of scrutiny, disappointment, and fear filled Dongbao's eyes.
Grandma Tong remained silent throughout, holding Dongbao's hand tightly, her face showing fear and unease. What she feared most had come to pass.
"Grandma, don't be afraid, Dongbao is a good boy." Dongbao reached out and wiped Grandma Tong's face. Even though there were no tears on it yet, he could already feel Grandma Tong's despair.
The residents who arrived later were still standing on tiptoe and craning their necks to look, and when they learned that they had to cooperate with the police, they became increasingly agitated.
"What happened?" Old Jiang, wearing only a thin shirt, came out and said to Dongbao, "Did they hit someone again?"
Xiao Jiang ran out from behind, carrying a new cotton-padded coat and draping it over Lao Jiang's shoulders: "Dad, be careful not to catch a cold."
Old Jiang grabbed his collar with his right hand and exclaimed, "The ones you bought are still the warmest."
Xiao Jiang casually remarked, "My salary is all with you, how am I supposed to buy it?"
Old Jiang paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Yes, I bought it. Sigh, I black out as soon as I drink."
Aunt Liu, who followed behind, said, "I told you not to drink anymore, you're just talking nonsense."
People who knew them told them, "What are you still trying to salvage? Dongbao from your compound has gotten into big trouble. He cut off someone's hand and hid it in the snowman. Old Zhang found it when he was cleaning up, and now the police are here."
Xiao Jiang said in surprise, "That's impossible, Dongbao wouldn't do such a thing."
The man said, "Why not? Killing cats and dogs normally would be murder, wouldn't it? By the way, why are you home today?"
"How could Dongbao have done it?" Xiao Jiang was a little confused by his words and didn't pay attention to the question.
Old Jiang said, "He was exhausted from working, so he asked to take a day off to rest at home today."
The man said again, "You live in the same courtyard as Dongbao, so you'd better be careful—ah! Dongbao, why are you pinching me? Stay away from me! I'm telling you, the police are watching here! Ouch, that hurts! Stop it! Officer, look! Dongbao is hitting me again. Ouch, that hurts!"
"Dongbao, stop!" Dongbao squeezed next to the gossip, pinched him hard, and said in a vicious voice, "I'll pinch you! Dongbao only pinches bad guys!"
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes waiting for you! [Let me see]
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