Chapter 201 Winter Has Arrived
December 1993.
At the crucial juncture of the year, the city launched a population census.
"The neighborhood committee and the local police station have both notified us that this census will be conducted strictly, 'district-to-district, point-to-point, and household-to-household.' Those of you who are at home, please bring your identification documents and sign in at the entrance of your community. You must be present in person."
The building managers in the residential community were using loudspeakers to promote the census work, showing their dedication. Since the "Shi Lina case" came to public attention, the census work has progressed rapidly and smoothly. Nobody wants a second or third "Shi Lin" to appear in their neighborhood.
"In addition to residents' information, all units and organizations in the city must thoroughly verify the identities of their employees and personnel." Shen Zhenzhu's assigned office was near the People's Auditorium in the Fourth Railway District. She stood guard at the gatehouse, where a long queue had formed outside.
The guardhouse of this residential complex is located at the main entrance. The exit is on the left and the entrance is on the right. There are iron gates on both sides that need to be opened and closed, so security guards are stationed at both entrances.
So much so that even with doors at both ends of the room open, and a stove lit in the center, there was no warmth.
The eerie north wind of Liancheng blew through the cotton-padded coats again and again, carrying away the warmth and leaving behind only a merciless chill.
Ignoring the awkwardness of the red and green combination, Shen Zhenzhu, wrapped in the red scarf given to her by Gu Yanzheng, wearing her police uniform cotton coat, hunched her shoulders, placed a hot water bottle on her knees, and tremblingly recorded the information of the residents across the street with her pen.
With insufficient personnel at the local police station, all officers from the municipal police bureau participated in this massive population census.
Among the people queuing, there were inevitably some impatient ones: "Didn't they check it the first two years? Why are they checking it again?"
The old man standing in front of Shen Zhenzhu turned around and said, "It's that case from last time where someone impersonated another person. The police who can solve that kind of case are really capable."
Shen Zhenzhu lowered her head and grinned foolishly. The old man tapped her cotton hat, bent down, and said in a conciliatory tone, "Young police officer, don't just keep laughing. I wish you success in solving a major case later."
"Thank you, sir. Here are the materials." Chen Zhenzhu tapped the table. "Put them here. Are you the homeowner? Has everyone in your family arrived?"
The old man said, "I'm the only one left in the family. My name is Zhang Yingjun, which is a good name, but my ID number has five 4s at the end. Could you take this opportunity to change it for me? I'd like five 6s or five 8s, that's fine too."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Grandpa, it can't be changed."
The old man got angry: "You little police officer are so hard to talk to. Why are you a complete stranger?"
Shen Zhenzhu laughed again: "Whether it's a raw or cooked ID number, it can't be changed. An ID number is like a domino effect, it absolutely cannot be changed, it will follow you for life."
After the old man left, rambling on, the old woman behind him, holding a child in one arm, handed over the documents. The whole family blocked Shen Zhenzhu's way: "Comrade, our whole family is here. I'm not going to bother coming here in this cold weather. Could you please register my grandson's household registration while you're at it?"
Chen Zhenzhu asked, "How many months old is the baby?"
The old woman patted the child in her arms and said, "He'll be three years old after the New Year and will be going to kindergarten. It looks like it's going to snow soon, so let's not make things difficult for the child. If you can help us with it, then we can help you."
"They're already this old?" Shen Zhenzhu said helplessly, "This matter requires going to the Tiesi Police Station to check the household registration; I really can't handle it."
The old woman got angry too: "If you can't handle it, I'll go ask another police officer."
As she spoke, the old woman led her large family around to the back of the guardhouse.
A gust of wind swept past from behind, making Chen Zhenzhu feel as if her back was about to freeze. Turning her head, she saw Xiaobai working with her neck hunched over at the other end and couldn't help but laugh out loud. What a pair of kindred spirits!
The number of people queuing in the community did not decrease. Some residents took care of their business after buying groceries, while others took care of their business while throwing away their garbage.
The garbage that had just been thrown out was immediately snatched up by scavengers stationed at the garbage station.
Cardboard boxes can fetch a good price, making them a treasure in the eyes of scavengers. Four or five scavengers were vying for this scarce resource.
A woman threw down a cardboard box and suddenly saw a huge black shadow pounce on her and snatch the box away fiercely.
The burly man who successfully obtained the cardboard box had an ugly and dirty face. He glared and bared his teeth, raising his fist high at the other scavengers, ready to attack at any moment.
The woman who threw the cardboard box was so frightened that she quickly left, looking back frequently, afraid that the man would follow her. Other scavengers also gave way.
In the distance, a red scarf caught his eye, and he murmured as he gazed at it, "Mother... Mother..."
......
Snow began to fall from the sky, and the police station in Hedong District called the police.
A girl who came with him was filling out a "Missing Persons Information Form" and occasionally making phone calls to confirm information with the missing girl's family members abroad.
Another girl was explaining the situation to the police: "Three days ago, I made an appointment to have dinner with Meng Wanjun and Liu Yu. We are all college classmates and often get together. We went to our usual Western restaurant, but on the night of December 10th, she disappeared after talking to us on the phone."
When she spoke to you on the phone, did she mention where she was or what she was wearing?
"I don't know what she was wearing, but she said she passed a very popular restaurant on Xin'er Street, it was very lively inside, and it was called... Sister Liu?"
"That should be Sixth Sister's Restaurant."
"Yes, yes, that's the name." The girl said, "She said the atmosphere inside was great, the open kitchen looked very clean, and it smelled especially good. Oh, and she also mentioned that red scarves are very popular this winter. She must have seen someone wearing one, and coincidentally, she was wearing one that day too."
"A red scarf again." The police officer taking notes frowned, picked up the phone, and made a call.
The sky was a deep, dark blue, dotted with fluffy white snowflakes drifting in the air.
Snow gradually accumulated on the streets, and latecomers who hadn't yet returned home hurried back. Their footprints were quickly covered and disappeared without a trace in the snow.
Behind Huanghe Road, Zayuan Lane, amidst the rapid development of urban construction, resembles a simple patch sewn into a beautiful city. This inconspicuous patch houses over fifty impoverished families.
Four households were crammed into No. 6 Zayuan Lane alone.
"Is Old Jiang's family making dumplings today?" Aunt Liu, a woman who works at a private sewing factory, entered the courtyard and saw Old Jiang picking dumplings out of the open-air kitchen that the courtyard shared.
Old Jiang, in his fifties, used to be an electrician. Due to a mistake, he lost feeling in his left arm, leading to his wife's divorce. He now lives alone in a tenement with his son.
He smiled憨厚ly and said, "It's cabbage and vermicelli. I saved a plate for your family."
Aunt Liu took the dumplings and put them inside the house. She then picked up two large, bright red apples and handed them to him, saying, "The boss gave me a bag of these. Take them and eat them."
Old Jiang took the apple, then picked up the dumplings and went to the north room to knock on the door: "Sister-in-law Tong, don't cook dinner tonight, I steamed some dumplings."
Suddenly, a burly man appeared behind him. The man threw away the cardboard box he had snatched back and clapped his hands gruffly, saying, "Dumplings! I love dumplings!"
The door opened, and Grandma Tong came out leaning on her cane, saying, "Dongbao, you're back! Why were you gone for so long?"
Dongbao snatched the dumplings from Lao Jiang, ignoring his dirty hands, and picked one up to stuff into Grandma Tong's mouth: "Eat, eat quickly! There won't be any left if you don't eat them!"
"Oh dear, you silly boy, you don't even know how to thank Grandpa Jiang." Grandma Tong picked up her cane and tapped him twice on the back, but it didn't stop Dongbao from wolfing down a dumpling.
"Eat slowly, you'll burn your throat." Old Jiang was used to Dongbao's behavior; who could argue with a fool? "I'll give you another plate after you finish eating, there's more."
Dongbao swallowed it before he could even taste it, and then he grabbed a second one.
Grandma Tong used her cane to force him to go to the yard to wash his hands and face, but Dongbao ran out with a plate of dumplings in his arms.
Old Jiang shouted from behind, "Don't run away, no one's going to steal it, I'll give you another plate!" In winter, cabbage is cheap, so you can eat as much as you want.
"Dongbao, Dongbao, dirty and fierce. Dongbao, Dongbao, a stinky bear." A group of elementary school students would appear at the entrance of the courtyard after school, cursing a few words every day as they passed by.
Dongbao came in a moment later with an empty plate, not even washing his hands, and grabbed a stone from the ground, trying to rush outside. Grandma Tong was so startled she almost tripped.
A young man suddenly appeared at the door. He was so dizzy from being bumped by Dongbao's strong strength that he didn't care. He quickly pushed Dongbao and said, "Dongbao, listen to your brother, don't hit people. You must not hit people."
"Xiao Jiang, thank goodness you're back. He was about to beat the child again." Grandma Tong was helped to the door by Aunt Liu. This time, she didn't pretend anymore and vigorously whipped Dongbao's back a few times with her cane.
Dongbao was dressed in thin clothes, his tattered cotton-padded jacket revealing the cotton underneath and letting in the wind. He didn't seem to care that his cane was making a dull thud on his back, and he was still chuckling to himself. But he was really scary-looking, tall and burly, and his smile looked like he was going to eat people alive.
"Come on, let's go inside." Grandma Tong was angry and took a key out of her pocket.
Dongbao ran away as soon as she saw the keys: "I don't want to go into the cage! I want to eat dumplings!"
He has the mental capacity of a five-year-old child, but he is burly and strong, and is actually twenty-six or twenty-seven years old. Ordinary people simply cannot control him.
Dongbao ran to the communal kitchen and reached for dumplings. Suddenly, Aunt Liu looked at his hand and said, "Dongbao... why is there blood on your hand? What did you do?"
Old Jiang also ran over to take a look, and sure enough, he saw dried, dark brown bloodstains on the back of Dongbao's left hand: "There is blood, it really is blood."
Dongbao wolfed down his dumplings, completely oblivious to the neighbors who had been startled by his actions.
Jiang Yuan'an was terrified and asked Dongbao, "Did you...did you get into trouble again? What did you kill?"
Dongbao turned to look at him, stopped eating her dumplings calmly, smashed the plate, bared her teeth like a demon, and grabbed Jiang Yuan'an by the neck: "Kill, kill you!"
"Ah! Let go!" Jiang Yuan'an struggled as her neck was being gripped. "I won't take your dumplings. You can eat them. There will be more after you finish them."
Dongbao strained even harder, wishing he could separate the head from the body.
"Dongbao, don't be crazy, let go!"
"Xiao Jiang, are you alright? Dongbao, I beat you up!"
Everyone present was shocked by his actions. Grandma Tong hit Dongbao hard with her cane, but Dongbao still followed Jiang Yuan'an, determined to kill him.
"Dongbao has gone mad again!" Aunt Liu shouted as she ran to the entrance of the courtyard. Soon, the other neighbors rushed over and subdued Dongbao.
A young woman said, frightened and angry, "This madman! I saw him strangling a cat just a few days ago, and now he's going to strangle someone. He'll kill someone sooner or later."
Her mother yelled, "At the end of the year, you'd better keep quiet!"
Grandma Tong wiped away her tears, opened the door of the uninhabited hut, took out her key, walked to the iron cage, and unlocked it: "Go in, you bastard!"
Dongbao roared like a wild beast, "Ahhh—Mother! Mother!"
Aunt Liu was hit by his fist and felt excruciating pain. She angrily said, "Where do you think you have a mother? You were picked up and raised!"
Jiang Yuan'an couldn't bear to watch Dongbao go crazy in the iron cage, so she brought dumplings and placed them outside the cage.
Dongbao suddenly calmed down, stared at the south room of Old Jiang's house, and murmured, "Mother—"
Old Jiang sighed, "Before my wife divorced me, she treated him like her own son. When Dongbao missed his mother, my wife would say she was his mother... It's been so many years, and Dongbao... Sigh, it's my fault, my fault for drinking and insisting on going to fix the electricity..."
Aunt Liu helped Grandma Tong sit down and then comforted Old Jiang: "People advised you not to drink, but you insisted on drinking. There's a reason why she divorced you. I saw her doing well recently, so don't think about it anymore. Your son found a good job, and you might find love again after you leave this place."
They left talking, while Grandma Tong sat by the iron cage wiping away tears, picking up dumplings and handing them in: "Dongbao, open your mouth, blow on them before you eat."
late at night.
The pale roadside gleamed with silver light, and the snow-covered ground was cold and silent under the moonlight.
The drunken man staggered into the alley, the narrow path littered with scattered debris.
"Meow—ah—!"
Suddenly, a pitiful meow, like the cry of a baby, pierced his ears. The drunken man sobered up abruptly, looked around, and quickened his pace to cross the crowded alley.
Suddenly, a figure resembling a black bear darted out from the dark alley. The drunken man, seeing him tightly gripping a struggling wild cat, was terrified and hurriedly ran away, clinging to the wall: "Ah... I didn't see anything, I was just passing by."
The wildcat let out another piercing scream, and the man covered his ears and ran as fast as he could.
The morning after the snowfall, the sky was dazzlingly bright.
The air was filled with a chill, and with each breath, the coolness seeped into the body.
The people in Zayuan Alley were still asleep, waiting for their alarm clocks to ring. A sanitation worker carrying a bamboo broom walked into Zayuan Alley and said impatiently, "This is not my place to clean. These people don't seem to earn much money or contribute much to the country. Why should I have to sweep for them?"
His colleague pushes a garbage cart alongside him, and he hears the same complaints almost every day; he's gotten used to it.
"It's the dead of winter and there are still rats here. I'm afraid the little bastards will eat the rat poison. Yesterday, we even got criticized by the boss because of the rats. Where have all the cats gone?" The man continued to grumble, idly sweeping the ground with a bamboo broom.
His colleague replied dismissively, "They all went elsewhere because they thought it was too poor here. Hey, what's that snowman blocking the way?"
A huge snowman stood in the middle of the road, its head almost as big as its body. Two twigs were casually stuck into its head as ears, and its eyes were made of stone. It had no mouth at all. Its body was neither round nor square.
It looks incredibly strange; it doesn't resemble a snowman at all, but rather a prank.
Seeing that the garbage truck couldn't be pushed over, the sanitation worker stopped complaining and kicked the snowman's head. The round snowman's head crumbled and rolled off. The sanitation worker put down his foot and cursed, "Damn it, who did this?! Bad luck, damn bad luck!"
At the point where the snowman's head and body were joined, the stiff corpse of a dead tabby cat appeared before them. The body was intact, but the eyes were bulging and the tongue was sticking out, as if it had been strangled to death.
"What's going on so early in the morning!" The sanitation worker's colleague rummaged through the garbage truck and pulled out a dirty plastic bag, placing it on the ground. He then used a shovel to scoop up the cat's carcass and put it inside.
People who already had grievances became even more resentful and simply walked along the road, cursing loudly.
The people in the alley got up one after another and could hear everything clearly through the old windows and walls.
"Why is there a dead cat again?"
"Strange things are happening more and more at the end of the year, which is really not a good sign."
"Who could do such a thing?"
After a flurry of activity, the woman, having finished her chores, quickly dressed and prepared to leave. At the door, a kind neighbor stopped her: "Hey, don't wear a red scarf outside, something's happened."
"What's up?"
"Didn't you read the newspaper? Several women wearing red scarves have gone missing! People outside are already panicking."
"Strange things happen every year, but this year there seem to be more than usual!" The woman quickly untied her red scarf, went home, changed into an old scarf, wrapped it around her neck, and hurriedly left home.
......
Liancheng City Criminal Investigation Brigade, Fourth Team Office.
After Director Liu delivered the case and left, the atmosphere in the office became heavy.
"Alright, let's not waste any more time and get to the case meeting." Shen Zhenzhu stood in front of the blackboard and wrote, while Xiaobai pushed aside another blackboard and displayed photos of missing women on it.
“Recently, four women have gone missing in the city. The missing women are between 22 and 35 years old and between 161 and 168 cm tall. They have no overlap in their work, social life, or family. The only thing that makes them all victims is that they all wore a red scarf on the night they went missing.” Shen Zhenzhu picked up her red scarf and said, “They were all wearing a red scarf on the night they went missing.”
Zhao Qiqi, biting her ballpoint pen, said, "A red scarf? That's terrible! Yesterday, I went with my grandma to buy a cotton-padded coat, and I saw red scarves everywhere on the streets. I almost bought one for my grandma too, but she ended up getting a navy blue one."
Wu Zhongguo said with deep feeling: "This is the trend this year, and Xiao Chuan's mother also bought one. I remember that a couple of years ago, red short-sleeved shirts were also popular, the kind that men wore."
Shen Zhenzhu used colored thumbtacks to mark the area where the disappearance occurred in the Tie Si District.
Xiao Bai took the data sheet and wrote down the time range of the four women's disappearances on the other side of the blackboard.
"Director Liu told us to put aside our current work and have everyone in Team Four go all out to solve the case," Shen Zhenzhu said solemnly. "Hopefully, they're all still alive."
She handed Lu Ye the detailed information of the four people. Lu Ye took a copy and passed it on to Zhao Qiqi, who then passed it on to Wu Zhongguo and Xiao Bai.
After everyone had their detailed information, Chen Zhenzhu sat down with them in a circle to start a special meeting.
"According to the reporting times, the first missing woman wearing a red scarf is named Feng Le, a 25-year-old local resident and 165cm tall unmarried ticket seller at the Beigang Ferry Terminal. She missed her early shift on December 5th, and her supervisor went to her home to find her missing. They then reported her missing to the police together. The second missing woman is named Zhou Xiaoyang, a 30-year-old local resident and 166cm tall teacher at the Experimental Primary School. She was married. On the evening of December 6th, she did not return home after a meeting, and her husband reported her missing the next day. The third missing woman is named Wang Jingjing, a 35-year-old housewife who married into the city and is registered in Nancheng. She is 161cm tall and is expected to have disappeared around 8 PM on December 8th while taking a walk. The fourth missing woman is named Meng Wanjun, a 19-year-old key actress in the Municipal People's Drama Troupe and 168cm tall, who disappeared on the evening of December 10th."
“One person goes missing roughly every two days, which is an alarmingly high frequency.” Lu Ye wrote down the approximate dates of their disappearances on a piece of paper and said, “Except for when Feng Le was discovered missing on December 5, there were reports of each disappearance two days later. It’s possible that Feng Le went missing on December 4, and was not discovered on December 5 because she was not at work.”
Chen Zhenzhu nodded: "That's certainly a reasonable assumption. According to the statements of the people who reported the cases, they almost all disappeared in the evening or at night, while they were alone and less vigilant."
Xiao Bai frowned and said, "Their ages range from 19 to 35. If it involves the trafficking of lesbians, those over 35 shouldn't be included; they should try to select younger women. Furthermore, they wouldn't specifically choose women wearing red scarves. This situation seems more like—"
"It's more like a targeted act of retaliation." Lu Ye said through gritted teeth, "This kind of thing happened right under the noses of the criminal investigation team, they don't take us seriously."
Zhao Qiqi said, "The key is that no one has been seen, neither alive nor dead. When I took the bus here this morning, you have no idea how oppressive the atmosphere was. There wasn't a single person wearing red clothes, let alone a red scarf. What a mess!"
Shen Zhenzhu pointed to the blackboard and said, "They all disappeared within the Tie Si District. First, we need to determine the primary crime scene for each person's disappearance. Obviously, the murderer is extremely familiar with the Tie Si District. He may live and work here and has ample reason to frequent the area. He has a fixed hunting area and operates strictly according to the time."
Shen Zhenzhu began to analyze the killer's behavior, raising two questions: "The key piece of evidence is the red scarf. Did the killer know in advance that the victim would wear a red scarf, or did he temporarily target women wearing red scarves in public areas and then follow them? Second, although the possibility is relatively low, it is still worth considering whether the red scarf represents some kind of ritual for the killer?"
Each of the four teams added questions to their notebooks, and then listened to Chen Zhenzhu's analysis and speculation: "Regarding the murderer's modus operandi, there were no obvious struggles or cries for help, suggesting it might have been a surprise attack, the use of drugs, or perhaps even abduction. Xiaobai—"
Xiao Bai stood up quickly and said, "Here! I will immediately notify the forensic experts and investigation technicians to conduct a thorough search of the last place the missing person was seen, in an effort to find any trace of evidence."
“Yes.” Shen Zhenzhu took a small sip of water, then turned around and wrote the murderer’s portrait on the blackboard.
The rest of the four teams watched Shen Zhenzhu's analysis with great care and attention, constantly taking notes of key information in their notebooks.
"He should have had enough physical strength to subdue an adult woman, who is most likely male, between 25 and 45 years old, physically strong, and has a means of transportation. The fact that he committed four crimes in a row, with a rhythmic pattern, suggests that he acted calmly and may have some obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and that he experiences high levels of stress in his daily life. Given the high frequency of his crimes, he may also have a manic personality and be unable to control himself."
Zhao Qiqi raised her hand and asked, "Then what was his motive?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "The motives for this type of case are nothing more than sexual fantasies, revenge against a specific woman, or some kind of twisted collecting fetish. But it is certain that it is closely related to the red scarf."
......
Shen Zhenzhu discussed the matter with them for a long time, and basically memorized the victim's information. An hour later, Shen Zhenzhu began to assign tasks.
"Brother Ye and Uncle Wu went to the designated areas of the four missing persons locations to conduct a thorough search for suspicious men and suspicious vehicles."
"Xiaobai and I revisited all the missing persons' families, friends, and other social connections, focusing on finding out the origin of the red scarf and why they were worn. We also conducted a second round of interviews with businesses and residents near the crime scene to try to find witnesses."
"Achi, in coordination with the IT team, will compile a list of all individuals in the city with prior criminal records, with a particular focus on female violent offenders, stalkers, or those with specific enthusiasts. A citywide alert will be issued tomorrow morning, reminding young women to be vigilant and cautious when going out alone at night. Be careful with your wording to avoid causing panic. Alright, everyone to your positions, let's get started."
"Yes, Sister Pearl."
"Understood, Sister Pearl."
Zhou Chuanxi came over from the Information Technology Department and greeted Zhao Qiqi, saying, "The department assigned me to assist you in solving the case. Aren't you surprised?"
Zhao Qiqi was indeed very happy: "We're working together again! Come on, let me tell you about Sister Pearl's arrangements."
As Shen Zhenzhu went downstairs, she encountered Director Liu standing at the office door with a stern face. Seeing that Shen Zhenzhu was leaving to handle a case, Director Liu instructed her, "The city bureau leaders have put pressure on you to solve the case before the New Year. And the sooner the better, so as not to cause any more anxiety among the people. I won't let you make any promises to me; you should know what I mean."
Shen Zhenzhu stood at attention and saluted: "Please rest assured, Director Liu, Team Four will definitely work against the clock to solve the case."
"Oh, we still need to be careful of danger."
"yes."
Shen Zhenzhu knew that Director Liu had taken the pressure from the Municipal Bureau and hadn't listened to her, so she didn't bother to go to the cafeteria for lunch and rushed to Meng Wanjun's workplace.
The passenger, Xiaobai, turned around and saw a red scarf on the back seat—the very one Chen Zhenzhu had worn a couple of days ago. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
-----------------------
Author's note: See you tomorrow, new case coming up!
There are red envelopes! [Let me see]
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