Chapter 199 The End of the Dove's Nest
Three days later.
A male skeleton was unearthed on the northeast slope of Wufu Mountain in Huangtu County. It was the "Hu Caizhi" who had been impersonated.
Along with this news came a thank-you call from Li Fang, deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of Huzhou City.
"Section Chief Shen, our bureau has reviewed old wanted posters across the city and discovered that the identities of two suspects from Huangtu County perfectly match the names 'Shi Zhibing' and 'Wang Fengxia' you provided. Fifteen years ago, two blunt force murders occurred in Tangji Brigade; one victim was the brigade accountant, and the other was the brigade scorekeeper. The two sets of information highly match. We have properly preserved the murder weapons and other evidence examined at the scene. Furthermore, the fingerprints of the murderer discovered three years ago perfectly match the fingerprints from Liancheng that we received yesterday. Therefore, we can confirm that they are the perpetrators of the August 15, 1978 murder case. Thank you for providing us with this information..."
......
With the case solved, Chen Zhenzhu's tense heart relaxed. Then she saw Xiaobai walking over with a letter: "Sister Zhenzhu, I revised it twice. How does it look now?"
Shen Zhenzhu glanced at it carefully, signed her name on it, and said, "Give this to Director Liu."
"good."
This is Xiaobai's first time writing a police report. He describes the case according to the method in the book and adds a warning to the public.
Director Liu was waiting in his office. After reading the document, he said, "There are a few things to add. You can go back now, I'll finish it."
Xiao Bai wondered why it required Director Liu to personally fill in the blanks, but he found out the next day.
The latest police information was being published in newspapers and on television news throughout Liancheng. Residents of the community, young and old alike, eagerly read the newspapers, their faces beaming with concern for Shi Lina's family.
The net of justice is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it—Police report on the "major murder and identity theft case in our city".
Release Date: November 29, 1993
Issuing unit: Liancheng Public Security Bureau
Recently, thanks to the tireless efforts of the municipal public security organs, a major murder and identity theft case that had remained unsolved for fifteen years has been successfully solved. This case reveals that the criminals, in order to steal another person's identity, did not hesitate to commit murder and wipe out an entire family, and maintained a long-term disguise. Their crimes are heinous, and the depth and duration of their conspiracy are truly rare. The details of the case are hereby reported to set the record straight and serve as a warning to the public.
During a routine investigation, Comrade Shen Zhenzhu, the head of the Fourth Criminal Investigation Team of our bureau, came into contact with a woman who identified herself as "Shi Lina" (actually the criminal suspect Shi Lin). With her high professional sensitivity and meticulous observation, Comrade Shen Zhenzhu discovered that "Shi Lina's" accent contained non-local dialect features. This subtle detail became the breakthrough point in uncovering a shocking conspiracy.
Through meticulous investigation and layer-by-layer peeling of the layers by our special task force, a shocking criminal fact has come to light:
It has now been determined that the suspects, "Shi Zhibing" (impersonating his father-in-law) and "Wang Fengxia" (impersonating his mother-in-law), urgently needed legal identities fifteen years ago due to a murder case in Huangtu County, Huzhou City.
To completely transform their identities and gain access to urban resources, the criminal gang further devised a plan. Suspect Tian Bin (a son-in-law of the Shi family) impersonated Hu Caizhi, a former educated youth who was supposed to return to the city, and registered his marriage with the deceased Shi Lina. They conspired with his daughter (Shi Lin) to murder the real Shi Lina and her family of four and take their place.
They impersonated Shi Lina's family, and to cover their tracks, they even had a male family member dress as a woman for years, posing as Shi Lina's only one-month-old daughter who had already been murdered. This created a "complete family" consisting of a fake husband, fake wife, fake parents, and fake daughter, which they used to infiltrate the area for as long as fifteen years.
This case is a series of premeditated, organized, and exceptionally cruel cases of intentional homicide and identity theft with particularly serious consequences. Driven by their own selfish desires, the criminal gang cruelly deprived five innocent lives (Shi Lina, her parents, daughter, and Hu Caizhi), severely challenging the bottom line of law and ethics, and causing extremely negative social impact.
Currently, the main suspects, Shi Lin, Shi Zhibing, Wang Fengxia, and Tian Bin, have all been apprehended and have confessed to their crimes. The case is under further investigation, and they will face severe legal punishment.
The solving of this case fully demonstrates the firm resolve of the public security organs to "solve every homicide case and clear up every backlogged case." No matter how cunning the criminals are, how deeply they hide, or how long it has been going on, the public security organs have the ability and determination to bring them to justice.
This case exposes potential loopholes in identity management during a specific historical period. The general public should enhance their awareness of personal information protection, properly safeguard important personal and family documents, and guard against their misuse by criminals.
We urge the public to remain vigilant in their daily lives and actively provide clues to the police if there are any long-standing discrepancies in the identities, backgrounds, or family relationships of people around them. Your seemingly insignificant discovery might be the key to uncovering the truth.
We deeply mourn the innocent victims of this case, including Shi Lina and her family, as well as Comrade Hu Caizhi. The public security authorities will act based on facts and the law to resolutely uphold social fairness and justice, and to comfort the souls of the deceased.
Here, we would like to especially commend Comrade Shen Zhenzhu for her outstanding professional abilities in solving this case. Her meticulousness and keen insight are a microcosm of the dedication and public service spirit of all police officers. Furthermore, we would like to publicly commend all comrades of the Fourth Team of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Municipal Public Security Bureau for their high sense of responsibility.
This is to inform you.
Liancheng Public Security Bureau
November 29, 1993
......
......
Countless offerings were placed along the road in front of the jointly constructed residential complex and around the irreparable flowerbed behind Shi Lina's house. Among them were baby clothes and food, all expressing condolences and sympathy for the family.
Liancheng Police Academy.
The midterm special open class on criminal psychology began in the lecture hall. Even before the teaching building opened, many police academy students had already lined up.
"I heard that today's case is the recent 'Shi Lina case.' We specially invited the criminal investigation team from the Municipal Public Security Bureau to explain the case to us."
"I thought it was Professor Cheng Xiao's public lecture. She is said to be friends with Section Chief Shen, who was involved in solving the case."
"Then your 'it is said' is a bit outdated. I've heard that the person analyzing criminal psychology today is none other than your idol, Section Chief Shen."
"Really?"
"Absolutely authentic, I heard Dean Huang mention it."
"Ah! No wonder there are so many people in line! Stop talking and hurry up and grab a spot."
"Students over there, please maintain discipline and do not run around!"
On the stage of the open class, Chen Zhenzhu, dressed in a police uniform, discussed the content of this open class with Cheng Xiao with a smart and capable demeanor.
Ten minutes later, Xiaobai and Wu Zhongguo teamed up to analyze the entire process of solving the "major case of impersonation and murder," also known as the "Shi Lina case."
Xiao Bai kept changing the photos of the scene. As the case progressed, when the remains of the victim Shi Lina and her daughter appeared, a sense of regret and sadness welled up at the scene.
A police academy student whispered, "...This is so creepy, it's all fake."
When the photos of the finger bones and dentures finally appeared, the scene was filled with shock.
After the case was concluded, many police academy students raised their hands to ask questions.
When it came to the highlight of the open class, Chen Zhenzhu came out unprepared, without any teaching materials in her hands, and first saluted the students when she stood on the podium.
She was already intimately familiar with the criminal psychology of the suspects, and from the very beginning of the case, when she asked, "What's going on?", she never stopped analyzing them.
"Shi Lin, the key figure in this case, is a typical 'manipulatory and predatory' criminal. Students should have learned about the core characteristics of this type of criminal."
"I know!" A student raised their hand to answer, trying to make a good impression on Section Chief Shen, and said, trying hard to recall: "Narcissistic, lacking empathy."
“That’s right.” Chen Zhenzhu asked the student to sit down and wrote on the blackboard with chalk in her hand: “Besides being extremely narcissistic and lacking empathy, she also has a high degree of manipulativeness and aggression. She is a mixture of narcissistic personality and antisocial personality. I will analyze her in detail from the following aspects.”
Chen Zhenzhu paused, waiting for everyone to open their notebooks and start writing: "First, Shi Lin has an uncontrolled, pathological self-confidence and aggressive defensive habits. The fact that Shi Lin's gang successfully infiltrated for fifteen years has instilled in her a dismissive attitude that we've already committed the perfect crime and no one can detect it. This psychological laxity is what caused her accent to be exposed unintentionally. When she learned about the DNA test, Shi Lin's first reaction wasn't to panic and avoid the deadly threat, but rather to proactively demand compensation for emotional distress. Does anyone know what her motive was?"
The atmosphere was very lively, with many students raising their hands enthusiastically.
Shen Zhenzhu pointed to a male classmate, who shouted, "It's greed! Because she has a predatory mentality, always taking advantage of others!"
Shen Zhenzhu smiled and said, "That's right. Can anyone add anything?"
Another student raised their hand, and Chen Zhenzhu called on someone to answer. Everyone said things like "extortion," "greed," and "greed for money."
“Everyone is right, but in the process of handling the case, we need to cooperate with the suspect to analyze his or her resistance to the police.”
After the heated discussion subsided, Shen Zhenzhu and the others said, "Shi Lin's demand for compensation for emotional distress is a clever psychological defense mechanism. She uses rumors and gossip to blackmail the criminal investigation, trying to belittle and stigmatize it in an attempt to regain control of the incident. At the same time, she is testing the investigators' limits. If they give in to her extortion and pay compensation, it means the investigation is conducted privately, the threat level is low, and she can use this to entangle them and gain more benefits. If the investigators refuse, she can also intimidate them and make them back down. It's a way of showing off that 'I still have the power to control the situation and resolve everything.'"
Chen Zhenzhu paused to allow the students time to think and to ask questions about anything they didn't understand. The case was complex, and every detail needed to be clarified before they could move forward.
"You actually think so much."
"I didn't really think that far ahead; I just thought she was greedy for money."
"Looks like nothing special, but he's a born criminal."
......
Such a personality struck the students as both novel and terrifying, revealing the unfathomable depths of human depravity.
After answering the question, Shen Zhenzhu continued, "Shi Lin knew nothing about DNA testing technology. Based on her ignorant arrogance and greed, she accepted the test. This clearly shows that her criminal intelligence is still at the level of past experience and hearsay. Ignorance and arrogance, using her shallow knowledge to speculate on the boundaries of modern criminal investigation technology, will inevitably lead to her misjudgment. I have considered her worst-case scenario, which is to guide the investigation towards a pre-set safe script, that is, to perform an abnormal relationship with 'Hu Caizhi,' and 'reluctantly' take over Shi Lina's life after she disappeared."
Xiao Bai was also taking notes in the audience. She chewed on the cap of her pen and muttered, "She's using all her brainpower on crimes, setting up traps layer by layer. If Sister Pearl had overlooked even one thing, she and her whole family would have escaped."
Wu Zhongguo wholeheartedly agreed: "This character is amazing. I've never been able to think of so many criminals, no matter how hard I rack my brains."
Shen Zhenzhu wrote "extreme cruelty" on the blackboard again and said, "Shi Lin can kill an infant with her own hands, treating people as pawns to achieve her goals. She sees infants as threats that need to be dealt with. She would rather kill an infant than raise or abandon it. The fact that she does it herself means that she does not allow any mistakes in any step. Forcing Tian Bin to kill Shi Lina is an even more insidious psychological manipulation, creating accomplices and consolidating the alliance. It forms a solid criminal symbiosis, allowing her to enjoy the sense of dominance."
Hundreds of police academy students sat silently in the large lecture hall. They all simultaneously thought of the photo of Shi Lina and the baby. The baby was so small, so fragile, so harmless; how could Shi Lin have done such a thing?
"devil."
"She-devil!"
After analyzing the case, Chen Zhenzhu dusted off her hands and said, "In conclusion, Shi Lin failed because of her personality traits: arrogance led to negligence, greed and ignorance led to misjudging the boundaries of criminal investigation techniques, and her desire for control led her to commit murder and coerce others to commit murder. These characteristics together constitute her criminal psychological trajectory. Once the criminal psychological trajectory is formed, it is difficult for her to escape the capture of the law. This is the fundamental purpose of your study of criminal psychology."
Everyone's attention was focused on Shen Zhenzhu, especially the police academy students who were taking notes quickly while also participating in the discussion and answering questions. They were so focused on not missing a single word from Shen Zhenzhu.
"Section Chief Shen lives up to his reputation; he's quite a figure." Dean Huang, standing at the back of the classroom, exclaimed, "Professor Cheng invited Section Chief Shen to give a lecture, and next semester our 'Criminal Psychology' course will be oversubscribed again."
On stage, Shen Zhenzhu succinctly explained the greedy and predatory personalities of Shi Zhibing and Wang Fengxia.
"Section Chief Shen, how do we analyze Tian Bin's criminal psychology?"
"Does he have feelings for Hu Xiaolei? I heard he treats her very well."
Why did Tian Bin ultimately implicate Shi Lin's entire family?
"Okay, now that we've finished taking notes, let's analyze Tian Bin." Chen Zhenzhu waited for the student who was wiping the blackboard to leave, and looking at the chalk dust floating in the air, she said in a clear and crisp voice: "Tian Bin is far more complicated than Shi Lin. He is a tragedy of struggling in the quagmire and finally sinking completely."
Shen Zhenzhu walked to the blackboard, put quotation marks around the word "tragedy," and said, "Tian Bin is a born utilitarian criminal. We can understand it as 'exceptionally selfish.' His psychological trajectory: opportunist - perpetrator - traitor. By luckily taking Hu Caizhi's place, he could leave Huangtu County and no longer have to be a live-in son-in-law. His initial thought was opportunism and escape. His desire for the city and upward mobility, taking Hu Caizhi's identity, was a ticket to the life he longed for, and also an opportunity to get rid of Shi Lin's family."
In order to establish his own roots in the city, he disregarded Hu Xiaolei's intrinsic needs after disguising herself as a man for fifteen years, indicating that he didn't need a son with a sound personality, but rather used Hu Xiaolei as a tool to achieve his ultimate goal, demonstrating his extreme ruthlessness. Everything and everyone was willing to be sacrificed to achieve his ends. This mindset is identical to his sacrifices of Shi Lina's family and then Shi Lin's family. There's nothing he wouldn't do for survival, and it was from the murder of Shi Lina that he destroyed his moral compass. His betrayal of Shi Lin's family was a habitual betrayal driven by survival instinct, a manifestation of his pure egoism.
After waiting for the students to finish taking notes, Chen Zhenzhu slowly began to speak: "So, based on his personality profile, Tian Bin is a utilitarian criminal. All his actions revolve around one question: What is the most advantageous choice for me? Compared to Shi Lin's proactive and controlling crimes, Tian Bin's crimes are passive and dependent. In the end, he also becomes a puppet driven by his own desires and fears. He fantasizes about gaining a new life through crime, exploiting Shi Lina's feelings, and ultimately loses himself. Without needing to be burned, Tian Bin's soul has been ripped away; he has long since become a maggot hiding in the shadows."
A buzz of noise erupted from the audience, but quickly subsided under disciplinary instructions.
"Well said, that was satisfying!" Wu Zhongguo whispered to Xiaobai.
Xiao Bai stared intently and said, "Sister Pearl looks so cool when she scolds people with a righteous image!"
If Shi Lin was the mastermind behind the criminal organization, then Tian Bin was the thread that connected everything. Everyone felt sorry for Shi Lina's family and wanted to tear Tian Bin to pieces.
Shen Zhenzhu delivered a satisfying and thorough scolding, successfully relieving the pent-up frustrations of the naive police academy students, who immediately felt a sense of exhilaration.
The police academy students in the audience were all flushed, their faces burning with excitement and a desire to scream. Forced by discipline, they held back their urges, but their expressions betrayed their underlying desire to shout.
“When we get back, even more students will idolize Sister Pearl,” Wu Zhongguo whispered.
Xiao Bai turned around and glanced behind him, saying, "I've noticed that there are far more female police academy students in Liancheng than in Shenshi."
Wu Zhongguo smiled and gestured towards the figure on the stage: "There weren't this many before. We all know why the number of students has increased."
"As expected of my idol." Xiaobai looked at Chen Zhenzhu with admiration, cupping her face and smiling happily.
The large-scale open class concluded successfully, and applause filled the lecture hall.
As Shen Zhenzhu was leaving, a kind-hearted police academy student with red eyes stood in front of her and asked, "Section Chief Shen, can we visit Shi Lina's family at the People's Cemetery?"
Shen Zhenzhu smiled at her, glanced at the crowd watching behind her, and said softly, "Of course. I learned from the investigation that Shi Lina's family are kind and hospitable. They will be happy to see you, as long as you don't disturb them too much."
"Then... what happened to the maple tree?" The girl with a childlike face said, "I went to the Hejian community to lay flowers, but I didn't see the maple tree. It's such a pity that it's gone just like that."
Shen Zhenzhu said in a deep but powerful voice, "The maple tree has been transplanted to the People's Cemetery, right next to Shi Lina's family of four and Hu Caizhi. They have finally been reunited."
"That's wonderful!" Upon hearing this, the girl couldn't help but burst into tears: "We can finally be reunited, it's so wonderful."
"That's wonderful! The little one can finally see her grandparents. Shilina can also be with her mom and dad!"
"I want to go and sweep their graves."
“I’ll go too, let’s go together during our vacation.”
"I want to bring building blocks for my little one!"
......
Back at the criminal investigation team from the police academy, Shen Zhenzhu silently gazed out the window. Zhao Qiqi, who had specially driven over to pick her up, excitedly said, "That knife-wielding thug we arrested the day before yesterday thought I didn't know kung fu, but I just circled around from behind and snatched his cleaver!"
Xiao Bai chimed in, "Brother Aqi is amazing! He disarmed a sword bare-handed. Show us again later."
Zhao Qiqi said shyly, "Actually, I only got a minor cut, and I got a tetanus shot after get off work."
"Comrade Zhao Qiqi successfully prevented a street assault, he's done a meritorious service. Does that count as a work injury?" Chen Zhenzhu noticed a faint gentian violet mark on the back of his right hand and asked with a smile, "Does it still hurt?"
Zhao Qiqi said shyly, "It's all better now. I was afraid you'd forget what you promised me, so I put some gentian violet on before I left this morning."
Xiao Bai held his head and said, "Ah, I almost forgot, why are oranges being distributed by headcount? How can I, one person, compare to Uncle Wu with his whole family?"
Wu Zhongguo, who had remained silent when called out, retorted angrily, "You can strive for it, but don't drag others down with you. Does having a family mean you have to eat more oranges?"
Xiao Bai retorted, "Does that mean I, a single and beautiful girl, have to eat dozens of kilograms of oranges?"
The single, beautiful girl's aggression was so strong that Zhao Qiqi almost drove the car onto the curb.
Back at the criminal investigation team, after parking the car, the thought of facing hundreds of pounds of oranges back in the office completely wiped away Chen Zhenzhu's youthful energy, leaving her with heavy and dejected steps.
Looking up again, I saw the orange truck had arrived.
Shen Zhenzhu wailed, "It's really endless!"
Guo Daye had just shown the others the meeting, specifically the proposal to "emphasize the issue of solving cases based on accents." After the meeting, he conveniently "escorted" all the attendees downstairs to carry oranges.
The operator driving the orange truck changed his expression from one of utter despair. Compared to eating oranges every day, what was it to drive a truck around delivering oranges?
She excitedly distributed oranges to everyone, and when she got to Chen Zhenzhu, she said with a smile, "These oranges are absolutely sweet and juicy."
Shen Zhenzhu twitched her lips and said, "Enough with the nonsense, you're already making noises of joy."
Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu was weak and listless, the operative delivering the oranges pushed the orange basket to the back of the carriage and shouted, "Are you still going to be okay?"
Is it okay or not?
Out-of-town accent!
The listless criminal investigation team of dozens of people, their eyes like searchlights, stared intently at the agent delivering the oranges, and quickly formed a line to surround him.
Tian Yongfeng shouted, "You, get down here!"
"Oops, how did I stir up a hornet's nest?" The agent delivering oranges looked at the swarming criminal investigation team members who had already surrounded the orange delivery truck. She hurriedly said, "My dad is from Nanhe. Trust me, his household registration is clean, his political background check is spotless, there's absolutely no undercover work involved!"
"Tch, forget it then, everyone disperse." Chen Zhenzhu carried the oranges towards the parking lot and shouted, "Make way, Team Four, come over and collect your perks."
She put down the oranges and looked around. All four teams were gone; they had all run away!
Tiexi New Second Street, Sister Liu's Restaurant.
Shen Liuhe was counting money in the kitchen, while Xiao Li grinned from ear to ear, saying, "If it weren't for the deposit for buying a house, my mom wouldn't have let me ask you for money. Logically speaking, I shouldn't have to ask for wages as your apprentice, but you insisted on paying me. You have no idea how many people envy me."
Xiao Li worked for Shen Liuhe and started sending his monthly salary back to his rural hometown. Later, Xiao Li's parents found the remittances troublesome and involved fees, so they felt it was safer to have Shen Liuhe save the money instead of keeping it with Xiao Li. Over time, they accumulated quite a bit of savings.
Shen Liuhe counted the cash and handed it to Xiao Li: "Check it."
Xiao Li put it in his pocket, patted it, and said, "I won't check, it's definitely not wrong. Actually, even if it's only a penny, I'll consider it a bargain for me."
"Don't talk nonsense. I'm not a landlord or tycoon. How can I let you work for me for free?" Seeing Xiao Li's silly look, Shen Liuhe sighed and said, "It's been three years since he came to work for me in the blink of an eye."
Looking through the window, Xiao Li exclaimed "Oh my god!" and ran out to block the door, shouting, "Don't bring it in!"
Shen Liuhe called softly from behind, "Keep your pockets safe, or it might fall out."
Shen Zhenzhu angrily put down a basket of oranges on the ground, like a stubborn donkey ready to run wild at any moment.
The four groups may run away, but they can't hide. We'll deal with them first thing tomorrow morning. But even the villagers on the street are turning on each other when they see oranges!
Shops, even those that still had newspapers praising Chen Zhenzhu on their counters, all chased her away.
Even Uncle Lu, who loved her, slammed the door shut: "Go away, what is this? Why are you bringing oranges again?"
Yuan Jiangxue blocked the doorway with a broom, saying, "Don't come in! Last time you gave the kid oranges, you smeared my dress with yellow handprints all over it. If you dare come in, believe me, I'll beat you to death."
Shen Liuhe even had Xiao Li lock the door of Liujie's restaurant, while the regular customers inside cheered them on. If they ate any more oranges, they wouldn't be able to enjoy Liujie's food!
Zhang Xiaopang yelled, "Don't come in! I have diarrhea!"
Feeling the coldness of the world, Shen Zhenzhu angrily retorted, "Who told you to only eat oranges and not rice!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Pearl: Next time I get some good stuff, I'm not sharing with anyone, I'm eating it under the covers!
***
This chapter references and modifies the following:
Police report letters and online media terminology used by the government and public security networks
"Criminal Psychology," "Born Bad: Crime and Criminal Psychological Analysis," "An Introduction to Criminal Psychology," and others, as well as online resources.
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