Chapter 18: Deserter from the Reconnaissance Squad
The three, guided by the hypnotized soldier, arrived at the snowdrifts near the reconnaissance squad's base. Since the heavy snow had just stopped, the soldiers had cleared a thick and high snowdrift that almost obscured a large section of the perimeter fence. Under one section of the fence, beneath the long, unobstructed snow pit where Duan Biao's body had been found, it was large enough to accommodate a man over 1.9 meters tall.
"Look, there are bloodstains here." Linlang pointed to one side of the pit, and sure enough, there were bloodstains on the snow.
"I heard from the reconnaissance team that when Duan Biao's body was found, his body was straight, his throat was cut, and the knife was fatal, but there were no scars elsewhere. Does this mean that he was killed by someone he knew?" Yin Chuan said thoughtfully.
"Why do you say that?" Du Yunzhang asked.
Linlang quickly explained, "That's easy to understand. As Captain Shen's personal bodyguard, Duan Biao must be exceptionally skilled. If an ordinary person approached him with the intent to kill him, he wouldn't have reacted without a reaction. A fierce fight would have ensued. And if he doesn't have any other injuries besides the fatal one, there's only one explanation..."
"That person must be an acquaintance of his? That's right, that's it." Du Yunzhang suddenly realized.
"This raises three questions," Yin Chuan muttered. "First, is his murderer the same person who killed Chen Hui? Second, why did the murderer insist on getting rid of Duan Biao after already killing Chen Hui? In other words, what is the connection between the two murders? Third, why did he bury the body here?"
"Are you... the people sent by the regiment to investigate Duan Biao's murder?"
Suddenly, a questioning voice came from the reconnaissance squad's barracks, startling the three of them. Turning around, they saw an ordinary scout passing by, who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.
"Uh... yes... yes, we were sent by Deputy Captain Situ." Yin Chuan calmed himself down and quickly replied.
"I think you should catch Huang Tan. He must have done it!" said the soldier with a frown.
"Huang Tan? Why do you suspect him?" Linlang asked.
"Needless to say? Huang Tan just disappeared, and right after that, Duan Biao's body was found here. And..." He pointed towards the barracks closest to the snow pit, "Huang Tan used to live in this barracks."
"Can you take us to Huangtan's barracks?"
"Of course, please follow me."
The scout led the three of them around a corner to the barracks. After entering, Yin Chuan found six empty beds on the ground. The scout introduced himself as Bai Tao.
"Is there anyone in your reconnaissance squad today?" Du Yunzhang asked.
"It's just me. The others are all on missions." Bai Tao pointed to the bunk on the right, "That's where Huang Tan sleeps."
Yin Chuan walked over, flipped through the folded quilt, and searched the bed up and down again. There was nothing there except a military water bottle and a bullet belt with a few bullets.
"He was still here last night, right?" Yin Chuan asked.
"Yes, he and I were the only ones in the barracks last night, but I discovered he wasn't there early this morning. I thought he had gotten up early to wash up, but then I learned that Duan Da's body was found next to the barracks. The platoon leader asked me to go look for him, but then I realized he was nowhere to be found."
"How much do you know about Huang Tan?"
"Hmm..." Bai Tao thought for a moment. "To be honest, I don't know much about this guy. He was originally transferred from the 1st Battalion. Since the reconnaissance squad doesn't charge into battle, the chance of casualties is relatively low. I heard that he was transferred to the reconnaissance squad thanks to the relationship between the 1st Battalion Commander, Li Huaide."
Li Huaide? Yin Chuan muttered the name in his mind. "How did he get to know Captain Li?"
"Then I don't know."
Linlang couldn't help but ask, "Where was he when the military camp was attacked yesterday?"
"You...why are you a woman?" Bai Tao recognized Linlang's voice and asked curiously.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Yin Chuan hurriedly explained: "She is from the nearby Chenjia Village. She is my relative and came to visit me in the military camp. I brought her with me to see something new while I was investigating."
"Oh, I see."
Yin Chuan and Du Yunzhang covered it up and breathed a sigh of relief. Linlang was also a little nervous and simply stopped talking.
"Then tell me, what was he doing when he was attacked yesterday?" Du Yunzhang continued to ask.
"He and I were called together to defend the First Battalion headquarters. After repelling the bandits, I went to help clean up the battlefield, and he was called to the logistics platoon to help count the lost supplies. He didn't come back until after midnight, and then we went to sleep separately."
"Sent to the logistics platoon?" Du Yunzhang was stunned. "I remember Deputy Commander Situ told us that there was a deserter in the logistics platoon, and they suspected that he was a spy colluding with the bandits both inside and outside. This Huang Tan also went to the logistics platoon and disappeared today. Could there be a connection between the two?"
"It's a bit of a coincidence, but I think the two things are quite different." Yin Chuan replied, "The deserter from the logistics platoon, or the traitor, was actually a member of the logistics platoon, while Huang Tan was only called over to help at short notice, so it's unlikely that he had planned it in advance. In addition, he was also involved in Duan Biao's murder, so these two people don't seem to be the same person."
"Then if their meeting in the logistics platoon was purely coincidental, but they both disappeared without a trace, can't it be explained by mere coincidence?" Du Yunzhang bit his lip. "I suspect Huang Tan must have known about Chen Hui's murder."
"What? Captain Shen was killed?" Bai Tao's face suddenly changed, and he stared at Yin Chuan and the other two with wide eyes.
Although the three were somewhat surprised by his reaction, Yin Chuan, being incredibly clever, immediately understood. Situ Xin and other regimental leaders must have wanted to keep the news secret, as they didn't want Shen Hui's death to affect morale. That's why even the most junior sergeants like Bai Tao were completely unaware. However, Du Yunzhang had already spoken frankly, and the murder of Shen Hui's personal guard, Duan Biao, was already public knowledge. Any attempt to cover it up would be impossible.
"That's right, since you know that Duan Biao was killed, you should also be able to think that Captain Shen is in danger. But Deputy Captain Situ doesn't want the news to leak out, so I hope you will keep your mouth shut, otherwise you will be dealt with by military law, do you understand?" Yin Chuan said in a low and serious tone.
"Okay...Okay, I won't tell anyone. Don't worry."
Yin Chuan nodded with satisfaction, and then continued to ask: "Do you know which senior officers in the regiments Huang Tan is close to?"
"I only heard that Captain Li arranged for him to come here, but I don't really see how close their relationship is."
"What about the people in the regiment headquarters? For example, the regiment commander, deputy regiment commander, or the staff?" Du Yunzhang asked.
Bai Tao shook his head. "I haven't noticed that. Huang Tan has always been quite low-key. He's just been assigned simple tasks like scouting the surrounding terrain, local customs, and people. He's never been involved in things like scouting the enemy. This has caused quite a few people in our reconnaissance squad to complain. Everyone speculates that he seems to have some unusual relationship with the higher-ups, but there's no evidence."
"That's really strange," Du Yunzhang pondered. "If he has any connections, why can't he be promoted a little higher and become a low-ranking officer like a squad leader or platoon leader? Why is he still serving as a private at the bottom of the hierarchy?"
Yin Chuan thought for a moment, then asked, "Before the bandit attack yesterday, did you notice any strange behavior or emotions from Huang Tan?"
"Strange behavior... emotions? Hmm... there really are some! A few days before he disappeared, I noticed that when he wasn't on a mission, he would always huddle in a corner by himself. He looked gloomy and listless, and he would mutter something under his breath from time to time."
"What is he mumbling?"
"I didn't pay much attention to it. I just vaguely heard him mumbling things like 'I can't do it...', 'I might as well die...', 'Go home...' and so on."
"Does he want to be a deserter too?" Linlang asked in confusion.
"Hmph, I feel that his emotions, coupled with his neurotic mumbling, make him seem more like he's going to commit suicide," Du Yunzhang replied coldly.
"Are you still planning to bring up the words 'No suicide in the barracks!' written word for word in the regiment's barracks?" Yin Chuan asked sarcastically.
Du Yunzhang chuckled, "It's precisely because of the saying 'No suicide allowed in the military camp!' that I feel that Huang Tan's most likely ending is suicide!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
