Chapter 7: Suspicious Secrets of the Secret Room
Situ Xin was stunned, squinting his eyes and staring at Yin Chuan, "What do you mean by that?"
"Don't forget, there was a gunshot just now, and then everyone saw through the light that Commander Shen's head had fallen to the ground in the barracks. But we searched the barracks for a long time and couldn't find any trace of a gunshot. Not to mention bullet heads and shells, we couldn't even find where the bullet hit. Even if the bullet penetrated the felt wall of the barracks, it should at least leave a hole, right?"
Everyone looked around involuntarily again, and there were indeed no holes caused by bullets.
"What about the ground? Or the barracks roof? Are there any bullet holes?" Du Yunzhang asked as he looked up and down again, but still found nothing.
"Mr. Yin, what do you think is going on?" Situ Xin asked.
"I think that when it comes to searching a scene, it's not what you find that's helpful to the case, but what you don't find that's more valuable."
"Oh? That sounds quite mysterious. I'd like to hear more about it."
"Let me ask you a question first. Where is Captain Shen's service pistol? As a high-ranking officer at the regimental level, he should have a service pistol. But have you noticed where his service pistol is?"
Yin Chuan's question made other people in the barracks pay attention - yes, everyone heard the gunshot just now, but when they entered the barracks, they couldn't find the gun anywhere, and even the holster that was originally on the belt was gone.
"Perhaps the murderer took the gun from Captain Shen first to prevent him from pulling it out for self-defense, and then killed him. After the murder, he took away the gun and the holster together?" Du Yunzhang guessed.
"Well...you also said that."
"But... everyone outside the barracks saw it just now. Captain Shen's head just fell out of thin air, and there was no one nearby. Where did the murderer come from?" Adjutant Han asked seriously.
"Just because of that gunshot, and the fact that there was no trace of the gun or bullet at the scene where Captain Shen was killed, it is enough to prove that someone must have murdered Captain Shen. He simply used some kind of sleight of hand to accomplish his murder in full view of the public, and then disappeared into this secret room without anyone noticing."
"So that's how it is..." Situ Xin nodded slowly. "Mr. Yin, if you are truly confident that you can solve this strange case, I will definitely reward you handsomely. After all, something like this has happened, and as the deputy commander, it's difficult for me to explain it to my superior. If you can find out the truth, at least I can explain it clearly to my superior, and it can also appease the officers and soldiers to prevent morale from being shaken."
Yin Chuan nodded. "Of course, I'll do my best. Oh, by the way, there's something I want to ask Commander Situ. What exactly happened outside the barracks just now? Was there a firefight with the enemy somewhere?"
"Didn't Captain Shen tell you? This is a military secret!" Adjutant Han said in a firm tone.
Situ Xin waved his hand at Adjutant Han. "Han Chi, don't be so stubborn. Mr. Yin, do you suspect there's a connection between the recent battle and the murder of Captain Shen?"
"First, these two things happened almost immediately after each other. How could the battle over there just end, and then Captain Shen was mysteriously killed? Second, this battle caused chaos in the entire military camp. Even the two guards who were watching us outside the barracks suddenly disappeared. Why is Captain Shen still sitting in the barracks? So I have to ask what exactly happened in the battle just now?"
Situ Xin thought for a moment, then replied, "Then I'll tell you. It was the bandits from Black Cloud Village who, in conjunction with several bandit groups near Huaiyin County, raided the military camp on a snowy night and stole a lot of military supplies."
"What? These bandits are getting bolder and bolder. They even dare to attack the barracks of the country's regular army?" Du Yunzhang was shocked.
"What's so strange about this?" Staff Officer Han said, "Forget about taking advantage of the snowy night. The day before yesterday, when Battalion Commander Shen was escorting supplies from the provincial capital to the military camp, the Black Cloud Village dared to ambush him in broad daylight on the official road, causing heavy losses to the Second Battalion."
"This time, it's even worse. They've robbed over ten carts of military equipment and supplies today. We originally thought that transporting them wouldn't be easy in the heavy snow. But these bandits seemed to have been prepared. They covered the wheels with straw mats to prevent the carts from slipping in the snow, and they quickly made off with so many carts of supplies. Furthermore, what's puzzling to us is that they seem to know exactly where the military supplies are stored in our huge military camp. When they took action, they directly raided the storage area and completed the operation with swift devastation. So... this has to make me suspicious..."
Having said that, Situ Xin hesitated to speak.
"Deputy Captain Situ suspects that there are bandits inside the military camp?" Yin Chuan immediately understood what he meant.
Staff Officer Han was still a little hesitant, "Deputy Commander, you tell them this..."
"I know what you're worried about, Han Chi. But since we trust these people to get to the bottom of the mystery of Captain Shen's murder, we can't hide these things from them. I think the bandit lurking in our military camp must be related to Captain Shen's death. So, this is the third reason why I hope Mr. Yin and others can solve this case - to find out the traitor lurking in the military camp!"
Yin Chuan showed a hint of difficulty. "Commander Situ, I can't guarantee this. After all, no one can prove that the murderer who killed Captain Shen and the traitor who colluded with the bandits are the same person."
"Don't worry, I didn't say they were the same person. What I meant was that the three of you aren't members of our military, after all. You're just investigating the case as outsiders. On the one hand, this will help us get to the bottom of the case, and on the other hand, it will stir up this stagnant situation and force the traitor to reveal himself. Then, without any further ado, we'll take action against him."
I see.
Yin Chuan finally understood Situ Xin's intentions. He was using the outsider's investigation into Shen Hui's death as an opportunity to clean up the army and eliminate dissidents. On the other hand, if anything went wrong during this period, he could use the three of them as scapegoats, bolstering morale and establishing his authority. However, this put their situation like walking a tightrope on a cliff; the slightest misstep could lead to a plunge into an abyss of no return.
The four of them walked out of the barracks one after another. At this time, everyone was waiting in front of the door, and each of them had a completely different expression on their face. Some were worried, some were full of doubts, some were uneasy, and some were even secretly happy... Yin Chuan saw all of this, and he had already made up his mind - it turned out that this army was not united, but everyone had their own thoughts to a certain extent.
"Someone will come and collect Captain Shen's body and temporarily place it in an empty room. No one is allowed to enter this barracks without my permission." Situ Xin ordered.
"Wait a moment! Do we have a military doctor here?" Yin Chuan asked.
"Of course I have. What do you want?"
"I'm planning to do an autopsy, so I need the help of a military doctor."
Situ Xin ordered someone to call the regiment's military doctor, Zhang. At this moment, the second battalion commander, Shen Xi, spoke up: "Deputy regiment commander, can I go in and take a look?"
Situ Xin hesitated for a moment, "Uh... okay."
After getting permission from his boss, Shen Xi planned to go in. But just as he was about to push the door open, Yin Chuan blocked his way with his arm.
"Wait a minute, Captain Shen, you can't approach the crime scene for the time being."
Chen Xi's eyes widened in anger. "Who do you think you are? Our deputy commander has already agreed. What qualifications do you have to stop me?" He raised his hand and wanted to slap Yin Chuan. But as soon as he raised his hand, Du Yunzhang grabbed his wrist fiercely.
"You want to use violence because you can't be reasonable?"
The two men were in a stalemate, and the guards behind Shen Xi were about to step forward to attack. At this time, Situ Xin spoke up, "Stop it first! Mr. Yin, Shen Xi is Captain Shen's younger brother after all. It's natural for him to want to go in and take a look. Are you not letting him in? Do you have any concerns?"
Yin Chuan chuckled, "Don't worry if you're unhappy, but until the military doctor finishes the autopsy, all the officers present are not allowed to approach the crime scene, because I suspect the real culprit of this bizarre murder is among them!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
