Chapter 69
Zhao Zheng was indeed still alive, and he knew Tong Jiayu and Luo Yi.
Tong Jiayu was a migrant worker, and the exact date of her acquaintance with Zhao Zheng is uncertain. If the person in the photo is indeed Zhao Zheng, they likely met at the welfare home. Luo Yi, on the other hand, had never left Donghe City for an extended period before departing for Canada. Therefore, Luo Yi and Zhao Zheng likely met in Donghe City.
It's reasonable to infer that Zhao Zheng had already arrived in Donghe City eleven years ago. He most likely met Luo Yi while searching for Tang Ruxin, but for some reason he never showed up. The true mastermind behind the Donghe Refining case is most likely Zhao Zheng.
Throughout this hunt, Zhao Zheng remained seated at the table, never participating in the action, not even making a move. Tong Jiayu, Liu Wei, and Han Yixiao were his hunters, and Luo Yi provided him with the financial support to hire Tong Jiayu and the other two? In exchange, Donghe Refining was ultimately acquired by Luo Yi at a remarkably low price.
——Tang Ruxin squatted on the chair at the dining table, biting the pen, frowning as she looked at the mind map she was drawing, trying to piece together a reasonable explanation from the existing clues.
If Zhao Zheng had been planning this for eleven years, why did he wait until this year? Was it because Luo Yi hadn't been ready to acquire Donghe Refining? Both information technology and criminal investigation techniques had advanced by leaps and bounds in the past eleven years. What gave him the confidence to wait until now?
Tang Ruxin threw down her pen and leaned back against the chair in frustration. She was squatting on the chair, and this leaning directly flipped the chair over.
Yu Lei had long thought her squatting position was a bit dangerous, but he figured she was too old to worry about such a small matter. It turned out he'd overestimated her. He didn't have time to move around to grab a chair from across the table, so he jumped up and reached across the table to grab Tang Ruxin by the collar.
The force was too strong, and Tang Ruxin was pulled forward, leaning over half the dining table, staring at Yu Lei from a close distance. She could feel Yu Lei's breathing pause for a moment, then become very light and slow, brushing against the tip of her nose and causing a slight tingling sensation.
"...The quality of your chairs is not very good." Tang Ruxin would start talking nonsense when she felt uncomfortable, while pulling her collar and backing away.
Yu Lei loosened her collar, picked up the mineral water beside him and took a sip, suddenly feeling thirsty.
"How long do you plan to stay here?" He buried his head and continued typing on the laptop keyboard. He didn't even know what he was typing.
Tang Ruxin picked up the overturned chair and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind.
"I remember you said Zhao Zheng had permanent brain damage. Is this damage completely irreversible? Or will it gradually improve as he grows and develops?"
Yu Lei raised his head, thought for a moment, and said, "I haven't seen a doctor. I heard about his brain damage from your grandparents. Children of that age don't have fully developed brains. They should be able to recover somewhat over time, but they won't be able to recover completely."
"That is to say, you are not sure about the extent of his brain damage. Did you see him before he left?" Tang Ruxin asked.
"I've seen him. I saw him from a distance."
"What was he like then? Did he look seriously ill?"
"What exactly do you want to ask?" Yu Lei frowned.
Tang Ruxin picked up the clue mind map, handed it out, then took it back and said:
"Don't hit me, don't scold me, don't be mean to me, and don't laugh at me."
"I won't read it anymore." Yu Lei lowered his head and continued typing.
Tang Ruxin pretended not to hear and threw the paper next to him.
Yu Lei glanced sideways, his expression darkening. He said nothing, but his gaze towards Tang Ruxin was cold.
"Why did Zhao Zheng do this?"
Tang Ruxin groaned and lay on the table. Did she want to know why she should be so troubled?
"Liu Wei and Han Yixiao are fine; the risks and benefits can be balanced. Tong Jiayu committed attempted murder against Zhe. How much money would be enough? Luo Yi would provide financial support to a murderer in order to acquire Donghe Refining. Given his personality, do you think he would do such a thing?"
"Zhao Zheng wouldn't tell Luo Yi that the money was used to kill people. He would only say it was used to operate and lower the acquisition price of Donghe Refining. Luo Yi showed up right after Donghe Refining got into trouble. This is definitely not a coincidence. Acquiring a listed company usually takes three months to a year. At the current pace, who would believe him if he didn't prepare in advance?"
Tang Ruxin stood up and put her hands on the table.
Yu Lei took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then stood up and said, "Haven't you figured out the logical flaws here? Zhao Zheng has brain damage. How could he have planned and executed this for over a decade? Especially when it comes to creating the unexpected? It's impossible to counter current criminal investigation methods without a thorough understanding. With so many scenes, if any one of them left even the slightest clue, he'd be finished."
"Maybe there are others helping him? How do you know that Tong Jiayu, Liu Wei and Han Yixiao are all there is to help?" Tang Ruxin argued unyieldingly, her words no longer thinking. When arguing, she just wanted to win.
Yu Lei was stunned, his mind suddenly split open, a light filtering through. If someone had helped him clean up the scene, then it would make sense. That's why the police couldn't find any valid evidence during every on-site investigation, because someone had destroyed the evidence while the police were investigating.
Apart from Yu Zhe's car accident, everyone else who was at the scene, besides him and Chen Jingzhou, was only one other person.
——Ding Xinqiao.
Yu Lei's face was gloomy. He punched the table hard, shaking the laptop stand.
Tang Ruxin was startled and immediately took two steps back, pointing at him and shouting, "Don't use force even if you can't argue. You're a police officer."
Yu Lei quickly grabbed his phone and made a call.
"Investigate Ding Xinqiao. Obtain all of his personal history, family relationships, call records, and bank account transaction records."
Chen Jingzhou on the other end of the phone seemed stunned for a moment, and asked hesitantly:
"Why, what's wrong with him?"
"Don't ask anymore, just give me the results as soon as possible." Yu Lei took a deep breath to calm the anger that was boiling in his chest.
If it was really Ding Xinqiao, it would prove that he had been destroying the evidence right under his nose. Thinking of this, Yu Lei felt like a fool and was about to explode with anger.
"It won't be fast, Captain Yu. I can take no vacation, but the telecom companies and banks still have to take annual leave."
Yu Lei forgot that it was still the Spring Festival.
"Just check as much as you can."
After hanging up the phone, he fell into deep thought.
Ding Xinqiao's expertise and intelligence could completely fill in the gaps Zhao Zheng couldn't complete due to his brain damage, and he could even provide him with expert advice on how to create an accident in the refining facility. Perhaps destroying the evidence wouldn't even be necessary; simply using the saying "different fields, different worlds" could prevent him and Chen Jingzhou from further investigation.
He thought they were professionals providing technical support, but it turned out to be blindfolded. Yu Lei raised his head and sighed. It had been years since he encountered such a meticulously planned crime. And the biggest suspect was Zhao Zheng. He could now empathize deeply with Tang Ruxin.
"Ding Xinqiao, it's actually him." Tang Ruxin understood his thoughts.
Indeed, only this person had the conditions and opportunity to openly erase all traces of the scene. If Yu Zhe's car accident scene hadn't been so unpredictable, the frozen spider probably wouldn't have been seen.
"If, I mean if." Yu Lei pinched his swollen brows, "If it really is Zhao Zheng, what are you going to do?"
Tang Ruxin was silent, unable to find the answer for a moment.
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