Chapter 34: The Classmate is the Real Murderer
Ji Feng continued, "First, the file shows that the murderer's name is Lin Wantang. All physical evidence pointing to Lin Wantang—including photos, DNA, footprints, fingerprints, motorcycles, identification by the public, and stolen items found in his home—proves that it was this auto parts store owner who killed Shen Zhaoran. Second, when I went to Yishijiang to visit Lin Wantang's parents, I learned that Lin Wantang was Lu Chenzhou, but I didn't know the details of Lu Chenzhou's undercover work at the time, so there are still many questions. Third, based on Lu Chenzhou's undercover identity you just mentioned, combined with his parents' introduction and the graduation photo, it is confirmed that Lin Wantang is Lu Chenzhou without a doubt. Fourth, if the surveillance photos are not clear enough, the bareheaded ID photo on the business license application form is extremely clear—it is Shenzhou."
"So A=B, B=C, A=C, the conclusion holds." Jifeng summarized with a simple and clear mathematical formula.
After a long silence, Yang Jiaxu said, "I think I understand. Your reasoning is very logical and rigorous, with every link connected to the next, without any omissions. Sigh—"
"There's another piece of evidence. The time of Lin Wantang's death is highly consistent with the time of Lu Chenzhou's death, and they died in the same hospital."
"Captain Ji, you just mentioned the file. I'm wondering if there are any photos of the sunken boat in it?"
"After the incident, Lin Wantang fell into a coma within a few days and died soon after, so there is no photo of him in the case file." Xin Xiao explained to Yang Jiaxu.
"All of this seems to be carefully planned," Yang Jiaxu said with emotion.
Ji Feng thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Actually, there's still a gap in our chain of evidence, unless you saw the remains of the sunken boat with your own eyes."
"I understand what you mean." Yang Jiaxu paused. "Regarding the results of the investigation that year, the bureau leaders found it very difficult to accept that such a thing happened to a police officer. In addition, because the drug trafficking case had not been solved at the time, for the sake of confidentiality, they arranged for me to handle the body claim and funeral procedures in the name of Chen Zhou's family. I saw the body with my own eyes. Yes, it was Chen Zhou."
"Oh - what on earth is going on?" Ji Feng's last bit of fantasy was shattered. The chain of evidence was complete and closed, and it was pieced together by the three of them.
"Then, according to my understanding, the Modao City Bureau probably didn't make the truth public even after the drug trafficking case was solved because it was difficult to determine the nature of the matter, right?" Xin Xiao raised his own question.
"That was indeed a consideration. Besides his missing parents, Chen Zhou had no other family members, so there wasn't much need to reveal the truth. Furthermore, the bureau also wanted to maintain its image and that of its officers, so they announced Lu Chenzhou's death after leaving his job and didn't hold a farewell ceremony, ultimately choosing to keep this part of history secret."
"I think there may also be some doubts about the results of the investigation," Ji Feng said.
Yang Jiaxu nodded silently again.
"It wasn't just your bureau's leadership who harbored doubts. Many of the officers who helped solve the case, including Dean Lu of the Police Academy, also felt a surge of suspicion. Thanks to Dean Lu's efforts, the case was reopened three years ago."
"I only found out about the reopening of the case yesterday when Captain Jiang called me."
"If I'm not mistaken, Lu Chenzhou used the alias Lin Wantang to run an auto parts store as a cover for his undercover identity, right?" Ji Feng asked.
"Yes. That drug trafficking organization is extremely brutal and vicious. To protect Lu Chenzhou, the materials we prepared when applying for the business license were flawless. We even made technical adjustments to Lu Chenzhou's household registration. And for various reasons, we chose Lan Valley as the registered address for the auto parts store instead of Mo Island. All of this was done to protect Chenzhou."
"Oh, this is really off the mark, a sinking ship..." Xin Xiao said in disbelief.
"Captain Yang, can you guess any reason?" Ji Feng continued to ask.
"I've racked my brains for so many years and still can't figure it out," Yang Jiaxu replied.
"Do you know much about Chen Zhou's personal life?" Ji Feng asked.
"Due to Chen Zhou's personality, I don't know much about his personal life. I only know that he lived alone and had a falling out with his parents over his girlfriend, so they rarely contacted each other. After he passed away, I don't know what happened to his girlfriend."
"This time when I went to Yishijiang, I met Chen Zhou's parents. The two old people were really pitiful..." When he said this, Ji Feng couldn't help but tear up.
"Oh—" After another heavy sigh, Yang Jiaxu didn't know what to say.
After calming down a bit, Ji Feng continued, "Captain Yang, you are a senior. I would like to hear your opinion on the background of this case."
"Shen Zhou is a very dedicated and responsible police officer. It doesn't seem like he intended for something like this to happen while undercover. Even if he knew he was seriously ill, he wouldn't have done such a thing. Furthermore, Shen Zhou isn't someone who values money. I think we should rule out the possibility of murder for money. As for revenge or a murder of passion, those are unlikely too. I personally tend to believe it was motivated by some special purpose."
Ji Feng sincerely recognized the professionalism of Yang Jiaxu, the veteran criminal police captain. He wanted to hear Captain Yang's opinion. "Previously, our investigation focused on the Lan family, assuming they were the masterminds. However, with the success of the Lan family case, that possibility has been largely ruled out."
"The two key parties involved have passed away, and their interpersonal relationships are limited, so there are too few useful clues." Yang Jiaxu said with great sympathy.
"Do you know if there are any friends or colleagues who have a close personal relationship with Chen Zhou?"
"Almost nothing. When I went to Langu Hospital to deal with Chen Zhou's funeral, one of his classmates was there too. Oh, he should be your classmate too. We should have a good relationship, but it seems that he was the only one there."
"Is his name Yong Xiangdong?"
"I think that's his name. He also helped me deal with Chen Zhou's affairs after his death. It seems that he was also very sad."
"When Chen Zhou was hospitalized, under what name were the hospitalization procedures completed, including the handling of his funeral arrangements?"
"When he was hospitalized, Lu Chenzhou used his real name. He is cautious in his work. I think he chose to use his real name after careful consideration and making sure that there would be no trouble." Yang Jiaxu said.
"As for his funeral, I decided that no matter what, he couldn't leave this world under an alias. This was his last remaining dignity. Besides, even if the drug trafficking organization found out, it wouldn't matter. After discussing it with the bureau leaders, we bought a plot of land for him and carved a tombstone under his real name."
"Where is the cemetery?" Xin Xiao asked.
"Nanling Cemetery, not far from his home."
"Is there anyone in the drug trafficking organization back then who was close to Shen Zhou?"
"I thought about this clue earlier, but then I thought, the leaders of those drug trafficking organizations have basically been executed, and the other minions can't contact Chen Zhou. Even if they can, Chen Zhou doesn't need to reveal too much valuable information to them, so I didn't tell you."
"Captain Yang, the situation of the sinking ship is basically clear. The next step is to focus on investigating why the ship sank like this. What secrets are hidden behind this? We will report to you as soon as we have the results." Ji Feng said.
"Just tell me if you need our assistance. I still can't believe this is true." Yang Jiaxu's tone was heavy. It was obvious that Yang Jiaxu still had some feelings for this former subordinate, and his words were full of regret.
"We would like to contact Yong Xiangdong, whom you just mentioned. We will not bother you any further. Thank you for providing us with so many valuable clues."
"You're welcome. We are brother units, so it's only natural for us to share what we have."
After bidding farewell to Yang Jiaxu, Ji Feng and Xin Xiao got into the car in silence. Although they had been mentally prepared, when they finally realized that Lu Chenzhou was the real murderer, they still felt an indescribable grief, confusion, and regret.
After the call was connected, Yong Xiangdong learned that Ji Feng and Xin Xiao were on Mo Island and insisted on inviting them to lunch. However, he was currently in a suburban county, making the journey somewhat longer and delaying his arrival. Ji Feng and Xin Xiao did not refuse and happily headed to a local hot pot restaurant Yong Xiangdong had recommended to wait.
While waiting for Yong Xiangdong, Xin Xiao asked Ji Feng why he changed his WeChat nickname.
Jifeng said that when he was in Yishijiang, he felt like an ascetic monk, and he self-deprecatingly said that he was the type of person who had to endure hardship without any effort.
About twenty minutes later, Yong Xiangdong pushed the door open, looking exhausted. After sitting down, he was still apologizing for what happened last time. Ji Feng said it was unnecessary, and then they started eating and chatting.
After graduation, Yong Xiangdong didn't join the police force, instead going into business, running a trading company. Ji Feng didn't feel the need to share too many details about the case with him, simply chatting about Lu Chenzhou's social circle. Yong Xiangdong was completely unaware that his former classmates, Ji Feng and Xin Xiao, had come specifically to learn about the situation. He simply assumed they were on business trips to Mo Island, stopping by to catch up with him.
Ji Feng chatted about his classmates' past, and the topic naturally turned to Lu Chenzhou's girlfriend.
Yong Xiangdong said that Lu Chenzhou did have a girlfriend, but he had never met her in person, only seen photos on Lu Chenzhou's phone. The woman in the photo was gentle and demure, and pregnant. Lu Chenzhou gently embraced her from behind, his hands gently caressing her pregnant belly, his face filled with happiness.
"You can tell they have a deep affection for each other," Yong Xiangdong sighed. "No wonder his parents couldn't persuade him."
Yong Xiangdong knew nothing about Lu Chenzhou's girlfriend's identity, and even joked with him that he had a hidden mistress. It's estimated that Lu Chenzhou's child was still unborn when he died, meaning it's likely a posthumous child. If the birth went smoothly, the child would be around nine years old now, in fourth grade.
Later, Lu Chenzhou told him that he had been assigned to a special task force and was very busy, so he might not be able to contact him for the time being. Yong Xiangdong didn't think much of it, and when he received the call again, Lu Chenzhou's life was already in the countdown.
"He is always reluctant to cause trouble to others..." As he spoke, Yong Xiangdong burst into tears again.
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