Chapter 97 Chapter 10 About a year and a half ago...
About a year and a half ago, on a Friday, Li Zheng was driving across Ximen Bridge on his way home from get off work late at night when he saw a student in school uniform and carrying a backpack standing alone by the bridge, wandering back and forth again and again.
Out of professional alertness, he immediately felt something was wrong, so he did not drive away immediately. Instead, he slowly slowed down the car and kept his eyes on the scene.
And Li Zheng's guess was indeed correct.
After a while, the student wandered by the bridge for a while, and as if he had finally made up his mind, he took off his schoolbag and threw it on the ground, then turned over and climbed onto the railing.
Without a second thought, he immediately opened the car door and rushed over to pull the student who was attempting suicide down.
When he was pulled down, the student did not scream, but just picked up his schoolbag on the ground silently and tried to leave.
At that time, Li Zheng was worried that he would be depressed again, so he took the initiative to ask him what happened. He then said that he was a policeman and if he told him anything, he might be able to help him solve it.
At that time, he thought that this student might have encountered school bullying, or been bullied by classmates?
When Li Zheng was in school, similar incidents often occurred in the school. Some gangsters outside the school and some senior students often blackmailed the younger students and asked them to pay protection fees.
If you really encounter a similar incident, he can really help solve it.
This is what Li Zheng thought at the time.
But the student remained silent. He only glanced at him once more when he heard he was a police officer. Then he lowered his head and said calmly:
"I wasn't bullied."
"Then why are you so upset?"
“………”
"Aren't you going home so late?"
“………”
"What's your parents' phone number?"
“………”
No matter how stubborn the suspect is, Li Zheng can always get what he wants out of him, let alone a child who hasn't even grown all his hair yet?
That night, Li Zheng took the children out for a midnight snack.
This barbecue made him realize that the student wandering by the bridge was named Zhou Xinrui and studied at the nearby No. 3 Middle School.
Among the more famous schools in Qingtan, the one ranked first is No. 3 Middle School, which is divided into junior high school and high school. The score lines of both are much higher than those of other schools. It can be seen that his grades should be quite good.
When Li Zheng praised him like this, he shook his head.
He said his parents had too high expectations of him.
He said he didn't want to go to No. 3 Middle School, and that it was actually a bit difficult for him to get in. His score was just a little short of the passing line. That little shortfall was because his parents used countless connections and spent a lot of money to get him in.
He said that in his previous elementary school, he learned everything very quickly, ranked very high, and occasionally even received a certificate of honor. However, after entering junior high school, his ranking dropped.
Every day at No. 3 Middle School is spent studying. There are small tests every Monday and big tests every month. The management is extremely strict. There are no restrictions on this or that, and there are requirements for clothing and hair. This puts a lot of pressure on him.
He was the type who was a little clever, but not much, and his parents had forced him into a key class, where he had a hard time even keeping up.
He said he didn't like studying, but liked painting, but these hobbies were considered idleness in his parents' eyes.
Another monthly exam is coming soon, and he feels the pressure is really too great.
"My parents said it was all because of me and they were getting a divorce, but they also said they wouldn't divorce as long as my monthly exam ranking improved..."
Li Zheng spoke a few words of comfort.
Adult matters are adult matters after all. It is indeed a bit irrational to involve children.
"Actually, I know they're all liars. They divorced a long time ago, but they kept pretending in front of me that they hadn't divorced yet. They thought I didn't know."
“………”
"Every time they said they were going on a business trip, they were actually going to their new home. I know all this."
“………”
Zhou Xinrui's parents probably thought he was too young to understand, but in fact, he was already thirteen years old, so how could he not understand.
Li Zheng comforted him for a long time that day and agreed with him that he could come to him if he was in a bad mood again. When he drove him back to his home, he also memorized the name of his home: Sunshine Community.
Later, this student named Zhou Xinrui really came to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to look for Li Zheng twice.
The second time, Li Zheng happened to be updating his profile and taking photos. He wore his uniform for the first time in a long time. Zhou Xinrui even praised Li Zheng for looking very handsome in the uniform and asked why he didn't wear it normally.
Li Zheng didn't give him a perfunctory answer and explained to him seriously that this was because most of his work was criminal investigation, including visiting, tracking, and arresting suspects. Wearing a uniform could easily expose his target, so most of the time he only wore a uniform on specific occasions.
"I see."
That was the last time Li Zheng saw Zhou Xinrui.
He no longer complained about the pressure of studying, saying that he had fallen out of the key class and that his parents were very disappointed, but he himself was not under that much pressure.
He also said that his father and mother had a new child outside and were not as strict with him as before. They came home less and less often, and he was often alone at home. This was a good thing, as it gave him more time to paint.
"Are you going to be a painter in the future?"
"I used to think so, but now I think being a police officer is not bad either."
"Bye, I'm leaving."
After Zhou Xinrui left, Li Zheng saw a note that read, "You are the best police officer I have ever met. Thank you."
…
Two years later, I saw Zhou Xinrui again, actually in the criminal case file.
Li Zheng browsed through the case information at a glance.
My heart is getting heavier and heavier.
The student had been dead for some time, and it was initially estimated that he had died the day the restaurant owner last saw him.
The forensic doctor is still investigating and the exact time of death has not yet been determined, but the estimated time of death is similar to that of the foreigner in Qingshui River Park.
It's even possible that it's the same day.
Same day.
One is in Qingshui River Park in Sanyuan Town, and the other is in Sunshine Community in the urban area. The distance between the two is at least 20 kilometers. What does this mean?
Two murderers chose to commit the crime on the same day without any prior agreement, and their methods were surprisingly consistent?
Similarly, no murder weapon was found at the scene, and there were no signs of disturbance in the room. All the traces in the house were those of the child and his parents.
That is, there are no traces of strangers.
The initial estimate of the child's cause of death was suffocation, but strangely, there was not a single mark of strangulation on his neck, yet he died of suffocation.
It's like someone has sucked out all the air in the room at once, but that sounds too weird, doesn't it?
Li Zhengtu suddenly felt that all the trace studies, investigations, and pursuits he had learned in school seemed to be useless in an instant.
In the past, he'd been able to deduce the killer's information based on subtle clues and then create a profile. No matter how deep the killer hides, as long as they're human, they'll always leave traces, and as long as there are traces, they'll be caught.
How come there is no trace at all?
"This case is indeed a bit strange."
After all, Pan Song graduated from a legitimate police academy. Although he was sometimes too eager for quick success, he was not completely useless.
"What are your plans at the moment?"
Li Zheng shook his head.
Seeing his reaction, Pan Song's originally uncomfortable expression instantly eased a lot, and he cleared his throat.
"In the case at the Electricity Bureau, where the murder weapon wasn't found, I re-interrogated him yesterday afternoon. Maybe what you said before is true. That bastard is so cowardly that he wouldn't do such a thing, so I'm letting him go for now."
Li Zheng raised his head in surprise.
According to regulations, if no evidence is obtained from a suspect that can directly or indirectly prove that he is a suspect, then there is indeed a limit to the time he can be detained, and he must be released after the limit is exceeded.
However, regulations are regulations. If the case is too complicated, you can actually apply to extend the detention period.
Besides, are the inspection team still there?
Even if there is no way to prove that Cui Yang is the murderer, it also cannot prove that he is not the murderer. As the only suspect in the case, of course he cannot be let go easily.
According to Li Zheng's previous estimate, he would be detained for at least two weeks, but Pan Song was released?
"It's not like everything is fine. If anything happens later, we still have to call him."
"That……"
What Li Zheng wanted to talk about was the deputy director?
He really wanted to perform well in front of the inspection team and take this opportunity to move forward in his career, but it seemed like the heavens were against him.
Qingtan, which is usually calm, has recently seen so many bizarre cases. Even though colleagues in the department have tried their best to suppress them, everyone has mobile phones now and news spreads quickly, causing panic among other citizens.
Just imagine what kind of expression Director Zheng is having right now, and now he's releasing the suspect...
"He's just talking about his own things. Anyway, he's been hanging around the Finance Bureau with the inspection team lately."
“………”
There was silence in the office for a moment.
Li Zheng looked through the thick stack of photos of the scene again with a wooden face. As he was looking, he seemed to notice a flash of black in his peripheral vision.
He looked up subconsciously.
Suddenly I saw a crow outside the window.
The black bird seemed different from the last time. It was a little bigger, and there seemed to be a hint of dark red flashing in its round eyes.
It looked at Li Zheng through a layer of glass. Although it didn't make any sound, he seemed to hear an indescribable strange noise.
He first saw the crow outside a cafe. He was on his day off, chatting with an old classmate he hadn't seen in a while. Shortly after seeing the crow, the first murder case was reported. Subsequent sightings of the crow seemed to be linked to murders. Two more cases occurred shortly after the last sighting, leaving him with a sense of unease.
Something...is not over yet.
!!!!!!
On the other side, Wei Sheng was communicating with two of Li Zheng's apprentices.
Of course, he first met Tian Chen and chatted with him for a few words, mainly asking about Officer Li's daily schedule and work.
Tian Chen must have just graduated and started working not long ago. He was not very scheming and basically answered whatever was asked. Just when he asked about who Officer Li had a good relationship with in the bureau, Lou Ruoping appeared.
Having one or two years more work experience than her junior, she was obviously much harder to fool than Tian Chen. No matter what she was asked, she would just give vague answers like "hmm".
"Who does the master usually get along well with? He's pretty good with everyone. He's not arrogant towards anyone. No matter who is leading the group, if they ask him a question, he'll answer it carefully..."
She even asked Wei Sheng in return,
"Are you really the master's apprentice?"
"How long do you plan to stay in Cheongdam?"
"When will you return to Jinghai?"
When asking these questions, he smiled and called him Brother Wei, as if it was just a normal family conversation. In addition, he also asked about some things about his family situation in a subtle way.
Home?
Of course, Wei Sheng couldn't tell the truth, so he just laughed it off.
Of course Lou Ruoping felt it.
And in the midst of this back-and-forth tug-of-war, Mr. Wei, who came from Qinghai, suddenly changed his expression and said hurriedly, "I'm leaving first."
Disappeared without a trace.
"Sister Ruoping, what's going on?"
Tian Chen scratched his head.
"Didn't he say he was Master's friend? Why is he asking us these questions?"
Lou Ruoping pushed up her glasses and looked at Wei Sheng's hurried back. She didn't answer the question and brought up another topic: "Have you finished what the master asked you to do?"
Tian Chen's attention was immediately diverted:
"Ah. Not yet."
“………”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
