Chapter 15 Cellar A faint sound suddenly rang in Shen Qingye's ears...
——When did you run away? It seems to be last October? November? It was probably around that time anyway.
——Zhang Cuimei’s home is quite far away, on the other side of the woods, and not many people go there usually.
——Once, a few aunts went to the woods to dig wood ears. When they passed by her house, they saw that it was in a mess. They knocked on the door but no one answered. When they went in, they saw that the tables, chairs and benches were covered with a layer of dust. Only then did they realize that the person had run away.
——Did you notice anything unusual when you went there? I don't know about this, I haven't heard of it...
Ma Laizi's words rang in their ears, and everyone realized that something was wrong. Without even taking a break, they picked up their things and walked out.
By the time Shen Qingye finished preparing for tomorrow's work, it had been a while since he got off work. As soon as I opened the office door, I saw Yue Lingchuan leading a group of men striding in, saying as they walked:
"Kaiyang, go inform Captain Qin and the others. I have a feeling that there must be some clues at Zhang Cuimei's house."
"good!"
"Zhengyi, call Captain Xu and ask them if they have returned. If they haven't, they don't have to come back."
"I'll hit you right now!"
Shen Qingye looked at their hurried steps, blinked, and realized something almost instantly -
"Xiao Shen?"
"Did Maraiko call?"
Two voices sounded almost at the same time. Yue Lingchuan was stunned. Looking at the girl's eyes that lit up instantly, he nodded hesitantly: "You..."
Shen Qingye said: "I want to go."
Yue Lingchuan glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late now..."
Shen Qingye insisted: "I want to go!"
Yue Lingchuan was silent for a while, met her extremely determined gaze, and finally compromised: "Okay, hurry up and catch up."
Shen Qingye immediately laughed and trotted after him.
-
The captain's office on the second floor.
Song Lianfeng sat for the whole afternoon and felt a sore back. When he finally finished his work, he took his teacup and went to the window to get some fresh air.
It's already time to get off work and there aren't many people left in the team. He looked at the bare trees downstairs, took a sip of tea, spat out the tea leaves, and wondered what his wife would cook tonight and whether his little girl would have much homework when she got home from school. Then he saw a group of big men walking quickly out of the building and getting into the big jeep parked in the yard.
Song Lianfeng nodded with satisfaction. He was a young man who was full of energy, dedicated and responsible. It was a good thing, a good thing.
Before he could even sigh, he saw a slender figure getting into the car out of the corner of his eye. He exclaimed in surprise and moved closer to the window to look out - that fair and clean profile, wasn't it Shen Qingye's girl?
His eyes widened instantly, and he quickly opened the window and called out, "Xiao Shen!"
But the car had already driven away quickly, leaving behind only a puff of exhaust gas.
"This, this girl!" Song Lianfeng put the teacup against the window fiercely, but he used too much force and the water splashed on the back of his hand. He cried out in a panic.
-
In the car.
Shen Qingye hesitated: "I seemed to hear someone calling me just now?"
"Did you hear that?" Yue Lingchuan, who was driving, looked at Wei Zhengyi in the passenger seat. "Did you hear that?"
Wei Zhengyi shook his head: "No."
Luo Kaiyang also said: "I didn't hear it either."
"Oh," Shen Qingye blinked, "Maybe I heard it wrong."
She didn't care either.
There were too many people and there was no room in the car, so Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng drove Shen Qingye's car, and she stayed here to listen to Wei Zhengyi talk about the current situation.
When she heard Cai Liming confess, she was stunned for a moment, but she was not surprised. She just didn't expect Yue Lingchuan to use this method.
Yue Lingchuan noticed her gaze from the rearview mirror and chuckled: "Why, are you surprised?"
Shen Qingye was silent for a while and shook her head: "I'm not that surprised. Captain Yue's handling style... I've also heard about it." She had heard of Yue Lingchuan's reputation when she first joined the job.
The Serious Crime Squad originally had only two teams, and the police officers in those two teams were all veterans of the bureau, so there was enough manpower. It was only after the reform and opening up that Pingjiang City, as a second-tier city with a superior geographical location, gradually developed its economy.
As the economy develops, more job opportunities emerge, and people from surrounding cities naturally gather here. When there are too many people, chaos tends to occur, and chaos easily breeds crime. During those two years, the criminal police in the two groups were extremely busy. Finally, Captain Song couldn't stand it anymore, so he applied again and recruited a few new criminal police.
Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng were among the earlier batch, having come in 1994; Yue Lingchuan came a little later, in 1997. All three of them graduated from reputable police academies and received professional criminal investigation education, which makes them different from those veteran detectives who rely on experience to solve cases.
Originally, we are two groups of people. You have experience and I have knowledge. The old leads the new, and there is no distinction between high and low. It’s just that they received different educations, so some conflicts in concepts are inevitable between the two sides. Originally, they were just some minor conflicts that could be resolved through some adjustment, but when Yue Lingchuan just graduated, he was really a thorn in the side. He refused to obey orders, often found new ways to handle cases, and acted on his own, which made those veteran detectives very angry. But he was really sharp and had a talent for criminal investigation. In the end, his ideas were always proven to be correct.
His master was both angry and helpless, and finally quit his job. Captain Song was helpless, but he felt that the times were progressing and the team couldn't keep sticking to the old ways. It was time for some new ideas, so he picked Yue Lingchuan out and formed three groups with Zhou Qiming and Jiang Cheng. They also found a good-tempered old detective to be the nominal captain. Two years later, the old detective retired. Yue Lingchuan had made enough contributions, so it was natural for him to take over.
After that, two new people were recruited, namely Wei Zhengyi and Luo Kaiyang.
I don’t know if it’s because he became the team leader or because there are new people under him, but according to Sister Yun, Yue Lingchuan looks much more stable and not as out of touch as before.
Yue Lingchuan said: "Then I guess it's not a good reputation."
Shen Qingye said: "Captain Yue is too modest. You are a legend in the eyes of many people in the Pingjiang police community."
Yue Lingchuan laughed.
With this interruption, the atmosphere in the car became much more cheerful. Shen Qingye asked again, "What did Ma Laizi say on the phone?"
…
The group was very anxious, as the journey that was supposed to take an hour was now only half an hour away.
Shen Qingye was frowning the whole way. Yue Lingchuan glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said, "You also think it's wrong, right?"
Shen Qingye shook his head: "What a coincidence."
It’s not that people can’t run, it’s just that at that time, that person happened to be related to Cai Chengyong, so it’s too far-fetched to say it’s a coincidence.
"Whether it's a coincidence or not, we'll know after we go and take a look." The car came to a steady stop, and Yue Lingchuan said, "Let's go."
The car stopped directly in front of Ma Laizi's house. The other party couldn't help but be amazed when he saw the dozen or so people coming in one after another. He became more and more curious about what Cai Chengyong had done wrong.
He was quite clever and didn't ask any more questions. He just smiled and greeted him: "Comrade police officer, would you like to come in and have some tea?"
Yue Lingchuan raised his hand and said, "No need. Where is Zhang Cuimei's home? Take us there."
"Hey, everyone, follow me!" He hurried forward to lead the way, introducing as he walked: "Most people in our village live along this line from the west to the east, with a few families living farther away. For example, Widow Zhang's home is next to the woods at the north end."
They walked for a while before Ma Laizi stopped and said, "It's right here."
Everyone looked at the not-too-dense woods not far away, then looked at the courtyard next to the woods, looked at each other, and walked in.
The situation here is very similar to that of Cai Chengyong's home. Both have been abandoned for a long time, and the weeds outside the yard are almost knee-high.
Because the villagers had come to see it before, and they found that the yard door was only half-closed and not locked.
With a sharp "creak", the door was pushed open and the yard appeared before everyone.
At first glance, the overall area here is smaller than Cai Chengyong's home. Ma Laizi introduced: "Cai Fushun's family was very poor at first. His mother was always ill, and all the money the family earned went into medicine, so the house was not very big. The reason why he was able to marry a wife later was that Zhang Cuimei's family was anxious to marry her eldest brother, so they sold her to raise the bride price."
Shen Qingye frowned when he heard this: "So, Zhang Cuimei doesn't have a good relationship with her family?"
"How can it be good? Once before, her parents brought her nephew to the house to ask for money, and Zhang Cuimei just beat them out with a broom. The village was laughing at it for a long time."
Yue Lingchuan asked: "How is the relationship between Zhang Cuimei and her man?"
Ma Laizi said, "Hey, how can there be any feelings for those who were bought as wives? They just live together. They live far away from us and we don't interact much, so no one knows how they are doing."
Yue Lingchuan asked again: "Is Zhang Cuimei sad that Cai Fushun died?"
"Sad, how could I not be sad?" Ma Laizi curled his lips: "Back then, there were no factories everywhere like now, and it was not so easy to make money. The man in her family died, and there was no one to earn money. Zhang Cuimei was a woman, she couldn't farm, and she had no education, so it was difficult for her to eat."
Yue Lingchuan looked around the yard and said, "Okay, we got it."
He turned around and instructed Zhou Qiming: "Old Zhou, take Zhengyi and Ma Laizi to the families who first discovered that Zhang Cuimei had run away, and ask them if they noticed anything wrong at the time."
Zhou Qiming said okay and turned to leave.
Before he left, Ma Laizi smiled and said, "Comrade police officer, if you have anything, please come to me. I am always in the village."
Yue Lingchuan waved his hand, and after everyone left, he paced around the yard again and asked Xu Yanting: "Did you find anything?"
Xu Yanting frowned and shook his head slowly: "There are no signs of human trampling on the grass outside the yard, and it doesn't look like anyone has been here from the gate to here."
Luo Kaiyang thought for a moment and said, "Don't weeds grow very fast? It has been more than three months since he last committed a crime in November last year. Is it possible that the weeds have grown again?"
Xu Yanting shook his head: "No one has taken care of this place. Whenever someone passes by, there will be some traces left. But I just paid special attention to the grass at the door. The soil and the appearance of the grass are no different from those next to it."
Luo Kaiyang was silent for a moment, and Jiang Cheng said, "That means he didn't come in through the main gate."
"Indeed." Shen Qingye nodded, and then turned to ask Yue Lingchuan: "Captain Yue, we extracted the DNA of all the victims in that van, right?"
Yue Lingchuan looked at her: "Yes."
Shen Qingye said: "That also proves that Cai Chengyong always drove a van when he committed a crime."
Yue Lingchuan raised his eyebrows slightly, vaguely realizing what she was going to say——
"But where did he park such a big van?"
Luo Kaiyang opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Qingye looked at him and said, "It's true that Cai Chengyong always committed crimes at night, and this place is remote, so the chance of being discovered is very small, but it's not impossible - isn't Ma Laizi the best example? Moreover, the size of a van is too large, and it's far from being as concealed as a person. Parking it in front of Zhang Cuimei's house is really risky, and it doesn't fit with Cai Chengyong's cautious personality."
Luo Kaiyang frowned: "Where else can he park the car——"
As soon as he finished speaking, he paused and his eyes suddenly shifted to the outside of the yard.
Jiang Cheng calmly said two words: "Forest."
Luo Kaiyang clapped his hands: "Yes, the woods! Isn't that a natural hiding place?"
Yue Lingchuan looked at Shen Qingye, a smile flashing in his eyes.
Luo Kaiyang said excitedly: "Boss, I'll go to the woods and take a look!"
Xu Yanting said: "Let Xiao Zheng go with you." They are professionals in trace detection.
Luo Kaiyang did not refuse and turned and left.
Jiang Cheng frowned again and asked, "Assuming that Cai Chengyong parked his car in the woods and brought the victim alone...then how did he get in?"
He looked at the walls on both sides, then at the crowd, and said, "Climb over the wall? It's more than two meters high. He can climb over it alone, but is it possible to do that with an adult woman?"
Xu Yanting pondered for a while, then suddenly strode towards the wall and led the trace inspection team to climb up the wall along the ladder.
Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan both looked up at them busying themselves. After a long while, Xu Yanting shook his head, came down the stairs and said, "There are no signs of anyone climbing on the wall."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Yue Lingchuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The wall was not like the grass or the ground, which could be easily restored to its original state. Once the top of the wall had been climbed, there would definitely be traces left. He believed in Xu Yanting's professionalism in this regard.
"There were bloodstains on the van, so if Cai Chengyong climbed over the wall with the body parts, there couldn't be no traces on the wall."
A clear female voice sounded in his ears. Yue Lingchuan lowered his eyes and saw Shen Qingye with his brows lowered, his face calm and clear.
Jiang Cheng followed her train of thought: "That means Cai Chengyong didn't come in from the top of the wall."
If it didn't come from climbing over the wall, then where could it have come from?
Yue Lingchuan glanced up and down the wall, his eyes paused, and he suddenly said, "If the top doesn't work, then let's go down there."
under?
Shen Qingye suddenly thought of something and his eyes suddenly lit up.
She walked quickly to the wall, and Jiang Cheng also realized something and followed closely behind her.
——Who says you can only get in by climbing over the wall? Obviously it would be more convenient to come in from under the wall, right?
The two men gathered around the wall to investigate, while Yue Lingchuan and Xu Yanting went outside.
There were weeds growing along the wall, and at first glance there seemed nothing unusual. Shen Qingye carefully pushed through the weeds, his fingers touching the bricks and applying force bit by bit. Before he could discover anything, he suddenly heard Xu Yanting's surprised voice outside: "There are traces of footsteps in this patch of grass, and there are some tiny footprints!"
Shen Qingye was delighted when he heard this, as it proved that their guess was correct.
She sped up her progress, and suddenly, her fingertips paused.
Near the base of the wall near the house, the bricks moved slightly!
Jiang Cheng noticed the movement, turned around and asked her: "Did you find it?"
Shen Qingye didn't say anything. He concentrated and calmed his mind. He exerted more force with his hands, and the brick really moved a little outwards.
Her eyes lit up and she suddenly turned back to look at him: "Found it."
Jiang Cheng's eyes were filled with joy and he hurried over. Xu Yanting heard the noise from the other side of the wall and asked, "Did you find it?"
Shen Qingye raised his voice and said, "Here!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a dull sound of footfall sounded beside her ears. Shen Qingye was startled and looked up, only to find that Yue Lingchuan had actually climbed over the wall and come in.
"Where?" He strode over and asked in a deep voice.
Shen Qingye moved slightly to the side: "Here, this brick is a little loose."
Xu Yanting was also startled by Yue Lingchuan's quick movements. After he reacted, he hurriedly said, "Don't touch me!"
After he finished speaking, he trotted in from the door, hastily put on a pair of gloves, and said, "I'll do it!"
Shen Qingye did not force him, but made way for him and watched him dig out the bricks bit by bit, finally revealing a hole about half a meter high and seventy to eighty centimeters wide.
Jiang Cheng murmured, "Cai Chengyong is 181cm tall and weighs 75kg. He can definitely get through this hole."
Xu Yanting said solemnly, "Xiao Liu, get the evidence bag."
Xiao Liu hurried forward, holding several large evidence bags.
Xu Yanting took the bricks and looked at them one by one, then suddenly stopped.
"Here," he tapped with his finger, "there's a little blood."
Shen Qingye was shocked and hurried over to take a look. As expected, he found some dark red bloodstains on the outside of the brick. Because it was similar to the color of the brick, it was not very clear.
Xiao Liu carefully packed up the bricks, and Xu Yanting checked the pile of bricks one by one and found a few bricks that were also stained with blood.
"It's a pity that it's not easy to leave fingerprints on bricks." Xu Yanting stood up and just as he spoke with regret, there was a sudden noise in the bedroom:
"Captain Xu, we found a long hair here, it must belong to a woman!"
Everyone rushed over and saw Liu Wenkang from the Trace Inspection Team holding a thin black hair, pushing his glasses and saying, "We found it in the gap of Zhang Cuimei's closet. Fortunately, there are intact hair follicles on it. I just don't know if we can still extract DNA after leaving it for such a long time."
Xu Yanting said, "The light and humidity in the closet are not that strong, so this hair is relatively intact, so there shouldn't be a big problem. Keep it away and check carefully for other hair, especially short men's hair. Also, check carefully for fingerprints on the closet and the bedside."
With the hair there was hope of extracting DNA, and with the DNA they could match it with the body they found.
The time of Zhang Cuimei's disappearance coincided with the time when they found the first body. They suspected that Zhang Cuimei was the first victim, but they still needed evidence.
It would be best if DNA could be extracted from the hair. If not, we would have to find Zhang Cuimei's family for a DNA match.
But according to Ma Laizi, Zhang Cuimei has a bad relationship with her family. It would be best if they are willing to cooperate at that time. If not, it would be another hassle.
Influenced by Zhou Meihua's family, Shen Qingye is now very afraid of these extreme victims' families.
Liu Wenkang responded with a "OK" and went back in to continue his work.
Yue Lingchuan said: "Let's go and take a look in the kitchen."
That was the highlight of their day.
In the kitchen, members of the Trace Inspection Team were already busy with flashlights. When they saw them come in, Xiao Lin raised his head and greeted them, "Captain Xu, Captain Yue."
Xu Yanting looked around. It was already late and the sky outside was very dark. He could only get a rough look at the furnishings in the kitchen. On the left side of the entrance is a stove with three large pots on it; in the middle is a half-person-high counter, which should be the place for cutting and preparing vegetables; the right side is empty, probably where sundries are usually placed.
He asked, "Did you find anything?"
"Yes." Xiao Lin stood up, his expression serious: "We found a lot of bloodstains on the walls and the ground around the table."
Lots of blood.
Everyone noticed that key word, and as they looked at each other, Xu Yanting stepped forward and said, "Let me see the photo."
The member in charge of taking photos pulled out the photos and said, "When I first came in, the wall was very clean, but it was too clean. Brother Lin realized something was wrong and sprayed it with luminol. Sure enough, the wall was densely covered with blue bloodstains."
This is the kitchen after all. No matter how poor Zhang Cuimei's family is, it is impossible that they have never eaten chicken, duck, fish and meat. As long as you have eaten meat, you have chopped the meat and bones, and there will be more or less traces left on the table and walls. It's really too clean to have any traces at all, that's abnormal.
Shen Qingye looked at the dense fluorescent blue marks on the photo, frowning slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable, as if he could see the cruel appearance of Cai Chengyong slashing with a knife and blood splattering in the dark night.
Xiao Lin added: "In addition to this place, we also found a lot of bloodstains in the open space next to it. If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the scene where Cai Chengyong's body was dismembered."
Everyone looked around the dim and cramped room. They could faintly smell the damp smell of blood mixed with rain. It was wet and sticky, making people feel uncomfortable all over.
Yue Lingchuan said: "Where is the murder weapon?"
Everyone looked over as well. Xiaolin pushed his glasses up with his wrist and said, "That's the problem."
He spread his hands and said, "There was no kitchen knife on the table when we came in."
Xu Yanting frowned: "The murder weapon is missing?"
Kobayashi said: "We are more inclined to believe that the murderer hid the murder weapon. In addition to the murder weapon, there should be a chopping board. On the one hand, there is a rectangular mark on the table, which is left by the use of an object for many years, and the dust in that area is thinner than other places. On the other hand, if the body is to be chopped into pieces of that degree, it must have taken a lot of force, so the support under the body must have left corresponding knife marks, but there are no such knife marks on the floor and table in the kitchen."
Luo Kaiyang sighed: "So, now we don't know where the murder weapon and the chopping block are, right?"
Xiao Lin nodded, and Xu Yanting asked again: "Have you searched the kitchen?"
Xiao Lin said: "I have looked for it, but I didn't find it."
Everyone fell silent again for a moment.
Where could Cai Chengyong hide the murder weapon?
Shen Qingye frowned, with one more thing in mind——
Whether in the yard just now, in the bedroom next door, or in the kitchen now, she did not hear any non-human sounds.
But now all signs indicate that this is the crime scene, so why can't she hear any sound? Is it the same voice as the one in Cai Liming’s house, not wanting to talk? Or did they really find the wrong place?
Didn’t Cai Chengyong kill and dismember the person in the same place?
Shen Qingye just felt a headache. On the one hand, he felt a little doubtful about whether his guess about this ability was correct, and on the other hand, he didn't want to rely too much on this ability. The knowledge she learned and the teachings she heard in college were all about relying on herself, relying on evidence, and being down-to-earth, rather than pinning her hopes on such magical things.
She breathed a sigh of relief and calmed herself down. The most critical issue at the moment is not the ability, but how to resolve the current deadlock.
Just as I calmed down my thoughts, I heard footsteps outside the door. I turned around and saw that it was Luo Kaiyang and Xiao Zheng who came back.
"Boss." Luo Kaiyang called out, then looked at Shen Qingye with some admiration in his eyes, and said, "Little Shen's guess is correct. We did find traces of the car parked outside the forest."
Shen Qingye's expression remained unchanged. Xiao Zheng added, "Based on the tire tracks that have not completely disappeared at the scene, it is most likely the van that Cai Chengyong drove."
"In addition, we also found sporadic bloodstains on some of the tree trunks and fallen leaves, which we speculated were the victims' bloodstains left by Cai Chengyong when he was carrying the bodies."
Everyone perked up a bit, and Yue Lingchuan asked, "What's that over there in the woods?"
Luo Kaiyang said: "There is wasteland on the other side of the forest, and a little further away is a small hillside. There is no one living nearby. But there is a small path that can lead to the main road."
Yue Lingchuan was silent for a moment after listening to this. He paced back and forth and analyzed: "Let's sort it out."
Shen Qingye raised his eyes to look at him.
"First, Cai Chengyong secretly made a copy of the van's key when no one was paying attention, and took advantage of Cai Limin's work to drive the van out at night when no one was in the factory;
"He arrived at Caipo Village, parked his car in the woods nearby, brought the victim in through a hole in the wall, killed and dismembered the victim in the kitchen, hid the murder weapon and chopping board, and then crawled out of the hole and used the van to dispose of the body.
"The bloodstains on the kitchen wall, the bloodstains on the bricks, and the wheel tracks in the woods are all strong evidence.
Luo Kaiyang thought thoughtfully: "So, the question now is, where did Cai Chengyong hide the murder weapon?"
Trace inspector Xiao Zheng couldn't help but ask: "Could it be hidden underground again?"
Before Yue Lingchuan could say anything, Xu Yanting raised his hand and called him: "Are you stupid?"
Xiao Zheng covered his head with his hands, looking innocent: "Boss..."
Xu Yanting asked, "How long has it been since he committed the crime last time? Look at the soil in the yard. Is there any sign that it has been disturbed in the short term?"
Xiao Zheng opened his mouth and stopped talking.
Yue Lingchuan suddenly said: "No, it's not impossible."
Xu Yanting raised his eyes to look at him, and Yue Lingchuan's eyes slowly moved down: "Underground, underground..."
Shen Qingye suddenly had an idea and murmured, "A cellar in the countryside."
Xu Yanting suddenly turned around and looked at her.
Yue Lingchuan said: "Cai Chengyong only has two residences in the city, one is his home, and the other is the staff dormitory assigned by his factory. We have searched both places and confirmed that there is no murder weapon or chopping board. Moreover, it is too dangerous to leave the murder weapon in those two places. It is not like Cai Chengyong's style."
Shen Qingye then said, "Then there are only two options. One is to find a random place to hide on the way here. This is too random and is not good for us. The other is to hide directly at the crime scene."
After she finished speaking, she realized that something seemed wrong, so she paused and subconsciously looked at Yue Lingchuan.
Yue Lingchuan folded his arms across his chest, leaning lazily against the wall, looking at her with a smile in his eyes that was filled with indulgence and encouragement.
He nodded slightly, motioning for her to continue.
Shen Qingye pursed her lips before continuing, "The first possibility involves too wide a range, so let's rule it out for now and consider the second possibility first."
She looked up at everyone and said, "If they want to hide here, just like Captain Xu said, there are no signs of burial in the yard. We have also searched the bedroom and kitchen and found nothing unusual. So where else can they hide?"
Luo Kaiyang said: "So... that's why you suspect it's the cellar?"
Shen Qingye nodded and glanced at Yue Lingchuan: "What Captain Yue said in the yard before makes sense. Since the top doesn't work, why not consider the bottom? Brother Zheng's words also reminded me that it might be buried in the soil. If Cai Chengyong really has that kind of relationship with Zhang Cuimei, then it doesn't seem strange to know about her family's cellar?"
After she finished speaking, she asked, "Do we have the habit of digging cellars in the countryside here?"
Xiao Lin was from the countryside, and he answered, "Yes, every year after the sweet potatoes are harvested, every household will keep some in the cellar. And in the winter, radishes and cabbages are usually stored in there too."
Everyone pondered for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, they felt that what she said seemed to make some sense.
Luo Kaiyang asked: "Where is Zhang Cuimei's cellar? It can't be in the yard, right?"
Xiao Zheng shook his head: "This place is only this big, and we just surveyed it and didn't find any similar entrances."
Everyone was silent for a moment.
Yue Lingchuan waved his hand: "Alright, there are no other clues now. It's useless to wait here. Let's go look around the yard. Kaiyang," he instructed Luo Kaiyang: "Go find Ma Laizi and ask if there are any friends of Zhang Cuimei's family who know where her cellar is dug."
Luo Kaiyang responded with a yes, turned around and left quickly. Everyone also scattered, searching around the yard with flashlights.
It's already past seven o'clock, and it's still February, so the night has already grown dark. Zhang Cuimei lives in a remote area with no lights around. Even with a flashlight, she still can't see clearly. In particular, the grass around the yard is very dense, which greatly interferes with the line of sight and is very unfavorable for searching.
A group of people walked around the area for half an hour but found no clues and instead alarmed a lot of insects and ants. One person did find a cave, but was unexpectedly surprised when he shone his flashlight inside and saw a dense cluster of snakes. He immediately got goose bumps all over his body and screamed in fear, which frightened the people around him and made them more cautious in their movements.
During this period, Liu Wenkang found a short, coarse hair between the bed and bedding in the bedroom, and successfully extracted a small fingerprint on the side of the bed; Zhou Qiming and Wei Zhengyi also came back. They went to the homes of several aunts who first discovered that Zhang Cuimei was missing. According to one of the aunts, when they entered, the room was not messy, but the valuables were gone, and there were no special traces. It was just a little strange. There was a faint fishy smell in the yard that day. She originally thought it was due to the rain the day before, but now thinking about it again, it seemed that was not the case.
After hearing this, everyone had an idea in their minds. They sent a few people back to take the found hair and fingerprints for examination, while the rest continued to survey the surroundings.
About an hour later, Luo Kaiyang also came back and said disappointedly that Zhang Cuimei's home was far away, her reputation was not good, and few people interacted with her. He really didn't know where her cellar was dug. There were a few elderly people who had a good relationship with Zhang Cuimei's parents-in-law, but they have either passed away or moved away with their children, and their contact information is unknown.
Things were at a stalemate again for a while.
Xu Yanting walked to Yue Lingchuan, shook his head and said, "No, the visibility is too low at this time. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack to continue searching like this. It's better to leave two people here to guard, and the others go back first. We stayed up all night yesterday, and we can't stay up all night again today." He himself couldn't stand it anymore.
Hearing this, Luo Kaiyang also said, "Boss, I'll stay here. I did get some sleep yesterday. You, Brother Qiming, and Brother Jiang can go back and have some rest first. You can come back tomorrow. It won't take too long."
Yue Lingchuan rubbed his forehead and glanced around. Sure enough, he saw that many people looked listless and tired.
They haven't had enough rest these days, and their bodies won't be able to take it if they continue to endure this. not to mention……
He looked at Shen Qingye's figure not far away. It was okay for them, a group of grown men, but they couldn't let the girl stay here all night.
He said to Luo Kaiyang: "Tell everyone to go back and rest, and come back tomorrow morning."
Luo Kaiyang responded quickly and trotted over to inform. Shen Qingye was stunned when he heard this, and nodded slowly after a moment: "I understand."
She pursed her lips slightly, and her expression was not very good.
It would be fine if there were no clues, but now that he has an idea, he has to give up temporarily because of the weather. Shen Qingye is always a little unwilling to give up.
The most important thing is...
She wasn't sure if she would be able to come tomorrow.
She couldn't just go to the office half a day like she did today. Even though she could finish her work on time, it didn't have a good impact. Especially since Captain Song had just reminded her yesterday, it would be fine once or twice, but if it happens too many times, there's no guarantee that he wouldn't hear about it.
Shen Qingye wasn't afraid, it was just...
She herself doesn't have a clear idea yet.
She let out a light breath, she knew that the current situation was not suitable for further investigation. Watching everyone slowly gather together, Shen Qingye calmed herself down and walked over.
The crowd gathered in front of the yard. The noise just now had gone and the silence of the night had returned to a certain extent. The sound of people walking on the grass was extremely obvious.
Shen Qingye was walking forward when he suddenly heard a faint, almost imperceptible sound in his ears:
"Is there anyone here..."
She paused.
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