Chapter 53 Okay, the murder weapon has been found, but there is still a lot of work to do...
Qi Bai accompanied Wang Yu downstairs to contact the police station in the Ziyang Lake Road area. Xu Nian and others went up to the unfinished four-story building to take the old man's statement.
Walking up the bare stairs with no railings to the second floor, Xu Nian was surprised to find that the unfinished building that the elderly used as their home was actually quite cozy.
The old, almost falling apart bed, the tattered sofa, and the table with four legs of different lengths were all repaired as much as possible and covered with picked-up but clean sheets. There was also a chipped vase on the table, which contained some wilted flowers picked from somewhere. Next to the vase was a half-burned candle, which became the only light source in the room.
The old man was clearly used to the police coming to his house from time to time. He wasn't at all reserved and enthusiastically brought over several stools of varying heights. "Thank you for your hard work, investigating cases so late at night. Come sit down, come sit down!"
"No need to bother," the older officer waved his hand and asked directly, "You said you ran into Old Tian a few days ago. When did you meet him?"
The old man thought for a moment and said, "I remember it was three days ago, June 2nd. Yes, the 2nd. The day before was Children's Day. On the 2nd, Old Wang and I were picking up cardboard boxes and mineral water bottles as usual when we heard someone calling us. At first, we didn't recognize Old Tian. He looked very different now. He was dressed like a gentleman and even wore a watch. He said he was Old Tian, and we looked at him for a long time before we recognized him."
"Since he moved away, why did he come back?" Xu Nian asked, "He lives nowhere near here."
The old man said, "I asked him the same thing, and he said he found a lover here. I made some steamed buns at home today and asked him to come over. Actually, he comes here often, but he just hasn't run into us much."
The older policeman asked a few more questions until the old man had no more answers. Only then did everyone get up and walk out of the unfinished building.
As soon as I walked downstairs, Wang Yu and Qi Bai came up to me. "Captain Xu, I've already made inquiries. Tian Kangyun currently lives in Unit 1, Building 15, 101, Lvshui Jiayuan Community on Ziyang Lake Road. He rents the house. The rental contract was signed on February 2, 21, and he moved in that day. The local police station has confirmed it, and he's at home tonight."
This good news immediately cheered everyone up.
The older police officer said happily, "It's been three years. There's finally hope for this case that's been piling up for three years. This case has been weighing on the minds of everyone in our station for the past three years. Now, we finally have a chance to move on."
Whenever there are unsolved homicide cases in the jurisdiction, all the police officers feel the same way. Although he didn't say anything, Xu Nian patted the older police officer on the shoulder with great empathy.
"Then we'll go first," Xu Nian said, "It's been hard..."
Before Xu Nian could finish his words, the older police officer waved his hand and said, "We are all comrades, so there is no need for these polite words. Just get back to work."
After saying goodbye to the two police officers, Xu Nian and his group quickly ran out of the unfinished building, found a car parked nearby, and the four of them drove quickly towards Ziyang Lake Road.
Qi Bai drove very fast and couldn't help saying on the way, "This case is really a bit magical. It was stuck for five years, but now new clues keep popping up. I just heard Captain Xu say that Zhuang Da personally led the investigation back then. I thought we had finally made some discoveries but had reached a dead end again, but then, by coincidence, a new possible eyewitness suddenly appeared."
"It's indeed a bit of a coincidence," Wang Yu also said. "I didn't think it at the time, but now when I think about it, it really feels like a dream. The coincidences are so many that it feels like a TV drama."
Jiang Yingyao smiled and said, "The clue is right there. It's just a matter of time. But it's really a coincidence that we just happened to run into it."
The group chatted cheerfully for a few moments before Qi Bai suddenly remembered something and said, "Come to think of it, I'm still a little curious about the kind-hearted citizens Captain Xu mentioned earlier. Do kind-hearted citizens always appear in large groups these days? There was Guan Xia before, and now here comes another one."
As Qi Bai spoke, he quickly turned his head to look at Xu Nian, obviously very curious.
Xu Nian stared straight ahead and said calmly, "If you want to know, ask Zhuang Da. This is a case under her jurisdiction."
Qi Bai was a little disappointed when he didn't get an answer. After thinking seriously for two seconds, he frowned and obviously didn't dare to ask Zhuang Da.
Jiang Yingyao guessed something. He glanced at Xu Nian who was sitting in the passenger seat, and then looked at Qi Bai with smiling eyes.
Ziyang Lake Road is indeed not close to Pingcheng Road. The group drove for almost twenty minutes and reached the edge of Xicheng District. A little further ahead would reach the jurisdiction of Tongchang District.
After several people got out of the car, the police from the local police station who had been waiting at the gate of the community immediately came over to greet them. After shaking hands with Xu Nian, they said, "We've confirmed with the community staff, and the person is at home."
"Is there anything unusual after Tian Kangyun moved in?" Xu Nian asked. This was the only person they had found so far who might have witnessed the murderer handling the murder weapon.
The police officer said, "There's nothing unusual about him, but he's a restless person. In the past few years since he moved here, we've received at least ten reports of him hitting someone to get into trouble. We've criticized and educated him countless times, but it's all in vain. He's so old, and we're worried that one day he'll get hurt before getting hurt by a car accident."
"Does he live alone?" Xu Nian asked again.
The police officer said: "He has always lived alone and often goes out, but I haven't seen him bring anyone back to live with him."
As they were talking, the group soon arrived at Building 15. It was already dawn, and the old men and women who had gotten up early had already started doing morning exercises in the community. They were curious to see a large number of policemen passing by.
The police officer knocked on the door first and went in. Xu Nian followed behind and noticed that the house was not large, so he asked most people to wait outside and only let Jiang Yingyao in.
Tian Kangyun is 68 years old, but compared to the old man living in the unfinished building, he looks much younger. He is not tall and not overweight, but his face is very rosy. He is not panicked or afraid when facing the police. He said with a playful smile, "Hey, Officer Liu, what's the matter with you coming to our house so early? I have to say that I have been at home recently and have done nothing."
Although Tian Kangyun was not afraid of them, he did not welcome their arrival and there was a look of resistance on his face.
The police officer was also impatient to see him and asked directly, "You moved in on February 2, 2021. So between January 28 and February 1, 2021, did you live in the unfinished building near the Shunmin Community on Pingcheng Road?"
Tian Kangyun obviously didn't expect so many police officers to come to him because of this matter. He said with some surprise: "Yeah, what's wrong? This is not illegal, right?"
After getting the answers they wanted, several people didn't show it on their faces, but they were all excited in their hearts.
The police officer didn't say anything else, so Xu Nian continued, "Did you also live in the unfinished building on the night of January 28th and the early morning of the 29th?"
It was the first time Tian Kangyun had met Xu Nian. He couldn't help but glance at him inquiringly, as if trying to guess his identity. After a moment, he said, "Although I was running around outside during that time, I did stay in the unfinished building at night. I would go back every night and never stayed out."
Xu Nian then asked, "What time did you return to the unfinished building on the evening of the 28th?"
Tian Kangyun frowned and said, "It happened 21 years ago. It's been five years. Who can remember this?"
"Think about it carefully," the police officer said, "Such a big thing happened on the night of the 28th. You were out every day. I don't believe you didn't hear about it."
Tian Kangyun had naturally heard about it, and curled his lips and said, "I do know. It's just that there was a murder nearby, and it seems that several people died. But what does this have to do with me? I was just a homeless person at that time, and I couldn't even eat enough every day. How could I care about these things?"
Several people couldn't help but frown when they heard it.
Xu Nian said patiently, "Think carefully, before you moved in, a few days before you started living a good life, did you see anyone in that unfinished building at night, especially on the night of the 28th?"
Tian Kangyun's face was filled with impatience, but he could tell the policeman wouldn't leave until he got an answer. He tried to recall the situation, then shook his head and said, "I always got home very late during that time, from the time I was discharged from the hospital until I moved out. I didn't have a phone or a watch, so I didn't know what time it was. I didn't run into anyone on the way back, but I did pick up something."
After hearing the first part of the sentence, Xu Nian and the others hadn't had time to feel disappointed. But the second part of the sentence made them feel nervous all of a sudden. "What did you pick up?"
"A dagger," Tian Kangyun gestured, "The blade is this long, and it's a little black, like it's been burned. It was thrown into a tin bucket, and it was still a little hot when I picked it up."
"Where is the knife?" Xu Nian asked immediately.
Tian Kangyun said: "It should still be at my house. I was negotiating compensation with someone at that time. The person was angry and looked like he wanted to hit me. I had been looking for something to defend myself and happened to see it. I picked it up and kept it with me. I didn't throw it away when I moved, but I don't know where I threw it later."
Tian Kangyun started rummaging through the drawers and boxes. Xu Nian quickly stopped him and called the rest of the people in to put on gloves and search carefully.
It took some time before I heard Wang Yu shout in surprise, "Captain Xu, we found it."
Qi Baili was the closest. He rushed over and asked in surprise, "Why did you think of looking here?"
This is a corner of the balcony, where there are several pots of half-dead green plants. The dagger was thrown casually behind a pot of green plants. In addition, there are miscellaneous items piled around it. If you don't look carefully, it would be difficult to find it.
Wang Yu said: "When I was looking through those boxes full of miscellaneous items, I noticed that the soil on these potted plants had been turned over, but I didn't find any tools like shovels nearby. So I guessed that he might have used a sharp object like a dagger to turn the soil."
Xu Nian was also a little surprised when he walked over. No one would have thought that a weapon that killed four people would end up being used to turn over the soil.
After putting the dagger into the evidence bag, Xu Nian walked over, picked it up, and asked Tian Kangyun, "Take a closer look, is this the one?"
Tian Kangyun recognized it at a glance. "It's this one. Look at the top half. It's black as hell. I couldn't clean it no matter how hard I tried. I was planning to use it to peel fruit, but when I saw it wouldn't clean, I used it to dig the soil."
They found what they were looking for, but the group did not leave immediately. They only sent two people to deliver the physical evidence back to the Xicheng District Branch, and the others took Tian Kangyun back to the unfinished building.
Tian Kangyun was very reluctant, but was easily calmed down by the police from the local police station and had to get in the car and follow them back to the unfinished building.
"Where was the metal bucket found?" Xu Nian asked as soon as he entered the unfinished building.
Tian Kangyun pointed in a direction, "It's in front of the building where I lived at the time, over there."
Everyone followed Tian Kangyun forward, passing several buildings, and stopped only when they reached a position very close to the middle of the entire unfinished building complex.
"This is it." Tian Kangyun said affirmatively, and then looked back and forth in the open space between the two buildings.
As if he had made a discovery, Tian Kangyun said, "I found it. It's that metal bucket."
Tian Kangyong pointed with his finger, then trotted over, and the others followed immediately.
It was a metal barrel whose outer paint had almost completely peeled off and its original purpose could no longer be seen. The barrel was not big but not small either. After years of wind and rain, many parts of it had rusted. The inside of the barrel was so dirty that it was completely unrecognizable and it was impossible to tell what was inside. It was full of black, sticky dirt.
"Are you sure it's this bucket?" asked the police officer from the police station.
Tian Kangyun answered confidently, "It was this barrel. I saw a reflection when I passed by, and then I realized it was a dagger."
"It seems Wang Yu guessed right," Qi Bai leaned over and looked, saying, "It really was burned. The murderer is quite brave, and also lucky. Although this unfinished building is a bit far from the nearby residential area, it is not completely invisible. Not to mention that there are some criminals who often come here, as well as homeless people who live there year-round. The local police station patrols. If he had been a little earlier or a little later, he would have been discovered."
Jiang Yingyao recalled the basic situation of the unfinished building that the older police officer had described and nodded in agreement. "It's certainly good luck, but it's also possible that Zhang Weiyan had visited this area beforehand and told Lu Manqing."
Wang Yu thought for a moment and said, "It's very likely. It seems we'll have to spend a lot of effort to find out Zhang Weiyan's whereabouts before the incident when we return."
Qi Bai's excited expression froze at the mention of this. "Well, the murder weapon has been found, but there's still a big job waiting for us."
After packing up the metal barrel and dragging it back to the Xicheng District Police Station, Xu Nian and the members of the Second Squadron had just returned to their temporary office and sat down when Zhuang Yinghua rushed over upon hearing the news. He patted Xu Nian on the shoulder and said, "I received the information. Well done for finding the murder weapon so quickly."
Xu Nian answered modestly, "I was lucky. I got a new clue when I went to the unfinished building."
"A lot of times, luck is also a part of strength," Zhuang Yinghua paused, then suddenly said, "In a couple of days, I plan to personally lead a group to Jianyang City to apprehend the criminal suspect Lu Manqing. Would you like to join the Second Squadron?"
Although Xu Nian was a little surprised, he quickly agreed, "Okay, thank you, Zhuang Da."
Zhuang Yinghua smiled, patted Xu Nian on the shoulder, then turned and walked out of the temporary office.
As soon as the man disappeared outside the office door, Qi Bai couldn't help but whisper, "We were able to follow the suspect in the Xicheng District case. Zhuang Da is really a good man."
"He's indeed a good man," Jiang Yingyao said with a frown as he thought of something, "but this case is a little special. I'm afraid this trip to Jianyang won't be as smooth as previous cases."
Qi Bai was a little confused and subconsciously turned to look at Xu Nian. He found that Xu Nian's expression was also a little solemn. Wang Yu was only confused for a moment, and then he realized something in an instant. There was some worry in his serious expression.
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