Chapter 85 He got slapped in the face, didn't he? Not only did Xiao Qiu find the murderer, but he also...
Two dogs led three adults through the alley, back and forth like a swarm of bees chasing nectar, working very hard.
Fortunately, perseverance pays off. Finally, the two dogs stopped in front of a dilapidated, closed iron gate at the same time.
During the early stages of reform and opening up, the government adjusted its housing policy, gradually transitioning from public housing to commercial housing. During this period, a policy of self-renovation and self-construction was proposed.
The courtyard in front of us is a remnant of this history.
Looking through the rusty tin gate, the courtyard wasn't large, but it was cluttered with a bunch of asbestos-roofed sheds, making it feel cramped and confined. I wondered if living here would breed any kind of mental illness.
Anyway, Qiu Xiaoman couldn't stand it.
Although her home in Yunnan was poor, it was spacious, and the stilted house was beautiful and cool, making her feel more at home than the high-rise buildings in Beijing.
She took a step back, beckoned Grey Grey over, and asked softly, "Is this the place?"
“Yes, Master.” Grey rubbed against Qiu Xiaoman’s trouser leg and added, “There’s also the smell of disinfectant.”
What's the smell of disinfectant?
According to Xique Lele, the person who disposed of the body did not show any visible wounds, but only mentioned smelling body odor, without mentioning the smell of blood.
Qiu Xiaoman personally went inside 1901 and found no body odor; however, the two dogs smelled blood.
That's strange, it doesn't seem to match up.
Could there be a third person?
In other words, it was suspect A who killed Fang Zhenhong. He may have injured himself during the fight, and because he was injured, he was unable to dispose of the body himself, so he called suspect B.
Yes, that must be it. Let's see what photos Shen Qinghuai got later. If they don't match the person Lele mentioned, then her deduction is very likely correct.
Qiu Xiaoman whispered, "Can you tell how many people are inside by smell?"
Grey shook his head: "The smells are too mixed to make a precise judgment, but..." Grey sniffed hard, "I can guarantee that there are no fewer than ten people."
It seems that a large family lives inside, which matches the messy asbestos tile shed.
The question remains: which room is the injured suspect in?
If they forced their way in, they might alert the enemy, so Qiu Xiaoman decided to put on a show.
She waved to Fang Jiadong and Chen Jianjun, and the two quickly took the dog and hid behind the wall.
Qiu Xiaoman whispered, "You guys wait here, I'll trick them into opening the door."
Chen Jianjun had witnessed Qiu Xiaoman's ability to deceive people; even if she couldn't deceive herself, she could get Shen Qinghuai to do it.
However, Fang Jiadong had never seen him, and he was even a little annoyed. The instructor was also part of the criminal investigation team. How could a police officer lie to people? What kind of behavior was that?
Just as I was about to try to persuade Qiu Xiaoman, Qiu Xiaoman had already grabbed Huihui's head and whispered something in his ear. In the blink of an eye, Huihui rushed out.
She deliberately retreated back to the alley she had come from, then charged forward at full speed, barking loudly. Qiu Xiaoman followed behind her, chasing and shouting, "Grey Grey, hurry, catch that thief! He actually stole my wallet! Catch him, bite him!"
Greyy barked and slammed its head through the rusty iron gate, then rushed inside and continued barking.
Qiu Xiaoman kicked open the crooked iron gate and shouted, "Stop thief! Don't run! I've already called the police. You can't get away!"
As he spoke, he rushed into the chaotic cluster of asbestos-roofed sheds.
Chen Jianjun, who was guarding outside, had to give a thumbs up, but Fang Jiadong was even more dissatisfied. This Xiao Qiu was really a liar. Who stole her wallet? What thief? It was simply damaging to her image!
He was so angry that he didn't want to go in, but Chen Jianjun ignored him and quickly chased after him, saying, "Hey, you young man in the gray clothes, don't run away, I'm a policeman, hurry up and return that girl's wallet to her."
In the chase, Qiu Xiaoman and Chen Jianjun followed Huihui one after the other and stopped in front of a low asbestos tile shed.
Greyy barked once inside, then continued running forward, meaning that the person was inside, but the show wasn't over yet, and the chase was on.
When they reached the other side of the wall, Chen Jianjun cleverly cooperated, saying, "Hey, why are you climbing over the wall? Be careful not to fall and hurt yourself. Hey, you petty thief, are you risking your life for a little money? Hey, you really climbed over the wall! Little girl, take a break. I'll go check outside the wall. Maybe this bastard has already broken his leg. When I catch him, I'll definitely get your wallet back."
Qiu Xiaoman was extremely grateful and replied, "Oh, thank you, officer. You should go now, I've gotten a stitch in my side and my stomach hurts."
Chen Jianjun quickly turned and ran out: "Don't rush, come out slowly. As long as I catch him, I will be waiting for you at the alley entrance, and we will go back to the police station together."
"Oh, thank you, officer!" Qiu Xiaoman hunched over, pressed her lower abdomen, and looked extremely pained.
Grey hesitated for a moment, intending to turn around and chase after him to continue the act, but then worried that it might be dangerous for its owner to be left alone inside to face the possible murderer. So it simply stepped into the pile of rubble at the base of the wall, let out a howl, and its leg became "limping".
Qiu Xiaoman wanted to laugh. This guy was quite shrewd; even his acting was superb.
She quickly squatted down and rubbed Grey's paws: "Silly dog, can't you see how messy it is here? Look at you, you've ruined your own paws, who's going to help me catch the thief now?"
"Awooo—" Gray Gray looked aggrieved, raised its front paws, and enjoyed its owner's massage service.
As they were speaking, a still-attractive middle-aged woman emerged from the asbestos-roofed shed behind them.
She had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, and willow-leaf eyebrows with a hint of worry, as if she had encountered some troubles.
On her unmade-up face, there were two slight nasolabial folds. Although time is merciless, it has been kind to her, making her look like she was in her early thirties.
She was dressed in clothes that seemed out of place in the environment: a high-quality woolen coat, genuine leather shoes, and gold earrings, a gold necklace, and a gold bracelet.
She was holding a bottle of disinfectant in her right hand, presumably applying medicine to someone, so even though she glanced at Qiu Xiaoman, she didn't check if Qiu Xiaoman was injured. Instead, she asked impatiently, "What's wrong with you? Why are you catching a thief in my house?"
"Auntie, isn't this all outdoors? Doesn't your house have a roof?" Qiu Xiaoman asked, looking completely bewildered.
Before the woman could speak, the system started chattering: "Accomplice appearing! Accomplice appearing!"
What? There are accomplices too? Does Qiu Xiaoman's speculation still have flaws?
So how did this accomplice become an "accomplice"?
"That's right," Qiu Xiaoman suddenly realized. "There must be a reason why Fang Zhenhong went to Wang Kang's house, right?"
Although Fang Zhenhong was assigned by Captain Zou to investigate the watch factory case, if Fang Zhenhong went to Wang Kang's house with a search warrant, the criminal investigation team couldn't possibly not know.
But even after she returned, the clues were still focused on Fang Zhenhong's suspected suicide, and they hadn't even found the primary crime scene.
In other words, the criminal police were unaware that Fang Zhenhong was at Wang Kang's house before his death.
There are only two possibilities then. First, Fang Zhenhong took the initiative to approach Wang Kang, soliciting bribes to help cover up the electronics factory case. Second, Wang Kang knew that Fang Zhenhong was investigating him, and in order to protect himself, he tried to trick Fang Zhenhong into coming to his home.
As for whether Wang Kang intended to kill from the beginning, that's hard to say. Perhaps he only wanted to negotiate at first, but the negotiations broke down, and that's when he decided to kill.
Perhaps he never intended to leave any survivors, or perhaps this was a task assigned by Liu Yuandou.
Therefore, the method used to lure Fang Zhenhong is worth pondering.
Judging from the woman's appearance, it's highly likely a honey trap.
In that instant, Qiu Xiaoman had already pieced together most of the details of the case in her mind.
She pretended to be clueless, tilting her head and looking at the woman with a blank expression.
The woman couldn't refute her question, but said impatiently, "This is right in front of my house. How can my patient rest if you keep making so much noise? Didn't a thief climb over the wall? You'd better leave."
Qiu Xiaoman squeezed out two tears, feeling wronged: "But Auntie, I have a stitch, my stomach hurts, and I might be getting my period. Do you have any brown sugar water? Can I buy you a bowl of water? Auntie, you're a woman too, please have pity on me. I'm an orphan, and I came to Beidu to work all by myself. My wallet was stolen as soon as I got off the train. I'll come back to pay for the brown sugar water after I get my wallet from the police station."
Helpless, the woman turned around and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, wait here, I'll pour you some. Drink it and then leave. I don't want your money."
Qiu Xiaoman brazenly moved a few steps toward her door. In the cramped and oppressive doorway, she could vaguely see a plank bed, on which lay a burly man with his back to the door, his features obscured.
However, this did not affect the system's scan. The little system screamed: "The culprit has appeared! The culprit has appeared! Host, you have to be careful, don't overact and arouse his suspicion."
Qiu Xiaoman was relieved; it seemed she hadn't gone to the wrong place.
Then she can just drink at the entrance; there's no need to move any further inside. As for why there was a man's scent in the wind earlier—just look at the bandages lying outside the asbestos shed, and you'll find the answer.
Qiu Xiaoman took the bowl of water, forced herself to drink two sips, pretended to have a stomachache, and handed the bowl to the woman, saying painfully, "Auntie, you're so kind. Good people get good rewards. Thank you, Auntie. I'll go to the police station and come to your home to thank you later."
"I said no, hurry up and go, hurry up and go." The woman impatiently helped her up and took her to the tin gate. When she saw that the tin gate had fallen down, she was very angry, but she was afraid of causing any further trouble, so she did not make a scene.
After Qiu Xiaoman slowly made her way to the corner of the alley, the woman spat and cursed, "Blind little bitch, ptooey!"
At the alley entrance, Qiu Xiaoman was already on the phone with Captain Zou. She accurately gave him the address of the asbestos-roofed shed, asking him to have the household registration officer check who lived there and, incidentally, investigate their social relationships to see if any of their relatives matched the man described by Xique Lele.
She then called Shen Qinghuai and asked him to ask Lao Qu if he had seen Wang Kang's ex-wife go upstairs on the night of the incident.
Shen Qinghuai was completely bewildered: "How can you be sure that person is his ex-wife?"
Qiu Xiaoman's reasoning was quite sound: "A man like him, who lives in a mansion when he's rich, would have a woman living in such a place to take care of him. What woman would be foolish enough to do that? Unless it's for the sake of the child."
Shen Qinghuai thought it made sense and had to admit that his daughter was really smart.
He then asked if there was anything else he needed to ask.
At this critical juncture, Qiu Xiaoman could no longer hide anything, so she simply described the appearance of the man who dumped the body and asked Shen Qinghuai to ask Lao Qu if he had seen this person entering or leaving the community.
Shen Qinghuai vaguely recognized this person, but couldn't remember where he had seen him before, so he quickly went to verify it.
He called back quickly. That night, Wang Kang and his ex-wife had both come back. As for the others, Lao Qu didn't know which floor they had gone to, so they couldn't provide any useful clues.
However, one thing is certain: Wang Kang's ex-wife arrived first. During that time, other people were coming and going at the elevator entrance, but Lao Qu didn't notice. Wang Kang didn't return until more than half an hour later.
As for the man with unusually large eyes and a fierce appearance, Lao Qu had never seen him; he fell asleep before ten o'clock.
Qiu Xiaoman understood. It was probably a honey trap arranged by Wang Kang. He would have the woman seduce Fang Zhenhong, then Wang Kang would rush in to catch them in the act, using that as leverage to force Fang Zhenhong to give up investigating him.
Now, it's time to make the arrests; the search warrant can be obtained later.
Qiu Xiaoman looked at the unhappy Fang Jiadong: "Go quickly, let Mingming lead the way, you and Chen Jianjun go to the asbestos tile shed to arrest people, both men and women."
Fang Zhenhong didn't expect to be proven wrong so quickly.
This Xiao Qiu not only found the murderer, but he found two of them?
That's outrageous! He was a little unconvinced and asked, "And what about you?"
"I'll go keep watch over the wall to prevent them from realizing what's happening and escaping by climbing over it." Qiu Xiaoman called to Huihui and urged, "Hurry up, I'm not sure if my acting is up to par, we can't let them get away."
As expected, Qiu Xiaoman was right. When Chen Jianjun and Fang Jiadong went in, the woman was helping a man who had difficulty walking, preparing to leave.
Mingming rushed up and started barking wildly at the man.
Chen Jianjun took out a pair of handcuffs and took them away.
This suspect was found by a registered police dog, so even if the paperwork is completed later, it will be very simple.
When Captain Zou received the news, he was overjoyed.
Xiao Qiu is really something! He found two murderers so quickly. Now only the man who disposed of the body is still missing.
The household registration police needed time to investigate the files, and it was estimated that it would take quite a while. However, Captain Zou was very anxious and paced back and forth in the office.
I've got it. Let's check with the prison guards to see if they have any records of this man. If someone like him dares to help others dispose of a body, he's likely to help others do other bad things. He's probably been in prison before.
Soon, news came from the prison guards that there was indeed such a person: "He was imprisoned for three years for forcing women to have sex, and was only released last April. I don't know where he went after his release."
"What's your name?"
"Liu Gengnong".
"Surname Liu?" Captain Zou immediately stood up, racking his brain for the Liu family members he knew, but there was no such person. Strange, where did he come from?
Is it a coincidence?
The other side doesn't know either.
After hanging up the phone, Captain Zou picked it up again and called Qiu Xiaoman: "Xiao Qiu, quickly ask Liu Kun if the Liu family has a relative named Liu Gengnong, even if it's a distant relative."
Qiu Xiaoman had never heard of this person either; he wasn't on the list that Shen Tenglong had compiled for her.
She quickly dialed Liu Kun's number, but no one answered.
That's strange. Is he busy with company matters? Has Liu Yuandou decided to value him?
Or... did Liu Yuandou find out that he betrayed Liu Yuandou?
In short, it's definitely not normal that he hasn't called her for two days!
Regardless of which one it was, Qiu Xiaoman didn't have time to verify it. The most urgent task was to find this Liu Gengnong.
She decided to take a gamble. She looked at the proud and spirited Grey Grey and said, "Let's go to the Yongding River."
Go to the body disposal site! If there are no clues there, then go to Fang Zhenhong's house, or Liu Kun's place, or find Zhou Wang. Isn't he a gambler? Doesn't he often go to Liu's casino? Maybe he knows the man who disposed of the body!
There will always be clues somewhere! There definitely will be!
*
The basement of the Liu family mansion.
The dim chandelier swayed back and forth, and the man tied to the chair had his head hanging down, as if he had lost his breath.
In front of the chair stood a man in surgical scrubs, holding a long, thin, sharp ice pick in his hand. Blood dripped from the pick, the taste of a human being he had just tasted.
The man flicked the blood off the ice pick, then sneered as he grabbed the victim's chin: "Tell me, what exactly did you say to that guy surnamed Qiu?"
Liu Kun had been tortured beyond recognition; he gritted his teeth and refused to utter a single word.
Seeing this, the man, unable to vent his pent-up rage, had no choice but to bend down again and plunge the chilling ice spike into Liu Kun's inner thigh.
Liu Kun had already shouted until his voice was hoarse and he could no longer shout. His life was slipping away and his body temperature was dropping. He forced himself to lift his head and look in the direction of the basement door.
For some reason, when he was about to die, he actually hoped that someone would come to save him.
And this person turned out to be the village girl who had just come from the countryside and had only recently become a trainer.
He felt ridiculous; how could she have known he had been arrested?
She hates him so much, she should be happy not to receive his calls, and wouldn't suspect that something happened to him.
It was his carelessness that led him to discover that the little girl he rescued was being targeted by his older brother after leaving the police station.
The older brother tied up the child and tortured him until the child confessed to his crimes.
He couldn't blame the little girl for not being able to withstand his older brother's torture, nor could he blame himself for taking the risk to save her.
He didn't regret saving the little girl, nor did he regret betraying the Liu family's information and becoming a traitor.
He only regretted that he should have been more careful and struck first.
Officer Qiu had already warned him to leave the Liu family and not to take their money, but he said he needed to think about it some more.
Not only did he think about it, he also accepted the house and shop that Liu Yuandou bought. He knew perfectly well how much his brothers hated him; he was really courting death.
Now look what's happened, I'm about to lose my life, it's truly a case of one wrong step leading to eternal regret.
What I hate most is that I will never be able to see Officer Qiu again before I die, and I will never be able to properly, seriously, and formally apologize for his abruptness and offense when we first met.
Ugh, this devilish older brother is so annoying. When he didn't react, he started patting his cheek. How ridiculous! Does he think he can trample on his dignity like this?
No, what dignity does someone like him have? He was born a lowly wretch, ridiculed by those around him and despised by his own family.
He was superfluous, completely disliked. He was like a lesion, knowing full well that he was harmful, yet still craving to be around crowds.
Even the slightest bit of genuine feeling is enough to purify the dead cells in his body.
But no, nothing! The Liu family is all hypocrisy and backstabbing!
As his life drew to a close, the only genuine kindness he encountered came from Officer Qiu.
She genuinely loathed him and truly disliked him, yet she was willing to sincerely advise him and sternly reject him.
She had no pretense, only innocence. He liked her so much, so much that he subconsciously became a traitor to the Liu family, refusing to betray her even when facing death.
If only I could see her one more time, just one more time.
Even if she slaps him and calls him an idiot for not being able to protect himself, that would be good.
What a pity, what a pity. The ice pick pierced his flesh and blood, then slowly rubbed against his flesh and nerves, before gradually leaving his body.
Hot blood spurted out, staining the elder brother's face, but exciting his bloodthirsty heart.
The entire Liu family are perverts, they're all perverts!
Looking at the way his elder brother is so bloodthirsty, one can imagine just how many malignant tumors are hidden in Liu Yuandou's genes.
He is also the offspring of a cancer. He doesn't deserve to like Officer Qiu. He should really listen to Officer Qiu and leave as soon as possible.
I'm sorry, Officer Qiu, I can't provide you with any more clues. But that's fine, I won't bother you anymore. You can be happy, find someone you like, and spend the rest of your life with them.
His vision was stained red with blood, and Liu Kun's mind gradually became chaotic. He could barely hear his older brother's roar anymore.
"Dad even bought you a house! He specifically bought it near her courtyard house! What, you two really think I don't know your tricks? Say something!"
Unable to get a response, the angry man kicked the prisoner in the chair.
Just then, a piercing bark came from outside the door.
A hoarse, gruff old man warned, "Boss, hide! There's a mad dog! A mad dog! Ahh ...
Amid screams, the man named Liu Gengnong was surrounded and attacked by Xiaohua and Xiaobai, led by Huihui. He quickly fell to the ground, his arm was bitten, and his clothes were torn. In the chaos, he could only cover his face and neck to protect his vitals.
The man in the basement stopped the torture, turned around, grabbed a gun from the operating table, loaded it, and rushed out the door.
"Bang—"
"Bang—"
Some people fell, while others rushed in.
Liu Kun knew nothing, only that his ears were ringing and his eyelids felt incredibly heavy, making it impossible for him to lift them even slightly.
He was going to die, probably shot. Sure enough, the next second, he heard another gunshot.
"Bang—"
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