Chapter 18 Chapter 18 The little one caught between the captain and the expert...
Who is this man?
—Suspect? Witness? Could it be the deceased’s boyfriend?
Several thoughts flashed through Tang Ci's mind in an instant, and the next second, they were interrupted by Rao Ju who appeared panting.
"Yes, Mr. Lu, this is Captain Tang Citang of the Jiangtan City Police Department's Serious Crime Squad. That's Ji Yinhe, a trainee police officer who just graduated this year!"
The old man hadn't had time to change into his police uniform. He was sweating profusely from running in his baggy polo shirt. He took a breath and then grabbed the young man, introducing him. "Xiao Tang, Xiao Ji, this is Mr. Lu Zheng, whom I invited from the provincial department to help. Don't be fooled by his youth; he's quite capable. He's a trace expert who teaches at the Public Security University and has even studied abroad!"
Lu Zheng put his hands in his trouser pockets and stretched out his hand leisurely, "Hello, Captain Tang Ci Tang."
Tang Ci: “…”
He shook the hand very perfunctorily, "Hello, Mr. Lu Zheng."
Ji Yinhe couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Look at what I introduced!" Rao slapped his head. "Tang Ci, Lu Zheng, except for Xiao Ji and me, everyone else has a two-character name, hahahaha!"
No one answered and the atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Rao just closed his mouth at the right time and gave Ji Yinhe a wink.
Xiao Ji, who was entrusted with an important task, immediately went up to him and said, "Hello, Mr. Lu. I have read the book you wrote!"
Lu Zheng casually curled the corners of his lips, "Hello, Comrade Xiao Ji."
There was a hint of displeasure in Tang Ci's eyes. He grabbed Rao Zhenghao's arm and pulled him to a corner not far away.
"What's going on? Where's Old Tian?" He asked in a low voice, "Who is this guy?"
If he were to be honest, Tang Ci had no prejudice against Lu Zheng.
It’s just that those people in the provincial department are not like the grassroots police officers who are on the front line all year round, especially the experts and professors at the Public Security University, who sit in the office all day long. Although they have solid theoretical knowledge, it is all just talk.
Just last year, a small leader from a provincial department was assigned to work at the Tiandu County Bureau. On the day of reporting, he happened to encounter a drowning case. When the person was pulled out, he had become a giant in a state of decay - the person vomited violently on the spot and almost destroyed the body and the scene. This joke spread throughout the entire Handong Province!
So he was really surprised that Yue Ji Yinhe would appear in the compressor factory last year and could calmly chat with Ye Qing amidst the stench of corpses.
Rao just happened to slap the hand that was clamped on his arm away. "I'm your leader! Don't be so disrespectful!...Old Tian retired, and Teacher Lu took over last night. I was planning to announce it at a meeting this morning, but who could have imagined you would quietly murder me!"
"What do you mean by framing a murder case for you? I didn't kill the person..." Tang Ci laughed angrily and retorted, "Besides, why did Lao Tian retire? I remember him clearly..."
"What do you remember? Are you the director or am I the director? How can you remember as clearly as I do?" Rao Zhenghao rolled his eyes at him. "We're short of technical personnel here. Even Ye Qing was transferred here from the branch by me. I can't possibly compete with the lower-ups for the trace inspection position, can I?"
Tang Ci took a deep breath and turned his head to look.
Lu Zheng seemed to have no interest in their conversation at all, staring at the coagulated bloodstains on the ground with boredom.
Comrade Xiao Ji stood aside respectfully, his eyes full of enthusiasm.
"This guy looks lazy and has even been abroad. Can he do it?" He didn't realize that there was a hint of anger in his tone. "Old Tian works a little slowly, but he's a local from Jiangtan after all."
His words showed his distrust of Lu Zheng.
"I assure you, Teacher Lu is absolutely a sharp weapon in our public security team!" Director Rao raised his wrist. "I fought with neighboring Dengzhou for a long time to get him here. You can use him with confidence... Oh, it's 7:30! I have to go. I have a meeting at the Political and Legal Affairs Commission this morning."
Tang Ci wiped his face and watched Rao get into the police car waiting on the roadside.
He walked back and nodded reluctantly to Lu Zheng.
"Okay, Mr. Lu Zheng, I'll be troubling you from now on." He took out a pair of gloves from his bag and stuffed them into Ji Yinhe's pocket. "Today's case involved a fall from a building. Homicide cannot be ruled out yet. Comrade Ji has already explained the details, right?"
Lu Zheng hummed.
"This nightclub is a mess. Xiao Ji and I will go upstairs to check out the situation. How about you... just find a shady spot downstairs? If there's any unusual physical evidence, we'll bring it down for you to examine."
After Tang Ci finished speaking, he stepped onto the first step of the fire escape.
Halfway up the mountain, I unexpectedly discovered Lu Zheng carrying an appraisal box, with a calm expression, following quietly at the back.
Ji Yinhe, who was walking in the middle, rolled his eyes around, looking up and down. He clearly felt that there was an undercurrent between the captain and the new expert, and it seemed that they were not getting along.
Tang Ci stopped and turned around.
"Teacher Lu, although you are from the provincial department, I am the captain of the first team. I hope you can obey my orders."
Lu Zheng remained calm, raised one eyebrow slightly, and showed no intention of backing down.
Ji Yinhe had no choice but to smooth things over.
"Captain, there's no way the trace investigators wouldn't go to the scene!"
She looked at Expert Lu again, "But Captain Tang is right. He's worried that you won't be able to adapt to the scene. Fortunately, the body has been sent back to the Municipal Bureau. If you feel any discomfort, please evacuate immediately."
Tang Ci snorted coldly, turned around and continued to go upstairs. Lu Zheng raised his face and smiled at her soullessly.
Ji Yinhe: “…”
Although it is difficult to be sandwiched in the middle, these eyebrows and eyes look so delicate and beautiful when smiling!
In the blink of an eye, three pairs of long legs reached the rooftop of Lijing Nightclub.
It's not as grand as it looks below. There are messy footprints scattered on the dirty ground. The neon sign is welded to the outer wall with a steel frame. The back is covered with messy wires and inspection ports, like ugly reptiles.
The three of them walked towards the place where Bai Mei fell.
There was no protection at the edge of the roof, only a knee-high cast iron railing, which was severely rusted by the sun and rain. The joints were loose and it was shaky, and it creaked in the wind.
Falling from here seems to be a very easy thing.
Ji Yinhe walked straight over and looked down impatiently.
Tang Ci yelled, "Danger, come back!"
Ji Yinhe curled his lips and stopped obediently one step away from the edge.
Tang Ci held up the Seagull camera to take pictures, while Lu Zheng quietly walked to the most dangerous railing and squatted down.
He rolled up his cuffs to his elbows, revealing his toned arms, then opened the appraisal box and pulled out a pair of light and thin gloves.
Ji Yinhe looked down at her knitted work gloves, then at the thing on his hand, and asked curiously, "Teacher Lu, what are you wearing? It's so thin, won't it break?"
"Disposable medical latex gloves." Lu Zheng glanced at her and replied, "They are quite expensive, so the municipal bureau usually doesn't distribute them. If you go to the provincial department—"
"Xiao Ji is from Jiangtan and will not go to the provincial capital." Tang Ci interrupted coldly.
Lu Zheng shrugged and took out something that looked like a monocular telescope from the appraisal box.
Ji Yinhe stared at his operations without blinking.
"This is called a portable microscope." Lu Zheng saw her curiosity and explained in a gentle voice.
Tang Ci smiled wryly, "It's only issued by the provincial government, right?"
Lu Zheng slowly inspected the railing before standing up and answering, "Neither did the provincial department. I saw their technical center using it while I was studying abroad, so I suggested that the Public Security University introduce it."
Tang Ci: “…”
Ji Yinhe rubbed her hands. Lu Zheng’s appraisal box was simply a treasure chest. She really wanted to know what new things were inside!
Maybe there will be some former Soviet Union black technology like the five-fold folding device!
However, Lu Zheng did not take out any other magic weapon again. After making a simple record, he put away the microscope and gloves.
"Anyone can get up the fire escape, so this is fine." He snapped the lid shut. "Since suicide has been ruled out, I think the key is to investigate the nightclub."
Ji Yinhe also thought so. After all, based on Su Yue’s experience and the note given to her, the people here and the relationship between them are crucial links in solving the case.
Tang Ci instinctively wanted to refute.
"Are you sure you've checked everything?" His face was as cold as ice. "I don't want to have to come back and do it all over again halfway through my investigation."
Lu Zheng said calmly, "Captain Tang, if I remember correctly, you just wanted to bring the 'abnormal evidence' down to me for inspection."
Tang Ci stared at the other person and took a deep breath, as if he was suppressing the anger in his chest.
Comrade Xiao Ji, who was smart and quick-witted, began to rack his brains, preparing to start the second round of smoothing things over, when he suddenly heard Xiao Wu's voice calling from downstairs.
"...Captain Tang! Lao Che and Brother Cheng are here!"
"Okay, we'll come down right away." Tang Ci retracted his gaze, took big strides, and trotted down the fire escape.
Two minutes later, the three people downstairs looked at the young man who jumped down from the last step, and their eyes widened at the same time.
"Lu Zheng, Director Rao invited an expert from the provincial department. Old Tian has retired," Tang Ci introduced him in a disapproving tone. "Che Zhiwen, deputy captain of the Serious Crime Squad One. Cheng Mo, pre-trial investigator. Xiao Wu, field investigator."
Che Zhiwen, Cheng Mo and Xiao Wu rushed to extend their hands.
"Hello, Expert Lu!"
"Nice to meet you!"
"Please give me your guidance!"
"Hello." Lu Zheng also shook hands and greeted them simply but politely.
"Alright, enough of the small talk." Tang Ci clapped his hands sternly. "Old Che Cheng Mo, you'll be in charge of questioning the nightclub manager later. Make sure you clarify the deceased Bai Mei's family situation and interpersonal relationships. Okay?"
"good."
Xiao Wu quietly poked Ji Yinhe's arm, "Why is Old Tang in a bad mood today?"
Ji Yinhe made a face at him.
Tang Ci turned around with a stern face and glanced at the remaining three people.
In order to help the leader solve the problem, Comrade Xiao Ji took the initiative to volunteer——
"Xiao Wu and Teacher Lu are not familiar with each other. How about I take Teacher Lu to the deceased's room to take a look? There must be a lot of physical evidence there that needs to be retrieved."
Unexpectedly, Tang Ci's face darkened twice more.
"Whatever you say, Xiao Wu, come with me and question the witness again."
After saying that, he walked towards the breakfast shop next door without looking back. Xiao Wu had no choice but to follow him with his neck shrunk and a constipated expression.
Comrade Ji Yinhe was left standing there with a bewildered look on his face.
"..."What on earth is Tang Ci angry about?
She shook her head, determined to focus all her attention on her work, and then she heard Lu Zheng say, "I have a few pairs of disposable latex gloves left in the car. If you want to use them, I'll go get them."
Ji Yinhe's eyes lit up.
"Okay, okay, please... I'll go with you!"
So she followed Lu Zheng to the roadside, thinking that the provincial department would provide the expert with a car, but he stopped in front of a bicycle.
Ji Yinhe looked at the extremely familiar Giant mountain bike with its striking red and yellow color scheme, and his forehead twitched.
"Is this your car?" She was speechless for a moment, not even using the word "you" and asked directly, "Why did you steal my car?"
"……steal?"
Lu Zheng was silent for two seconds, then raised his slender hand and pointed to the two inscribed characters in an inconspicuous place below the handlebar.
——LZ.
"Comrade Yinhe, are your initials also LZ? Or do you have a nickname?"
"..." Ji Yinhe felt his cheeks burning instantly, and cold sweat flowed down his back, "No, it's not..."
Just as she was praying that this was all just a coincidence, Lu Zheng said slowly in a pleasant voice:
"Oh, so it was you who rode away with my bike last month when I was directing work at the Jiangtan Municipal Bureau..."
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