Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Did you pass by the criminal? ...
One o'clock in the morning.
Silihe.
A white Alto was parked on an empty roadside lot. Although the doors and windows were tightly closed, suggestive moans could still be heard coming from the crack of the door.
In the narrow car, the man closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, then patted the girl's face, pinched her waist, and moved her from his body to the passenger seat next to him.
The girl's face flushed and she lowered her head embarrassedly to adjust her clothes.
"My sister said that we're not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet, so we can't kiss or... even if we were boyfriend and girlfriend, a girl's chastity is very important. You haven't said what we'll do in the future..."
"There will be a future." The man fastened the last buckle of his belt and pinched the girl's cheek. "Isn't it good to bring you out of the countryside and live in the city?"
"That's good, but..." the girl lowered her head and said hesitantly, "How many more years do we have to wait?"
"It's almost done. Once I finish this, I have to finish it..." The man took a deep breath, pulled a bill from his pocket, and stuffed it into her hand. "Take this. This is your pay for today."
"...Do we really have to go?" the girl started crying. "I'm scared!"
"Tunan, why are you so timid? This isn't the first time!"
"I..." A huge tear flowed from Li Tunan's eyes and dripped onto the back of the man's hand. "Huo Zongping took me to the police station that day, and the city police also questioned me. If I'm caught again, then I will..."
"You're just spreading rumors outside, you're not really coming in with me!" the man pleaded, "It's okay. If they had evidence, they would have arrested you last time... Don't be afraid, be good. Once I finish this, we'll leave Jiangtan together!"
Li Tunan looked into his eyes and nodded after a while.
"……good."
*
On Monday morning, Comrade Xiao Ji arrived at the office early after having a pleasant weekend shopping with his sisters.
He opened the window for ventilation, filled two kettles with boiling water, wet a rag and wiped the table clean. Then, while eating Ms. Lian's multi-grain pancakes, he sorted out the case materials on the table and chatted with Xiao Wu and Cheng Mo who came in to work one after another about their ideas for handling the case and the progress of the preparations for the competition.
I originally thought that there might not be any new progress in the Buddha head theft case until after the Chinese New Year.
Unexpectedly, there was a commotion downstairs, and the sirens blared all over the city.
Ji Yinhe's heart suddenly skipped a beat. What big thing happened?
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Tang Ci kicked open the door and strode in with an anxious look on his face.
"Command center just received a call this morning," he said succinctly and seriously. "The city museum was robbed... Everyone, leave immediately!"
"……ah?!"
The city museum was just built last year. It is equipped with infrared alarms and uses 24-hour security technology, which was all reported in the newspapers.
How could someone rob a place that is more heavily guarded than their city police station?
Moreover, the museum has recently held a large-scale exhibition, which displays priceless national treasures!
Xiao Wu and Cheng Mo were still standing there in a daze. Ji Yinhe was the first to come to his senses. He ran next door to call Ye Qing and the forensic team, then picked up his bag and hurried out.
The rest of the people gradually reacted and rushed downstairs with the main group.
The entire Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Municipal Bureau was mobilized, all the cars were called out, and lined up in a long line in the yard, with everyone's face showing an anxious expression.
Ji Yinhe, Xiao Wu and Cheng Mo jumped into the big jeep in tacit understanding and listened to Tang Ci, who was sitting in the driver's seat, explaining the case.
"We received a call at 7am this morning and discovered that the victim was a museum security guard. The windows of the museum's first-floor exhibition hall were broken and the glass display cases were slid open. We initially determined that more than ten cultural relics were stolen."
"...The exhibition hall on the first floor, isn't that the Ming and Qing Dynasty Life Exhibition that Ye Qing and I visited yesterday?" Ji Yinhe frowned. "There's a national treasure-level bronze candlestick with a fairy fortune. Could that be the criminal's target?"
"Yeah." Tang Ci nodded briefly. "Just now, when I was in Director Rao's office, the comrades from the branch office and the police station rushed over to take inventory. The bronze candlestick is indeed missing."
Ji Yinhe's heart sank, and the introduction to the exhibits he saw yesterday came to his mind.
"Unearthed during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty... from the tomb of a Qing Dynasty prime minister..."
Could it be that the person who stole the museum and the person who stole the Buddha head are the same person?
Xiao Wu hugged the back of the front seat and asked in confusion, "Captain Tang, is the alarm system at the Municipal Museum just for show? Why isn't it going off?"
Cheng Mo also asked, "Yeah, where's the security guard? He's sleeping so soundly? Could it be that the thief has superb martial arts skills and can fly over rooftops and walls?" Tang Ci shook his head slowly, "I don't know how the criminal did it yet."
Cheng Mo let out a deep sigh.
"Looking at the current situation, the provincial department has asked the city to set up a command center. Director Rao and several deputy directors will all be here soon. We must follow their orders and start the investigation." Tang Ci gripped the steering wheel and drove towards the heavily congested street.
The scene in front of the museum was even grander than they had imagined. Not only were there criminal police from the Municipal Bureau, but also elite officers from various branches, traffic police brigades, and public security brigades.
Team leader Shi Yun invited professional talents from the Cultural and Tourism Bureau, the Institute of Archaeology, and the History Department.
The cold wind was blowing and snowflakes were floating in the sky.
Hundreds of people in neat uniforms stood in the square, which was full of children laughing and talking yesterday, and waited with their heads held high for Director Rao's orders.
"...According to current market valuations, the total value of the stolen treasures exceeds 10 million yuan." Director Rao's voice was low, but his expression and tone were more majestic than anything Ji Yinhe had ever seen. "Comrades, this is the largest cultural relic theft case in our city, and even our province. I won't say much, but please make every effort to solve the case as soon as possible, return the cultural relics intact, and create a safe and orderly living environment for the people!!"
"yes!"
The people below the stage were quickly divided into groups according to their functions. Ji Yinhe looked in the direction of Director Rao in the crowd, hoping to find an opportunity to point out the similarities between the Buddha head case and this case, but was called back by Tang Ci.
"Our team will be working with the technical investigators and experts from the Cultural and Tourism Bureau to inspect the scene in the exhibition hall." Tang Ci, hands on his hips, assigned tasks. "Xiao Ji and Xiao Wu, go and find out the details of the lost cultural relics. Cheng Mo, come with me to investigate why the infrared alarm didn't go off."
"good!"
When Ji Yinhe turned around again, Director Rao had disappeared. She had no choice but to put her speculation aside for the time being and followed everyone into the museum to search for clues.
The exhibition hall was in a mess, with broken glass and velvet cloth originally used to wrap the artifacts scattered all over the floor.
The tour guide was the same one from yesterday, squatting on the ground with a look of grief on his face.
"This is a national treasure borrowed from the imperial capital! There's only one in the world, and the remaining one hasn't seen the light of day yet. I didn't expect..."
"Comrade, please don't be sad." Ji Yinhe squatted down and spoke to her gently, "Why don't you tell us the specific situation of the collection so that we can get it back as soon as possible."
The instructor sobbed and handed over the notebook in his arms. "This is the record of my training in the capital. You can read it for yourself."
Xiao Wu was flipping through the documents in a hurry, and Ji Yinhe's calm eyes quickly swept across the pages.
This candlestick stands 64 centimeters tall and consists of a fairy statue, a stand-up candlestick, and a base. The guide meticulously documented each component, even noting weathering and corrosion flaws as small as sesame seeds.
Also included below are a few photos of the menorah taken from various angles.
"Thank you. Can we borrow your notes and photos for a few days?" Ji Yinhe asked politely. "We will return them to you in their original condition after the case is closed."
The tour guide nodded.
"Xiao Wu, quickly find someone to make a few hundred copies of the photos and distribute them to the various branches and police stations. Don't let go of the surrounding counties and cities either. It would be best if you could fax a copy to the famous antique markets in the imperial capital. If the criminal wants to conduct a transaction, we should rush to the scene as soon as possible."
Xiao Wu patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me!"
Ji Yinhe went to see several other stolen cultural relics and conveyed the situation to the grassroots level.
After finishing the job, he nimbly jumped out of the exhibition hall window.
Outside was a green belt facing the street. Tang Ci and Cheng Mo were standing under the wall, studying the infrared alarm above the window.
"The door lock of the exhibition hall is intact, but there are broken glass on the ground, and the steel bars on this window are also broken." Cheng Mo summarized to Ji Yinhe, "It can be seen that the thief climbed over the wall and entered the exhibition hall from here."
"... Logically, the alarm should have sounded immediately if someone broke in..." Tang Ci stretched out his hand, waving it over and over amid the beeping. "It seems to be working fine now, so why did it malfunction last night?"
The security guards shook their heads silently.
Tang Ci was a little excited, "Are you all asleep? You can't have heard anything, right?"
After a few seconds of silence, a security guard hummed softly, "Officer, I was alone here last night. I... I didn't expect there would be thieves. It was late at night and cold, so it was hard not to take a nap..."
Tang Ci pinched his brows, "Didn't your museum say that there are dedicated staff on duty 24 hours a day—"
"When we were recruiting, they said this was an easy job. How could anyone steal in a museum?" the security guard muttered. "You can't really blame us for being careless. We don't get any training, and we don't have the equipment you have. Even if someone falls asleep, there's still an alarm... Who could have imagined thieves were so resourceful?"
"Okay, got it."
Tang Ci was a little discouraged. If the security guard was unprofessional, he could just hold him accountable afterwards. But it was unbelievable that eight alarms did not sound at the same time.
Could it be that the thief has three heads and six arms and can cover all the alarms at the same time?
"...Captain Tang, Old Cheng, what is this?"
Comrade Xiao Ji climbed back into the exhibition hall from the window, lowered his head and asked a question.
Cheng Mo stretched his head and glanced at the floor. "Flannel cloth is used to wrap exhibits. Aren't there plenty of it in the display cabinet?"
"No, I just checked the number of stolen exhibits and velvet cloth with Xiao Wu. These pieces of cloth by the window are clearly extra."
Ji Yinhe picked up one piece each, held them on his fingertips, and rubbed them slowly for a few times.
"Old Cheng, during the Lijing Nightclub case, I watched Teacher Lu compare and examine the curtain fabric and the fibers in Baimei's fingernails. I learned a little bit from him... Although these two pieces of fabric look very similar, they are definitely not from the same batch. The fabric used to wrap the exhibits is heavier, the flocking is denser, and the base fabric is thicker. If you don't believe me, come and feel it!"
Cheng Mo took it and weighed it, "It's really different!"
Comrade Xiao Ji quickly told Tang Ci about this important discovery.
A group of people picked out all the unusual velvet cloths, spread them on the ground, and let the technical investigation personnel take pictures.
"...If these were brought in by the prisoners, what was their purpose?" Ji Yinhe muttered to himself, "Eight pieces of cloth, all red... Could it be that they were using these pieces of cloth to block the eight infrared alarms, rendering them inoperable?"
"Don't guess, try it first."
The tall and strong Tang Ci and Cheng Mo each picked up a piece, climbed up the ladder to cover the alarm with the cloth, and waved their arms again.
Unexpectedly, this time, the "beep beep beep" sound really did not appear again!
The police officers who were still confused gave thumbs up.
"Amazing! Detective Jiangtan has found the key again." Tang Ci jumped down with a plop and couldn't help but praise him. "I'll report the results to Director Rao right away!"
"I'll go with you!" Ji Yinhe laughed and chased after him.
The task force headquarters borrowed a small office at the museum's gatehouse for the leaders in charge to analyze the case.
Amid the ringing of the telephone, Rao was just listening to Ye Qing and several technical detectives from the police stations reporting on the physical evidence.
"...There are thousands of traces inside and outside the exhibition hall alone. There was an event here yesterday, and the cleaners didn't have time to clean up in the middle of the night," Ye Qing said softly. "We can only focus on the glass fragments. Preliminary inference is that there are at least three or four fingerprints of varying sizes and shapes on them. We still need to compare them with those found by museum staff. The final results will take at least three days."
Trace inspections were difficult in a place like this with so many people coming and going. This was expected. Director Rao nodded calmly and asked, "Where are the footprints?"
"We only found half a shoe print on the window. Based on the size of the sole, we preliminarily determined it to be a male's. We have already extracted it and are waiting to compare it with common shoe soles on the market when we get back."
"Well, you did a great job. Let's go back to the Municipal Bureau." Director Rao nodded and looked at Tang Ci and Ji Yinhe standing next to him. "What's the situation over there?"
Tang Ci reported Comrade Xiao Ji's discovery.
"Cover it with a cloth. I even found a cloth that looks almost identical to the one in the display case..." Rao took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and pointed at Ji Yinhe. "Tell me, haven't you been reading foreign case files recently? What do you think?"
Tang Ci knew that Director Rao was trying to assess whether Ji She was qualified to be the deputy captain, so he stood by with bated breath, not saying a word.
Comrade Xiao Ji was also not modest. He lowered his head and thought for two seconds before saying:
"Judging from his modus operandi, the criminal was quite clever. He had scouted the location in advance and carefully considered the details of the display case lining, the alarm blocking device, and the entry point to the exhibition hall. This is definitely not his first crime."
"Um."
"His target is very clear: the most precious national treasure in the entire exhibition hall - the Fortune Fairy Candlestick. I think he must be someone who is very knowledgeable about cultural relics. If he is not after money, then he has a passion for a specific history and culture."
Director Rao nodded slowly, with deep praise in his eyes.
"... Director Rao, I think this case could be combined with several cultural relic theft cases I'm currently investigating." Ji Yinhe struck while the iron was hot, expressing the thought that had been lingering in his mind for days. "You said last time that the evidence wasn't sufficient, but considering the national treasure candlesticks this time are almost all Ming Dynasty artifacts, and the time period is very recent, the criminal psychological profile is almost the same... The possibility that they are the same culprit is very high!"
"..." Rao just stood up and thought for two seconds before speaking, "The other leaders of the task force may not agree."
A hint of loss flashed across Ji Yinhe's face, but it brightened up after Director Rao's second half of the sentence.
"--However, there's no better way to solve the case right now, so why not give it a try?" Rao Zhenghao laughed and knocked on the table. "Let's merge the cases. If anyone wants to offer suggestions... let them come to me!"
*
With the director's approval, Officer Xiao Ji quickly took out all the information on the Buddha head case and all the Ming and Qing Dynasty cultural relics theft cases in the past ten years, and selflessly distributed copies to the entire task force.
The Serious Crime Team led the supporting police officers from the branch and police station to visit and investigate clues based on the common points extracted by Ji Yinhe after the cases were merged.
Shi Yun brought four teams of police officers and experts from the archaeological institute to look for potential buyers in the market.
The trace detection team Ye Qing was in worked hard in the laboratory for several days to extract physical evidence and traces left by the criminals.
The museum theft was a major case and soon spread to every corner of Jiangtan.
Even Huo Zongping called to inquire about the case, but was blocked by Comrade Xiao Ji on the grounds that "it is inconvenient to disclose".
Mr. Ji and Ms. Lian felt sorry for their daughter working overtime, so they delivered five delicious meals to the Municipal Bureau every day without fail.
Let everyone eat the freshest and most delicious food whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea or midnight snack.
After several days and nights of fighting.
The first case analysis meeting on the national treasure theft case was held in the largest conference room of the Municipal Bureau.
This analysis meeting was different from previous ones. There were more than 200 people in the task force. The conference room was full and they couldn't fit in, so they even had to stand in the corridor.
Ye Qing, who was named by Rao to be the first to make a trace inspection report, took a deep breath and looked at the dark crowd in front of him. His calves trembled a little.
"Don't be afraid." Cheng Mo's steady and calm voice came from behind, "I'm always behind you."
"It's okay, it's okay!" Comrade Xiao Ji gently pinched her fingers. "There are a lot of people, but you can imagine them all as cabbages in your mind!"
Ye Qing let out a breath and immediately felt as if she had taken a reassurance pill.
"...a total of 109 pieces of physical evidence and traces of 12 different types were recovered. Through analysis, we believe that the perpetrator who entered the exhibition hall was most likely a single male, with someone outside providing support. The number of such individuals is currently unknown."
There was a murmur in the huge conference room.
Someone asked: "Is there any other information? This is like looking for a needle in a haystack!"
Ye Qing quickly said, "Analyzing the shoe prints and gait, this person is about 1.78 meters tall, muscular, of medium build, around 25 years old, and wearing a pair of Warrior brand sneakers."
“…It’s still blurry!”
"Exactly. I've been waiting for days, thinking there must be some major breakthrough!"
"How can we catch people like this? We're just blind..."
Ye Qing took a step back timidly, and felt a pair of soft and slender hands holding her left hand that was hanging empty by her side.
Comrade Xiao Ji's palm radiated constant warmth, giving her the strength to stand firm.
"Alright!" Director Rao, sitting at the head of the group, looked around and said, "This is the state of the technology right now. If anyone is dissatisfied, go to the lab and stay up all night!"
As soon as he spoke, everyone immediately quieted down.
Director Rao pointed at Tang Ci and said, "Tell me about the results of your investigation and visit."
Tang Ci walked to the front and with a "crash", pulled out the large blackboard that had been prepared long ago.
"The museum has been very busy these days, and many people are willing to provide clues, but most of the information is useless, making it difficult to determine which one is relevant to the case. Many clues need further exploration... However, I think there are two that deserve everyone's attention."
He tapped the first line on the blackboard and said aloud:
"A sanitation worker reported that, in the middle of the night on the day of the incident, while getting sanitary ware to clean the streets, he saw a white car approaching from the Silihe area and parked on the main road next to the museum's exterior wall. Fearing the driver might be drunk, he shone his flashlight inside the car and discovered a young couple... being intimate. He immediately left. When he returned with the sanitary ware, the car had vanished."
Someone asked: "What brand of car is it? Does it have a license plate number?"
Tang Ci shook his head. "The sanitation workers were afraid of disturbing their good deeds, so they left immediately without paying attention to the details."
Everyone: “…”
After a few seconds, Tang Ci continued with the second point:
"Museum staff and security said that the exhibition had been running for three months, and a young man had visited it three times. The first time, he came alone, specifically to see the Ming and Qing Dynasty life exhibition. The second time, he brought a young woman with him. Because the museum was closed to the public due to a special event that morning, the two of them walked around the museum square twice before leaving. The third time, he was alone again, just the day before the incident, and he also visited the Ming and Qing Dynasty life exhibition."
Tang Ci and Xiao Wu just got this clue from the museum this morning and haven't had time to share it with other members of the team.
When Ji Yinhe and Ye Qing heard this, they were both stunned and exchanged surprised glances.
The day before the incident, they were also in the museum!
——Did they just pass by the criminal at that time?
"Captain Tang, I have a question!" An expert from the Institute of Archaeology raised his hand and asked, "With so many people visiting the museum, why are the staff so impressed by this person?"
"Because he claimed to be a university professor," Tang Ci replied, "He was carrying a messenger bag with the words Handong University printed on it."
“…” Ji Yinhe’s pupils trembled.
Isn't this the person who hit the little boy? !
"Director Rao, Captain Tang, all the leaders and colleagues!" She suddenly stood up and shouted in front of everyone's gaze, "The day before the incident, forensic doctor Ye Qing and I were also at the museum. We also saw this young man with a messenger bag who claimed to be a university professor!"
The conference room was in an uproar. All the leaders at the top straightened up and started asking questions like a machine gun.
"Do you remember his exact appearance?"
"Are there any distinctive features?"
"Any other details?"
Several days have passed and I can't remember his specific appearance. I only remember that he seemed amiable but was actually gloomy and cold.
However, Comrade Xiao Ji tried hard to recall the situation that day, and still recalled some clues, so he replied loudly:
"This person left in a hurry, in a hurry to leave... Director Rao, comrades, I remember it clearly. He said he was going to attend a seminar, probably related to history and culture!"
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