Chapter 55 Chapter 55 A serial murder that shocked society...
Lantern Festival, four in the morning.
The last firework burned out, and the lively atmosphere of the New Year gradually dissipated with the backs of the departing tourists.
The Tongrong River on the outskirts of Jingzhou City was immersed in the darkness before dawn. A few crows circled in the treetops, making ominous "cawing" sounds.
Amidst the reed-covered wilderness, soft sounds were heard one after another.
"Click" "Click"——
The man's black rubber shoes stepped on the dead branches. The hem of his raincoat was soaked and fluttered in the wind, revealing a bulging black plastic bag.
He stopped at an empty shore, squatted down, picked up a piece of gravel, weighed it, then took out an old hemp rope from his raincoat pocket and tied the stone tightly to the bag.
The man stood up, looked around, then swung his arm and threw the plastic bag and the stone into the inky black river.
Then he turned and left quietly.
The plastic bag was pulled by the heavy rocks and fell to the bottom of the river at a high speed. The hemp rope floated with the waves, stretched and lengthened, and rubbed against the sharp edges of the gravel.
After a few rounds, the hemp rope suddenly broke.
A large fish swimming by seemed to have smelled something and rammed the plastic bag, which had lost its grip on the stone, several times.
The plastic bag was pushed by external force and suddenly floated upwards!
By the time it surfaced, it was already getting light, and it was drifting forward in the slow current.
Suddenly, a long iron hook stretched out, hooked the bag tightly, and dragged it to the shore.
The plastic cracked and a little bloody liquid flowed out from inside.
The old sanitation worker in the central park first suspected that he had seen it wrong, so he threw down the hook, rubbed his eyes and looked carefully.
After staring at the contents of the bag for a few seconds, he let out a terrified cry—
“Ahhhhhh!”
*
The green train rumbled into Jingzhou Station and stopped steadily at the platform.
The air valve made a "puff" sound, and the car door slowly opened. Comrade Xiao Ji was the first to rush out, holding a luggage bag in his left hand, pulling a suitcase with his right hand, and carrying a backpack on his back.
This was her second time back in Jingzhou. Unlike last time when she was simply excited and nervous, this time she was more looking forward to it—looking forward to solving more cases at the provincial department, catching more bad guys, and becoming a more powerful police officer...
Maybe there will be a chance to continue fighting alongside Teacher Lu!
She blinked her starry eyes and skipped towards the exit.
From a distance, I could see a large sign holding up high outside the railing that read "Welcome Comrade Ji Yinhe" with a bouquet of flowers next to it, blocking the view of the people behind.
A few passersby turned back to watch, whispering, "Which leader is coming? What a grand ceremony!"
Comrade Xiao Ji covered his face and ran over quickly.
"Hello, hello!" She bowed to him. "I didn't expect the provincial government to come pick me up... Eh? Teacher Lu?"
The sign was removed, revealing Lu Zheng's refreshing and handsome features.
"They originally wanted to send a police officer from the Human Resources Department, but I said I'm familiar with you and there are a lot of people at Jingzhou Station. What if they pick the wrong person up? So the provincial department gave this job to me."
He put down the sign and handed the flowers to Ji Yinhe with both hands.
Comrade Xiao Ji opened his eyes wide, "Wow! Wind chimes! My mom had them in her shop before, they're so pretty!"
Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Let's go. I'll take you to the dormitory."
He naturally took Ji Yinhe's suitcase, luggage bag and backpack, and walked out of the station with ease.
After a few steps, he stopped again and turned to ask the girl following behind him, "What's that jingling sound in the box?"
"What a coincidence, it's my wind chime!" Ji Yinhe buried her head in the bouquet and took a deep breath. "My mom said this is a token of love between her and my dad. It has been hanging by my window since before I was born, so I brought it along this time."
Lu Zheng nodded, without asking any more questions, took her out of the train station, and got into the Grand Cherokee parked at the door.
"Is this the provincial department's car?" Ji Yinhe touched the spacious and clean seat inside. "It's bigger than the jeep that the Municipal Bureau gave to Tang Ci!"
Lu Zheng sat in the driver's seat, started the engine, pulled the handbrake, stepped on the accelerator, and turned the steering wheel in one go.
Hearing Ji Yinhe's question, he laughed and said, "It's my car."
Ji Yinhe took a deep breath as he moved so smoothly and fluidly.
"By the way, I heard from Xiao Wu last time that you drove to Shannan Town when you were investigating a national treasure theft case." Lu Zheng looked straight ahead and tilted his head slightly.
"Yes." Ji Yinhe scratched his forehead, "It's not very good. I still need to practice more."
"Okay, when you don't have any cases, you can use it to practice driving." Lu Zheng said casually.
Ji Yinhe stared at him with wide eyes.
Is this okay? Teacher Lu is... so nice!
…
It was dinner time when the Grand Cherokee drove into the dormitory area.
The room arranged for Ji Yinhe by the provincial department was on the third floor. Fortunately, as a formally transferred police officer, she did not have to share a room with others.
Lu Zheng helped her carry the luggage up, but politely did not enter.
He stood in the hallway and asked, "I was thinking of showing you around the city center as a bit of a host, but you still have to pack up tonight, right? ... How about we grab a bite in the cafeteria?"
Ji Yinhe politely declined. The lady packed a lot of food for her before she got on the bus, and she couldn't finish it all the way. Now her stomach was so full that there was no room for more. She turned around and took out a paper bag. "Here, this is some pecan biscuits my mom made herself. She told me to bring it to you!"
"Okay, I won't bother you anymore." Lu Zheng calmly opened the paper bag, picked up a piece of crispy food and put it in his mouth. "It's delicious. Please thank Auntie for me."
"Hehe!" His sincere praise made Comrade Xiao Ji nod happily.
"Meet me at the provincial office entrance at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning." Lu Zheng said, "I'll take you to the office."
"That's great!"
Comrade Xiao Ji was a little confused at first. What if the members of the crackdown team were all veteran criminal police from the provincial department, with a strong team spirit and good coordination with each other? And as a stranger who reported suddenly, even if he inherited Lao Ji's ability to speak differently to different people, it would be difficult for him to fit in!
However, with Teacher Lu as my introducer, things should be much easier.
Ji Yinhe thanked Lu Zheng, closed the door, called his parents to let them know he was safe, then took out a wind chime from his suitcase and carefully hung it in front of the window.
She slept soundly that night, and the next day, she was so excited and nervous that she went straight to the provincial department without even having breakfast.
Unexpectedly, there was an elegant middle-aged lady waiting at the door with Lu Zheng, who extended her hand to her without any expression.
"Hello, Comrade Xiao Ji, I am Guan Xiulan, Deputy Director of the Personnel Department."
"Hello, Director Guan!" Ji Yinhe respectfully took off his gloves, bowed slightly and shook hands with the other party.
It was particularly cold today, and she wrapped a large milky white scarf over her police uniform. Her big eyes were blinking, and her little face looked red. However, she was very tall, which gave her soft and cute appearance a sense of strength.
Guan Xiulan studied her for a moment. Seeing that she was polite and pretty, her expression softened. She smiled and said, "I always hear Teacher Lu praise you, but the pace of work in our provincial department is faster than that of the municipal bureau, and the cases are more difficult than those at the grassroots level. I hope you can adapt to the environment as soon as possible and show your best side!"
"Director Guan, you're too kind. I will do my best to handle the case!" Ji Yinhe saluted with a snap. "I will definitely live up to the organization's expectations of me!"
Under the leadership of Guan Xiulan and Lu Zheng, Comrade Xiao Ji walked towards the office of the Criminal Investigation Bureau's crackdown team.
The decoration and facilities of the provincial department are much more upscale than those of the municipal bureau. It even has a special library and archive room, automatic water dispensers and computer rooms.
Ji Yinhe has always wanted to learn how to use a computer. When he saw the large host and screen in the room, he couldn't take his eyes off them.
It was only when Lu Zheng gently touched her arm that she quickly turned her gaze and smiled at the person coming towards her.
"This is Xiao Ji, Comrade Ji Yinhe, who was transferred from the Jiangtan Municipal Bureau." Guan Xiulan introduced the approaching police officer, then turned and said, "This is Comrade Zhao Zhuoqun, the deputy leader of your crackdown team."
"Hello, Captain Zhao!" Ji Yinhe greeted with a smile.
But the policeman opposite just looked at her and nodded seriously.
Guan Xiulan said, "Team Leader Tan Li is still out on a case today. Let's meet tomorrow. Lao Zhao is very senior and experienced. Xiao Ji, he will be your master from now on!"
"Hello, Master!"
Zhao Zhuoqun just said "hmm" and went back behind his desk with his hands behind his back.
Comrade Xiao Ji blinked awkwardly.
...Is your future boss so strict?
"Old Zhao is just like Cheng Mo, he just doesn't talk much. He's still a very nice person, don't worry." Lu Zheng comforted her gently.
Guan Xiulan led her further inside, pointing to the people who had stood up and said, "Guan Ye, a recent graduate of the Public Security University, is also new here. Sun Gaoge is Tan Li's apprentice. Jiang Nian is a technician, and that computer belongs to him... and forensic doctor Lü Xiaoyan is currently at the Forensic Center downstairs with her team."
The overall configuration is actually similar to that of the Serious Crime Team 1. Ji Yinhe opened his eyes wide and greeted everyone politely.
Guan Xiulan smiled and turned her gaze to the man who had been following Ji Yinhe.
"...Finally, it's our trace examination expert, Mr. Lu Zheng!"
"..." Ji Yinhe was a little surprised after realizing it, "Teacher Lu is also in this group?"
"Yes, and he's a permanent employee," Guan Xiulan said. "Director Zu had to use a lot of favors to invite him over from the Public Security University to take charge! I heard that you two worked on two cases together in Jiangtan before, so you must be very familiar with each other, right?"
"Wow!" Ji Yinhe nodded repeatedly, "Ripe! Extremely ripe!"
"That's good. Although we police officers can overcome all difficulties to serve the people, it's still not easy for a little girl like you to leave your hometown and come to Jingzhou alone." Guan Xiulan glanced at Lu Zheng, "Since Teacher Lu is familiar with Xiao Ji, you should show more concern for her and demonstrate our provincial department's style of caring for comrades."
Lu Zheng curled his lips and nodded solemnly, "Okay."
"Alright, I won't bother you anymore." Guan Xiulan waved her hand at the team members, "Hurry up and solve the case!"
Ji Yinhe poked his head out from behind Lu Zheng's large figure.
——What do you mean? There is already a case now?
Before she even got close to her desk, Zhao Zhuoqun came over with several stacks of brown paper bags and said succinctly:
"Everyone knows about your performance in the competition and Jiangtan. This is the most important case we have on hand. You should catch up quickly and go out with me this afternoon to conduct interviews."
Ji Yinhe took a deep breath.
As expected of a provincial department, they get into work so quickly!
But it's already nine o'clock in the morning. Can she digest so much information in less than five hours?
Ji Yinhe didn't even have time to take off her scarf. She rolled up her sleeves and started to open the brown paper bag.
She spent the entire morning immersed in the ocean of crime, and even Lu Zheng helped her bring water and lunch.
It wasn't until half an hour before departure that I finally finished reading all the materials.
This was a serial murder and dismemberment case that shocked society. On the second day of the Lantern Festival, the third bag of body parts from this series of cases was found in Lakeside Park.
"How strange," Officer Xiao Ji mumbled, his mouth stuffed with a large steamed bun filled with mushrooms and greens. "Why are these four bodies only missing limbs and heads? The torsos are missing?"
"The murderer must have his own ideas, but we haven't figured it out yet!" Guan Ye looked at her in shock. "Wow, you're eating while looking at pictures of body parts. Don't you feel disgusted?"
Xiao Ji chuckled, "I do have some professionalism!"
In the corner, deputy team leader Zhao Zhuoqun looked at his apprentice's smiling face and couldn't help but mutter in his heart:
"...Didn't Lao Che say she was a fool? She obviously has some skills."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
