Ning Zhiheng stepped forward, bent down, and squatted on the ground to examine it carefully. There was still a large pool of blood on the ground.
He looked at the human-shaped frame drawn in chalk and noticed drag marks at the feet. Following the marks, he found a pool of blood about ten meters away.
Ning Zhiheng thought for a moment, then asked, "Where is the stall owner who reported the incident?"
Zhang Guanhe pointed to an old man who had been squatting by the roadside not far away and said, "That's old man Cheng! We didn't let him go after we finished taking his statement, because we were afraid that the officers investigating the case might have something to ask him."
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and two policemen immediately stepped forward and brought the old man to Ning Zhiheng.
Looking at the reserved and uneasy old man in front of him, Ning Zhiheng's expression softened, and he asked gently, "Why didn't you hide when you saw someone die, and instead went to report it to the police?"
Ning Zhiheng knew that ordinary people were afraid of trouble these days, and would usually stay far away from such things. Who would bother to report it? These police officers in black uniforms were not to be trifled with; they were of mixed quality. If things went wrong, they could get into trouble and make a mess of things for these ordinary people. Such things did happen.
Old Cheng's lips moved, and finally he said, "This is where I've set up my stall for so many years. This man died here, and I was afraid it would disrupt my livelihood, so I went to report it to the police. But they still want to detain me and won't let me leave! Sir, if I can't make a sale today, I'll suffer a huge loss!"
Ning Zhiheng then realized what had happened. He looked at the ground beneath his feet and saw that it had indeed been cleared and leveled. It turned out that this open space on the street corner was where the old man had made a living for many years, and he had reported the case because he was worried that the dead man would interfere with his livelihood.
"Old Cheng, answer whatever the team leader asks, don't say anything useless!" Zhang Guanhe whispered from the side.
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand to stop Zhang Guanhe from speaking, then asked, "When you first saw the deceased, was it in this spot? Did the location change after you went to report the crime and came back?"
After asking that question, he pointed to the frame drawn in chalk.
Old Cheng nodded and honestly said, "It's right here. I brought the police back, and nothing has changed. People around here avoid him; no one dares to touch him!"
Ning Zhiheng nodded. It seemed that the drag marks were made by the murderer. He judged that after killing Li Wenlin, the murderer tried to move his body, but probably because Li Wenlin was strong and heavy, the murderer did not have enough strength to complete the task and eventually gave up.
After much deliberation, Ning Zhiheng learned that Li Wenlin had drunk some alcohol and walked back home. It seemed that he hadn't gotten too drunk and was still somewhat conscious.
Moreover, the places where he drinks are not far away, otherwise he would not have the strength to walk home and would find a rickshaw or other means of transportation to go home.
He walked around the scene twice, pondered for a long time, then waved Zhang Guanhe over and asked, "How many restaurants are there around here, centered on this location?"
Zhang Guanhe was taken aback by Ning Zhiheng's question. Although he didn't understand Ning Zhiheng's intention, he still didn't dare to be negligent. He counted on his fingers and finally said, "There are eight restaurants of all sizes in this neighborhood!"
Ning Zhiheng turned to Nie Tianming and said, "You immediately take some men and follow this Officer Zhang to question each of these eight restaurants."
At this point, he handed Li Wenlin's materials to Nie Tianming, pointed to Li Wenlin's photo on them, and continued, "The main question is whether anyone saw Li Wenlin eating and drinking at these restaurants last night. If so, ask about the physical characteristics of the people who ate and drank with him."
Don't limit yourself to these eight restaurants. Use this location as a center and expand your search area to ask about as many other restaurants as possible.
It happened last night. Li Wenlin was tall and wore an officer's uniform, so he was very conspicuous; someone should remember him.
Nie Tianming quickly took the materials and was about to take action when Ning Zhiheng stopped him again and instructed him, "People nowadays are afraid of trouble. They won't say much unless it concerns them. The reason I'm sending you with men is to make a big show of force and warn them that anyone who doesn't report something will be punished. You have to be tough, or you might mess things up!"
"Understood, team leader, don't worry!" Nie Tianming said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
