Chapter 77 Xu Mancang: Suspect Priority Determination
After Zheng Yu finished her report in one breath, she looked at Jiang Ling with bright eyes, waiting for her evaluation.
Jiang Ling thought she looked a bit like a student waiting for the teacher to announce the final exam results, and smiled and said, "Being able to find Zhou Daming, who escaped this time, and further discover Li Qiang's suspicion, shows that you are very meticulous and conscientious in your work.
Encouraged, Zheng Yu continued, "Li Qiang's whereabouts are unpredictable, and his late-night activities go unnoticed. He's a regular tenant in the community; if he's observant, he should have noticed Aunt Wang's habit of adding soy flour to her soy milk. Especially his sudden disappearance after the incident suggests he's guilty and is a prime suspect!"
Jiang Ling asked, "Li Qiang has a motive for retaliation and can be listed as a suspect. However, whether his disappearance on the day of the incident was a coincidence or out of fear of punishment requires further investigation."
Zheng Yu responded loudly: "Yes! We will continue to follow up."
Lei Xiao scanned the room: "The first two groups have listed four suspects, all of whom have a motive and the opportunity to commit the crime, but currently lack direct evidence. Next, Xiao Liang will tell us which suspects have the motive to retaliate against society."
Liang Youxun stepped onto the stage and wrote the names of three suspects on the blackboard: "In the past two days, we have been investigating the Pinganli community and found that the residents have a lot of grievances. Based on the scope of investigation and psychological characteristics determined at the last meeting, we have finally selected three suspects."
He then pasted a photo next to each of the three suspects' names and began to introduce them.
The first suspect is named Hu Guangzhi.
Hu Guangzhi is 50 years old. He used to be an accountant at the city's supply and marketing cooperative. He's bald, wears gold-rimmed glasses, and always has three pens clipped to his shirt pocket. Hu Guangzhi is proficient in abacus and accounting, but he was laid off because the supply and marketing cooperative was constantly being eliminated by shopping malls. His wife ran off with a self-employed individual, leaving a note before she left saying that he deserved to be laid off.
The community residents all knew Hu Guangsheng because, despite having no money in his pocket, he would often appear dressed smartly under the ginkgo tree in the center of the community, the gossip hotspot, to talk at length about his past glories, criticize the current reform and opening up as capitalist subversion, and call self-employed individuals like Liu Meifeng ants that hollow out the country. He had pointed at Liu Meifeng's breakfast stall more than once and said: "Only if there are fewer self-employed individuals like this can the national economy develop."
Upon hearing Hu Guangsheng's introduction, the people sitting below began to discuss it.
"I never expected that in the 1990s, there would still be people criticizing the reform and opening up as some kind of overthrow?"
"This kind of person is quite scary. Their thinking is outdated, and they've been traumatized. I bet they've already developed some kind of mental problem."
"If a financial technician like him were willing to adapt to the changing times, finding a new job wouldn't be a problem at all. But he stubbornly clings to the old ways of the planned economy era and can't stand new things. It's truly pathetic!"
As expected of a three-star crime motive, the first suspect immediately piqued everyone's interest, with everyone offering their opinions.
Jiang Ling remembered hearing a saying in her previous life: When the times abandon you, they won't even say goodbye.
Supply and marketing cooperatives were a product of the planned economy era and were once among the best organizations. Hu Guangsheng must have benefited from the dividends of that era to be able to work as an accountant in a supply and marketing cooperative.
That is precisely why he was so resistant to the rise of the individual economy.
Liang Youxun drew three stars next to Hu Guangsheng's name and looked at Jiang Ling, saying, "Teacher Jiang, based on your star rating system from that day, I've also assigned a rating to the three suspects. Hu Guangsheng hates individual business owners and poisoned the soy milk at the breakfast stall, clearly driven by a motive of revenge against society. Moreover, Hu Guangsheng lives alone, and no one can prove his whereabouts at the time of the incident, making him a prime suspect. I've assigned him a three-star rating."
Jiang Ling nodded slightly.
It would be a good thing if this star rating system could be promoted in the field of criminal investigation. At the very least, it could make dry and boring theoretical analysis more vivid and interesting.
Liang Youxun then introduced the second suspect.
Grandma Chen, Chen Cuimei, is 68 years old this year. She has bound feet and lives alone. Her husband died early, and she raised her only son alone. The mother and son had a very good relationship. More than 20 years ago, her son was stabbed to death while chasing a thief in an act of bravery. However, the murderer was only sentenced to three years of re-education through labor because he was a minor.
Granny Chen was on the verge of a mental breakdown. She tore up the banner given to her by the neighborhood committee and became filled with hatred for the whole society. She often muttered, "This world is rotten. Good people don't live long, but bad people live for a thousand years!"
According to residents, Granny Chen once tried to put sand and stones into the mung bean soup distributed by the neighborhood committee. When she was discovered, she spat on the ground and cursed everyone, saying they were all bad people and didn't deserve to eat good food. She also pointed at the police station building and cursed the police for protecting bad people and for doing nothing, saying they should all be arrested and sent to labor camps.
Upon hearing this, the scene fell silent.
Everyone felt a little heavy-hearted.
A widowed mother raised her only son, and just as he grew up, he sacrificed his life while trying to help someone. Chen Cuimei's plight is truly pitiful.
What she hates most is that the murderer was only sentenced to three years, but her son lost his life because of it.
Even if society bestows honors upon them, so what?
After a moment of silence, everyone finally began to speak, but they all kept their voices very low.
"Once the case is solved, regardless of whether it's Granny Chen or not, let's all show more concern for her. She's really too pitiful."
"Find a kind-hearted policewoman to visit the elderly woman and persuade her to explain the law. It's not that we're protecting bad people, it's just that everything must be done according to the law."
"Those who act bravely and righteously should be highly commended, and their families should be comforted. We can't let heroes shed blood while their families shed tears, can we?"
Later on, the topic veered off course.
Lei Xiao had to control the pace of the meeting: "I will report Grandma Chen's situation to the leaders. Let's discuss this case first."
Someone raised their hand: "Team Leader Lei, I don't think Granny Chen would have poisoned him."
The others began to chime in.
"Yes, how could the hero's mother possibly poison him?"
“Look at her biggest way of expressing anger, it’s just putting some sand in mung bean soup. It won’t kill anyone.”
"She's old, and her son died, so it's understandable that she'd grumble a bit; it wouldn't lead her to harm anyone. A mother who can raise a son who dares to act bravely must be kind-hearted."
“Grandma Chen had bound feet. Do you know what that means? It means that she could walk with a trembling gait. How could she possibly sneak away from everyone’s sight and secretly poison someone in the middle of the night?”
However, some people hold opposing views.
"Sometimes, it only takes a single thought to go from being a good person to being a bad person."
"Her son died, and she had no hope for life. It's possible that she might poison herself to take revenge on society. She's taking advantage of this wave of public attention to speak out for her son."
"Is a hero's mother necessarily incapable of doing evil? Not necessarily."
"Poisoning doesn't require much strength. It was precisely because her bound feet made it difficult for her to move around and prevent her from taking more intense or physically demanding forms of revenge that she resorted to poisoning to retaliate against society."
As the discussion among Liang Youxun and the others subsided, they drew two stars next to Chen Cuimei's name: "She had the motive to take revenge on society and the opportunity to commit the crime. But her fate was tragic and pitiful, so we gave her two stars."
The last person was Xu Mancang.
Jiang Ling remembered him; he was known as Grandpa Xu, and he had recently clashed with community officials.
Xu Mancang, 68, is a retired criminal police officer. His old police trousers are always impeccably pressed, and his favorite phrases are "discipline" and "bottom line." The community was built in 1956, and Xu Mancang was among the first residents, having a deep affection for Ping'anli. His children all work in the provincial capital. Since his wife passed away two years ago, his children have wanted to take him to the provincial capital to live out his retirement, but Xu Mancang has refused.
Liang Youxun pulled out a stack of photocopies: "Xu Mancang is a man who hates evil and can't tolerate even a speck of dust. He frequently reports problems in the community to the neighborhood committee. These are materials I copied from the neighborhood committee and the police station, all of which contain community issues that Xu Mancang has reported. These include neighbor theft, fights among migrant workers, corruption among community officials, and serious electricity theft. Oh, and the most frequent complaints are about waterlogging, road problems, and illegal construction in the community."
"At the end of June, Yanshi entered the plum rain season. Pinganli Community experienced mosquito and fly breeding and travel difficulties due to waterlogged roads. According to community residents, Xu Mancang had a fierce conflict with Wang, a community cadre who came to understand the situation. Xu Mancang called Wang a piece of trash and pointed at the Public Security Bureau building, saying that Pinganli was too chaotic now and was not a place for people to live, which was a disgrace to the whole city."
Liang Youxun frowned: "Xu Mancang is a retired criminal police officer from our Public Security Bureau. Logically speaking, he shouldn't be breaking the law. I'm reluctant to consider him a suspect emotionally, but the public says he harbors a lot of resentment, and he said he was sleeping at home on the night of the incident, so there were no eyewitnesses. He's a long-time resident and should know Xu Meifeng's soy milk recipe and the location of the hidden bean powder. Therefore, I've still put him on the suspect list."
After a pause, Liang Youxun shook his head: "I personally think it's very unlikely that a retired criminal police officer would be listed as a suspect, so I've assigned him a one-star rating."
Everyone looked up at the photo pasted next to Xu Mancang's name.
It was a faded old photograph.
In the photo, Xu Mancang is wearing an old-fashioned police uniform, standing ramrod straight with bright, piercing eyes, looking very capable and efficient.
The crowd looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Xu Mancang was among the first batch of police officers to join the People's Republic of China after its founding. His basic duties were to prevent, stop, and investigate crimes and maintain social order.
Even after retirement, the idea of safeguarding the peace of the community and serving the people should still be deeply rooted in one's heart. How could one possibly poison or endanger the lives of community residents?
The basic information of the seven suspects had been reported, but the meeting fell silent when the name Xu Mancang was mentioned.
Jiang Ling was also learning for the first time that Grandpa Xu was actually a retired policeman.
Indeed, Pinganli Community was originally a residential compound for families of government and law enforcement personnel, with many retired police officers, judges, and prosecutors residing there. Although the community has aged over time and many people have moved away, there are still quite a few elderly people who are reluctant to leave this community where they have spent most of their lives.
Jiang Ling asked, her voice slightly hoarse, "Is Grandpa Liu Lesheng, who is the most severely poisoned and on the verge of death, a good friend of Xu Mancang?"
Liang Youxun nodded and said, "Yes, Mr. Liu Lesheng and Xu Mancang had a very good relationship. Mr. Liu is a retired teacher, and the two often drink tea, play chess, and chat together. According to Liu Lesheng's son, they feel uncomfortable if they don't see each other every day. Therefore, I think it is less likely that Xu Mancang committed the crime."
Jiang Ling asked again, "How is Xu Mancang's relationship with his family?"
Liang Youxun replied, "Xu Mancang and his wife had a very good relationship, but his wife passed away three years ago, and Xu Mancang has been like a lost soul ever since. His children are also very concerned about his health and have been urging him to go to the provincial capital."
Lei Xiao countered Jiang Ling's question: "What? You suspect it's Xu Mancang?"
Jiang Ling did not answer the question directly: "These seven people all have criminal motives, but there is currently no direct evidence."
Lei Xiao nodded and stood up to give a summary.
"After three days of investigation, we have identified seven suspects. Our first step—narrowing the scope of the investigation and identifying the targets—has been successfully completed. The next step is to find evidence and monitor these seven suspects."
Liang Youxun: "Yes!"
Wei Yang: "Yes!"
Zheng Yu: "Yes!"
Over the next two days, the investigation team once again entered the difficult stage of investigation and evidence collection.
Just like Jiang Ling's memories from her previous life, the mass poisoning case in Ping'anli Community immediately sparked public outcry and various rumors spread like wildfire once it was reported.
More and more reporters flocked to the Pinganli community.
Xu Mancang appeared on the television screen with a passionate expression, and more and more people called for strengthening the renovation and management of old communities. A growing number of people condemned the municipal party committee and government leaders for being incompetent and neglecting the people's livelihood.
The police chief was summoned by city leaders for a reprimand, the propaganda department was overwhelmed with work, and all the pressure ultimately fell on Lei Xiao.
The atmosphere at the third task force meeting was completely different from usual.
Lei Xiao slammed his fist on the table, his voice filled with anxiety: "A total of eleven people were poisoned. Three with mild symptoms have been discharged, and seven with severe symptoms have been downgraded to mild after treatment. Elderly Liu Lesheng is still in the intensive care unit and is not yet out of danger. Such a large-scale mass poisoning case has an extremely negative social impact. The city has issued a strict order to solve the case within ten days! Director Zhong is not satisfied with our progress. Comrades, we must speed things up and quell the various rumors circulating in society as soon as possible. This is a major case happening right under the nose of the Public Security Bureau. For the sake of our dignity, we must fight with everything we have!"
Behind Lei Xiao, next to the blackboard with the three-point investigation method inscribed on it, hung several whiteboards covered with dense handwriting and photos, like a giant spider web, encompassing every corner of the Ping'anli community and all sorts of people.
The investigation reports from each group were scattered on the table, the sound of papers turning rustling. Lei Xiao's words weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a boulder.
Lei Xiao braced his hands on the far end of the conference table, his eyes sunken, a dark stubble on his chin, and his voice hoarse: "Each group, report on your progress, focusing on the key points!"
Wei Yang, who was in charge of reporting the direction of the stalls, was the first to stand up and spoke very quickly.
"According to our investigation, Zhang the butcher drank at Lao Cai's restaurant until 1 a.m. on the night of the incident, and at least three of his drinking buddies testified to this. His home is right behind the restaurant, a five-minute walk from his stall. We found half a packet of rat poison called 'Three Steps Down' at his meat stall, which has been sent for testing to compare its ingredients. When we questioned Zhang Li, he was very agitated and insisted that he did not do it. His exact words were: 'If I want to do something, I'll smash up the stall openly. Poisoning people is cowardly!'"
“Zhao Meijuan’s husband testified that she stayed home from 9 p.m. on the 24th until the next morning and did not go out. Community officials said that Zhao Meijuan had recently been planning to set up a stall to do some business and had come to the neighborhood committee to inquire about it several times. When we brought Zhao Meijuan to the bureau, she cried her eyes out and said that she was just jealous of Liu Meifeng’s good business, but she would never have the guts to poison her.”
"Therefore, our team's current assessment is that Zhao Meijuan can be largely ruled out as a suspect, but Zhang Li is still a possibility."
Zheng Yu, the group leader responsible for reporting individual directions, followed closely behind, her presentation very clear and organized.
"Li Qiang has been confirmed to have fled to a relative's home in a neighboring province, and an arrest operation is underway. A small amount of white powder was found in his rented coal shed and has been sent for testing. Additionally, an IOU for 1500 yuan issued by Zhou Daming was found. Zhou Daming admitted to unpaid wages and the conflict, but denied instigating the beating of Li Qiang. Furthermore, the construction site warehouse manager confirmed that half a bag of rodenticide was missing three days before the incident. Li Qiang is highly suspected."
"Du Peisheng has a clear alibi for the night of the 24th. He played chess at the neighborhood senior activity room until 10 p.m. and went home, which is corroborated by many people. The rat poison found in his home was actually low-toxicity cockroach poison. In addition, it is true that he resented the noise from the violin played by Grandpa Liu's child, but he did not take any concrete action. His suspicion can be basically ruled out."
Liang Youxun, who was in charge of reporting to the public, began his report.
"Among the garbage discarded by Hu Guangsheng, we found his torn-up diary. Its contents were shocking, filled with deep-seated hatred and fantasies of exterminating individual business owners, but it did not describe any specific plans. According to our observation, this man is cowardly and lacks initiative; neighbors said he only dares to curse in the street from inside his house. Suspicion can be basically ruled out."
"We found a bowl of poisoned soy milk in the household garbage that Granny Chen had discarded. The poison residue on the bowl was consistent with that found at the scene. It was later confirmed that she had picked it up from the soy milk stall and intended to wash it and use it herself. In addition, during our communication, we found that she has a relatively serious lung disease and gets out of breath after walking a few steps. She does not have the physical condition to accurately poison someone in the middle of the night. Suspicion can be basically ruled out."
At this point, Liang Youxun lowered his head, clearly feeling dejected.
"Let's talk about Xu Mancang again. We found Xu Mancang's son and persuaded him to cooperate with the police, allowing him to search the house while Xu Mancang was not home. His son found various old-fashioned rat poison packages in Xu Mancang's bedroom drawer. One of them had an oil paper lining texture that was highly similar to the oil paper left at the scene. It has been sent to the technical team for precise comparison of ink composition. Neighbors reported that Mr. Xu's recent remarks have become increasingly extreme, and his attitude has become very irritable."
At this point, Liang Youxun paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice became low: "We asked his son, and his son said that the old man seems to have some mental problems recently. His memory is a bit confused, and he can even mispronounce the names of his old comrades-in-arms who have never made a mistake before."
To be honest, what everyone least wanted to see was Xu Mancang being suspected. Originally, there was hope that further investigation would clear him of suspicion, but now it seems that suspicion is actually increasing.
Especially that physical evidence.
Forensic investigators found a discarded piece of oil paper in a trash can near the breakfast stall. The residue on the oil paper contained rat poison, which was consistent with the poison added to the bean flour.
Once it is proven that the oil paper found in Xu Mancang's bedroom drawer matches the ink found near the breakfast stall, it will be almost irrefutable evidence.
Could it really be Xu Mancang?
Upon hearing this, Lei Xiao said in a deep voice, "Everyone, don't let emotions get the better of you. Let the evidence decide everything. After the second round of screening, the only remaining suspects are Zhang Li, Li Qiang, and Xu Mancang."
It's still not enough.
From all community residents, to seven suspects, and then to three suspects, although the scope is getting smaller and smaller, it still disperses police resources.
What Director Zhong wants is solid evidence and to accurately identify the perpetrator.
Lei Xiao turned his gaze to Jiang Ling: "Jiang Ling, from a criminal psychology perspective, could you analyze these three suspects and assign them priorities?"
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Jiang Ling slowly stood up and walked to the blackboard.
She ignored the complex clues and focused her attention directly on the "three-fixed" framework and the criminal psychological profile.
"The priority determination of suspects is based on three core points: the ability to commit a crime, the logic of the behavior, and the direction of the evidence."
"Xu Mancang is the top priority."
Jiang Ling picked up a piece of red chalk and circled Xu Mancang's name.
"Judging from his ability to commit the crime, Xu Mancang was familiar with the community's daily routine, knew the location and significance of the bean powder bags, and possessed the physical condition and environmental familiarity to carry out covert operations, which perfectly matched the characteristics of a fixed time, fixed location, and fixed person."
From a behavioral perspective, Xu Mancang closely embodies the vengeful social archetype. Look at the blackboard: his choice of a location to poison the virus—opposite the police station—aligns with his pursuit of social influence; his choice to poison the virus in the old family compound of the political and legal system aligns with his desire for ritual; and his use of such an extreme method as poisoning to achieve a deterrent effect aligns with a distorted sense of mission.
From the perspective of the evidence, the ink identification is exclusive and directly related to the scene; once the forensic report from the technical team is released, this will be the most direct evidence.
As soon as Jiang Ling finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
All that could be heard was the whooshing sound of the ceiling fan.
After a long pause, Lei Xiao said in a hoarse voice, "Then let's wait for the forensic report to come out before making any decisions."
Jiang Ling nodded: "Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that the other two are also suspects."
As she spoke, Jiang Ling drew a yellow circle over Li Qiang's name: "Li Qiang, second priority."
"In terms of his ability to commit the crime, although there are drinking buddies to testify, he can act at night and knows the location of the bean powder, which meets the requirements of timing and location. However, there are doubts about the person he can identify, because he left after poisoning and could not accurately poison Zhou Daming to ensure that he was poisoned."
From a behavioral perspective, this aligns with a retaliatory nature, but why would he choose to poison the bean flour bag? Given the high risk and the fact that the target might not even eat it, common sense dictates that he should have directly poisoned Zhou Daming's food. While his escape strengthens the suspicion, there may be more to the story.
Based on the evidence, although the poison could be obtained, there is a lack of physical evidence directly related to the scene, requiring further investigation after the arrest.
Zheng Yu hummed in agreement. "Indeed, there are certain problems with the logic of the behavior and the evidence. Although there is suspicion, further investigation is necessary."
Jiang Ling finally drew a green circle around Zhang Li's name, which represented the third priority.
“Although Zhang Li had the opportunity and a strong motive to commit the crime, his behavior was illogical. He was an open conflict person, more inclined to overt violence, such as smashing a stall with a knife, rather than poisoning, which required a high degree of premeditation and secrecy.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yang, who was in charge of the second group's investigation, nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Teacher Jiang's analysis makes a lot of sense. Zhang Li is actually not very suspicious."
Jiang Ling put down the chalk in her hand, her voice clear and firm.
"In summary, Xu Mancang is currently the only suspect who meets all the core elements. He possesses irreplaceable knowledge of how to commit the crime, has unique behavioral motivation, and, more importantly, possesses key exclusive physical evidence."
Looking around, Jiang Ling said, "I suggest we immediately take focused investigative measures against him, focusing on his whereabouts, mental state, and views on the Public Security Bureau from the night of the 24th to the early morning of the 25th. Li Qiang needs to be arrested and brought to justice as soon as possible to eliminate any interference. Zhang Li will continue to be monitored, but the allocation of resources will be reduced."
Jiang Ling looked at Lei Xiao: "Ink identification is the breakthrough point. We can use this as a starting point, and combine it with his sense of honor and responsibility as a veteran criminal investigator to design an interrogation strategy."
The meeting room was filled with solemn silence.
Jiang Ling's screening was like a beam of light piercing through the fog, precisely targeting the name Xu Mancang.
The three characters "Xu Mancang" circled in red seemed particularly glaring and heavy at this moment.
Lei Xiao slammed his hand on the table: "Alright! Do as Jiang Ling says, focus on Xu Mancang! Technical team, hurry up and try to solidify the evidence chain. Everyone else, continue your work according to priority..."
Just as Lei Xiao was about to adjourn the meeting, Zhao Jingxin from the physical evidence team of the technical brigade pushed open the door and entered.
"Team Leader Lei, the forensic examination results are in!"
All eyes were on Zhao Jingxin.
Lei Xiao's heart pounded: "Tell me the results."
Zhao Jingxin picked up the report and said loudly, "The rat poison found at Zhang Li's house is inconsistent with the poison in the soy milk poisoning case; the ink composition of the oil paper left at the scene is completely consistent with the oil paper found in Xu Mancang's house."
No one spoke.
This is an outcome that no one wants to see.
A retired police officer, an elderly man with a strong sense of responsibility for the community environment, actually poisoned the soy milk.
Among those poisoned were his longtime friends.
Why is this happening?
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