Now that we have a target, we naturally have to follow the clues and investigate.
The police went directly to Niu's house and pushed inward through the exit at the back door.
No wonder they lived here for several years without noticing it. The location is really quite clever.
On the ground, hidden by bushes and vines, lay a large, moss-covered stone slab, showing only the most recent signs of having been moved.
When the large stone slab is lifted, the small stone slab underneath used to cover the entrance is also very natural in shape, with no traces of artificial excavation.
Several people pried open the cracks in the stone slabs, revealing a dark passage surrounded by burnt loess, which served as a reinforcement.
It looks like it wasn't that long ago, probably dug out during the guerrilla warfare.
Tunnels were not unusual in those days, but the presence of earthenware jars for water and food, and even beds made of straw, was very suspicious. It was obvious that someone had lived here.
After making sure that He Xiaojie was not lying, Zheng Yingwei led the team out of the tunnel and found the Niu family to inquire about the situation.
Niu Anjia originally insisted that he knew nothing about it, but Zhong Guilan was not a tough guy and she was very happy when she learned that the person hiding in her house was dead.
She held Zheng Yingwei's hand and began to complain, "Comrade police officer, please help our family. We are all good citizens. Who have we offended?"
It turned out that they did not know the murderer surnamed Niu, but he unilaterally said that he was a distant relative of Niu Baoguo and wanted to stay at his home for a while.
Of course, the two were not happy about this. How could they let people Niu Baoguo knew know about what happened between them? They were feeling guilty and wanted to kick the person out immediately.
As a result, the man suddenly took out a knife, looked fierce and threatened them, saying that if they didn't listen to him, their whole family would die.
"Comrade police officer, he looks like he's killed someone. We're afraid he'll kill us, and we're also afraid of being discovered, so we can only hide him in the cellar."
Zheng Yingwei nodded and motioned for her to continue.
He didn't ask why they didn't report it to the security department. The lives of his entire family were in someone else's hands, especially the three children.
If they alert the enemy, they cannot afford the consequences.
“As for that tunnel, it’s been there since we moved here, which is quite a while, and we’ve hardly ever walked that way.
That bastard not only stayed with us, but also wanted to eat and drink well. We were worried that the neighbors would smell it, so we had to use the tunnel outside to deliver meat and vegetables to him, and also bought him some wine.
Speaking of this, Zhong Guilan couldn't help but feel angry.
Damn it, their family has many people but few employees, so it is not easy to save some money. They usually don’t even want to buy vegetables, but go to dig in the wasteland. They live a very hard life.
They ate the dried chickens that Niu Liye sent back from the countryside for a whole six months. They had originally planned to use the meat coupons to have a good meal during the Chinese New Year, but they were all eaten up by that man in just a few meals.
Zhong Guilan was angry but dared not say anything. She felt so uncomfortable holding it in her heart that she could only blame others and declare to others that there was a thief in their house.
Isn’t he a thief?
At least the thief has a bottom line. He just takes some things and leaves. He won't ask them for money with a clear conscience and threaten her with a knife against her neck at any time.
As for the ghost shadow seen by the neighbors, it was actually created deliberately by her and Niu Anjia as a way of asking for help.
They wanted people to notice something and report it to the police, but they were also afraid that it would be too obvious and be noticed by the murderer.
But I don’t know if it was because the neighbor was too slow or the murderer was too clever, but every time he sensed someone coming from afar, he would hide in the cellar. He looked quite strong, but he could run faster than a monkey.
All their efforts were in vain, and people even whispered that Niu Baoguo had died with a vengeance and came back to settle the score with them.
Niu Anjia was angry and helpless, thinking that there was really no good person in the compound.
It doesn't matter that he ruined his blind dates several times. After all, it was indeed his fault, so he could tolerate it.
But what happened between him and Zhong Guilan was a private matter and had nothing to do with them.
As for the several "sons" he gave birth to for the old man, haha, it was originally because Niu Baoguo had let his mother down, and he was just taking revenge.
What about the idea of being too far apart and having to part ways amicably? What if he had put in the effort to transfer someone else's job? He could have done it, but he just didn't think it was worth it.
After all, having two children wouldn't prevent him from marrying another virgin.
Zhong Guilan was beautiful and helpless, and she was very gentle to him after she married him. Niu Anjia felt at the time that he could not let her be a widow at such a young age.
The old man is probably useless. He has already harmed a woman before, how could he harm a second one?
He was just compensating his stepmother on behalf of his father.
Niu Anjia has his own logic, which is very self-righteous and he doesn't think there is anything wrong with him at all.
What's hateful is that the people in the yard usually like to meddle in other people's business, watching what goes on in his family and talking behind their backs. But when he really needs them to get to the bottom of things, they start to falter and are really useless.
What made him even more disgusted was that the murderer seemed to have taken a fancy to Zhong Guilan and sneaked into her room in the middle of the night several times.
If he hadn't shouted that he wanted to fight him to the death, and that person didn't want to make too much noise, something would have happened a long time ago.
Upon hearing the news of his death, both of them felt relieved from the abyss.
Zhong Guilan kept talking about the hardships she had experienced during those days, while Niu Anjia added details.
The murderer is a very cautious person, but after spending some time with him, you can always find clues.
At the end, Niu Anjia hesitated and said, "I think he knows my family very well. It's like he knew about the secret passage a long time ago. Whenever he gets into trouble outside, he has to hide in my house. Maybe it really has something to do with my dad."
As to whether he is the distant relative he mentioned, this is debatable.
But the familiarity in his tone, and the fact that he spoke about his father's unknown past with great clarity and knowledge, meant that all of them were either relatives or old friends of his.
Therefore, Niu An's family became even more nervous, fearing that this scoundrel would take out his father's anger and kill him again in a fit of rage.
So even after hearing that he had killed two people in succession, he still leaked this information to make it easier for the police to investigate Niu Baoguo's previous connections.
If all his accomplices could be caught, he wouldn't mind sacrificing his own family for the sake of justice.
Zheng Yingwei nodded, questioned the two of them a few more times, and went back after getting more clues.
There was basically nothing to do with He Ruixue afterwards, and there was no need for her to get involved, so her family was left in the yard.
Only He Gong and other relatives of the victims wanted to know the truth and chased after them eagerly.
Before leaving, Mr. He gave her his address and told her that she could come to him if she encountered any trouble.
He Ruixue saw the tears in his eyes and his sadness, so she gave him some advice.
He said that the case is now becoming clearer and all those involved will be brought to justice soon, allowing his daughter-in-law's soul to rest in peace.
He Botao nodded, still with a heavy expression on his face. They both knew that no matter how much the living did, the dead would never come back.
But there are things they have to do.
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