I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 166: Events Three Years Ago

trial room.

Zhang Zhenhua looked at the two evidence bags lying on the table, and sighed deeply, as if he had thought of something.

"Still not answering?" Wu Bin tapped the table. "Do you know what's on it? Your fingerprints are on it. That's irrefutable evidence."

The fingerprints were not on the handle, but on the blade.

In another evidence bag were bloodstained gloves.

Based on this, it can be inferred that Zhang Zhenhua wore gloves when committing the crime, and after killing the victim, he put the gloves and the murder weapon into the storage box of his electric scooter before returning home.

He remained calm and composed even when questioned, demonstrating remarkable composure.

After returning home, he hid the gloves and knife in the water meter well of the neighboring unit. At this time, he took them with his hands and did not wear gloves.

Therefore, fingerprints were left on the knife.

Often, suspects like to do unnecessary things; it's safer to just kill the person and throw them into the river.

"I'll ask you one more time, how did Li Dechang die?!" Wu Bin raised his voice.

Zhang Zhenhua leaned back in the interrogation chair, stared at the ceiling for a while, then straightened up: "I killed him."

Wu Bin: "Why didn't you say so earlier? Why waste your time! Huh?"
What happened to the stick used to attack Li Dechang?

Zhang Zhenhua lowered his head slightly and said, "When I was driving him to Xijiang Village, I just threw him out of the car window."

Wu Bin: "Specific location!"

Zhang Zhenhua: "I can't remember exactly, but it was almost to Xijiang Village, about five or six kilometers away."

The scope is very large, and previous searches did not cover it comprehensively.

Wu Bin: "Why did you bring the murder weapon back?"

Zhang Zhenhua: "I'm afraid there might be problems, so I feel more at ease bringing it back to deal with."

Wu Bin: "You're not even comfortable burning it? The murder weapon can't be burned, but the gloves can be burned to ashes."

Zhang Zhenhua said helplessly, "I was in a bit of a rush at the time and didn't think that much. I know you guys are very capable. Even if you burn the van together, you might still be able to find something. It's safest if you can't find it."

That logic makes sense.

If you can't find it, that's always the safest option.

If Han Ling and Tong Feng hadn't come to the door immediately last night, and had waited another night, the murder weapon and gloves would have been much harder to find. Zhang Zhenhua would definitely have moved them a second time, and the location of the murder weapon would have expanded from the neighborhood to the entire Qingchang City, making it like searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Whose van is it?" Wu Bin asked. He had already checked and the other party did not own a van.

Zhang Zhenhua: "It was stolen from a used car dealership."

Wu Bin: "Name".

Zhang Zhenhua: "Nanyang Used Car Dealership".

Wu Bin knew this car dealership; it was located in Gu'an District. He had visited it several times a few years ago when investigating a case. It was a large-scale operation, and the owner was from out of town.

There are many old, nearly scrapped vans like the one Zhang Zhenhua used to commit the crime in car dealerships. Because they are cheap, the owners don't keep a close watch on them, and they are parked outside like garbage. If you want to steal them, there are ways to do so.

Upon reaching this point in the investigation, Gao Bingyang in the observation room immediately arranged for officers to verify the information and inquire with the car dealership owner whether the same van had been stolen.

In the interrogation room, there were still many questions to be asked about the details of Li Dechang's murder, but Wu Bin didn't ask them for the time being. Instead, he stared at Zhang Zhenhua and asked the most important question: "How did Xiong Chuan and Wu Cuicui die?"

There has been no targeted investigation into these two cases yet, and Zhang Zhenhua may deny them.

To Wu Bin's surprise, Zhang Zhenhua raised his head and uttered the same three words: "I killed him."

"Hmm?" Wu Bin didn't expect the other party to admit it so readily; it seemed they were no longer going to struggle. "Why did you kill them?"

Zhang Zhenhua: "They are the same as Li Dechang."

Wu Bin: "You mean Zhu Guilan?"

Zhang Zhenhua: "Yes."

Wu Bin: "Explain clearly, what exactly did they do?"

As he prepared to confess, Zhang Zhenhua revealed a calm smile: "If it weren't for them, the car accident wouldn't have happened, and Teacher Zhu wouldn't have died. Compared to Li Dechang, their behavior was even worse."

Wu Bin: "You mean, Xiong Chuan and Wu Cuicui caused the car accident?"

Zhang Zhenhua: "You could say that indifference can kill..."

The voice rang out in the interrogation room, and the mystery of what happened three years ago was unveiled.

……

three years ago.

Night fell like a tattered rag soaked in ink, heavily enveloping the city.

It was late, and there were few pedestrians on the street.

Zhu Guilan got lost.

She was still wearing that faded plaid coat, clutching the familiar old cloth bag tightly in her hand, her steps faltering.

My niece was working overtime today, and before leaving, she repeatedly told her not to go out. But that stubborn tangle of confusion and chaotic memories resurfaced in her mind: she had to go out to buy roasted chestnuts for her child, otherwise the child would be unhappy after school. The path was quiet, and Zhu Guilan walked slowly, vaguely seeing a figure leaning against the wall.

Xiong Chuan smoked his cigarette irritably, the moonlight illuminating his slightly distorted face. He had just come from the casino, lost a lot, and was in a terrible mood.

Everyone else is winning money, why am I always losing? My luck is just too bad!
"There will always be bad days. I'll borrow some money tomorrow and I'll definitely turn things around! Damn it."

Xiong Chuan cursed, threw away his cigarette butt, and prepared to go home. His pregnant wife should be asleep by now.

He is looking forward to meeting his child soon.

Upon seeing Xiong Chuan, Zhu Guilan's eyes lit up. She quickly took a few steps forward, grabbed his sleeve, and exclaimed in surprise, "Shuo Shuo? Is that Shuo Shuo? Mom was just about to buy you some roasted chestnuts. Have you finished school yet? Why are you here instead of going home?"

Xiong Chuan was startled and jerked his hand away. A strong smell of smoke and alcohol hit him: "Get lost, you old bastard! You've mistaken me for someone else!"

His character was never very good to begin with, and he was in a fit of rage from losing money, so his attitude was extremely bad.

Zhu Guilan stumbled from his push and almost fell, but she stubbornly leaned closer, her eyes filled with the purest worry of a mother: "Shuo Shuo, did you get into a fight again? Come home with Mom!"

"I told you to get lost! Are you crazy? You old hag, why are you bothering me?!" Xiong Chuan turned and left, cursing indiscriminately, wanting to get rid of this trouble as soon as possible.

But Zhu Guilan seemed not to understand these harsh words; she only saw her son throwing a tantrum. She persisted in following him, nagging on and on about words like "go home" and "eat."

The entanglement completely ignited Xiong Chuan's anger, and he turned around and shoved Zhu Guilan hard.

"I told you not to follow me! Are you crazy?!"

Zhu Guilan's body could not withstand Xiong Chuan's force. She cried out and fell backward, her head hitting a sharp pebble on the side of the road.

Xiong Chuan was stunned for a moment, his anger subsided by more than half. He cautiously stepped forward and took a look. Crimson blood quickly seeped out from between the old man's silver hair.

The old man lay on the ground, motionless, as if he had fainted.

Xiong Chuan's face turned pale. Although he was a hoodlum, he wasn't very brave. He looked around and, seeing no one, turned and ran like a startled rabbit, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

The unconscious old woman was left lying motionless on the spot, the only thing still moving was the blood that kept seeping out.

A dozen minutes later, the beam of light from the electric vehicle pierced the darkness of the path.

Wu Cuicui rode her electric bike over. She had just remembered that yesterday was her father's birthday, so she came to Gu'an District overnight to see him. She is a filial daughter.

With a flash of the car lights, Wu Cuicui saw Zhu Guilan lying on the roadside, and she also saw blood.

"Sweep the snow from your own doorstep and don't worry about the frost on someone else's roof"—this is Wu Cuicui's personality, and she subconsciously wants to avoid such situations.

It's better to avoid trouble. These days, helping an elderly person can bankrupt you.

Just as Wu Cuicui was hurrying to leave, she caught a glimpse of the old cloth bag that Zhu Guilan was pressing down on.

Since having children, our family has been struggling to make ends meet.

An evil thought inexplicably popped into her head. She stopped the car and slowly walked over. It was the first time she had done something wrong, and it made her heart pound.

After confirming that it was quiet and no one was around, Wu Cuicui gritted her teeth and squatted down, trying to pull out the cloth bag, but the old man's body weight was pressing on it, making it difficult for her to pull it out.

At this moment, Zhu Guilan showed signs of waking up, and her arm moved slightly.

Wu Cuicui was startled and pulled harder with her hand.

As the bag was pulled out, Zhu Guilan's body was pulled, and her head shifted, aggravating her wound. The blood that was about to stop flowing from the point of impact began to seep out again at an accelerated pace.

Without bothering to examine it closely, Wu Cuicui hurriedly opened the cloth bag. Inside were an old wallet, hundred-yuan bills, and some change. She took the money, put the bag down, got on her electric bike, and fled the scene without looking back.

The night wind was cool, which aroused Zhu Guilan's half-consciousness. She let out a weak groan, struggled to support herself with her hands and slowly sat up, then swayed as she stood up.

Picking up the cloth bag, Zhu Guilan stood there bewildered, her vision spinning with a double image.

She has lost her memory, forgotten everything that just happened, and now wants to go home.

"Did you just run into Shuo Shuo? I need to hurry back..."

Zhu Guilan staggered, blood staining her collar. She hadn't gone far when the blinding headlights of a motorcycle sped towards her from afar, the engine roaring loudly.

Li Dechang was so drunk that he was incoherent and unable to control the motorcycle effectively, causing it to sway precariously.

Zhu Guilan's unsteady figure happened to be right in his erratic path, but he didn't see her at all.

boom!
The dull sound was particularly startling in the quiet night.

Zhu Guilan made no sound as her body arced through the air before landing heavily.

She landed precisely where Xiong Chuan had first pushed her down, and where her head had hit the rock.

Li Dechang was sobered up by the sudden impact. His motorcycle went out of control and slid a long way. He scrambled to see the old man lying on the ground, and was immediately terrified, frozen in place.

Drunk driving and hitting someone, leaving their life hanging in the balance—this is a serious matter!

Unlike Xiong Chuan and Wu Cuicui, Li Dechang did not run away. After realizing what was happening, he quickly took out his phone to call the police and also dialed the emergency number.

"Auntie, please don't die, damn it!!"

Li Dechang reeked of alcohol and prayed that the old man would survive; he certainly didn't want to go to jail.

The moonlight shone down, illuminating the old man's even paler face.

(End of this chapter)