Reborn in 1995, Criminal Investigation Records

The person who reported the incident went out to throw away the trash early in the morning and found several people gathered not far away, pointing at a spot. He peeked out and saw that there was a dead body, so he immediately called the police.

"Comrade, let me tell you, some people were planning to cover the body with a sheet, but I stopped them. The scene needs to be protected. I've worked in the security department before..." The person who reported the incident sounded somewhat reassured.

Liu Chengyu affirmed his actions. Although the footprints at the scene were messy, fortunately the body had not been moved, and no more effective clues were obtained during subsequent questioning.

News of the murder near Fengdu residential area spread quickly.

In the 1990s, entertainment was scarce. Apart from the three types of entertainment venues—billiard halls, dance halls, and video halls—people's greatest pastime was gathering together to chat. When the deceased was found lying on a public road, many people discovered him, and rumors spread like wildfire.

The bureau immediately established a special task force, with criminal investigation captain Yan Li serving as the team leader. His main responsibility was coordination and overall planning, as cooperation from local authorities was often required, which is where the team leader's role became apparent.

If something really big happens, then the deputy director and director have to come and support them. The actual progress of the case is handled by the deputy team leader, Liu Chengyu.

The office of the first team was now filled with smoke. The two rows of people in the room all looked like incense burners that had come to life. That's the downside of being a criminal investigator; it consumes too much smoke.

In the middle of the hall, against the wall, there was a whiteboard with photos of the scene and the deceased, as well as some basic information written on it.

Liu Chengyu shoved his cigarette butt into the ashtray, his face seemingly darkened by the smoke: "Tell me the situation."

"Liu Da, the deceased Deng Fangfang, female, 46 years old, lived in Fengdu Garden Community, less than 500 meters from the crime scene. Her residence was apartment 401 on the 4th floor of building 3, where she lived with her husband Zhu Guolong." The speaker was Dai Yan, who was called "Glasses" because he wore a pair of high-prescription glasses, or simply "Glasses".

He had barely finished speaking when Fang Duo, the only woman in the team, stood up. She was about thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, and everyone called her "Sister Duo Duo": "The forensic doctor's preliminary report is out!"

She said calmly, "According to the forensic report, it has been confirmed that the deceased died around 12 o'clock, with an error of no more than half an hour. It can be confirmed that she met with misfortune on her way home from get off work!"

The cause of death was a combination of ruptured abdominal aorta and severe traumatic brain injury.

In other words, both of these injuries could be fatal, and the fact that they occurred simultaneously explains Deng Fangfang's rapid death. Additionally, minor abrasions were found on the deceased's neck.

"Liu Da!" Xiao Jiale answered. Unlike Zhou Yang's provincial vocational college, he was a proper "Public Security University".

"Based on the traces at the scene and the two wounds, I personally lean towards a revenge killing." As he spoke, he glanced at Zhou Yang, seemingly unintentionally.

nerve!

Zhou Yang cursed under his breath, lowered his eyes, and avoided that boring eye contact.

Both were trainee police officers, but ever since this guy learned that he was from a provincial vocational college, he has been trying his best to outdo him in everything.

Later, as he wished, unlike his lateral transfer, Xiao Jiale was directly transferred to the provincial department based on his outstanding abilities. One was "Section Chief Zhou," and the other was already "Director Xiao."

"It could also be robbery!" Wang Chao offered a different perspective: "Robbery cannot be ruled out. The deceased was well-dressed and had good financial conditions. It was probably a spur-of-the-moment robbery that ended in failure or enrage that escalated into murder!" After Wang Chao finished speaking, Xiao Jiale was taken aback at first, and then nodded thoughtfully.

Fang Duo just reported that the scratches on the other party's neck could also be traces left by the other party forcibly pulling off jewelry or something similar.

Seeing that the discussion had come to an end, Liu Chengyu stood up and gave clear and unambiguous instructions.

"The next steps will focus on several parts: going to Fengdu Garden to inquire with the victim's family and neighbors to understand the situation."

Investigate the area surrounding the scene to find eyewitnesses or suspicious persons who may have been in the general area.

Investigate the victim's social relationships, employment situation, and debt situation. Report any major findings immediately. If there are no further questions, begin...!

Seeing Zhou Yang gesturing with his fingers, he added, "Furthermore, judging from the two wounds, the assailant used different hands. The dominant hand for using the dagger was the right, while the skull wound on the back of the head was in the left hand. This should be a key point; there's a high probability that there was more than one assailant!"

Seeing Fang Duo raise her hand, Zhou Yang replied, "It's not noted here, but it should be sent over with the complete document later!"

Liu Chengyu continued, "The modus operandi shows two characteristics, so we'll investigate along the lines of the two suspects! We'll see if they committed the crime together, or if it was a case of overlapping offenses!"

...

Ning'an, as a county-level city, does not have a large police force. The First Brigade, although called a brigade, is much smaller than the brigade in later times, with only about ten people. Apart from the internal affairs staff, only a few people are actually handling cases, and they are quite familiar with each other.

"Tsk tsk, look at the vehicles of the Third Brigade. They're much better than our beat-up old ones. They're quieter and less prone to breaking down! Unlike ours, which lurches every three steps." Wang Chao stroked the steering wheel of the vehicle he had borrowed from the Second Brigade, his words full of envy.

The two were preparing to question the deceased's husband, Zhu Guolong.

Zhou Yang didn't respond. The Third Brigade is mainly responsible for theft, robbery and fraud. They have seized a lot of smuggled and stolen cars, so they are not short of vehicles.

The Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team consists of one captain, two deputy captains, and usually four brigades.

One of the teams was my own team, and the team leader was Liu Chengyu, who was mainly responsible for solving murder cases.

The Second Brigade is responsible for crimes involving organized crime and gangs.

The Third Brigade targets crimes such as theft, robbery, and fraud.

The Fourth Brigade is the technical team, which covers a wide range of businesses, including forensic medicine, trace evidence, imaging, exploration, and laboratory testing.

In previous years, there was also a Fifth Detachment, which was mainly responsible for intelligence or specific cases.

"Zhou Yang, you said the deceased lived so close to her apartment complex, so it's impossible that her husband, Zhu Guolong, didn't hear anything. Why didn't he come to the station to identify the body instead of waiting for us to come and notify him?" Wang Chao asked casually, fiddling with the steering wheel. "Could it be that he really didn't know?"

"This is what we need to figure out today." Zhou Yang shifted to a more comfortable position.

Actually, there are two options now. One is to summon the deceased's husband to the police station. What they are doing now is the second option: visiting him at his home to understand the situation.

When summoned to the station, the other party may have prepared a reason beforehand, but going directly to their door to inquire may disrupt their rhythm and lead to unexpected surprises.

Fengdu Garden, one of the earliest high-end residential communities in Ning'an City, is now somewhat dilapidated, but in the past, its price once exceeded 2 yuan per square meter, making it a place where every inch of land was precious.

Upon seeing the man who opened the door, Zhou Yang and Wang Chao exchanged a glance, both revealing a hint of surprise in their eyes.

A tall, fat man!

Zhou Yang is 1.8 meters tall and weighs over 70 kilograms, while Wang Chao is slightly stronger, standing at 1.88 meters tall and weighing 90 kilograms.

However, standing next to Zhu Guolong, the two appeared somewhat frail.

"I am indeed quite large, there's nothing I can do about it, it's the nature of my job!" Zhu Guolong explained with a wry smile, seemingly understanding their gazes.

"Thank you!" Zhou Yang and Wang Chao quickly thanked him, looking at the two bottles of Jianlibao placed in front of them.

"You two must be here because of Fangfang's matter! I just heard about it after get off work, and I was just thinking of going to the police station after dinner when you arrived!" Zhu Guolong pointed to the kitchen, where he was clearly cooking.

"Mr. Zhu, such a big thing has happened in your family, you seem..." Wang Chao carefully chose his words, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

"After such a big incident, I was still busy cooking and didn't feel sad at all. Is that what you mean, officer?" Zhu Guolong helped the two of them open the can of Jianlibao and pushed it forward a little.

"You might think I'm cold-blooded, but in fact, I'm not that sad. Look at me, even if she didn't go before me today, I'd probably have to go before her sometime soon. I've already let it go!" Zhu Guolong leaned back in his chair, which creaked under the weight.

"Mr. Zhu, what is your job?" Zhou Yang asked, not wanting to be led astray by the other party all the time.

"I'm a geological prospector working for a private company. Yesterday, after reviewing the plans with my colleagues, it was almost 10 p.m. Then we went out for dinner, and then went to a dance hall. Around 1 or 2 a.m., I went back to my company dormitory to sleep for the night. It wasn't until I got home that I heard about my wife's accident!"

"And what time does your spouse usually get off work?"

Zhu Guolong shook his head: "She's always on the night shift, scheduled for 2 AM, but she often leaves early, sometimes after 11 PM, sometimes after 1 AM, it's unpredictable!"

"Do you and your spouse have any enemies? Or have you had any recent conflicts?" Wang Chao continued to ask.

"No!" Zhu Guolong added, "She's just a worker in a cotton mill, surrounded by women her age. I've never heard her say she's ever argued with anyone!"

As Zhu Guolong spoke, he seemed a little thirsty, and Zhou Yang saw him go to the refrigerator and get a bottle of Jianlibao.

"Do you and your spouse have any debt disputes?" Wang Chao asked, holding a small notebook and staring at Zhu Guolong.

"No!" Zhu Guolong answered decisively, "When I was in the mining bureau, I was a cadre, to some extent. Later, I partnered with a friend to start this company, and it's quite profitable. The situation you described doesn't exist!"

Zhou Yang nodded. Judging from the other party's residence and the decoration of the room, the other party should not be lying.

"Mr. Zhu, is this your bedroom?" Zhou Yang pointed behind him.

A fleeting look of displeasure crossed Zhu Guolong's face: "No, that's my lover's room!"

"It doesn't seem to have as much natural light as your bedroom, Mr. Zhu!" Zhou Yang said, pointing to the inner room.

From his perspective, the light inside the room was noticeably stronger than this.

"How could that be?" Zhu Guolong retorted, then looked towards his inner room: "Oh, my room isn't dark. The light switch has been broken for the past couple of days and hasn't been fixed yet!"

"I know you suspect me!" Zhu Guolong smiled and waved, then struggled to his feet and opened the door. "I also want you to catch the murderer quickly. If this helps your investigation, please..."

"Mr. Zhu, you mean you'd allow us to look into your wife's bedroom, is that right?" Wang Chao also stood up, tucking his notebook under his arm.

"Yes!" Zhu Guolong nodded.

"Mr. Zhu, it's your right to refuse. No one is forcing you!" Wang Chao looked at the other person seriously.

"Don't worry, I know. I let you see it voluntarily!" Zhu Guolong picked up the can and took another sip, his tone relaxed.

Zhou Yang and Wang Chao were surprised by the other party's initiative. They exchanged a glance, put on shoe covers and gloves, and entered the room.

Zhu Guolong seemed somewhat disheartened, or perhaps tired, and returned to sit on the sofa in the living room.

"Xiao Jiale is quite proactive in his work!" A low voice came from behind. Zhou Yang followed Wang Chao's gaze and looked out the window to see his colleagues bustling around the crime scene.

He glanced at it once, then looked away, his attention drawn to an object in the corner behind the door.

It was a square, unattractive metal box, dark gray in color, with a lid that fit perfectly and felt heavy when picked up.

Zhou Yang squatted down and forcefully opened his gloved right hand, revealing a beautifully crafted jade stone inside.