Reborn in 1995, Criminal Investigation Records

There are a total of eight electricity meters, and the number of people who need to be visited is between 20 and 40. If we work quickly, it won't take more than two hours.

The three men knocked on the first door. This was a lane area with single-story houses, where four households shared one electricity meter.

An elderly man opened the door. When he heard that the group of people were police officers, he warmly invited them into the house and asked if there was anything he could help with, and whether the murderer of the model had been caught.

Zhou Yang and his two companions refused, citing the need for confidentiality during the investigation, and then inquired about the recent increase in electricity bills.

At this point, an older woman from the inner room came out and began to chatter on and on. From her rambling words, Xiao Jiale could tell that it was because the young couple next door had recently bought a batch of home appliances, including a television, a refrigerator, and a washing machine, and were apparently preparing for their wedding.

"These items are quite valuable!" Wang Chao exclaimed.

"Hey, who says otherwise!" the old woman chimed in, then subtly leaned closer, adding, "I heard some watchmakers are doing business in the south!"

Zhou Yang nodded to indicate that he understood. Nowadays, the so-called "doing business in the south" often has one meaning: smuggling along the coast.

"Why should we pay for their electricity when they're getting married? It's just my husband and me in the house, with a 15W light bulb and a small TV. How much can we use? But for the past two months, we've had to pay an extra 10 yuan each month. You know, before, we only paid a few yuan each!" The old lady said with a face full of resentment.

Zhou Yang glanced at the covered washing machine and another color TV, at the young couple the old lady had mentioned.

After knocking on the door for a long time, no one answered. Just as Zhou Yang was about to leave, Wang Chao made a gesture. Following his gaze, he and Xiao Jiale saw a faint shadow behind the door.

"We are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team. We are currently investigating a murder case. If you don't open the door, we will break it down and may even call for SWAT support. Open the door within one minute. Start the timer now!" Wang Chao shouted, then stood in front of the door without saying a word.

To Zhou Yang and his companion's surprise, less than half a minute later, the door opened with a click.

A woman who looked to be in her early twenties with a pretty face opened the door and then stood to the side, looking nervously at Wang Chao and the other two who entered the room.

"Why did it take you so long to open the door?" Wang Chao said, his eyes searching the room for something.

Zhou Yang looked at the slightly protruding wardrobe door, stepped forward and pulled it open. Immediately afterwards, a white-clad man carrying simple clothes fell out of it.

Xiao Jiale stared in disbelief at everything before him: "You're not a family?"

He remembered that the old couple had said someone was getting married, but if it was really a marriage prospect, there was no need to hide like this.

"Yes, yes, we're a couple, but we've been playing around a bit..." The man looked more than three or five years older than the woman. Hearing Xiao Jiale's question, he rolled his eyes and naturally put his hand on the girl's waist.

Zhou Yang frowned, ignored the other person, and walked around the house. Just as the old woman had said, all the new appliances were currently plugged in.

"When were these large items purchased, and have they been in continuous use?"

"Oh, these things...we're getting married..." the man said, slowly putting on his clothes.

"I didn't ask you. If you have too much to say, come back to the team later!" Wang Chao glared at him, and the man immediately nodded with a sheepish smile, put his hands behind his back, and stood aside.

"I bought it... more than two months ago, and the things I've been using have all been provided by my husband's relatives..." the woman said, her head bowed, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands.

......

"Look at that smug look on his face, it's so annoying!" Xiao Jiale walked out, looking indignant.

"Then call the Third Brigade!" Zhou Yang said, pointing to the street corner: "There should be a public phone there!"

"No way!" Xiao Jiale hesitated. Just because he didn't like this person, he was being taken back? However, Zhou Yang had mentioned the Third Brigade, and considering the Third Brigade's responsibilities, he quickly stepped forward and nudged the other man with his elbow: "Tell me, tell me!"

Zhou Yang paused, then said, "Long-term indoor labor and lack of sunlight have made his skin pale. His extremely short hair indicates he hasn't been out of prison for long. He habitually stands with his hands behind his back and always carries a tool bag with him, containing tools such as wire cutters and screwdrivers, as well as at least three wallets!"

Xiao Jiale's eyes lit up: "So, the other party is very likely a recently released thief, and not some so-called lover at all!"

After saying that, he gave Zhou Yang a thumbs up and jogged off to make a phone call.

"You're amazing, kid!" Wang Chao circled Zhou Yang twice, both of them beaming. "You're a detective, a genius!"

Seeing Wang Chao's astonished expression, Zhou Yang rubbed his nose: "It's very simple, just observe more!"

"I can't do it, I can't do it, I can't compare to you. How did you make so many judgments in such a short time?" Wang Chao was still marveling. Zhou Yang's move just now not only shocked Xiao Jiale, but also Wang Chao.

If this had happened to Liu Chengyu, he would have found it normal, but since it was this policeman who had only been on the job for less than half a year, he found it hard not to describe him as a genius.

"The best part is yet to come. I even know his name and address. Want to learn?" Seeing that Xiao Jiale hadn't returned yet, Zhou Yang assumed he was waiting for him.

"Of course I'll learn!" Wang Chao chimed in, intrigued. "But you have to teach me!"

"I guarantee you'll learn!" Zhou Yang patted his chest. Finally, the two agreed on a standard of at least three meals a day with three dishes and a soup.

"As long as you have eyes!" Zhou Yang said, then turned and left after watching Xiao Jiale run over excitedly.

"That's it?" Wang Chao was stunned!

"That's it!" Zhou Yang nodded. "If you had seen the bag behind the washing machine just now, you would have seen a 'Release Certificate' with the contents I mentioned on it!"

Wang Chao watched as Xiao Jiale ran over, grinning foolishly, and thought that sometimes being a little silly is actually quite good.

......

"Zhou Yang, could it be... a mistake?" More than an hour later, Xiao Jiale looked somewhat dejected. He sat on a nearby curb, took off his leather shoes, and rubbed his sore ankles.

The three of them arrived full of confidence, but after visiting all the marked locations and asking around, they still couldn't find anything.

At these eight locations, some had new appliances, some neighbors watched TV all night, and some had several fans running all night. After going around, the group found almost nothing.

"The approach is sound!" Zhou Yang didn't consider himself particularly intelligent, but this direction of investigation should be correct in theory.

But now that a problem has arisen, it can only mean that something went wrong in a certain part of the process.

Of these eight locations, the largest number involved six households, but this would result in less money being split among them. Even so, it would still be noticed.

The three of them had just looked at the six households, none of which were considered wealthy, and some were barely making ends meet. Even if such families received an extra 50 cents, they wouldn't remain silent.

Three out of five households share one electricity meter, and three out of four households share one meter.

"Let's go! Let's go back!" Zhou Yang thought of another possibility.

"That one of the two households!"

......

"Why didn't I ask that question earlier!" Xiao Jiale tapped his head and then looked at Wang Chao.

Wang Chao looked away and said, "Go ahead and knock, why are you looking at me? If you touch me today, I won't be polite."

"There's nothing we can do about it, nobody knows they're tenants!" That's definitely based on experience; I learned that after returning just now.

Both households were tenants who had been renting for nearly three months. They had only paid their own rent for the last two months; for the first month or so, the landlord had paid for it.

Through inspecting the appliances and contacting the landlord, the three finally determined where the problem lay.

The landlord initially thought the two people were using a lot of electricity, but the two thought the price had always been the same, and that's how the misunderstanding arose!

Well then, the rest is simple!

The three looked at each other, exchanging encouraging glances, and then arrived at an abandoned room.