Reborn in 1995, Criminal Investigation Records

As for the so-called fried fish, Zhou Yang walked around the pond in the morning.

Under normal circumstances, anglers wouldn't fish in such ponds, let alone use explosives to catch fish, because there's a high probability there aren't any fish there.

The pond surface is covered with planktonic organisms; any fish that were there would have died long ago due to lack of oxygen.

During the two laps it made, there wasn't even a ripple on the water's surface, nor were there any frog croaks or bird droppings around.

Not to mention the fish carcasses that were killed by the explosion; there wasn't a single one, regardless of size.

Finally, the riverbank was overgrown with weeds, with no signs of trampling or clearing, no cigarette butts or other signs of activity, no tire tracks, and no traces of lime from firecracker fish.

In addition, the noise described by colleagues was more like firecrackers deliberately set off to attract attention, rather than fish being fried.

If everything is overturned, then things will become clear.

The murderer pointed all the suspicion at a non-existent suspect, keeping them busy while he himself escaped – a brilliant scheme!

......

"Zhou Yang, do you think someone my age can still change careers?" Fang Duo's tone was somewhat downcast.

After listening to Zhou Yang's explanation, Fang Duo felt that she might be getting old, or perhaps she was just not suited to be a police officer.

If Zhou Yang hadn't told her, she probably wouldn't have been able to figure these things out even if she racked her brains.

Even when she first set off, she kept thinking, if Chen Feng really fled abroad, would she really be powerless to help him?

"Sister Duoduo, you're so young, changing jobs three or four times wouldn't be a problem, but I don't think you're unsuitable for the police profession!" Fang Duo roughly guessed what the other person meant and could only comfort her.

"But I... I'd really be making a huge mistake!" She really couldn't imagine how this case would turn out if she were in Liu Da's position, under her leadership, but it would most likely be a long shot.

"Xiao Jiale, if nothing unexpected happens, isn't he the same as you?" Zhou Yang lazily turned his head to comfort him, then twisted his waist to find a more comfortable position: "When you run into a public phone, call Liu Da and see if he's still with Gong Hongxing!"

Although she knew Zhou Yang was trying to comfort her and that he wasn't intentionally belittling Xiao Jiale, she felt strangely relieved when she thought about what Zhou Yang had just said and that the police officer was also immersed in his own world, just like her.

Although this may not be fair to Xiao Jiale, we can't worry about that for now.

......

"You know, Liu Da is really something. He's ignoring the case and just hanging around here with Gong Hongxing!" In the car, Fang Duo had just confirmed with Zhou Yang that Liu Chengyu and Gong Hongxing were both in Pingyun City, the capital of Beizhou Province—which is also where the provincial government is located.

Zhou Yang smiled and said, "I guess Captain Liu had no choice; he can't easily shirk this responsibility."

"If you push me any further, I'm quitting. Go find whoever you want!" The luxuriously decorated room was now filled with smoke.

Liu Chengyu shoved the cigarette butt into the ashtray, stood up, and walked out.

If you look closely, you can see a figure opposite the plumes of smoke: "Chengyu, Xiaojun is someone you watched grow up, you can't do this!"

"Heh!" Liu Chengyu laughed out loud: "What can't I do? Endorse you, a celebrity entrepreneur, for violating rules and laws, and release some so-called 'under-the-table' money?"

"You know I didn't want to put you in a difficult position; that was just a way to put pressure on you!" Gong Hongxing's face was bitter. "I've already lost Xiaojun; you can't be so cruel as to make me lose another brother!"

"It's been two days, why haven't you said anything? You haven't said anything at all! Tell me, how can I help you? How can I help you? Huh!" Liu Chengyu said, also feeling very frustrated.

But looking at the other person, the previous high spirits were nowhere to be found on their face; there was only fatigue and pain.

"My colleagues from Ning'an will come over in a bit. After they ask you a few questions, I'll go back to the station with them!" Liu Chengyu said, then opened the door and walked out. The room was too stuffy; he couldn't stand it.

To be honest, he was also going through a lot of inner turmoil. On one hand, there was the death of his good brother and Gong Xiaojun, whom he had watched grow up, and on the other hand, there were his duties and obligations as the captain of the brigade.

He wanted to solve the case and give Gong Hongxing and Gong Xiaojun an explanation, but Gong Hongxing's actions put him in a very passive position, ruining his plans to solve the case as soon as possible.

Gong Hongxing used to be in the police system, so he naturally knew the process. He also knew that there were far more unsolved cases than solved ones. Therefore, he dared not gamble. It seemed that only by using money to force out the murderer could he alleviate the pain of losing his son.

Liu Chengyu could roughly guess what the other party was thinking. He also wanted to tell the other party: Times have changed. I have taken on a disciple named Zhou Yang. That kid has some skills. We will definitely be able to solve the case.

"Master!" A greeting interrupted his thoughts. He saw Zhou Yang jump down from a 212, followed by the driver, Fang Duo.

"How was your trip?" Liu Chengyu looked at the two travel-worn men, patted them on the shoulder, and gestured for them to follow him.

As soon as the door opened, Zhou Yang frowned, while Fang Duo coughed violently. The only things left in the room were the heavy smell of smoke and wisps of smoke rolling from the ceiling.

"I won't introduce you, please cooperate with our work!" Following his instincts, Liu Chengyu grabbed a red dot from the swirling smoke and snatched the cigarette butt from the other person.

"Let's change rooms!" a hoarse voice rang out.

Zhou Yang and Fang Duo exchanged a glance. In just one day, Gong Hongxing's condition had deteriorated to this extent.

"Mr. Gong, I would like to ask, what exactly is the connection between the Q-trap case and Gong Xiaojun?" After changing rooms and sitting down, Zhou Yang asked his question.

Gong Hongxing reached for the cigarette pack on the table again, but Liu Chengyu quickly stepped forward and snatched it away, saying, "You can smoke it sooner or later, answer the question first!"

Gong Hongxing frowned and sighed, speaking with a touch of melancholy: "This matter actually had little to do with Xiaojun. Whether you believe it or not, that's what I'll say!"

"I believe you!" Zhou Yang's interjection made Gong Hongxing look up abruptly, her eyes slightly red.

Zhou Yang nodded: "It's not to flatter you or anything like that. I found out that initially it didn't seem to matter, but for some reason, it dragged him into it!"

Gong Hongxing was taken aback, then mechanically nodded, "Thank you, thank you!" Then he turned to Liu Chengyu, "Chengyu, give me one!"

Liu Chengyu ignored him and looked at Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang nodded, then quickly took one, lit it for the other person, and handed it over.

"When that happened, Xiao Jun wasn't in Ning'an at all, so he didn't have the time to commit the crime, and he has a solid alibi!" Gong Hongxing took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

Liu Chengyu was actually unaware of this, because the case wasn't being handled by their brigade at the time; he only learned about it in the last couple of days as the investigation progressed.

"Later..." Gong Hongxing's emotions were clearly agitated when she spoke of this: "Later, Xiao Jun's cronies reappeared, and Xiao Jun hung out with them. He probably drank too much and boasted that he was the one who did it... and then the news spread..."

Zhou Yang looked at Gong Hongxing, and it was clear that the other party hadn't finished speaking, or rather, the reason wasn't that simple.

It's common to see this kind of thing. To make themselves seem more capable or well-connected, many people will attribute cases that aren't theirs to themselves and then boast about it.

There's no way around it; some young men and women with a certain "spirited" personality just fall for this kind of thing.

"Can you be more specific?" Liu Chengyu chimed in softly. If it was just about this fraudulent 'identity' incident, or if it really was related to Gong Xiaojun, the Municipal Bureau would have already launched an investigation.

"How would I know?" Gong Hongxing retorted defiantly, raising his voice and instantly escalating the tension between them.