Era: Starting from the local police station

At this point, Zhang Chongguang asked, "Where do you think the killer made the move?"

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "That's right. Remember we said that the murderer in this case was pretending to be innocent in order to mislead us?"

Yu Yong interjected, "Could it be that a robbery happened there?"

Jiang Zhenghua shook his head: "No, that won't happen. If a robbery did occur, what would happen to the victim after the robbers left?"

Lin Song said, "Based on past cases, the victim will immediately make a scene, and everyone will know. Another possibility is that the victim is afraid of retaliation, so they will leave silently and then report the incident to the police. Of course, there is also the possibility that the victim is afraid to show their belongings or make a scene."

Jiang Zhenghua nodded slightly: "But there's no shouting or reporting it to the police. And it's rare to see something hidden from public view. So, thinking about our case, I'm inclined to believe that Comrade Zhang Qin didn't mishear, and that it really happened. But the truth is that the murderer deliberately made the victim shout, trying to lead us into thinking it was a robbery and murder."

Jin Hong said, "It's a very bold hypothesis, but it does make some sense and is worth investigating."

After saying that, he said to the young man sitting next to him, "Xiao Cui, bring out that report."

Xiao Cui immediately opened his black leather bag, took out a file folder, and handed it to Deputy Director Jin with both hands.

Jin Hong took the report, waved it, and said in a deep voice, "This is the autopsy report issued by Professor Fang Ya. One of the points is that, based on the victim's wounds and the autopsy results, she deduced that the murderer used a relatively blunt dagger. It would be very difficult for an ordinary person to stab someone with this kind of dagger. Moreover, when the murderer stabbed into the chest, he was able to avoid the bones very well, making it difficult to find scratches on the bones."

Jiang Zhenghua's eyes lit up: "It seems that the murderer must have received relevant training or be familiar with human anatomy, otherwise it would be very difficult to do this."

"That's right, this also confirms that the killer was a professional and deliberately misled our judgment."

Jin Hong nodded and handed the file folder to Zhang Chongguang beside him.

Jiang Zhenghua continued, "If we still don't find anything, then I'll tell you about what we found at the Hongxing Machinery Factory this morning."

Everyone immediately sat up straight.

"First of all, the purchasing department of the machinery factory confirmed that they have not received any wild boar meat in the past few days. In other words, the two men pulling the cart the night before last were lying. They were not carrying wild boar meat; it was most likely a corpse."

The crowd below immediately beamed with joy.

Yu Yong said, "But there's so little information about these two people, it's difficult to investigate, isn't it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zhenghua said, "That's right. Although we know the murderer, it's not easy to take action. However, Chief Cheng of the security department of the machinery factory also found out some information: the deceased was named 'Hou San,' but whether it's his real name or a nickname hasn't been confirmed yet."

Lin Song was about to ask a question.

Qiao Fuping leaned close to his ear and said, "He's not a formal employee, and there are many other things involved."

"Hou San doesn't have a formal job. He usually takes on temporary work at the machinery factory and also organizes able-bodied men from the countryside to help the factory move goods, earning some extra money in the process."

Geng Jianwu said, "Judging from his clothes, he's not exactly well-off. Did he make too much money in the business, which led to resentment and retaliation?"

Jiang Zhenghua nodded: "I can't rule out that possibility. I got the gatekeeper records from the machinery factory and found that most of these people are surnamed Hou, and they come from a village called Houjia Village. So I speculate that Hou San might be from this village."

As he spoke, he tore a page from his notebook and handed it to Deputy Director Jin: "These are some names I copied from the record sheet. It's just a pity that they didn't write the name of the town."

Jin Hong glanced at them: "Hou Shucai, Hou Baogen, Hou Qilai... Hou Wuwa, these are clearly the generational names of the same family. You can ask the police station in the nearby suburban town to find this village."

After saying that, he handed it to Qin Weijun behind him: "Let everyone pass it around and take a look. It would be best if you know anyone there. If not, you'll have to call the police station or town government one by one to ask."

Jiang Zhenghua hesitated for a moment before finally turning his gaze to Deputy Director Jin.

Jin Hong was taken aback, then nodded silently.

Jiang Zhenghua understood and said again, "According to the information provided by the machinery factory, Hou San is very close to Hu Decai, the clerk in the personnel department of the machinery factory. Hu Decai is thirty years old this year and is in charge of recruiting and managing temporary workers. Every time the machinery factory needs temporary workers, he will contact Hou San."

Geng Jianwu frowned and said, "This doesn't make sense. Aren't there many temporary workers who can get these jobs? Why is he only giving them to Hou San? Is there some kind of vested interest between them?"

Meng Yuan guessed, "Did they withhold the wages of those comrades?"

Liu Baojia immediately exclaimed, "No way! They're so bold! That's the hard-earned money of ordinary people! Taking it is blatant exploitation, and once discovered, it will be judged as exploitation."

Chen Shan shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true. Some people are so greedy that they'll turn their hearts black and do anything."

Geng Jianwu sighed, recalling the old days: "Think about the foremen and managers before liberation, wasn't this how they exploited the working people?"

Lin Song also caught on to the implication: "So, it's possible that the two had a dispute over the spoils, and this guy surnamed Hu hired someone to kill them?"

Everyone fell silent instantly and looked at Jiang Zhenghua.

"It's possible. But right now it's just hearsay, there's no concrete evidence. Only by finding those temporary workers can we find out the truth."

"It seems we must find these people now. Not only can we confirm Hou San's identity, but we can also understand his interpersonal relationships and past, thereby learning some secrets."

Yu Yong suddenly paused, frowned, and said, "Have you questioned Hu Decai? Bring him back for questioning; maybe he won't be able to hold back and will confess. Is the factory leadership blocking it?"

Everyone turned their attention upwards.

Jiang Zhenghua shook his head: "It's not that the leaders of the machinery factory are obstructing us, but the matter is a bit complicated. The investigation revealed that every time Hou San led people to the machinery factory, he would enter through the gate guarded by Qi Ronggen, the deputy head of the machinery factory's security team. And this Qi Ronggen is the brother-in-law of Director Wang of the machinery factory's logistics department."

Many people didn't understand what this meant.

However, Jin Hong, Yu Yong, and Lin Song all had solemn expressions.

Jiang Zhenghua walked to an empty blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and wrote on it: Porter, Security Personnel, Logistics Department.

Upon seeing what he wrote, everyone's expression changed, and the meeting room instantly fell silent.

Jiang Zhenghua said in a deep voice, "The machinery factory has four gates, but he always uses the gate that Qi Ronggen is on duty at, which means that the two are very familiar with each other. Otherwise, he wouldn't know which gate the other is on duty at every time and would always use that gate."

Chen Junsheng said in a low voice, "Could it be a coincidence?"

Jiang Zhenghua glanced at him and said seriously, "I don't believe there are that many coincidences. Considering Qi Ronggen's identity and background, we dare not gamble that they are innocent, nor do we dare gamble that they haven't made any dirty deals."

Jin Hong stood up, looked around, and said loudly, "I agree with Director Qiao and Deputy Director Jiang's decision. If the speculation is true, what are these people doing? They might be smuggling state supplies, undermining socialism; or even using their temporary worker status to bring people in and commit treason."

He paused for a moment, then said, "If they are truly innocent, there's nothing to it. They have withstood the test of the people, and the higher-ups will naturally take it into consideration."

His voice suddenly rose: "But if there really is a problem, then we must not let them off the hook; they must be made to receive the punishment they deserve."

Everyone's eyes sharpened.

Jin Hong looked at the two directors and said loudly, "I have reported the matter, and Director Yang attaches great importance to it. He has demanded that the truth be thoroughly investigated. He has agreed to conduct a joint investigation with the security department of the machinery factory. To facilitate the case, I will stay at the station to help you deal with some external interference."

Everyone immediately stood up and said in unison, "We guarantee to complete the mission."

Jin Hong said to Jiang Zhenghua, "Continue."