Chapter 4: Du Hongze's Wife
"Gangzi, you must not do anything foolish!" Feng Ziqi muttered to himself as he stood up from the chair. He could no longer wait; he had to find the person named Zhang Yan. However, in his haste, Xiao Gang had not clearly indicated where he should go to look for him. Regardless of the difficulty, even if it were like searching for a needle in the ocean, he was determined to find Zhang Yan.
Tan Kaishan looked at the stubborn Feng Ziqi in front of him and could no longer persuade him, so he could only say: "Alright, you go ahead, as long as he agrees, I have no objections."
"Is there something wrong?" Feng Ziqi's attitude was quite indifferent; he held no fondness for this woman. In his view, Huang Xiaolan had left Xiao Gang merely because Du Hongze was a wealthy man. She was a woman driven by vanity.
"Is this Xiao Feng?" A woman's voice came from the other end of the phone, calm yet slightly cold
At a turning point for Tan Kaishan, everyone turned to look at him, and Fan Cheng's expression also changed slightly
Hearing the sound of Feng Ziqi slamming the door, Fan Cheng put down the documents in his hand, squinted his eyes, and reached for the landline to dial an internal number
Feng Ziqi was somewhat surprised; he certainly knew who Huang Xiaolan was, the ex-girlfriend of Xiao Gang and the wife of Du Hongze. However, he did not understand why Huang Xiaolan suddenly thought of calling him, as he seemed to have no connection with this woman.
Feng Ziqi must have gone to meet Xiao Gang, and I believe we should keep an eye on Feng Ziqi, as Xiao Gang might contact him.
Tan Kaishan furrowed his brow and said, "This matter is somewhat tricky. You are from the narcotics team, and you need to avoid any suspicion. You must trust the organization and your comrades. If Xiao Gang is truly not the murderer, they will definitely be able to clear his name. The most important thing now is to find Xiao Gang and have him come back voluntarily to explain the situation. As a police officer, he should understand that continuing like this is not a solution. To put it bluntly, he is evading justice. He has a gun in his possession, and you are well aware of the potential dangers that could arise from that!"
I am Feng Ziqi, may I ask who you are
In the small conference room of the Public Security Bureau of Qiao City, the "707" special case team held its first case analysis meeting
Old Fan, please don't rush, let me finish speaking. We all know that Feng Ziqi has a good relationship with Xiao Gang, but isn't this also an advantage? I believe Feng Ziqi is not someone who lacks judgment; having him join the special project team might help us find Xiao Gang more quickly. This is a double-edged sword, it all depends on how we wield it
Fan Cheng directly issued an eviction order, and Feng Ziqi's expression turned grim. He said nothing further and left in anger
From the results of the on-site investigation, it appears that the murderer was acquainted with the victim. There are no signs of a struggle at the scene, and neither the door nor the windows show any damage, indicating that the victim opened the door to let the murderer in. After entering, the murderer had a conversation with the victim and then shot the victim at close range.
Let me put it this way, I can speak on your behalf, but I cannot guarantee the outcome. Although I am the leader of the project team, the deputy leader is Lao Fan, and he is not very easy to deal with
I am Huang Xiaolan
On the other end of the line, Huang Xiaolan fell silent for a few seconds before saying: "Come to Qingyun Lake Park at 9 PM, I have something important to give you, you must come." After that, Huang Xiaolan hung up the phone
Ling Li, deep down, also did not believe that Xiao Gang would do such a thing, but he is a police officer and has principles that he must uphold
Oh? Tan Kaishan's face revealed a hint of doubt; he was somewhat perplexed as to how Ling Li could arrive at such a conclusion
Ling Li, who was in the process of lighting a cigarette, paused for a moment and shook his head
Feng Ziqi was taken aback
Ling Li stood up and walked to the window: "Xiao Gang is an old police officer; he must have already guessed that we would focus on Feng Ziqi. He took advantage of the timing and met with Feng Ziqi before we arrived. By the time we got there, he should have already left. As you mentioned, that old lady regards Xiao Gang and Feng Ziqi as family, so she naturally wouldn't tell us the truth."
Feng Ziqi also regained his composure and let out a cold laugh: "What great authority Fan Da has."
The informant named Zhang Yan mentioned by Xiao Gang must be found; perhaps locating him will unravel the mystery of Xiao Gang's framing
Fan Cheng stated: "The urgent task at hand is to capture Xiao Gang. I understand that some people may find it difficult to accept this fact emotionally, but I must remind everyone that Xiao Gang is armed. I believe no one wants to see a second or third victim, right? We are police officers; we cannot let emotions dictate our actions, nor can we allow personal feelings to interfere with our duties."
Fan Cheng's expression darkened as he slammed the table and glared at Feng Ziqi: "Feng Ziqi, do you think this is your home, where you can do as you please?"
Ling Li did not answer directly but stated: "Based on the current evidence, it is indeed very unfavorable for Xiao Gang."
Tan Kaishan said: "Old Fan, do not draw such conclusions for the time being; we still need technical comparisons"
He raised his teacup and took a sip, then looked up at Ling Li: "The time of the incident was around 1:00 AM, at that time Du Hongze should have been asleep, right"
Feng Ziqi placed the teacup on the table, stood up, and said to the librarian: "I am going to find Team Leader Fan"
Feng Ziqi sat in his seat in a daze, reflecting on his meeting with Xiao Gang
Feng Ziqi left Tan Kaishan's office and went to Fan Cheng's office
Ling Dui, Peng Shuyuan is a retired worker from a fertilizer factory. Her husband passed away over a decade ago. The couple originally had a son who drowned while attending university. For the past ten years, Peng Shuyuan has been living alone, and she is seventy-nine years old this year. Five years ago, when Xiao Gang and his team were capturing drug traffickers, one of the traffickers, cornered and desperate, broke into Peng Shuyuan's home and took her hostage. Despite being seventy-four at the time, the elderly lady cooperated with Xiao Gang and his team to apprehend the trafficker. Since then, Xiao Gang and Feng Ziqi have frequently visited her. The elderly lady has no relatives, and she treats Xiao Gang and Feng Ziqi as her own children. Xing Weidong handed the materials to Ling Li. Five years ago, when Xiao Gang and his team were capturing drug traffickers, one of the traffickers, cornered and desperate, broke into Peng Shuyuan's home and took her hostage. Despite being seventy-four at the time, the elderly lady cooperated with Xiao Gang and his team to apprehend the trafficker. Since then, Xiao Gang and Feng Ziqi have frequently visited her. The elderly lady has no relatives, and she treats Xiao Gang and Feng Ziqi as her own children. Xing Weidong handed the materials to Ling Li, who scanned through them and then said: "Today is neither a holiday nor a special occasion. Why did Feng Ziqi go to Hexi? Hu Xiao said he came to the bureau this morning. Could it be..."
Fan Cheng sat down, picked up a file from the table, and said while looking at it: "The bureau has regulations that no one from the anti-drug team is allowed to enter the special case group, not even Deputy Director Mo, who oversees the anti-drug team, has been excluded from the special case group. Moreover, everyone in the bureau knows about your relationship with Xiao Gang. Do you think I would agree to this? If there is nothing else, you may leave."
It is not without such possibility
Xing Weidong seemed to understand, and he nodded: "Ling Dui, do you really think Xiao Gang is the murderer"
Tan Kaishan's words do hold some truth, Ling Li said: "Old Fan, I believe that Director Tan is right, and from the very beginning, I felt that the anti-drug team should not be excluded from the special task force. Let me share my views; first, I want to clarify that I am not being emotional, but rather discussing the matter objectively. I believe everyone present knows what kind of person Xiao Gang is; how could he kill someone for no reason? Indeed, he has had some conflicts with Du Hongze, but those are old grievances. He has a bad temper, yet he knows what he can and cannot do; he has always been a person of strong principles." Xiao Gang is indeed a person everyone here should be familiar with; how could he kill someone for no reason? Yes, he has had some conflicts with Du Hongze, but those are old grievances. He has a bad temper, yet he knows what he can and cannot do; he has always been a person of strong principles.
As no one spoke, Tan Kaishan took out a box of cigarettes, took one for himself, and then handed the box to Ling Li, indicating for him to distribute it to the other colleagues
Ling Li explained: "On the nightstand of the deceased, there was a small half cup of unfinished coffee. How could someone who wants to fall asleep drink coffee? As we understand, Du Hongze often suffered from insomnia. Additionally, there was a novel placed upside down on the pillow, indicating that at that point, he was still drinking coffee and reading a book, which suggests he had not truly gone to sleep. He was waiting for someone, but whether it was for his wife who had not yet returned from an outing or for the murderer remains unknown."
He probably hasn't slept yet. Although the deceased was lying on the bed at that time, he was not asleep. It is estimated that he was waiting for someone, and that person he was waiting for should be the murderer
Tan Kaishan furrowed his brows, and Fan Cheng said: "It can almost be confirmed that it is the gun assigned to Xiao Gang."
Feng Ziqi raised his eyes and looked at Tan Kaishan while holding a cup of water: "Director Tan, I wish to join the special investigation team. I will definitely uncover the true culprit and clear Lao Xiao's name."
Xing Weidong frowned and said, "But we almost followed right behind him, and we did not find Xiao Gang!"
Fan Cheng continued, "That Feng Ziqi from the anti-drug team came to find me, saying he wanted to join the special task force. Isn't that a joke? What kind of relationship do Feng Ziqi and Xiao Gang have? They are so close they could share the same pair of pants. By the way, I heard that Feng Ziqi went to Hexi this morning, and Lao Ling, you all went along. Did you find anything?"
Does Feng Ziqi have such boldness? Is he not afraid of getting himself involved as well?" Xing Weidong found it somewhat unbelievable, while Ling Li let out a sigh: "He believes in Xiao Gang."
The receiver emitted a series of beeping sounds, leaving Feng Ziqi utterly perplexed
As soon as I got in the car and started the engine, my phone rang; it was an unfamiliar number
Xing Weidong responded, "Ling Dui, do you suspect that Feng Ziqi is not going to see the old lady, but rather to meet Xiao Gang?"
The office of Tan Kaishan, the Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau of Qiao City
Feng Ziqi lowered his head, feeling a twinge of regret about whether he should have let Xiao Gang go. However, he quickly ceased to dwell on this issue; if given another chance, he would still make the same choice. He believed in Xiao Gang, and if the roles were reversed, Xiao Gang would undoubtedly choose to trust him as well
However, he did not think much more; at this moment, he was solely focused on finding the informant named Zhang Yan
Huang Xiaolan said there is something important for herself, what is it? Why must it be scheduled for 9 PM?
"You come in without even knocking, do you really think this is a vegetable market?" Fan Cheng said again
Fan Da, I would like to join the project team!" Feng Ziqi did not knock on the door, but directly pushed it open and walked straight to Fan Cheng's desk.
Tan Kaishan said softly, "This might not be very good, right? The exclusion of the narcotics team from this special task force has already led to some complaints. If we send someone to keep an eye on Feng Ziqi, I estimate that Old Mo will be furious. Personally, I think we could allow Feng Ziqi to join the special task force."
Tan Kaishan poured a glass of water and handed it to Feng Ziqi, sighing as he said: "Xiao Feng, I understand how you feel right now. Like you, I also cannot believe that Xiao Gang would do such a thing. However, we are police officers and cannot let our emotions dictate our actions; we must focus on the facts and the evidence."