Chapter 8

He discovered a new package in the mailbox at the door. Upon picking it up, he noticed that it was addressed to "Recipient: Luo Wenzhou" in a familiar regular script.

This person is about the same age as Director Zhang, with an old scar above his right eyebrow that runs from his forehead to just above his eyelid, yet it does not appear fierce; he still looks very kind overall

Director Zhang asked me to investigate Wang Hongliang," Luo Wenzhou said, "I just received a tip-off from an informant, suspecting that Wang Hongliang is colluding with the drug trafficking gang in the Flower Market District.

Director Lu asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"He has already left," Luo Wenzhou replied, and then recalled something, glaring at Tao Ran again, "That little brat is getting more and more outrageous, it's all your fault for spoiling him."

Tao Ran: "... ..."

I don't know, but I estimate it is the surveillance inside and outside the Chengguang Mansion. Luo Wenzhou glanced at the irritable Zhang Donglai through the monitor and said, "I have seen his sister; she is quite a normal girl. You can give her a call to confirm whether Zhang Donglai's words are reliable, and I will go inform Director Zhang."

Director Lu frowned: "The Flower Market District is known for its advanced anti-drug efforts"

Luo Wenzhou's expression remained unchanged as he glanced outside, his gaze sweeping over the empty corridor, and then he cautiously turned back to close the door: "Uncle Lu."

He always feels that this complaint sounds strange

While the entire Flower Market District Bureau was engaged in the study of theology, the Yan City Bureau exuded a heavy sense of low pressure

I never expected this, truly unexpected, it seems almost unreal—how can there be such coincidences in the world?" Wang Hongliang laughed heartily, showing his teeth but not his eyes, resembling a dog that has turned over and is singing a song of liberation. "No wonder the fortune teller said that although I will face difficulties this year, I will always encounter noble people who can turn misfortune into fortune. The thirty thousand yuan I spent on the talisman for peace has some effect. That Xiao Haiyang, aside from being more of a hindrance than a help, surprisingly has some usefulness too.

Indeed, do you not find it strange where they get so many informants who are always accurate? Luo Wenzhou spoke rapidly, saying, "The informants claim that they have an 'officially sanctioned' drug trafficking network, and anyone who is not part of this organization will be immediately exposed as soon as they step into the jurisdiction of the flower market area"

Wang Hongliang is in the prime of his life, yet he has indulged in wine and pleasures to such an extent that he appears somewhat prematurely aged. The flesh on his cheeks has relaxed to the point of being level with his chin, giving him, at first glance, a striking resemblance to a Shar Pei plotting to overthrow all of humanity

Luo Wenzhou gently nudged it into the room with his foot: "What are you meowing about? I haven't eaten yet either... Hmm?"

The person beside respectfully asked: "Director Wang, what do you think we should do now?"

Director Lu could not help but stand up and turned around a few times in place

Tao Ran inexplicably took it and asked: "What is this?"

However, when Luo Wenzhou went to the director's office for the second time, he did not meet the old director in person

Standing beside him was the head of the criminal investigation team of the sub-bureau. This individual had no presence during case handling, relied mainly on following trends for command, and based conclusions largely on the leadership's input, functioning like a mere echo of orders. He picked up an ashtray from the side and leaned forward to take Wang Hongliang's cigarette butt, saying, "This is how Xiao Haiyang reported it."

Luo Wenzhou was somewhat surprised: "Director Lu?"

"It's easy to say, just report my name when you go, and I can give you a significant discount." Wang Hongliang patted his subordinate on the shoulder, "You know, when a person reaches this age, they will realize that there are many things you cannot achieve without belief. Promotions and wealth all depend on fate—by the way, didn't you say the family of the deceased is about to arrive? Let's send them together to the municipal bureau"

"There is a criminal police officer from the sub-bureau downstairs, named Xiao Haiyang," Luo Wenzhou lowered his voice significantly, "When he first began to report the case to us, he said, 'We cannot rule out the possibility that this is not the primary scene.' At that moment, I felt that his words sounded a bit unnatural, because whether or not it is the primary scene should be determined based on the evidence from the forensic expert and physical evidence. In the absence of obvious characteristics and while the evidence collection is still ongoing, it is rare for someone to immediately discuss whether this is the scene or a place where a body was disposed of. Wang Hongliang also noticed this and immediately reprimanded him in front of me. I didn't take it to heart; I just thought that Xiao Haiyang's way of thinking might be different from that of ordinary people." Wang Hongliang also noticed this and immediately reprimanded him in front of me. I didn't take it to heart; I just thought that Xiao Haiyang's way of thinking might be different from that of ordinary people.

Tao Ran emerged from the interrogation room, exhausted and leaning against the wall as he let out a sigh. It is said that Zhang Donglai had a fever in his childhood that damaged his brain, and as an adult, he became an absolute fool, requiring forgiveness eight times a minute in order to continue the conversation—this is the nature of the good-tempered Tao Ran; had it been someone else, they would have already overturned the table.

After he finished speaking, he walked out, but suddenly remembered something, turned back to glance at Ma Xiaowei, and said meaningfully: "Look at this child, at first glance he seems unremarkable, but upon closer inspection, his features are truly auspicious, embodying the notion of a full heavenly court and a square earthly terrace."

Wang Hongliang tilted his head and stared at him, then spoke to the person next to him: "So, they took him back to the municipal bureau in a dejected manner?"

"Luo Wenzhou's hand reached out too quickly," Wang Hongliang said as he combed through the sparse hair on his head, "Otherwise, just based on the fact that the major suspect is a relative of a municipal bureau leader, they could easily roll out from under my nose."

Luo Wenzhou opened the package, inside was a sealed evidence bag containing several cigarette butts

While gathering information, Luo Wenzhou said, "Regarding this murder case, we unexpectedly received testimonies from nearby residents yesterday. They reported that around 9 o'clock, they heard a dispute near the crime scene. Subsequently, Wang Hongliang swiftly arrested a suspect, a young boy who was allegedly present at the scene during the incident. The boy is very thin, with a wandering gaze, speaking incoherently, and is constantly in fear. His testimony is riddled with inconsistencies, yet no matter how he is interrogated, he insists that he did not see anyone else at the crime scene. Now we indeed have evidence suggesting that the deceased may have been disposed of after death. This raises a question: if the argument heard by nearby residents is unrelated to this murder case, why was the boy, who was initially treated as a suspect, so afraid to tell the truth? Why did Criminal Police Officer Xiao Haiyang initially imply to us that the location was not the primary crime scene? Is it possible that he already knew from the beginning that no murder had occurred at that location?"

Director Lu: "Where is the evidence?"

For the time being, we will list Zhang Donglai as a key suspect, " Luo Wenzhou said, " as long as we superficially divert our attention from the western area of the flower market and separate these two intertwined cases, Wang Hongliang is likely to take advantage of the situation and hand over the homicide case to us.

The criminal investigation team worked overtime to examine the surveillance footage provided by Feidu. By the time Luo Wenzhou returned home, it was already late at night. As soon as he opened the door, he heard a "meow" and a Chinese rural cat poked its head out.

Therefore, Wang Hongliang smiled and said, "He is fortunate!"

Luo Wenzhou raised his eyes and asked, "How is it?"

The head of the bureau, Lu Youliang, is the deputy of Zhang and comes from a background as an experienced detective. During an era when various technologies were still in their infancy, he participated in the resolution of many major cases and apprehended countless heinous criminals. He is one of the legends of the Yan City Bureau, and even the most unruly individuals must show some restraint in his presence

He leaned forward, observing the detained Ma Xiaowei while holding a cigarette, exhaling clouds of smoke that formed a localized version of the Southern Heavenly Gate

Well, if there is something, you can tell me for the time being. Old Zhang is being cautious—none of you should have brought him back. If someone is suspicious, they should be taken away and investigated on the spot. What do you mean by bringing him back? Are you planning to cover for him, or is it a case of hiding something?" Director Lu sighed, reached out and pointed at Luo Wenzhou, "Wenzhou, you are a good person in many ways, but sometimes you are too clever for your own good. At such a young age, you are already too slick.

Uncle Lu," Luo Wenzhou said, "There are many clues here, and they are quite mixed; many things are very ambiguous. I suspect that these are two cases intertwined. Tao Ran and that Xiao Haiyang coincidentally found themselves investigating Zhang Donglai. If I hadn't immediately brought the person back, Wang Hongliang might have taken advantage of the situation to pressure Director Zhang and us to cease our involvement. The child we arrested earlier might very well die of 'drug overdose' in the precinct tomorrow morning, and all his testimony could be dismissed as the ramblings of a drug addict, while the murder suspect is an arrogant second-generation rich kid.

Luo Wenzhou flicked his hand and tossed the USB drive to him: "Go check it out, there might be something useful inside."

Director Lu was taken aback

Luo Wenzhou was waiting for him at the door, holding a USB drive in his hand, unconsciously spinning it back and forth between his fingers. Xiao Haiyang, who was listening to the interrogation, seemed a bit afraid of him, maintaining a certain distance from him all along.

The subordinates nearby are perplexed.

He said, turning in place a few times and waving his hand: "It's fine, let them have it. Luo Wenzhou isn't afraid of being accused of favoritism, so why should I be? Now that a second suspect has emerged, it just shows that this case is much more complicated than we imagined. It was originally a murder and body disposal case—it's all due to the misleading testimonies from the nearby residents that have disrupted the direction of the investigation. The noise they heard is unrelated to this case. Whether it's the Chengguang Mansion or any other place, as long as it's not the 'West District', they can investigate wherever they want. Now that a second suspect has emerged, it just shows that this case is much more complicated than we imagined. It was originally a murder and body disposal case—it's all due to the misleading testimonies from the nearby residents that have disrupted the direction of the investigation. The noise they heard is unrelated to this case. Whether it's the Chengguang Mansion or any other place, as long as it's not the 'West District', they can investigate wherever they want. We fully support the work of the municipal bureau."

A stout man raised his head and nodded amicably at Luo Wenzhou, saying, "You have arrived?"

Ma Xiaowei is too thin and small, almost giving him a pitifully naive appearance. Even when alone, he remains tense all over, with eyes that seem almost ready to pop out of their sockets, as if they cannot stay in one place for long, wandering aimlessly in all directions.

Zhang Dong said that he might have had a bit to drink that day. He saw a young man from society bothering his sister and thought he was a thug. In a moment of impulse, he went over and hit the person. Afterwards, he couldn't remember which young man he had hit. When shown a photo of the deceased, he only said that the person looked somewhat familiar but was not sure. Moreover, according to him, he had not compensated anyone nor had he given anyone a phone—this latter statement I believe to be true, as that kid still does not realize that hitting someone is wrong. Tao Ran pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "By the way, did Fei Du come by just now?"

Director Wang is bold yet meticulous, and the head of the criminal investigation team at the sub-bureau flattered him with a smile, saying, "You must introduce me to that place in Qiufu later; it is truly remarkable."

Director Lu said in a deep voice, "I do not quite understand your meaning"