The large conference room was filled with people from various departments, but the familiar Yan Qing and Gao Xiaofei were nowhere to be seen.
As Ping An walked into the venue, he looked around and saw many familiar faces. When he spotted Mei Qian sitting in the corner, a warmth suddenly spread through his heart.
He casually pulled out a chair and sat down. A department head next to him, with a look of disdain, pushed his chair further away. Ping An seemed unconcerned, seizing the last moments to review the case again and again.
Ping An was enduring torment at the Municipal Bureau. If he were working normally at this moment, he would have noticed that Lin Dang, who should have been at her post, was nowhere to be found.
Yan Zui Town was a large suburban town under the jurisdiction of Hechuan District. While it was called a town, it had perfectly blended with the city due to the rapid economic development of Hechuan City over the years. Entering the town, tall buildings were visible everywhere. Only the occasional three-wheeled vehicle or tractor on the road could prove that this was a town.
Lin Dang left Ping An's home in the morning and did not go to her unit. She found a flimsy excuse to take a day off and then took the subway directly to Ya Zui Town.
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Yan Zui Village was the village where the town government was located and also the terminus of Subway Line 7. After swaying on the subway for an hour and a half, Lin Dang got out at the terminus.
"If the address is correct, Niu Jian's house is not far from here." She opened the interview notebook she carried with her. An address written in red ink was particularly conspicuous – No. 15 Courtyard, East Second Alley, Yan Zui Village, Yan Zui Town. This was Niu Jian's address. A few days ago, Lin Dang had entrusted An Jing to pester Mei Qian relentlessly to get it. Lin Dang's goal was simple: she wanted to help Teacher Ping An find clues through her own efforts, even if it was just to see or hear something.
Asking for directions along the way, she bypassed the well-arranged alleys, and Lin Dang finally found Niu Jian's house.
It was an ordinary courtyard house. The dark red iron gate was tightly shut. White couplets were neatly pasted on the brick pillars on both sides of the gate, indicating that this family had recently held a funeral.
Lin Dang ignored the other details and raised her right hand to gently knock on the door.
"Who is it?" A woman's voice came from the courtyard.
"I am from the Disciplinary Inspection Office of the Hechuan Daily. I'm here about the real-name report by Niu Daixing." Before coming, the clever Lin Dang had already thought of an excuse.
"The homeowner is not here. I am a tenant. You can leave," the woman inside said somewhat displeased.
"Sister, I have a work task. Please open the door," Lin Dang urged, knocking on the door again.
"This family is so troublesome. Wait, I'll open the door for you!" The woman inside grumbled but finally agreed to open the door.
"Riiip!" With a harsh creak of the door opening, the dark red iron gate swung open, and a woman who looked about 40 years old walked out.
"Who are you looking for?" the woman who came out shouted.
"I'm looking for the whistleblower, Niu Daixing," Lin Dang said.
"What whistleblower? Niu Daixing? You must be looking for Little Niu. He doesn't live here anymore." The woman, who claimed to be a tenant, moved aside, allowing Lin Dang into the courtyard. After entering the courtyard, she did not invite Lin Dang into the house. Instead, she casually found two small stools in the courtyard and motioned for Lin Dang to sit down and talk.
"Sister, are you familiar with the Niu family?" Lin Dang asked.
"Fairly. I've lived in their courtyard for many years," the female tenant said.
"Do you know about their family matters? Master Niu Jian's death? And his son Niu Daixing reporting someone!" Lin Dang asked.
"How could I not know? The Niu family's man died miserably! But even if he wasn't harmed by others, he would have been angered to death by his precious son!" the female tenant said with disdain.
"Oh, but I heard that his son's academic performance is quite..." Lin Dang asked deliberately.
"What academic performance? He dropped out after junior high. He messes around outside all day. Even if he messes around, about a year ago, hey, guess what!" the female tenant said, suddenly interested. "Niu Jian's son, who was seventeen or eighteen, was actually infatuated with a woman."
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"What? What infatuation?" Lin Dang didn't quite understand.
"Aiya, it means they slept together. Little Niu was seduced by that woman and slept with her!" the female tenant said mysteriously.
"Sister, please clarify. Slept together? Slept with whom? Niu Daixing just became an adult!" Lin Dang continued to ask.
"Last spring? Or winter the year before, I don't remember. Little Niu, that hooligan, was hanging out with some big shot in society. For a while, we neighbors actually saw a woman who looked like a young married woman driving him here to spend the night," the female tenant said. "The Niu Jian family bought a commodity house in the urban area not far from their old house. This family usually lives in the urban area and comes to collect rent once a month. Because the old house was empty, Little Niu often brought the young married woman to the old house during that time. We didn't pay much attention at first – we never imagined it was that kind of place! We thought Little Niu was bringing someone to look at the house. Then one night, I came home and happened to hear some movement from the main house. I put my ear to the door and heard them... doing it! Tell me, who was taking advantage of whom!"
"That matter? Oh! Yes, it was that kind of matter!" Lin Dang finally understood this time, feeling a wave of awkwardness mixed with surprise.
"People in society, sooner or later, can't avoid such male-female matters. It was consensual. Little Niu was only 18 at the time, so he wasn't necessarily at a disadvantage. It's just that a few of us sisters often joked that the young married woman looked like arid land that could ruin a bull, and Little Niu's frail body, well, could he handle it?" the female tenant said with great animation, making Lin Dang's face sweat.
"However, this good thing didn't last long. Once, when the two of them had just entered the house, Niu Jian suddenly rushed over, kicked open the door, and cursed his son fiercely!" the female tenant said. "Guess what? Old Niu also knew that young married woman. Could they have had an affair too? Oh, after Niu Sr., then Niu Jr. That young married woman really wasn't picky!"
"..." Lin Dang.
"Later, later they never came again. Little Niu came alone a few times. Da Zhu Zi, who lives next door, said that Little Niu seemed to be addicted to drugs. Later, he was sent to a rehabilitation center by his father," the female tenant said. "In the summer of this year, Little Niu was released for only a few days before Old Niu died. Now Little Niu doesn't come anymore. His mother collects the rent. We occasionally asked about Little Niu's situation, but his mother was unwilling to say much."
After listening to these somewhat salacious anecdotes, Lin Dang's head grew bigger and bigger.
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"Child, aren't you here to find Little Niu? I'm telling you these things so you understand what kind of person Little Niu is. Don't be fooled by his glasses and refined appearance; he's bad to the core," the female tenant said. "Seeing that you're a good girl, we wouldn't normally say these things to just anyone. The last time the police came to ask questions, we didn't say anything and pretended to know nothing."
Great! She had mistaken her for Niu Daixing's... lover.
Lin Dang endured the nausea and said, "Sister, you've misunderstood. Niu Daixing reported one of our colleagues by name. I'm here on behalf of our unit to inquire."
"Inquire? What inquiry? Are you a police officer?" the female tenant said vigilantly.
"No, I'm nothing. Sister, I should be going." Lin Dang sighed.
"Oh! Then go, go!" The female tenant had probably had her fill of gossiping.
"By the way, do you know the young married woman's name?" Lin Dang asked before leaving.
"Name? I don't know her name, but I recorded a video here. If you want it, everything can be discussed!" The female tenant's eyes flickered, looking at the interview notebook with "Hechuan Daily" printed on it in Lin Dang's hand. "You're a reporter, aren't you? I knew that young married woman wasn't simple! I recorded a video of that young married woman and Little Niu standing in the courtyard talking. Do you want it?"
"Can I? I want it!" Lin Dang's eyes lit up.
"1000! Firm price! I didn't say anything even to the police!" the female tenant exclaimed.
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"Okay! Can I use WeChat? I'll transfer it to you!" Lin Dang gritted her teeth. In fact, she didn't know if this video would help Ping An solve the case, but she felt she should contribute. Although 1,000 yuan wasn't cheap, she had just received her salary, and the amount in her WeChat was just enough for 1,000 yuan.
Meanwhile, Lin Dang, after listening to vulgar stories all morning, almost threw up her breakfast. On the other side, at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, the person listening to Ping An's "stories" almost threw up the dinner from the previous night.
What was going on? Let's rewind the clock an hour. The case analysis meeting had just begun.
"Ping An, you are already our consultant. The legal inquiry we just conducted was also a requirement of regulations. Please don't take it personally. Share your thoughts. I have quite high expectations for you," said Vice Mayor Wang, who was presiding over the analysis meeting.
"To be honest, the case we're dealing with this time is indeed not simple. Despite my best efforts, I can only discern the methods used in the three murders. Why they were killed, however, I don't know," Ping An said directly. "Next, I will share my humble opinions on the murder methods in these three cases."
"First, in Niu Jian's case, the supermarket cold storage I found last time was indeed the first scene of Niu Jian's murder. I have already explained the murder method, so I won't go into detail here." Ping An, uncharacteristically, took out a notebook from his backpack. After flipping through a few pages, he said, "Ren Liu's so-called locked-room murder method has also been analyzed. Those who have read the case files should know how the murder was committed. Later, evidence collection also confirmed my deductions were correct. The murder of Ren Liu's wife was a simple murder, with no special method. Your appraisal is what it is."
"What I want to talk about now is the murder method of Wu An. To be honest, Wu An's murder method is the most baffling to me." Ping An said, "There's no need for on-site simulation. I'll explain it briefly, and you'll understand. Those who need to collect further evidence, hurry up."
"That day, Wu An suddenly appeared before me and whispered for me to ditch the police and follow him. Honestly, under those circumstances, I desperately wanted to know what he wanted to tell me, so I ditched Liu Kedou and followed him into the park. In fact, later, due to some events, Mei Qian followed me to the scene." Ping An said, "The method used to kill Wu An, though simple, was the most complex because the perpetrator used explosives. But why use explosives to kill Wu An, who had no offensive capabilities? Everyone listen."
"Because the perpetrator wanted to destroy something on Wu An using this murder method." Ping An said, "According to my subsequent investigation, I found a section of a burnt rope knot on a pillar not far from the explosion point. This rope should have been splashed with gasoline. I believe the perpetrator had deployed a homemade mine tied with a long rope in advance, placed it in the fallen leaves on the ground. One end of the rope was tied to the pillar, and the other was held tightly by the perpetrator. When Wu An ran to the designated spot, the perpetrator pulled the rope, tightening it. The homemade mine would fly up from the ground covered with leaves, hit Wu An, and then detonate."
"I suspect the second homemade mine was tied to a large tree with a rope. When the perpetrator successfully detonated the first one, they took the second mine tied to the tree and threw it towards my position. If I had also been in the designated spot at the time, that 'swing' mine, calculated in advance, would have exploded next to me, and I would have surely died. But my fate was not to end there. At the critical moment, Mei Qian grabbed me and prevented me from moving. Seeing that I was not 'in position,' the perpetrator, in a panic, threw the second mine, which missed its target and exploded in the green belt." Ping An said, "Why would the perpetrator use such a complex method to kill Wu An? As I said earlier, to destroy something. What was it? Later, during the examination of Wu An's personal belongings, it was found that only his mobile phone was worth such extreme measures. But the problem arises again: that phone was an old-fashioned keypad phone. The technical identification department said the SIM card, chip, and other components were burnt away, so the phone line was severed."
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Having said this, Ping An picked up the tea on the table and took a big gulp. During the break, he secretly glanced at everyone present and saw that they were all deep in thought after hearing his words.
"The methods used in these successive murders are not simple, but they are not overly complicated either. With a little attention, one would naturally make the connection," Ping An said. "After discussing the methods, I want to talk about the deductions. Niu Jian, Wu An, Ren Liu—why did they die? Is it really because of drugs? At first, I always believed that Niu Jian's death was Chen Nairong's revenge, and Wu An's death was Chen Nairong silencing him. Oh, an important piece of information, I don't know if you are aware, Wu An's true identity was actually a police informant. This can be explained later by the leaders of the Hechuan District Narcotics Detachment. So, it's also possible that Wu An was killed after his informant identity was leaked."
"As for Ren Liu, I had borrowed his interrogation records before and found that he was completely different from the real Ren Liu. The timing of his capture was also quite peculiar. Therefore, on the night Ren Liu was arrested, I infiltrated the bar and obtained some useful information from one of Ren Liu's subordinates. However, due to the complexity of this information, I can only provide it to the procuratorate or disciplinary inspection department. Well, I'm not very familiar with the procedures, so you decide." After speaking, Ping An looked at Vice Mayor Wang, who was presiding over the meeting.
"This case is serious. Do not disclose the information publicly for now. Ping An, please elaborate on what you can." Vice Mayor Wang gestured.
"Okay," Ping An said. "According to Ren Liu's subordinate, Ren Liu was engaged in legitimate business and lived a wealthy life. However, Chen Nairong coveted Ren Liu's network, or rather, the people behind Chen Nairong coveted Ren Liu's connections."
"I've always been puzzled about Ren Liu. He was a social figure with a few venues and a few trusted brothers. There are many such people in our city. Ren Liu was rumored to be very righteous but had never done anything illegal before. From what I understand, his nightclub was one of the first in the social circles to clearly display 'No Drugs Allowed.' It's hard to persuade such a person to engage in drug trafficking, but why choose him?" Ping An said, "Chen Nairong controlled Ren Liu in a simple and brutal way: controlling his lover with drugs. This tactic was used on Niu Jian's son, Niu Daixing. It has to be said, it's very effective. Then can I understand that Ren Liu, like Niu Jian, was killed for resisting? But if it was to resist, why didn't Ren Liu reveal his weakness from the beginning? With police intervention and protection, his lover wouldn't have died."
In fact, many detectives involved in the investigation in the conference room today had learned of Ping An's deductions to some extent, and some even had more intelligence than Ping An, but due to disciplinary reasons, they could not share it. Seeing Ping An speak so earnestly now, some couldn't help but secretly laugh. Only Xiang Wanfeng heard something different in Ping An's discourse.
"This kid is still plotting something, but who is he trying to play?" Xiang Wanfeng secretly scanned everyone in the room, thinking to himself.
"The same question also applies to Su Xia. Well, I believe many people present think Su Xia is problematic. Reported by a mysterious phone call, and then using a recording as evidence, tsk, it's really solid evidence! He deserved it. He enjoyed the banquet and said everything he shouldn't have, and finally, he was demoted due to disciplinary issues." Ping An said, "Some people believe Su Xia's involvement goes deeper, and he has other problems. For example, Niu Daixing's report claimed that Su Xia had been extorting money from Niu Jian for years, which presumably had evidence, so I won't dwell on that. What I want to say is, if Su Xia were also involved in Chen Nairong's drug trafficking activities, would he also be a victim? In order of sequence, it should be his turn, shouldn't it? Or it should have happened long ago. But? He's still alive and well, and no one bothers him."
"Ping An, stick to the case, don't bring up other matters." Vice Mayor Wang said.
"Yes, yes, I've gone a bit off track. What I actually want to deduce is the reason for the victims' deaths. I'm not trying to prove Su Xia's innocence." Ping An's feigned ignorance amused Xiang Wanfeng.
"I probably won't get the truth out of him about this. I'll have to ask him again later," Xiang Wanfeng thought.
"Ping An, what you've been saying, we basically already know. We still want to express our gratitude for your suggestions regarding the murder methods, but you haven't given a clear statement on the case analysis yet." Vice Mayor Wang said.
"That's all," Ping An said softly to Vice Mayor Wang.
"Meeting adjourned! Also, I am now officially requesting that Ping An is not to be involved in this case and related cases as a consultant. The task force needs to maintain control." Vice Mayor Wang said angrily, "You should go back to your newspaper and write your articles. Don't cause any more trouble in this case."
"Yes, yes." Ping An nodded obediently.
"Now, let's discuss the supermarket explosion case. Have there been any traces of Chen Nairong found? What about the supermarket owner Gao Min and Liu Juan?" Vice Mayor Wang took a sip of water.
"Currently, no traces of Chen Nairong have been found, and there were no fatalities in the explosion that night. Only Liu Juan was injured, and several of our brothers were injured. It's strange, we clearly surrounded that building..." Xiang Wanfeng was reporting when Vice Mayor Wang interrupted him.
"Ping An, shouldn't you be leaving? Aren't you disappointed that you weren't detained?" Vice Mayor Wang glared at him.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" Ping An bowed and scraped, obediently leaving the conference room.
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"Without my order, you are not allowed to leave the city recently!" Vice Mayor Wang's angry voice echoed from the conference room.
He was kicked out. He had been a honored guest of the leadership, but now he was being driven out in front of so many people. Ping An stood in the corridor, initially unconcerned, but when he saw Gao Xiaofei with his backside sticking out, meticulously pouring water into cups on a tray, anger surged within him.
"I've been roasted like a chicken wing, and you're still here being so attentive!" Ping An kicked Gao Xiaofei's big backside.
"Get lost! If I weren't trying to get information for you, would a squadron leader like me be doing this?" Gao Xiaofei saw Ping An, and his eyes even showed a hint of tears.
"Not detained?" Gao Xiaofei asked cautiously.
"No evidence, no motive, and based on the report of some kid who doesn't even know what's going on, they want to lock me up?" Ping An asked angrily. "Where's the old man? Take me to see him."
"He's gone to inspect new police equipment. He won't be back for at least ten days to half a month!" Gao Xiaofei said. "Why don't you help me with the drug trafficking case? I've discovered a problem."
"Get lost! I'm no longer a consultant for your police bureau. I'm not involved!" Ping An's anger had not subsided.
"Come on, come on, you go and see. You'll discover something good when you look!" Gao Xiaofei pulled Ping An towards his office.
Gao Xiaofei's office was piled high with various case files and materials. Thanks to the high efficiency of the brothers from the Municipal Narcotics Detachment, in just a few days, they traveled to other places and, using the method Ren Liu had connected with, quickly locked onto the "upstream" drug suppliers. After several rounds of wits and courage, this "upstream" group was successfully apprehended.
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"Guess what important clue I found?" Gao Xiaofei was extremely excited, his entire face contorted into a chrysanthemum.
"What?" Ping An pushed away the fat face with disgust.
"According to the 'upstream' group's confession, the first person to lead, connect, and even purchase drugs from them was Gao Min!" Gao Xiaofei said mysteriously.
"Holy crap! It really is that bastard!"
"Holy crap! Now these messy cases make sense!"
"Holy crap! Su Xia is in danger!"
Ping An exclaimed "Holy crap!" several times in a row, startling Gao Xiaofei.