A small scrap recycling station surprisingly yielded the most crucial clue in the case so far.
Various signs indicated that the voyeurs in Fengdian residential area used walkie-talkies as their communication tool during their systematic peeping.
Based on investigations into the walkie-talkies and the report of the phone being snatched on June 28th, the voyeuristic group can be identified as four individuals: Zhang Ziteng and Wang Shun, who have already been murdered, and Hu Yi, who urgently moved and is suspected of committing suicide by jumping after the incident.
The fourth person, based on all current evidence and deductions, has a high probability of being the murderer.
As for Wang Huan'an, considering her staged "victimization," it's highly likely she intended to lure these four individuals out through such means. Thus, she might have been a victim of their voyeurism.
Unfortunately, Wang Huan'an did not anticipate that these four individuals would be so "law-abiding." Not only did they immediately report the matter anonymously, but after the police visited and clarified the situation, they even proactively mailed the videos recorded through binoculars. The videos confirmed that on June 28th, a mysterious "man in black" played an even more significant role in Wang Huan'an's staged "victimization"...
Who is the fourth member of the voyeuristic group?
Who is the mysterious "man in black"?
During the search of Hu Yi's residence, binoculars and a matching charging base were discovered, but the walkie-talkie was missing.
What other secrets does a small walkie-talkie hide?
Whether it was to silence witnesses or for revenge, why didn't the killer destroy the binoculars that could identify the voyeurs?
In Qiao Yidan's office, Ping An presented his findings from his day-long investigation in the simplest terms.
After listening to Ping An's deductions, Qiao Yidan's eyes were filled with admiration.
"As expected of an expert! In just one day of investigation, you've uncovered a corner of the case!" Qiao Yidan said. "Reporter Ping An, do you have any other thoughts? Please share them without hesitation."
"That's mostly it. There are two remaining mysteries," Ping An said after thinking. "One is the strangeness of the Yang family. Why did Wang Shun die in their home in such an unbelievable way? What is the truth behind the haunting? Is it related to the case? We don't know yet! Also, why did the renowned online essayist 'Zhàndòu,' who was famous in the industry, suddenly reappear and launch a desperate attack on Fengdian Group? We don't know that either!"
ID-563743675
"It seems this case is more complex than anticipated, and the truth behind it must not be simple!" Qiao Yidan said. "Thank you for your support, Reporter Ping An. Now, I will also update you on our progress! For security reasons, please do not leak any information!"
"Don't worry, this isn't my first time cooperating with the police!" Ping An nodded.
In fact, since the incident, the police's actions have been swift. They have systematically investigated and interviewed the social circles and connections of Wang Huan'an, Zhang Ziteng, Wang Shun, and others, not sparing Yang Jie's couple or Zhàndòu.
"As the materials indicate, Wang Huan'an's social relationships are very simple, with almost no news of her dating. Her close friends are, well, just a few colleagues she gets along with. However, our investigation revealed that she had an abortion about six months ago. And it seems she didn't try to hide it at all when she had it done. She even directly stated 'abortion' as the reason for her leave from the company..." Qiao Yidan said. "Even in a normal relationship leading to an accidental pregnancy, a woman wouldn't openly announce that she's having an abortion. For an unmarried woman, it's quite a disgraceful matter! I believe there's a reason we don't know for this situation."
"As for Zhang Ziteng, Wang Shun, and Hu Yi, they worked their way up from junior positions, becoming key members of the company's grassroots sales team due to their good sales performance. They were often away on business, neglecting their personal lives. After interviews and investigations, none of these three are married or have partners," Qiao Yidan said. "Although these three are all salespeople, they are responsible for different business areas and had no significant interaction in their work. They might have known each other, but they weren't friends. Further investigation into Zhang Ziteng and Wang Shun revealed that their character was quite good, with positive reputations in their respective social circles and no prior criminal records. As for Hu Yi, we've just sent people to conduct a preliminary investigation, and the details are not yet back."
"Regarding the Yang family!" Qiao Yidan paused. "During our previous investigation into their family, we unexpectedly discovered that their 15-year-old daughter, Yang Jiao, was adopted. Her adoptive parent was Liao Yuan, but the original documents were lost, so we couldn't ascertain who Jiaozi's biological parents were. We only knew she was adopted twelve years ago, at the age of three. By the end of the year they adopted the child, Yang Jie and Liao Yuan registered as husband and wife. Liao Yuan added the child to Yang Jie's household registration, forming a de facto family!"
If the police's investigation into Wang Huan'an, Zhang Ziteng, and Wang Shun was within expectations, then the investigation into the Yang family completely overturned their impression of this family.
"What! You mean Yang Jiao was adopted?" Su Tang exclaimed, sounding surprised.
"Yes, little apprentice. This is personal privacy. You are helping your master solve the case, but you must also follow the rules. Never speak of this! Do you hear me?" Qiao Yidan cautioned.
"Jiaozi shouldn't know about her background! Then who are Jiaozi's biological parents?" Ping An asked urgently.
QQ563743675
"The records don't say. To be honest, after recording Jiaozi's statement, we investigated her personal information to confirm her mental state. However, we discovered she didn't have a birth certificate! During subsequent investigations, we found out about her adoptive status! If it weren't for this case, I doubt anyone would have discovered this secret!" Qiao Yidan said. "When the police legally reviewed Yang Jiao's files, they found that the original family information was torn out, leaving only the adoption documents. The civil affairs bureau staff mentioned that the cabinet where Yang Jiao's files were stored had an accident during a move, so... her biological parents couldn't be found."
"Why not just ask them directly?" Su Tang asked anxiously.
"Silly child, we are still in the deduction phase of the case. Why should we investigate someone's private matters? Does that make sense?" Qiao Yidan replied with a smile.
"This is indeed their private matter. Unless the investigation requires it, we have no right to interfere or leak information!" Ping An added.
"Poor Jiaozi!" Su Tang said. "Auntie Qiao, I've spoken with Jiaozi these past few days. Her condition is very bad. She even thinks her parents want to harm her!"
"The Yang family's situation currently appears unrelated to the case. Our investigation into Yang Jiao was only to verify if her perception was distorted and if her testimony was correct and could be accepted," Qiao Yidan shook her head.
"Master!" Su Tang tugged on Ping An's arm.
Since the beginning, Ping An had remained silent, diligently processing the clues and information provided by the police.
"What about Zhàndòu?" After a long pause, Ping An suddenly looked up.
"'Zhàndòu,' whose pen name is Hongxing, is a renowned writer and shrewd commentator from Shanhe Province. A few years ago, he claimed to have found true love and retired from the circle. This year, he suddenly returned and started clashing with Fengdian Company!" Qiao Yidan said. "This person has no overlap with Fengdian Company or the individuals involved in this case, so he is not currently on our list for in-depth investigation."
ID-563743675
"Director Qiao, to be frank, your bureau's skills are truly impressive. How should I cooperate with your work next?" Ping An asked.
"Use your methods and means to continue investigating along the line of the walkie-talkies!" Qiao Yidan said. "We will continue our work to find the fourth voyeur and the person who appeared at Wang Huan'an's house!"
"Right! I think we can leverage this information about the walkie-talkie to see if we can design a trap to lure out the fourth voyeur!" Ping An said. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that the fourth voyeur is still lurking within the residential area, and he is more cunning than we imagine!"
"Also, Director Qiao, please contact a technical expert to see if we can do something with the walkie-talkie, perhaps using positioning technology to find some useful clues. I know nothing about these things!" Ping An took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket.
"Is this the walkie-talkie you found from the scrap dealer?" Qiao Yidan squinted at it before saying. "This is simple, I'll have our technical investigation expert explain it to you right away!"
It turns out there are several ways to use current walkie-talkies. One is the trunking mode, used by public security, traffic police, and other functional departments. This large-scale usage requires registration and application with the relevant authorities, with specific frequencies and call signs recorded. When in use, a special call sign is needed to communicate through a repeater. Another is private digital analog trunking, used by general security guards, tourism enthusiasts, etc. However, it requires a stable frequency. This means that for a certain number of units, the frequencies must be pre-set point-to-point, and then group calls can be made. The drawback is that it can only make point-to-group calls, not private "whispers." Moreover, except for pre-"bound" walkie-talkies, others cannot enter the channel without knowing the frequency. Some trunking systems also have passwords, and even if the frequency is found, joining is impossible without the password.
"These are all digital trunking systems. If a call is made, call records, such as call time, will be left behind. The walkie-talkie you brought still uses the frequency set by the property management of the residential area. If the criminals use walkie-talkies to communicate, they will inevitably change frequencies!" the technical expert from the River Valley District Bureau explained.
"Is this frequency composed of numbers? How many digits approximately?" Ping An asked.
"For digital analog, it requires six digits!" the technical expert said.
"This is what I found at Wang Huan'an's house. Can you take a look and see if it's a frequency?" Ping An suddenly had an idea and handed the slip of paper found at Wang Huan'an's house to the technical expert.
QQ563743675
"Yes! Let's try entering this frequency with your walkie-talkie now!" The technical expert adjusted the walkie-talkie and handed it back to Ping An.
"It seems there's no password set! If the fourth voyeur continues to use this walkie-talkie, can we locate him?" Ping An asked excitedly.
"This walkie-talkie doesn't seem to have a positioning function. To locate it, we can only try to estimate its position when it sends a message and then use triangulation. However, the effect won't be ideal, and the other party probably won't let you find him so easily!" the technical expert said.
"Thank you!" Ping An patted the technical expert's hand and studied the walkie-talkie in his hand.
"Ping An, this suggests that before Wang Huan'an was victimized, she might have already known the voyeurs' walkie-talkie channel and learned some information by listening in!" Qiao Yidan said. "Then, she proceeded with her next action!"
"Highly likely. If she knew this frequency, she would definitely listen. Perhaps she heard something!" Ping An said, but how did Wang Huan'an find out this frequency?
"This requires further investigation!" Qiao Yidan said. "For now, the case has finally seen some breakthroughs! Our efforts have yielded results!"
"Yes, next, I will continue to focus on this walkie-talkie to see if I can find further clues!" Ping An asked. "By the way, how is the investigation into the binoculars progressing?"
"Over the past year, e-commerce platforms have delivered 14 binoculars of similar models to River City. However, there were no delivery addresses in the Fengdian residential area. We also checked the online shopping records of Zhang Ziteng and others. They had set the requirement for in-person pickup for deliveries. Currently, we are also investigating the express delivery points where these fourteen binoculars arrived, based on the leads provided by the e-commerce platforms, in hopes of identifying everyone who picked them up!" Qiao Yidan said.
"Alright, then. You know about Xiao Fei's situation. I'll go and see him to see if I can help in any way!" Ping An said.
Site: Taduo Novel, ~Welcome to download^
After communicating with the police, Ping An's "jigsaw puzzle" was further completed. Although the case was perplexing, some subtle clues had finally led to progress. For the moment, Ping An set the case aside and began to worry about Gao Xiaofei.
In the empty large conference room of the Municipal Bureau, Gao Xiaofei sat in the back row, talking on the phone while picking his nose.
"I heard this case is quite bizarre?" Mei Qian's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"It's more complicated than ordinary cases, but we've finally made some progress!" Gao Xiaofei said.
"How is my brother-in-law doing?" Mei Qian asked.
"As usual, with his peculiar moves. Sometimes I don't know how his mind works. The brothers searched the crime scene three times, yet he managed to find the crucial evidence. Director Xiang didn't say anything, but the looks in the brothers' eyes screamed two words: 'useless!'" Gao Xiaofei said. "Fortunately, that guy doesn't show off as much anymore. I remember back then, if he found any clue, he wouldn't stop until he ate me dry!"
"That's because my brother-in-law knows you're getting married and wants to save you money!" Mei Qian said.
"Sigh, by the way, why did I hear my goddaughter whisper to me that my sister Anjing hasn't had a smooth time since traveling with you? And she cried a few times? Is that true?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"Holy cow, you know that too? Does my brother-in-law know?" Mei Qian broke into a cold sweat.
"Don't worry, Su Tang is a clever girl. She knows what to say and what not to say. If she told Ping An, he'd probably fly over and strangle you!" Gao Xiaofei said. "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"Sigh! It's a long story!" Mei Qian sighed.
It turned out that Mei Qian took Anjing to Sanya during his family visit. They were in the midst of a passionate romance when his parents, for some reason, also went to Sanya. At first, his parents didn't say anything when they met Anjing, but that night they called him out for a triple interrogation.
"My parents absolutely refuse to let me marry Anjing!" Mei Qian said dejectedly. "I transferred my job to Hechuan without my parents knowing. Later, my aunt told them about Anjing and her family's situation, so they rushed to Sanya, saying Anjing is the daughter of a murderer and wouldn't allow us to be together!"
"Nonsense! Ping An's father's case is still unsolved, and the judge hadn't even pronounced the sentence before the old man committed suicide!" Gao Xiaofei cursed. "If that case were handled now with current technology, it would be 100% proven that the old man was innocent!"
"Brother Fei! I don't care about that at all. I genuinely like Anjing!" Mei Qian said helplessly.
"That's not right, aren't your parents divorced?" Gao Xiaofei suddenly asked.
"Yes, they are divorced!" Mei Qian said. "But they were both soldiers. I don't know what the organization was thinking. They sent my dad to be the director of a military hospital in the Northeast and my mom to be the political commissar. Their offices were opposite each other, and their dormitories were side-by-side. My mom told me she could hear my dad fart at night. They divorced precisely because of that farting, but now they're hearing it again..."
"Hahahaha!" Gao Xiaofei laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair.
"These past few days, my parents have seen my firm stance and aren't leaving. They follow us around every day!" Mei Qian said. "Anjing is so smart, she figured it out in a few days. Now, our vacation is ruined. We don't want to go back early. If those two elders follow us to Hechuan and meet Ping An face-to-face—I can't even imagine!"
"Ping An will skin you alive!" Gao Xiaofei said with certainty.
This article is first published on
"Whose skin am I going to skin?" Just then, Ping An's voice suddenly arrived. Gao Xiaofei looked up and hey! Ping An, with his apprentice and Hei Dou, stood at the conference room door holding a bag of food.
"Mei Qian! I was just scaring him. When you're out, if you dare let Anjing get thin, I'll skin you alive as her older brother!" Gao Xiaofei quickly changed his words.
"Hey! I wouldn't dare say that. It's good if Anjing gets a little thin!" Ping An, unlike his usual harsh demeanor towards Mei Qian, took the phone and spoke politely. "Mei Qian, how was your trip? Are you having fun? Don't rush back. Tell Anjing that Su Tang and I are fine. Since you're out on vacation, enjoy yourselves to the fullest. If you get tired of the beach, you can go to Yunnan!"
"Brother, we are all doing well. Anjing went for a walk by herself after eating. I'm free now, so I'm washing her clothes for her. Are you and Su Tang doing well?" Mei Qian said solicitously.
"Sigh, let her wash her own clothes. You can't always spoil her, can you? When living together, you need to support each other! Everything is fine at home. I've helped you get the dormitory procedures approved by Xiang Wanfeng. For the first batch, you can choose whatever layout you want when you come back. The price isn't very expensive either. The largest one is 150 square meters, costing less than 4 million, with an underground garage and a small storage room, totaling around 5 million!"
"That expensive? Don't you enjoy policy benefits?" Mei Qian almost swore when he heard the price.
"Hechuan is a major city in the north. Housing prices have soared to over 50,000 per square meter this year. The houses in the new district of the Municipal Public Security Bureau are in a good school district and prime location! It's not a loss! Gao Xiaofei also wants to buy one, but he can't afford it! But our family doesn't worry. You can just put down a deposit as a token, and big brother will give you ten million at once, for buying a house and a car. You're a civil servant, and your family doesn't do business, so money isn't an issue. I'm here for you! Oh, this ten million doesn't include the dowry. Commercial properties, stocks, and the like, big brother has prepared them all for you!" Ping An said with a smile.
"Holy cow!" Su Tang's eyes widened like lightbulbs.
"Damn it! I want to marry your sister too!" Gao Xiaofei felt his heart ache, thinking of the 4 million he painstakingly scraped together and the "farmland houses" that had now become remote suburban properties.
"Brother! Actually, I still have some savings, and Anjing said she has some too..." Mei Qian's words were likely incoherent due to overwhelming emotion.
QQ563743675
"Enough, enough! I only have one sister. Spending some money is nothing! Think about your future mother-in-law; she'll probably even add some businesses for you. This is nothing!" Ping An said kindly. "Also, a few days ago, my mother called me specifically to ask about your situation and consulted my opinion. She said if you don't want to be a police officer anymore, she can arrange something for you. She's currently financing Fengdian Group, and afterward, she can have you represent her as a vice president. You'll easily earn two million yuan a year. You can consider this; there's no rush to answer. We respect your decision. Since we're going to be family, we need sincerity. If you want to be a police officer, that's fine too! You decide!"
"Brother, you're so good to me, I..." Mei Qian on the other end of the phone was likely teary-eyed from excessive emotion.
"Alright, alright, I need to talk to Xiaofei about the case. Take good care of Anjing!" Ping An said with a hearty laugh and hung up the phone.
"It's over!" Gao Xiaofei grumbled, sitting slumped in his chair.
"It's over? What's wrong?" Ping An seemed to be in a good mood.
"You usually smoke 8.5 yuan cigarettes, yet you have tens of millions in savings! I was touched when you said you didn't need that 300,000 loan. Now I only regret why I didn't borrow more from you!" Gao Xiaofei said dejectedly. "No wonder Fei Keqing said 300,000 is nothing to you!"
"Fine, if you're short on money, I'll lend it to you! Besides, after you get married, you'll have tens of millions in deposits soon!" Ping An looked around and said mysteriously to Gao Xiaofei. "These past few days, Fei Keqing has transferred all her money to me, asking me to invest it somewhere good. I calculated, hey, it's over ten million!"
"You son of a b*tch! Why don't I trust you at all! I'm calling Fei Keqing right now. I don't feel safe with the money at your place!" Gao Xiaofei was already agitated.
"Don't worry, Brother Ping An helped me turn 200,000 into 600,000 in half a year, just two phases of rubber futures. I can laugh in my sleep!" Hei Dou, who had been silent, couldn't help but interject.
"Eat up, I brought you food. Let's not talk about money for now!" Ping An placed the food on the table and said to Gao Xiaofei. "I asked the duty officer Zhao. He said you can't leave the Public Security Bureau freely right now, so you'll have to make do until the situation becomes clearer!"
Taduo
"Sigh, at this critical juncture, how could this troublesome thing happen!" Gao Xiaofei said helplessly. "Although I fell at the time, I swear my hand only touched his clothes, but didn't push him at all! He deliberately wanted to harm me before he died!"
"Fortunately, Shuiping had her body camera. With evidence, it will be easier to handle!" Ping An said. "I just met with Director Qiao and exchanged the latest information with the police. Overall, the case has made some breakthroughs. You'll likely have a meeting tomorrow. I have unit matters this afternoon, so I can't stay with you any longer!"
"Wait, help me with something tonight!" Gao Xiaofei said. "I originally wanted Fei Keqing to do it, but she's helping me check the video!"
"What is it?" Ping An asked.
"I reported my situation with Fei Keqing to my dad. He specifically requested leave from the embassy for a family visit. His plane lands at 8:30 tonight. Can you help me pick him up? I can't go out, and my mom can't drive. Speaking of which, my parents don't know I'm in this situation!" Gao Xiaofei said dejectedly. "The crucial point is Fei Keqing's dad. He heard my dad is back and insisted on hosting a dinner this weekend!"
"Weekend? Tomorrow? Damn it, you can't go out! You should be in solitary confinement right now!" Ping An said.
"Who says not! So helpless!" Gao Xiaofei lowered his head dejectedly.