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Ping An had met this female police officer before. She was the local beat cop for this residential area, named Shui Ping.
"Greetings, Deputy Captain Gao!" Shui Ping said, holding a folder. After greeting Gao Xiaofei, she looked at Ping An nervously.
"You're saying the previous security captain of this complex was your brother? Your biological brother?" Ping An asked.
"Yes, my brother worked in security after retiring from the army! When this complex was built, I recommended him to the property management's boss, and that's how he became the security guard here!" Shui Ping explained. "Later, something happened in the complex, and my brother resigned voluntarily, he wasn't fired! Reporter Ping An, why are you asking about my brother?"
"It just came up in conversation!" Ping An said, looking at Shui Ping's nervous expression. "There are some things we need to ask your brother about. Do you know where he is?"
"After my brother resigned, he studied household management for a month and is now working as a caregiver for an elderly, solitary person in this complex!" Shui Ping said. "If you need to find him, I'll contact him now!"
"Oh! No rush. You mentioned your brother resigned because of something that happened? What was it?" Ping An asked.
"Ah, it's a long story!" Shui Ping said. "Around December last winter, our police station received a 911 call from a woman. She used an untraceable burner phone to report that she had been raped, and the location was the Wind Power Complex! When our duty officer tried to get more information, she hung up. Later, we came to the Wind Power Complex to investigate this anonymous call. At the time, the Wind Power Complex was having a sales event, and the boss of the Wind Power Company believed this news would hurt their property sales. So, he was uncooperative with our work. The security captain at the time, my brother, insisted on investigating. This angered the property management boss, and they parted ways, so he resigned!"
"Your brother, too, perhaps it was a prank call!" Ping An said.
"My brother is that kind of person. He took the security of this complex very seriously. Because they wouldn't let him investigate, he was very angry!" Shui Ping said. "However, there were no further developments, and the rape incident was dropped."
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"Hmm, your brother is an upright person!" Gao Xiaofei commented.
"Where is he working as a caregiver? Let's go directly there!" Ping An said.
"Oh, it's in Building B, Unit 2, on the 15th floor!" Shui Ping said enthusiastically. "My family lives in this area. After my brother retired from the military, he didn't have many specialized skills, so he could only work in security. Now he's working as a caregiver!"
"Why is your brother still working as a caregiver in this complex? I wouldn't work here if I were him!" Ping An said.
"Oh, I didn't explain clearly. My brother lives in this complex. As I mentioned earlier, my family lives in this area. After our old house was demolished, the Wind Power Company allocated us an apartment, also in Building B, Unit 2, on the 15th floor, middle unit. He also has a son, and to take care of the child, he doesn't want to go too far."
"Middle unit? Then who is he serving?" Ping An asked.
"An elderly person in the neighboring apartment. Actually, my brother used to take care of this elder frequently. After he lost his job, the elder proactively asked my brother to be his caregiver. This elder was formerly a big boss and very wealthy. When he offered my brother a salary, he started at 25,000, which is 8,000 more than he earned as security captain. My brother figured the workplace was right next door, he could take care of his child, and still work, so he accepted." Shui Ping said. "My brother has had a tough life. My sister-in-law had severe bleeding during childbirth. The child was saved, but the mother didn't make it. My brother has been playing both father and mother for several years. He's quite pitiful."
While chatting, Ping An and his group arrived at Shui Gang's home.
"My brother is probably at the elder's place at this hour!" Shui Ping whispered as she knocked on a door. A moment later, a boy, who looked less than ten years old, opened the door.
"Auntie!" the little boy said with a smile, running up to her.
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"Mr. Gu, hello! Where is my elder brother?" Shui Ping led everyone inside. In the living room, an elderly man sat in a wheelchair, dozing. This should be the male host, Mr. Gu.
"He's at home, making dinner!" Mr. Gu seemed to be a good-natured person. Seeing Ping An and his group, he greeted them warmly and called towards the kitchen, "Da Gangzi, your sister is here!"
The kitchen curtain was lifted, and a powerfully built man walked out carrying a dish.
"Big brother, this is Deputy Captain Gao from the Municipal Bureau, and this is Teacher Ping An from the newspaper. They have some questions for you." Shui Ping said.
"Please wait a moment, I need to get the elder his meal first!" Shui Gang said in a cold tone. "You take them to the house to wait!"
Feeling a bit embarrassed by being asked to leave, Shui Ping felt awkward. Ping An, however, was understanding. It was clearly inappropriate to bring people to someone's workplace to find them.
Led by Shui Ping, Ping An's group went to the adjacent apartment, Shui Gang's home.
Shui Gang's home was simple. The living room had only a square dining table. The bedroom contained a double bed, a large wardrobe, and nothing else. The child's room, however, had a custom-made bed that was very nice.
"Uncle, my dad doesn't like people looking through our things!" The little boy, who had returned with Shui Ping, watched Ping An warily.
Seeing this, Ping An took out a lollipop from his bag and offered it to him. To his surprise, the little boy didn't even look at it, continuing to watch Ping An with suspicion.
ID card-563743675
The awkward silence didn't last long. Soon, Shui Gang returned home.
Seeing his father home, the little boy sat quietly at the table and took out an A4 sheet of paper, using a pen to draw.
"Sorry, I don't have much time. After the employer finishes eating, I still have to do laundry!" Shui Gang sat on a stool at the dining table and said to Ping An. "You can ask your questions now!"
"Oh, it's like this. Take a look at this charger, do you recognize it?" Ping An handed over a charger.
"A common walkie-talkie charger! What's wrong?" Shui Gang asked.
"When you were the security captain, you were equipped with walkie-talkies of this brand, weren't you?" Ping An asked.
"Yes! This brand is durable!" Shui Gang said.
"The current security captain told me that when you resigned, you took the company's walkie-talkies with you?" Ping An asked.
"Yes, I took them. A total of 12 units, I took them all!" Shui Gang said.
"Oh! Aren't those company property? Why did you take them?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
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"What are you talking about? I bought those walkie-talkies myself with my own money. It's normal for me to take them!" Shui Gang said.
"Oh, so where are those walkie-talkies now?" Ping An asked.
"I sold them all to Old Man Hua who buys secondhand goods outside the complex!" Shui Gang said.
"Oh, right. Your sister mentioned that rape case from last year..." Ping An asked.
"That was a lie!" Shui Gang said indignantly.
"Why were you so insistent on investigating back then?" Ping An asked.
"You're here about that case?" Shui Gang asked.
"Oh, sort of!" Gao Xiaofei said vaguely.
"At dawn on December 12th, I remember it very clearly. That night, I was on patrol and I thought I heard a woman crying!" Shui Gang said. "Then, the next day, December 13th, my sister came and said she had received a report of a rape!"
"Were you the only one who heard it? Was anyone else there?" Ping An asked.
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"No. That day, some idiot spent a lot of money to hire delivery drivers to shoot some news photos on the Second Ring Road. It turned out to be to fool a stupid cop. The security team members, wanting to earn money from this idiot, took leave to watch the fool make a fool of himself!" Shui Gang said helplessly.
"Okay, let's move on! What about your subsequent investigation?" Ping An awkwardly glanced at Gao Xiaofei and quickly changed the subject.
"No progress. I resigned because I was provoked by the boss before I could investigate!" Shui Gang said.
"And then?" Ping An asked.
"Then I didn't have money to live. Old Master Gu saw that I had a child to take care of and took pity on me, giving me a place to stay!" Shui Gang said.
"Excuse me, regarding the murder case in the complex recently, do you have any thoughts?" Ping An continued to ask.
"There were a few bad guys in this complex. The deceased, Zhang Ziteng, and Wang Shun. I also remember a guy named Hu Yi. He used to sneak around and peek from the rooftop. I caught him once. He begged and pleaded, saying he would never do it again, so I didn't take it seriously." Shui Gang said. "Since those two died tragically, it's likely related to their voyeurism."
"Wait, you said there was also someone named Hu Yi who was peeping with them?" Ping An asked.
"Yes, he lived next door to Zhang Ziteng's place!" Shui Gang said.
"Were there any other peeping incidents?" Ping An asked.
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"I only discovered those three at that time. I don't know about anyone else!" Shui Gang said.
He never expected that following the clue of the walkie-talkies would lead to such an unexpected discovery.
"Hu Yi!" Ping An thought for a moment and said to Gao Xiaofei, "Isn't that the one who moved away?"
"Right, last question. You said you sold all the walkie-talkies to that Old Man Hua. What's his shop called?" Ping An asked.
"That old guy is a junk collector. He used to be a fortune teller, I heard. His shop doesn't have a name. It's south of the complex, diagonally across from the main entrance." Shui Gang said, then looked at the time, indicating he needed to get back to work.
A fruitful haul! Ping An pondered the latest information he had gathered, stood up, and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, thinking if there was anything else crucial he hadn't asked.
"Kid, are you drawing us?" Ping An walked over to the little boy, who was drawing, and incidentally saw that he was sketching their group arriving and knocking on the door.
Although it was just a child's doodle, Ping An could still make out his own likeness in the drawing.
The little boy didn't answer when Ping An spoke, but just stared blankly at Ping An and subconsciously took a step back.
The child's actions made Ping An a bit puzzled.
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"My nephew is introverted, but he's skillful. He doesn't like keeping a diary, but he likes to draw everything he sees and experiences!" Shui Ping stood up, happily picked up her nephew, and kissed him.
"Good habit! You could try photography in the future!" Ping An casually picked up a stack of drawings the little boy had left on the table, admiring them as he spoke. He noticed that the little boy seemed to dislike others touching his drawings.
"If there's nothing else?" Shui Gang clearly didn't want to chat with Ping An any longer and gave them a polite dismissal. "Please leave!"
Leaving Shui Gang's home, Ping An said to Gao Xiaofei with a smile, "I won't be meeting that Hu Yi today. You should organize your forces to investigate him first."
"Okay, I'll take people to find Hu Yi now! But what are you going to do?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"Go home!" Ping An waved to Gao Xiaofei.
At this moment, Su Tang also came out from Jiao Zi's place. Ping An pulled Su Tang into the RV, and Hei Dou stepped on the gas pedal, and the car drove out of the complex.
Watching the RV drive away, Gao Xiaofei said to Shui Ping, "Find out where this Hu Yi is living now!"
On the way home, Su Tang looked at her master, who was resting with his eyes closed, seeming to have something to say.
"Jiao Zi's side is a very important lead!" Ping An suddenly opened his eyes and said.
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"Master, I wanted to invite Jiao Zi to stay with us for a few days, but Jiao Zi agreed, her parents seemed unwilling. Jiao Zi seemed very shaken and didn't dare to talk back. When she saw me off, her eyes had a hint of grievance!" Su Tang said. "Master, do you think these cases are related to Jiao Zi's change?"
Ping An didn't speak. Seeing a note on the RV table, he picked it up and took out a cigarette, saying, "Do you see any connection between these two things?"
Su Tang looked at them suspiciously and nodded.
Ping An chuckled, took out a lighter and lit the note. After observing the burning note, he lit his cigarette before the note finished burning.
"Before being lit by the lighter, the note and the cigarette had no connection. But once the note was lit, it became related to the cigarette!" Ping An said enigmatically. "Are the lit note and the unlit note the same thing? Yes and no! Yes, because they are the same object, or, well, you could say a phenomenon. But after being lit, the function and purpose of the note also changed. It gained the ability to light a cigarette, so it's something else!"
"Master, this kind of philosophy is for high school!" Su Tang said. "So, please speak in plain language!"
"Simply put, assuming Jiao Zi's change is related to these cases, perhaps Jiao Zi's change caused all this to happen, and this would seem reasonable to outsiders; or perhaps because one of the cases happened, Jiao Zi changed due to some event!" Ping An said. "Jiao Zi's family is very strange! Perhaps they are related to the case. You go investigate! You might gain something!"
Seeing her master's arrogant demeanor, Su Tang had no interest in flattering him. She turned her head aside and muttered, "Master, let me ask you, what's the connection between your cigarette and Uncle Hei Dou's blind date?"
"Hmm? What connection?" Ping An asked strangely.
"Uncle Hei Dou spent three months trying to get a matchmaker to set him up with a girl he liked. Finally, the girl agreed and gave him her phone number. Uncle Hei Dou was so excited that he didn't hesitate to use my lipstick to write down the girl's phone number on a piece of paper, and then, then you lit your cigarette!" Su Tang said with a mischievous smile.
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Ping An quickly reached for the paper in the ashtray, which had already turned to ash. He seemed to realize it was irreversible and cautiously glanced at Hei Dou, who was driving attentively in front. A cold sweat trickled down his face. Perhaps sensing Ping An's gaze, Hei Dou turned his head while waiting at a red light and gave Ping An a naive smile. Then he saw the paper in the ashtray.
On the way home, the RV drove at an unprecedented speed!
Inside the car, Su Tang, wearing headphones, shouted, "Exciting!"
Ping An was stunned, covering his mouth as if he was about to throw up.
Hei Dou's face was filled with murderous intent. After a long time, he finally uttered a few cold words:
"Brother Ping An, have I ever told you that I have nine ways to make people disappear without a trace..."
That day, Gao Xiaofei didn't know if Ping An had fully grasped Hei Dou's nine methods of silent killing, because he himself had only used one method to kill Hu Yi.
Changlong Complex, six kilometers away from the Wind Power Complex, was the closest residential area to the Wind Power Complex. At this moment, it was fifteen minutes before midnight.
Gao Xiaofei sat on the concrete ground under Building No. 2 of the complex, with his knees hugged to his chest, dejectedly smoking a cigarette. Less than three meters away from him lay a corpse. The front of the skull was clearly deeply indented. The only visible half of the face was covered by a jacket. If Zhang Ziteng were alive and happened to pass by, he would surely exclaim, "Hu Yi, how did you die?"
At midnight, police sirens echoed through the complex. Cheng Jian and Liu Dou, leading their respective teams, arrived at the scene.
"I spent the whole night trying to find this place. I came with Shui Ping and Lai Xiang to Hu Yi's doorstep and knocked. But when I heard crying from inside, I sensed something was wrong and kicked the door open. I found Hu Yi standing on a stool on the balcony, preparing to jump. In my urgency to save him, I rushed forward impulsively and accidentally fell. My hand accidentally pushed Hu Yi, and then Hu Yi fell down." Gao Xiaofei said to Cheng Jian and Liu Dou, lowering his head.
"Let's head back to the bureau!" Cheng Jian said helplessly.
Ping An, who had been frightened all night, used his reporter's identity to finally contact the legendary girl. After some explanation, he managed to get Hei Dou's phone number again. Hei Dou's murderous intent subsided, and he promised to make breakfast for Ping An the next day. With the threat gone, Ping An slept soundly for the first time in a long while.
However, when he woke up the next morning and saw Lai Xiang's mournful face, he thought Gao Xiaofei had been killed in the line of duty.
"How could something like this happen! Weren't you at the scene? Did Gao Xiaofei kill him intentionally?" Ping An exclaimed in shock.
"Not intentionally, but likely by accident!" Lai Xiang said. "There's no evidence that Hu Yi was going to jump. Although he was standing on a chair by the balcony window crying, it could also be interpreted as him enjoying the cool air! And Captain Gao's push sent him over!"
"Where is Gao Xiaofei now?" Ping An asked anxiously.
"At the bureau. The leadership isn't letting him run around until the forensic experts make their assessment!" Lai Xiang replied.
"Let's go to the bureau!" Ping An, forgetting about breakfast, shouted to Hei Dou, who was cooking for him in the kitchen, and grabbed Su Tang, who had just finished brushing her teeth, and headed straight for the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
"To be honest, I don't even know if I pushed him. My mind is a complete mess right now." In Gao Xiaofei's office, Fei Keqing, who had arrived an hour earlier than Ping An, was thinking of ways to help him. Ping An looked at the crime scene photos and listened helplessly as Gao Xiaofei rambled on.
Reader ID card-563743675
"Didn't that female beat cop have a body camera? Where's the video?" Ping An suddenly asked.
"It should be there. You'll have to ask Shui Ping for it." Gao Xiaofei said listlessly. "Don't bother. If you run into bad luck like this, you should be grateful just to keep your job!"
"Keqing, the key is up to you. Get the video, take it back and process it, see if you can find anything!" Ping An said. "Xiao Fei can't leave right now, I need to continue investigating! Cover for me at the unit!"
Although Gao Xiaofei had run into trouble, the investigation had to continue.
After Hei Dou drove the car over, he brought Ping An and Su Tang to the Wind Power Complex. However, this time, they didn't go directly inside, but parked the car outside the complex.
Although the Wind Power Complex was a high-end residential area, its location was somewhat remote. The inside of the complex looked decent, but outside, there were no proper buildings, only large vegetable fields and low-rise dwellings.
Outside a shop with red tiles, an old man wearing a vest and shorts was bundling a pile of cardboard.
"Fifteen, that's the price, no more!" He handed a few bills to a junk collector and dragged the bundled cardboard into the shop.
"Remember, no cardboard on rainy days! No matter what!" The old man shouted after the junk collector as he rode away.
Ping An happened to pass by the departing junk collector. The person had a peculiar smell that made Ping An sneeze.
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"Hey, this smell is stronger than perfume!" Ping An rubbed his nose and watched the receding figure of the junk collector. "It's not easy to do anything these days."
Walking up to the shop, he saw the old man go inside. Ping An waited outside. After waiting for a long time and the old man didn't come out, he called out into the house.
"Uncle Hua?"
"Ai! Who is it?"
Inside, the old man's displeased voice could be heard.
"Hei Dou, do you have your police badge with you?" Ping An asked, without answering the old man, instead lowering his head to ask Hei Dou.
"Yes, I do!" Hei Dou replied.
"Police! We need to ask you something!" Ping An bluffed.
After a clatter from the house, the old man appeared.
"This manhole cover was brought here last Wednesday by Er Lai Zi from Majiagou Village. Of course, I couldn't accept it. It's clearly public property. Am I that kind of person? I educated him and he seemed remorseful, but he was too embarrassed to return the cover, so I let him leave it here. The child is actually quite pitiable. Out of humanitarianism, I gave him 100 yuan – enough for the kid to eat!" The appearing old man, with a black "halo" around him, turned out to be carrying a manhole cover.
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"It's not about that!" Ping An said, suppressing a smile.
"The quick-witted guy who repairs tires in the North District did indeed get a bunch of nails from me, but I thought he needed them for repairing greenhouses. I never expected he would deliberately scatter them on the road to harm people's bicycles!" The old man's eyes darted, bringing up another incident.
"It's not about that!" Ping An said helplessly.
"I don't know which matter this comrade is referring to?" The old man felt embarrassed to continue.
"Walkie-talkies!" Ping An said impatiently.
"Oh!" The old man visibly relaxed. "Last winter, a guy named Wang Shun from this complex bought four walkie-talkies from me. I bought those walkie-talkies from Captain Shui, but I didn't sell them at a high price!"
"I know. What I want to ask now is, did Wang Shun say anything when he came to buy the walkie-talkies? Was he alone, or...?" Ping An asked.
"It's been more than half a year!" The old man casually dragged over a broken bucket, turned it upside down, and sat on it. "It was freezing cold. He wasn't alone. It seemed like three or four people were with him. When he bought them... it seemed like he knew I had just received a batch of walkie-talkies, he even knew the model!"
"Oh! So, he came with a purpose!" Ping An asked.
"Yes. I had collected about 12 walkie-talkies from Captain Shui. The next day, he (Wang Shun) came, specifically asked for the batch of walkie-talkies that Captain Shui had sent, and took four of them. I remember saying that I only sell them, I don't teach people how to use them. He said it was fine!" The old man recalled. "Right, he also asked me if I had tampered with the channels inside the walkie-talkies. I said no! I don't know how to operate these things!"
Reader ID card-563743675
After listening to the old man's words, Ping An fell silent for a few minutes and then said, "Do you still have any of that batch of walkie-talkies here?"
"Yes! In the past six months, except for the four sold, the remaining eight are still with me!" The old man asked. "Do you want to buy them?"
"Yes, I want one!" Ping An said.
"No, the remaining eight are sold as a package. Even if you're a police officer, it's 320 yuan for the lot!" The old man, seeing an opportunity for profit, immediately raised the price.
"Deal, bring them to me! I'll take them!" Ping An said. "Are you sure you haven't tampered with the channels or anything?"
"No, no!" The old man quickly returned to the house and soon brought out eight walkie-talkies.
Ping An promptly paid 320 yuan, then took out one unit, turned on the switch, and the digital frequency tuning walkie-talkie immediately entered a channel.
"Just one more question, is your investigation into these walkie-talkies related to the murder case in the complex?" The old man took the money but didn't leave, standing there watching Ping An fiddle with the walkie-talkie.
"Why, do you have some information?" Ping An asked.
"Heh, no, but there was something I could tell you!" The old man seemed happy because he had made money.
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"What is it?" Ping An asked.
"A while ago, the female supervisor named Wang Huanan, who lives in this complex, sold me some scrap materials. She happened to see these walkie-talkies and casually asked where they came from. I thought she was interested, so I told her the truth! But after hearing what I said, she didn't buy anything and just left. I heard she was murdered, and you're here investigating again. Could it be related to these walkie-talkies?"
"Old man, don't overthink it. It has nothing to do with you!" Ping An picked up the box containing the walkie-talkies and turned to leave.
Heh! This case is interesting! Ping An thought.