Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Old Shao sighed and said, "At six this afternoon, a press conference will be held. The investigation into Deng Xiangyu's case is nearly complete."
The director looked puzzled and asked, "Old Shao, since the case has reached a conclusion, why do you sound so unhappy?"
Old Shao glanced at Teacher Wei and pointed at Yuan Jun, signaling him to take Teacher Wei back to record a statement.
"I'm afraid the truth we've uncovered isn't the kind of truth that most people want," Old Shao replied. "But I can't be sure how public opinion will develop. We should just focus on our own work and act with a clear conscience."
As he spoke, Old Shao hung up the phone. While walking out, he instructed, "Yuan Jun, take Teacher Wei's car and bring him to the police station for a statement. Teacher Wei, we know you didn't kill anyone. Once you're at the station, just tell the truth. If I find out you're still lying, your charges will be much more serious than they are now."
"Okay," Teacher Wei nodded. "I was momentarily blinded by greed and didn't think things through."
"Good, take him away," Old Shao said.
As they stepped outside, Old Shao asked again, "Haven't Deng Xiangyu's parents arrived yet? This is getting serious."
"I'll check," Jiang He said as he called Team Liu.
After hanging up, Jiang He reported, "According to Captain Liu, to save money, Deng Xiangyu's parents rode a bicycle here. Once Team Liu learned this, they went along the road to look for them. However, since Deng Xiangyu's parents don't have a mobile phone, it's likely they walked here and haven't been spotted."
Xu Yiman sighed. "Deng Xiangyu gave An Xiaofang over a thousand right off the bat, but his parents won't even take a bus to the police station. Don't they know their son is dead?"
Jiang He nodded. "I had Captain Liu keep it confidential before; they only know that Deng Xiangyu got into trouble. But it's been a whole night now; I think they should be arriving soon."
Listening to Jiang He’s words, Xu Yiman suddenly envisioned a scene in her mind:
On a starry night, a bicycle jingled along a country road as a farmer rode it with his wife sitting behind him—the mother of his child. It should have been a romantic evening under the stars in the fields.
But for this couple, they knew nothing of romance; it was merely survival.
"There’s one more thing," several of them returned to the iron tower behind the courtyard. Jiang He looked at the tower and asked, "Where did that severed hand go?"
"Aren't you the expert?" Xu Yiman replied. "Why don't you analyze it?"
Jiang He turned to Xu Yiman and said, "A severed hand isn't light. Since it didn't fall into the courtyard with the body, it likely landed outside. A severed hand, along with a good portion of an arm, wouldn't be blown away by the wind. So it either fell nearby or was taken by some wild dog."
Continuing, Jiang He added, "It can't be a wild cat; they don't have that much strength. It also can't be a pet dog, as its owner would definitely notice. Yes, it must be a wild dog."
"Follow me," Jiang He instructed.
"What for?" Xu Yiman asked.
Jiang He pointed to some dog feces on the ground and said, "If a wild dog carried an arm, it would cause quite a stir wherever it went, which means this wild dog didn’t go far. Look at all this dog waste; it’s clear these wild dogs often linger around here. So these wild dogs must have a den nearby!"
"Nearby?" Xu Yiman inquired. "What place is that?"
Jiang He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against his forehead, tapping rhythmically for a moment before speaking again. "The arm is long; a wild dog wouldn’t finish eating it all at once, and even if it did, there would still be long bones left behind. When the arm was intact, those dogs couldn’t take it into their den; it's hot out and they prefer shady spots!"
As he spoke, Jiang He started running. "At seven o'clock—last night was around this time—Xu Yiman, go check Teacher Wei's fridge for something to eat and bring it back here immediately. The bigger the piece of meat, the better."
Xu Yiman was confused, but Old Shao understood: "You want to lure the dog out?"
"Exactly," Jiang He confirmed.
Now understanding Jiang He's plan, Xu Yiman hurried back to Teacher Wei's house. She opened the fridge and spotted a large block of frozen meat inside. Without hesitation, she grabbed the hefty piece of pork, estimating its weight to be around ten pounds.
Holding the frozen meat tightly, Xu Yiman dashed outside and tossed it under the water tower.
A few people were hiding behind the wall, peeking out to observe the surroundings. Although it was morning, the heat was already intense, causing the frozen meat to thaw quickly and leave a puddle on the ground.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Yiman felt a soreness in her neck. Just then, a dog came rushing in from a distance. It stood next to the frozen meat, sniffing around before finally biting into it and dragging it away.
"Chase!" Jiang He said.
"I'll wait for you here!" Old Shao replied.
For an elderly man, he didn't have the energy to chase after a dog. Watching Jiang He and Xu Yiman dash out, Old Shao suddenly felt a wave of happiness wash over him. He smiled knowingly as he looked at their retreating figures, reminiscing about his youth when he had someone like that by his side.
Back then, he had been too timid when it came to love, leading him to miss out on his one true love.
"That dog has spotted us!" Xu Yiman shouted. "It's running so fast."
Jiang He responded, "We still have to chase it. If we don't catch it today, it'll remember tomorrow."
"You know so much about dogs?" Xu Yiman asked while pursuing the animal.
"I don't know much about dogs; I only know about pigs. But they're pretty similar," Jiang He replied.
The two continued chasing the dog until they reached a field purchased by developers. In the distance, several large concrete pipes were placed on the ground. The dog ran into one of the pipes and did not come out again.
"It seems this is the place," Xu Yiman said.
They slowly approached the concrete pipes, bending down to look inside from a distance. They saw that the dog had dragged the frozen meat into the pipe, where several other dogs were now running around chaotically.
"It looks like she's become a mother," Xu Yiman remarked.
Jiang He nodded, "We found Deng Xiangyu's arm."
Inside the concrete pipe, a hand that had been gnawed down to the bone appeared. There were still some remnants of flesh on the white bone, which could be used for DNA comparison to determine if it belonged to Deng Xiangyu. However, Jiang He was already certain that this was indeed Deng Xiangyu's arm.
A few dogs spotted Xu Yiman and Jiang He outside, wagging their tails and barking as they approached the two.
"Woof woof!" The female dog barked at Xu Yiman and Jiang He but dared not come closer.
Xu Yiman picked up a puppy, "So cute! It's so fluffy; I really want to take it home."
"Do you still think it's cute after it has eaten human flesh?" Jiang He turned back to ask.
"Get lost!" Xu Yiman retorted.
When the two finally managed to pull the bone out of the concrete pipe, a car was already waiting on the road in the distance.
The window rolled down, and Old Shao stepped out from the driver's seat, "I haven't driven in a while; I'm a bit rusty."
Jiang He shook the bone in his hand as if greeting with it, "Found it!"
City Public Security Bureau.
Xu Yiman looked at the DNA comparison results and said, "Confirmed, this is Deng Xiangyu's arm."
Shao the Elder replied, "That's right; everything makes sense now. Last night, Deng Xiangyu left Huanghua Street Hotel feeling troubled. He chose quiet roads and, by coincidence, avoided surveillance all the way to South Bay Street. He contemplated suicide along the way and decided to climb the tower after seeing the South Bay Abandoned Water Tower."
"He gulped down some Paraquat he had brought from home, and then accidentally fell from the water tower platform. During his fall, his left arm hit an overturned metal sheet and was severed instantly. His body rolled into Teacher Wei's yard while his arm fell beneath the water tower."
"Out of a desire to avoid trouble, Teacher Wei transported the body to a dry well and threw it in. His arm, however, was taken by a wild dog, becoming food for the dog and its pups. At noon, feeling guilty, Teacher Wei wrote a note and had his student report the incident to the police."
Xu Yiman listened to Old Shao and added, "The autopsy results show that Deng Xiangyu died from Paraquat. The bloodstains found on the tin sheet correspond with Deng Xiangyu's, and the bruises on his body are consistent with injuries from a fall, aligning with the fact of suicide."
Old Shao nodded and said, "The motive for suicide appears to be long-term psychological pressure, possibly triggered by abuse from his parents. Were fingerprints extracted from the Paraquat bottle?"
"Two," Xu Yiman replied. "One is confirmed to be Deng Xiangyu's; the other fingerprint is unidentified and not in the database, indicating that its owner has no prior criminal record."
Old Shao picked up the teacup on the table and said, "If the other fingerprint belongs to Deng Xiangyu's father or mother, then this case would be solid evidence, beyond doubt."
"That's true," Xu Yiman agreed. "Deng Xiangyu's parents are farmers; it's normal for them to have Paraquat at home."
"But the more it seems this way, the more helpless I feel," Old Shao mused while rubbing the teacup. "It would be better if it were a homicide."
"Why do you say that?" Xu Yiman asked.
Old Shao took a sip of tea and replied, "Just look at the comments online about this incident."
"Old Shao," Captain Liu's voice came from outside the door. "Deng Xiangyu's parents have arrived."
Comment 0 Comment Count