Restarting life by going to the countryside to support medical work

Chapter 650 Something is wrong

"Section Chief Shen, didn't you suggest that we consider what Comrade Hu Jianguo said back then? You said that what he said might very well be true."

Based on what Comrade Hu Jianguo said, we made a conjecture: if he really saw that the holster's snap was closed at the time, then it means that the weapon was still there and was lost in the chaos.

The crowd that gathered at the time, as well as the people who later carried Tong Guangyao to the hospital, were all neighbors from that building. We guessed that perhaps one of the neighbors had kindly taken it away, but later, for various reasons, he couldn't take it out, which led to the current situation.

So we went door-to-door to do our work, and sure enough, the middle school student in the southwest apartment on the second floor became a little nervous when he saw us, which caught our attention.

Through our persuasion, he admitted that he took the weapon from Tong Guangyao. The boy said that he was just curious at the time, so he took the weapon out of the holster in the chaos.

Later, when the security personnel arrived and discovered the weapon was missing, they were very serious. The boy was frightened and didn't dare to say a word. He told us that he had originally planned to secretly throw the weapon into the flower bed in front of the building that night.

Ok!

Shen Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the comrades from the Shishan Criminal Police Team arrived early. If the child had really been thrown into the flower bed and discovered by someone else, it would have been fine if that person had no bad intentions and simply reported it to the security department or the police. But if they had any evil intentions, then who knows what might have happened.

Just as he was about to say something, Captain Cao's voice came through the phone receiver again.

"There's more good news, Section Chief Shen. We've discovered why Comrade Hu Jianguo heard footsteps and chased after them but didn't see anyone. It's because the murderer didn't leave that building; he was hiding under the stairs on the first floor."

Do you remember? There was a lot of clutter piled up under the stairs on the first floor.

"Yes, I remember. Captain Cao, you mean that when Hu Jianguo chased after him, that person was hiding behind that pile of junk at the bottom of the stairs?" Shen Yue's tone was full of surprise.

“That’s right,” Captain Cao replied with certainty on the other end of the phone.

"We found bloody footprints and a very complete bloody handprint behind that pile of debris."

Two pieces of good news in a row made Shen Yue on the other end of the phone clench his fist excitedly. After exchanging some details with Captain Cao, he hung up the phone and looked up to see the two leaders staring intently at him.

Although the phone volume was very loud, almost the same as later hands-free calls, there was also a lot of background noise on the phone at this time, so it was not easy to hear unless you got very close.

Li Yancheng and Political Commissar Wan naturally didn't come over, so they only heard bits and pieces of the conversation, knowing that Captain Cao from Shishan had shared two pieces of good news during the call.

The first thing is that the lost weapon has been found, but it's unclear how it was found.

The second piece of good news seems to be that clues about the murderer have been found.

"Director Li, Political Commissar, the weapon has been found. In the chaos, it was taken by a thirteen-year-old boy living in the southwest apartment on the second floor of the deceased Tong Guangyao's house."

The child said he only took it out of curiosity and intended to return it later, but he was afraid of taking responsibility and didn't dare to return it.

His parents were both working in Dalian today and weren't home, so we can basically rule out the possibility that the child was instigated by someone else.

This is indeed good news. It's the best outcome that a child took it out of curiosity, rather than it being taken by someone with ulterior motives.

"What's the second piece of good news? I just heard that they seem to have found traces of the murderer?" Commissar Wan asked after processing the good news.

"The murderer's trail was indeed found at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor of the east unit of Building 12. There had been a lot of clutter there for years. When Lao Cao and his team first arrived at the scene, the steel mill's security personnel said that they had checked behind the clutter and that no one could get in. There was indeed a lot of clutter, so Lao Cao and his team didn't pay much attention to it."

When they were about to leave after leaving the child's house, one of Lao Cao's detectives went behind the clutter with a flashlight. He found that although the space behind the clutter was very small, it was still big enough for a small person to squeeze in.

Furthermore, the investigator also found bloody footprints there, and a complete bloody handprint on one of the boxes. It was left by the right hand, and the bloodstains looked very fresh, so it should be Tong Guangyao's blood.

Based on the footprints and handprints, it was initially determined that the person who had been there was an adult male, thin and short. Lao Cao and his team deduced that the person who left the footprints and handprints was likely the murderer who killed Tong Guangyao.

Hu Jianguo did hear footsteps at the time. He shouted and chased after the murderer. The murderer was probably just about to leave the building entrance when he heard the shouts. In a panic, he hid behind the pile of debris.

So, after chasing out of the apartment building entrance, that person didn't see anyone suspicious.

As for his later departure, he must have taken advantage of the chaos to blend into the crowd and leave. At that time, there were quite a few people who helped carry Tong Guangyao, and many of them had bloodstains on their bodies and hands. Under those circumstances, the bloodstains on that person would not have seemed out of place.

Old Cao also said that he judged that this person should also live in the steel mill's residential compound, which is why his appearance did not attract the attention of others.

Now that we have footprints, handprints, and have even deduced his build, it's only a matter of time before we find him.

The steel plant's residential area is very large, housing nearly 20,000 employees and their families. With a clue, finding that person shouldn't be too difficult, especially since there are handprints and footprints available for comparison.

If the bloodstained handprints and footprints had been found elsewhere, it would be hard to say anything, because there are too many traces left at the scene. But the fact that this person left the traces in a place that ordinary people would never go is hard to explain.

You said you went to the scene to watch the excitement and help out, okay, then tell me, what were you doing behind that pile of junk? Playing hide-and-seek?
The case is now practically solved; all that's left is to follow the clues and arrest the perpetrators.

Judging from this, it seems like it's a revenge plot. The only remaining question is why Tong Guangyao didn't make any sound when he was stabbed. If he had shouted loudly, the neighbors in the building would have come out, and he might not have died.

Furthermore, he was carrying a weapon, so why didn't he use it to fight back in that situation?

These questions seem to only be answered once the murderer is caught.

Fortunately, there's no need to worry about the weapon going off now, which minimizes the potential harm.

If the joint operation starts with weapons being lost and explosions occurring on the very first day, that would be truly hilarious.

"Alright, you can go back to your shifts." Li Yancheng waved his hand wearily. He had been running around all day. It was his first time leading such a large-scale operation, and he was already overwhelmed with tasks. On top of that, he had encountered a heinous murder case, and his head was starting to feel throbbing.

Now that there's progress on the new case in Shishan, he feels he needs to hurry home and get some rest, as the next period of time won't be easy for him.

Seeing that the leader was about to leave, Political Commissar Wan and Shen Yue accompanied him to the duty room. Guan Weidong, who had come with them earlier, had already run to the backyard to get his car when he heard the leader's words that he was about to leave.

Standing at the door of the duty room, Li Yancheng gave Political Commissar Wan some instructions, reminding the brigade to cooperate fully with the county (branch) bureaus during this joint operation. After the car arrived, he got in and left the brigade.

"Political Commissar, what about the case that occurred in Shishan District that you briefed Director Li on?"

At the main gate, after watching the black Hongqi sedan drive away, Shen Yue turned to Political Commissar Wan and asked.

"We had to report it. Who knows what happened to the missing weapon? What if the murderer was really after the weapon and was planning to commit another big crime? It's always better to be prepared in advance. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm."

"Yes, it's really a stroke of luck amidst misfortune." Shen Yue nodded with lingering fear.

If the murderer was truly after the weapon, then the consequences after obtaining it would be unimaginable.

This is a slap in the face to everyone, especially Li Yancheng, right at the start of the joint operation.

Wan Changyou could already foresee that their Deputy Director Li would definitely suggest to headquarters that they should strengthen the management of security weapons used by each unit.

Nationwide, there have been numerous incidents involving the security weapons used by organizations, highlighting the need for strengthened management.

"political commissar"

"Ok?"

"This joint operation was led by Director Li. Does this mean that the higher-ups are intentionally grooming him for the next term...?"

"Be careful!"

Before Shen Yue could finish speaking, Wan Changyou interrupted him.

"Just figure it out yourself. Don't talk about it or discuss it. Those are not things we should be considering."

Just remember that Director Li is currently also serving as our chief investigator, but criminal investigation work is very important. Director Li is also the executive deputy director of the municipal bureau, and this position is inherently very busy, so it is impossible for him to continue serving as chief investigator indefinitely.

Once you're no longer serving as our team leader, it won't be easy to see Director Li again, Shen Yue. You must seize this rare opportunity.

Shen Yue knew exactly what the political commissar meant. The brigade was currently short of a deputy brigade commander, and the most likely candidates were these section chiefs. Of course, it was also possible that the bureau could transfer one from a county (branch) bureau.

“I just told Director Li that you were assigned to assist in the Shishan case. Do you know what Director Li said after hearing that?”

Wan Changyou continued talking.

"Political Commissar, what did Director Li say?" Shen Yue asked somewhat nervously.

"Director Li said that I have great confidence in Section Chief Shen."

Shen Yue's eyebrows almost flew up. Being praised by his boss, and in such a positive way at that, made him feel as sweet as if he had eaten honey.

"Thank you, commissar."

"Why thank me? It's not like I'm praising you." Wan Changyou waved his hand dismissively.

"Work hard, there will be plenty of opportunities. Director Li is young and prefers to use young cadres, provided they can achieve results. Even if Director Li steps down as the chief, he will probably still be in charge of criminal investigation, so he will still be our direct superior. So..."

Before he could finish speaking, Political Commissar Wan patted Shen Yue's arm, turned and walked through the gate, but instead of going into the duty room, he headed towards the office building.

Shen Yue stood there without moving. He was on duty today, and he planned to stay in the duty room for the first half of the night to see if Shishan could make any breakthroughs during that time.

In homicide investigations, the golden period is generally within 72 hours. During this time, the traces at the scene are relatively fresh, the memories of witnesses are relatively clear, and various pieces of evidence have not been destroyed or lost.

Therefore, the police were able to strike while the iron was hot, quickly launch an investigation, collect clues, and track down suspects, thereby greatly increasing the success rate of solving the case.

If this deadline is exceeded, the difficulty of solving the case will gradually increase.

Of course, this is not absolute. In reality, it may change due to factors such as the nature of the case, the conditions at the scene, and the resources available to the police.

In some complex or unusual cases, the so-called golden period for solving the case may be extended to several days or even longer.

In addition, with the continuous advancement of technology, the police will have more and more means to collect and analyze evidence, which will enable some cases to be successfully solved even after the golden period has passed.

However, at this time, apart from routine laboratory tests, there are very few technological means available for solving the case. All tasks need to be completed manually, so the first 72 hours after a murder are crucial.

Standing at the gate in the cold wind, Shen Yue felt his mind becoming clearer and clearer. He had already put aside what Political Commissar Wan had just said. Of course, it would be best if he could become the deputy chief captain, but he wouldn't care too much if he didn't.

He is now considering the case in Shishan.

The missing weapon was found, and the killer's trail was discovered. It seemed that solving the case was only a matter of time. But after being blown by the cold wind, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

What's wrong?

At this very moment, Li Yancheng was also considering this issue while sitting in the car. After the excitement of the case being solved in less than twelve hours had subsided, he thought of a crucial question.

Why didn't Hu Jianguo, who chased after the person, see the bloody footprints on the ground when the person left behind the debris at the bottom of the stairs?
That person couldn't possibly be carrying their feet on their backs, so they didn't leave any traces on the stairs. They only put their feet down after they knew someone was chasing them and hid at the bottom of the stairs, which is why they left footprints.

This is not a joke!
(End of this chapter)