Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 101 The Army of Justice 3
The Jin family, who live in the same building, suffered such a tragedy, and the neighbors upstairs and downstairs were all filled with lingering fear.

Some said, "I did hear a muffled sound in the middle of the night, but I thought it was Jin Laoda making the sound when he went out to make steamed buns. He has to go out at two or three o'clock every day, and the soundproofing here is not very good. The sound of him getting up to wash and opening and closing the door is very noisy. We used to argue about this."

Another person said, "I don't think it was Brother Jin making the noise. He has elderly people and children at home, and it's usually very quiet except for the sound of closing doors and riding his electric bike downstairs. I thought it was the Liu family next door beating his wife and children because I heard shouting and crying."

Who knew it was the sound of elderly people and children being killed?

Zheng Yan wrote it all down and asked them, "Do you know what time it was?"

They all said they didn't know, because nobody took it seriously, and they just turned over and fell asleep again.

However, it can be determined that it was after 3 o'clock, because Jin Xiangyuan had already left home.

Zheng Yan then asked, "After that commotion, did you hear anyone running out? The sound of someone going downstairs, the sound of things clattering, or strange noises outside the window?"

The resident of apartment 202 downstairs from Jin's said, "We heard footsteps, and they were running very fast, but we thought it was someone making steamed buns running up and down carrying things. We even said we would talk to his family today. We have students in our family, how can they make noise every night and keep us from sleeping?"

After asking around, no one seemed to have any clues to offer.

Tan Jia's gaze swept across the faces of those neighbors, and he felt that these answers must be exaggerated.

Nighttime was indeed a shield for the killer, but the apartment buildings in this complex are cramped and the soundproofing is poor. When the murderer attacked the old man and the child, the child screamed and cried several times. Did no one really hear it? Did no one realize something was wrong? Did no one get up to investigate?

not necessarily.

Even if someone realized a tragedy was happening at their neighbor's house, probably no one would dare to come out and help. Calling the police only after they felt safe would be considered a good deed.

But telling the truth is another matter entirely; nobody wants to appear cold-blooded and selfish in front of others.

She looked away and continued slowly kneading the dough in her hands, shaping it into arms and legs.

Zheng Yan knew this too, so he didn't press the matter. Instead, he asked one last question: "What kind of person is Jin Xiangyuan? Who does he usually associate with? Does he have any enemies?"

These kinds of questions, which don't involve any danger, are easy to answer, and everyone started talking at once.

"We all call him Jin Baozi (Golden Bun). He's a good person, makes delicious buns, and is hardworking. He works from two or three in the morning until two or three in the afternoon every day, and he usually sleeps at home in the afternoon and rarely goes out. If he has any enemies, they're probably his competitors who own bun shops."

"Competitors could just poison his steamed bun shop directly, why would they come to steal and kill him? I think it's someone who specializes in thieves targeting his business, the steamed bun shop is quite profitable."

"They are a good family and don't like to argue with people. Grandma Jin takes care of her grandson every day and cooks for Jin Baozi. She rarely has any conflicts with anyone. It's just that the child is not very likable. He has a loud voice and likes to bully others. I think he is too spoiled."

"To be honest, Jin Baozi isn't very good at socializing. He doesn't talk much when he's around, and he's always quiet and reserved. No wonder his wife wants a divorce."

"His ex-wife was much better at networking. She liked to get along with people at the steamed bun shop and had many friends. When it comes to marriage, both men and women need to be good at talking, otherwise who would want to be with you? Back then, Jin Baozi even chased after her to keep her, but how could he keep her?"

"Brother Jin runs a shop on Liu Er Street, which is right across from a street lined with hospitals and schools. Business is pretty good. In this world, as long as you have money, you'll have a lot of friends and relatives. However, he doesn't have much free time. I've only seen some people come over to eat with his family at dinner time. He probably doesn't have any enemies."

That's how the public's statements are recorded. It's like a trailer truck dumping garbage, all of it just crashes down in front of you, whether it's household waste or kitchen waste, it's all mixed together. If you have any questions, you have to find them in there yourself.

Zheng Yan summarized and simplified these answers: "Jin Xiangyuan's family is probably not very popular in the community. They don't usually have time to meet with their neighbors, and they are also introverted. He is an only child, and few relatives visit. He divorced three years ago because his wife fell for another rich man. But he occasionally has friends come over for dinner, both men and women."

Tan Jia: "So the murderer is likely one of these friends?" "Then we'll have to ask Jin Xiangyuan himself."

Tan Ming had already done a good job of comforting Jin Xiangyuan. Although Jin Xiangyuan was still pale, he was at least able to answer questions more smoothly.

The first question concerns the amount of stolen property.

"Take a look, how much stuff was stolen?"

The body in the side bedroom had been removed, and the blood inside was no longer visible once the door was closed. Jin Xiangyuan, his legs weak, walked past the bloody shoe prints and into the master bedroom.

“I usually use cash to buy various vegetables, meats and noodles at the market. In order to purchase goods and to make it easier to give change to some customers, I always keep several thousand yuan in cash at home. I put most of it in the second drawer, and the rest of the loose change is kept in the living room for my mother and son to use. There are also some gold and silver jewelry that my wife bought before, which are also kept in this drawer. I estimate that they are worth about 30,000 to 40,000 yuan in total.”

"Are there any special features in the stolen money or jewelry? For example, the serial number of the money, the style of the jewelry, or jade that cannot be melted down."

"There was a jade bracelet, the rest were made of gold and silver. I didn't pay attention to the money."

Who knows where you keep your money?

"Nobody knows except my mom and my son. Oh, my ex-wife knows too."

It was somewhat different from what they had guessed.

Zheng Yan simply threw the question at him: "Do you have anyone you suspect? The murderer is very likely someone you know, someone who knows what time you leave home, where you keep your valuables, and that only elderly people and children are left at home."

"An acquaintance?" Jin Xiangyuan stared in disbelief. "How could that be? If it were an acquaintance, they would just steal money, but why would they kill my mother and son?"

"We don't know the killer's psychology yet, but please think carefully, could there be such a person?"

Kim Hyang-won's mind seemed to go blank after hearing the words "a friend of the man" for a long while before he finally said, "I can't think of anyone."

Have you made any enemies recently? Have you felt like someone is following you, or someone is watching you on the street?

He shook his head again: "I'm busy making and selling steamed buns every day, always rushing around, so I really don't feel this way. Besides, I haven't had any conflicts with anyone recently, business is going well and my home is quiet."

If there's no suspect, that's a bit tricky.

Zheng Yan softened his voice: "Maybe you didn't notice. If you remember later, just let us know. Also, I have a slightly offensive question: if it wasn't someone you knew who committed the crime, could it be that your son or mother mentioned to others that your family had cash and valuables?"

Tan Jia saw that Jin Xiangyuan was stunned and did not answer for a long time.

It's possible.

Then everyone in that neighborhood—their children, classmates, and parents—would have to be investigated.

At this moment, Xiao Chen called them from outside.

"The surveillance footage is out."

(End of this chapter)