Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 104 The Army of Justice 6
The afternoon sun was so hot it hurt people's faces, so Wang Kaichun, who was always idle, was sleeping soundly at home.

When they entered his house, everyone's eyes were drawn to his height and build, comparing him to the shadowy figure in the surveillance video.

They look somewhat similar, but Wang Kaichun is wearing a white, worn-out old-man's shirt, which makes him look a bit thinner.

The police officer who led them in was an "acquaintance" of Wang Laoyao, so he spoke first.

"Wang Laoyao, have you heard what happened to the Jin Baozi family in the neighborhood? They had a lot of money stolen from them. I heard you've been asking around about how much money they've made selling steamed buns lately?"

The whole neighborhood was in an uproar, so of course I'd heard about it, and it sounded like they were trying to link him to the murder case.

But Wang Kaichun was the kind of person who didn't care about the next meal after eating this one. He first turned up the electric fan by the bed to a higher setting before saying perfunctorily, "It has nothing to do with me. I was just asking around."

Tan Ming chimed in, "Why are you asking about those things for no reason? There are so many people buying steamed buns, but you're the only one who likes to ask questions, and it's not just once or twice."

"Jin Baozi is a hypocrite. He's all humbly saying he hasn't made any money, but he won't even give me two steamed buns. He doesn't care that his own mother and children can wear gold and silver and brag about it outside. I just want to know how much money he's actually made. What, can't I ask? I'll ask him again when I go to buy steamed buns tomorrow morning. He must be making too much money to be being targeted..."

They got carried away, revealing their shameless and scoundrel-like nature without even trying to hide it.

Zheng Yan slapped the notebook, his sharp and imposing gaze making him speak softer and softer until he finally pouted and stopped talking.

Then Zheng Yan asked, "Where were you between 3 and 5 a.m. today?"

"Where else could they be? Everyone's sleeping at that time."

"Can anyone prove it?"

"Who else needs to prove that there are no other women in my bed..." He revealed his yellowed teeth and lewd smile when he talked about women.

Zheng Yan said coldly, "So no one can prove that you were sleeping at the time, and no one can prove that you weren't at the crime scene. According to your criminal record, you were sentenced to six months for theft more than a year ago, and four years ago you were sentenced to one and a half years for disorderly conduct. Your 'resume' looks very much like the characteristics of a murderer. So far, only you fit the description."

Several police officers stood in front of him, and a fashionable girl who didn't look like a good person glanced at him indifferently, as if to say, "If their words don't matter, I, who am not a public official, will be responsible for the dark memory restoration technique."

Wang Kaichun finally corrected his attitude and honestly defended himself.

“I was really sleeping last night. I came back drunk and collapsed on the bed. I didn’t wake up until noon. Besides, didn’t that murderer steal money? You can find out by searching my place. He couldn’t even scrape together a hundred yuan.”

After saying that, he seemed quite proud, having been able to eat and drink for so many years despite having less than a hundred dollars in savings.

Then, gloating, he said, "Golden Bun is just someone who can't hold back his money. He buys cars and houses, wears gold and silver, and still pretends to be humble. When his wife was around, neither of them seemed particularly hardworking. But after she ran off with a rich man, he claimed to have become incredibly diligent and hardworking, even actively seeking out business and getting involved with restaurant owners to make money. But I don't think he's been working that hard. I see him slacking off every day, letting the people he hires do the heavy lifting. And his mother harassing his ex-wife must have been instigated by him. He's no good person. She's already found a third man, and he encouraged his son to cause trouble, even though it didn't work out. And he still has the nerve to say I'm a petty thief and an idler. I think he's the one who's utterly despicable..."

The half-truths eventually turned into a barrage of insults directed at Jin Xiangyuan. Based on the evidence gathered, Wang Kaichun's suspicion could be largely ruled out. After asking a few more questions, the group left.

"It seems that Jin Xiangyuan's reputation is indeed not very good," Tan Jia said thoughtfully, kneading the dough figurine.

“That’s not the reason the murderer stole and killed,” Zheng Yan said, flipping through the transcript of the statements they had just taken, seemingly lost in thought. “Wang Kaichun thinks the Jin family is all hypocritical, but he doesn’t complain as much about his ex-wife who ran off with a rich man. Did that ex-wife find out her identity information?”

Xiao Chen pulled up a photo on his phone: "Jin Xiangyuan's ex-wife is named Qu He, thirty-eight years old. She and Jin Xiangyuan were married for thirteen years and ran a steamed bun shop together for seven years. Everything was going well; they didn't earn much, but it was just enough for their family to live on. Three years ago, Qu He had an affair with a pharmacy owner and divorced Jin Xiangyuan. But not long after, Jin's aunt harassed Qu He and ruined her second marriage. A little over a year ago, she married a small plastics factory owner, and it's said she's doing quite well."

Where did she move to in her most recent marriage?

"It's only a dozen kilometers away, but she's not in town these past two days. She's traveling to another province. I've already had someone inform her about what happened at the Jin family's place, and she should be back tomorrow."

After Xiao Chen finished his report, he analyzed, "Qu He is one of those who have obvious conflicts with the Jin family, but Qu He has an alibi, and if anyone is going to hold a grudge about an extramarital affair, it should be Jin Xiangyuan."

Tan Jia's imagination ran wild: "Jin Xiangyuan pretended to be the murderer and framed Qu He for the theft and murder? Or did Qu He deliberately go on vacation at this time to create an alibi, and actually she secretly came back in the middle of the night?"

Zheng Yan and the others glanced at him sideways: "You really dare to think big."

“Detective novels like to be designed like this,” she shrugged. “But Qu He probably wouldn’t kill her own son. Killing Jin Xiangyuan would make sense. The murderer captured on surveillance footage is also slightly taller than Qu He, so it’s possible that Qu He had the intention and then instructed someone with the guts to do it.”

Tan Ming: "Didn't Qu He remarry the owner of a small plastics factory? Her living conditions should be better than the Jin family's. Why would they come to steal money?"

"We need to investigate the true situation of Qu He's current home. Wasn't there a gossip story a while ago about a female celebrity having to sell her luxury goods to pay off debts after marrying a rich second-generation heir?"

Zheng Yan quite liked her bold conjectures and asked Tan Ming to investigate all the possibilities she mentioned in depth.

At this moment, Wu Yang, who was staying in the office, sent a new message.

“I checked the records of theft offenders in the North District over the past two years in the system and cross-referenced them with the social relationships of the Jin family. There was no one who was directly related. Except for Wang Kaichun.”

Wu Yang's voice was clear as he continued, "But I've noticed that there have been quite a few thefts in the North District in the past two years, and most of them are still unsolved. In particular, there are about ten records targeting special groups: disabled people, elderly people living alone, and people who have lost their ability to work. Thefts targeting these people are considered serious offenses, and even if the amount is relatively small, they can still result in imprisonment. The police station believes that these thefts were committed by the same person, and I think this person may be related to the murderer. I have already sent you the file records."

Zheng Yan looked at the case description: "It is somewhat similar. They all target families without young or middle-aged adults, and most of the incidents occur at night. They involve picking locks, and there are very few surveillance cameras that capture them."

Tan Jia leaned over to look, and immediately noticed something different. Pointing at it, she said, "The family that was burglarized nine months ago, the old man got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and saw the thief's retreating figure, but no one was injured. If that thief is the murderer, why didn't he silence him when he was almost discovered before, but only killed someone in the Jin family case?"

(End of this chapter)