Animal Detective

Chapter 63 The No. 1 Cotton Mill
Duxiang Subdistrict, east of Tingyang District.

The entrance to Nanjiang No. 1 Cotton Mill near Quanshan Road.

Shen Xin slammed on the brakes and stopped.

From a distance, we could see the SWAT team's vehicle.

This looks like things have gotten serious.

I got off the car with Zhang Jian and went to the guard post next to the main gate.

Sun Zhao and Chen Chao were looking at a map on a tablet with Feng Kaiwei, the captain of the Tingyang District Special Police Brigade.

Upon seeing Zhang Jian, Sun Zhao's eyes lit up, and he quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Are you okay?"

"Okay."

Zhang Jian patted his chest.

When he was working in the criminal investigation team, Sun Zhao was the deputy captain and his superior.

Sun Zhao, however, keenly noticed the binding marks on Zhang Jian's wrists, sighed silently, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well, minor injuries don't keep you from the front lines."

As he spoke, he noticed Shen Xin standing beside him.

"can!"

He smiled slightly.

Shen Xin hasn't even reported to the Criminal Investigation Brigade yet, and he's already made another contribution.

They found Zhang Jian so quickly, all thanks to a dog.

Shen Xin smiled and quickly stepped forward to stand next to Chen Chao.

The case has now been taken over entirely by the branch office.

The institute was busy, so Song Liang, Chen Ju, and the others all took their people back.

Shen Xin is now considered a member of the Criminal Investigation Brigade and is involved in cases.

Zhang Jian came over after consulting with Sun Zhao, having learned about the case.

As a novice, Shen Xinyi couldn't just ask what was going on; he could only listen from the sidelines.

It seems that Li Shanjie has taken hostages, and the three of them are currently discussing their course of action.

This cotton mill was originally a state-owned enterprise, but it went bankrupt in 15, and the factory buildings were abandoned and have not been disposed of since.

Li Shanjie was originally an engineer at a cotton mill.

While finding Zhang Jian, Sun Zhao also tracked down Li Shanjie's van through surveillance cameras, following it all the way here.

The last time the van was captured on surveillance footage was at 11:13 PM.

By the time Sun Zhao arrived, Li Shanjie had already been there for almost two hours.

They discovered that the factory gates, which were locked, had been pried open, and then found Li Shanjie's van outside the former dyeing workshop.

Sun Zhao and others immediately launched an investigation.

In the material warehouse northeast of the dyeing and printing workshop, I heard people talking.

They then saw the hostages being held by Li Shanjie.

It was indeed Zhang Qin and Chen Zhongyuan.

However, they then discovered that Li Shanjie was wrapped with something resembling an explosive device, so they immediately called a halt to the operation and retreated outside to call for SWAT support.

Upon hearing the word "explosive," Shen Xin's heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, at the police station and the criminal investigation team, we were dealing with criminals of completely different kinds.

Those drunk people causing trouble and fighting at the police station are just minor squabbles.

Zhang Jian interjected, "I remember Li Shanjie studied chemistry and was in charge of dye formulation at a cotton mill."

The subtext is that Li Shanjie has enough knowledge to make explosives himself.

Sun Zhao simply nodded slightly.

Regardless of Li Shanjie's capabilities, the fact that he was carrying what appeared to be an explosive device completely changed the course of events.

The three were still discussing the attack plan. Feng Kaiwei, dressed in casual clothes, looked to be in his thirties. He was not tall, but had broad shoulders, making him appear sturdy and powerful. Pointing to the map, he said, "The map is not clear enough to accurately determine the structure of the material warehouse. At least for now, there is only one entrance and exit."

The map is not a building blueprint, but rather an internal satellite image.

I've already tried contacting the manufacturer, but haven't heard back yet.

"As for other entrances, such as the ventilation openings in the warehouse, this isn't a movie shoot, so my suggestion is to negotiate, lure the person out, and then try to kill them."

This is a material warehouse where dyes, additives, and other items commonly used in the dyeing and finishing workshop are stored.

Because they are all chemical products, many of which need to be stored away from light, there is only one entrance and exit.

Then there are ventilation ducts.

However, scenes like those in movies, where special police officers climb ventilation ducts to secretly shoot and kill prisoners, are almost impossible in reality.

Putting aside the fact that galvanized steel sheets are commonly used, and ventilation ducts that are only a few millimeters thick can't even support the weight of a person, they are made of sheet metal, which is brittle. If a person crawls inside, the noise they make is incredibly loud, making it impossible to approach silently.

Sun Zhao nodded, he thought so too. He looked up at Zhang Jian and said, "Zhang Jian, you were in charge of this case back then. You know Li Shanjie and his group best. Think about it, from which angle would it be more appropriate to talk to Li Shanjie?"

The branch office didn't have any so-called negotiation experts, only political commissars who specialized in ideological work.

People are rushing here urgently.

However, negotiations need to find a starting point; not all criminals take hostages in order to negotiate with the police.

As Zhang Jian said, Li Shanjie didn't want to live anymore; he was determined to die. Since he was taking hostages, he wouldn't negotiate with the police at all.

The reason they haven't committed murder yet is simply to torment the hostages a little longer.

Negotiating with him now is merely hoping for even the slightest possibility that he might change his mind.

Zhang Jian sighed and hurriedly began to talk about the case.

"To be honest, handling this case back then was quite awkward." Zhang Jian sighed as he recalled the past.

Li Shanjie was born in 81. After graduating from university in 03, he was hired to work at a cotton mill.

I met Zhang Qin through work.

Zhang Qin was also a local; at the time, she was a textile worker at a cotton mill.

The two married in 05.

“When I visited, people in the factory said that they were very much in love at first, and Zhang Qin was also beautiful. They were a perfect match.”

"The problem lies with the child."

“Li Shanjie’s mother is quite traditional and has always wanted to have a grandson. Zhang Qin got pregnant about half a year after they got married.”

"But then an accident happened, and she lost the baby. Then, due to the aftereffects of the miscarriage, and because Zhang Qin's health wasn't very good either, like Lin Daiyu, she developed health problems and couldn't have any more children."

"Because of this, their relationship began to deteriorate. When they lived in the factory dormitory, the neighbors often heard Li Shanjie arguing with Zhang Qin after drinking, and even getting physical."

"Later they moved out to the nearby Yuehua Community, but it was still the same. The police station received many reports of domestic violence from them."

Shen Xin listened silently.

They got married in 05, and the child was lost a year later. Li Shanjie served 5 years in prison, and now it's 17, meaning he went in 12.

In other words, this domestic violence lasted for a full six years.

"Why aren't you divorced?" Shen Xin couldn't help but interject.

Zhang Jian sighed and said, "Well, from what I've seen, Zhang Qin has a rather soft personality. She's the kind of person who just accepts whatever comes her way. She doesn't have any family support, so no one is there to back her up."

“Li Shanjie is unwilling to get a divorce, so he keeps dragging it on. Anyway, we outsiders can’t really understand what they’re thinking.”

In 10, Li Shanjie's mother passed away from illness.

“This incident also provoked Li Shanjie. I investigated that his violence had escalated, and he also suspected Zhang Qin of having an affair with Chen Zhongyuan.”

"Chen Zhongyuan joined the No. 1 Cotton Mill in 2007 as an engineer. He was already married at the time, but his wife and children stayed in his hometown. He happened to be in the textile workshop where Zhang Qin worked. Anyway, he probably had more contact with Zhang Qin, and that's how the rumors started to spread."

“The police station and the Women’s Federation have mediated many times, but it’s all been in vain.”

"Until February 17, 2012, after the Chinese New Year, the local police station received a report that Zhang Qin had been beaten again and was seriously injured."

At this point, Zhang Jian's tone became serious.

(End of this chapter)