You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 272 What is a surprise?
A half-moon peeked out from behind the clouds, casting a cool glow over the dark night sky.

At the freight terminal of the Danam coal mine, a row of dim yellow light bulbs shines under the eaves.

Four railway tracks extend outwards from the mountains in the distance. On the opposite track, two coal-carrying train carriages are parked, the kind with enclosures on all four sides and hollow tops.

The railway tracks leading out of the mountains used to be surrounded by hills, but they have been dug up by large excavators and turned into a flat area of ​​half a kilometer.

During the day, as far as the eye can see, the platforms, tracks, and open ground are all covered with a layer of coal ash that never dissipates.

The railway tracks continue forward for about a kilometer before the mountains converge, and the tracks disappear into the middle of the valley.

Ji Yuan led about ten people off the platform and along the railway tracks, heading straight for the light to appear ahead.

When he got closer, he saw that the people searching for him were all familiar faces. There were too few criminal police officers present. It was impossible for every team of two thousand people to be led by a criminal police officer.

Ji Yuan looked at the faces more carefully and found that almost all of them were familiar. There were only one or two people he didn't recognize, but they were all wearing mine uniforms, so he immediately felt relieved.

"Didn't they find the murderer's shoes and raincoat? Where are they?"

An old miner showed him something: "It's here. Someone must have escaped along the railway tracks."

Ji Yuan held the flashlight and shone it on his face. He immediately recognized it as the raincoat that the murderer had been wearing.

As for the rain boots, he didn't pay much attention, but the size was just right for the other person's height.

"Keep searching! If you catch them, I'll give you a private reward of five thousand yuan!"

The other party yelled, "Fellow workers, did you hear what the section chief said? If you catch the murderer, the section chief will give you a reward of five thousand yuan!"

After saying that, he asked again, "Section Chief, should we leave any survivors?"

Ji Yuan puffed out his cheeks, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "Dead or alive, it doesn't matter!"

The old miner's eyes flickered, he nodded, and shouted, "Go! Chase after them! Dead or alive!"

Immediately afterwards, about twenty people ran along the railway tracks.

Some people wore headlamps, while others held flashlights in their hands.

From a distance, their figures resemble fireflies dancing on the black earth.

Ji Yuan led the way, running the fastest, his heart pounding.

As the railway tracks turned into the valley, hills began to appear on both sides, and thorns and shrubs grew on the nearby slopes.

Ji Yuan had been to this place many times and knew it very well.

The coal train departed from the platform, traveled along the mountainside to Guangwu County, and then transported the coal to other provinces.

To the left is a high mountain that is impossible to climb, and even if one did climb it, there would be no way to survive.

To the right are low hills; cross over and walk down for two kilometers to reach Caochang Town.

Ji Yuan speculated that if the murderer really did escape along the railway tracks, then the only way to survive would be to keep moving forward and escape to Guangwu County.

If he dares to go into the mountains or run to the grassland town, he will be caught sooner or later.

With this in mind, Ji Yuan quickened his pace considerably.

But the miners around him ran faster than him, after all, they got a 5,000 yuan reward and could also get a sum of money from the mine.

This money is the income miners earn in two years. Who wouldn't want it?

Ji Yuan sat in the office for a long time and gradually became physically exhausted.

Watching helplessly as people around me overtook me, and those ahead of me disappeared from sight.

Only Da Biao followed him at a leisurely pace.

Da Biao also really wanted to catch the person and get the money, but he knew that if he really caught the person, he wouldn't be able to get the section chief's five thousand yuan.

Let's just accept it. Who knows what the section chief is thinking? Besides, Deputy Factory Director Huang Mingquan is dead. If the section chief pulls some strings, he can get promoted sooner or later.

If you dare to take his money, and then he makes things difficult for you later, wouldn't that be painful?
Therefore, he wisely avoided getting involved in the mess.

Time passed slowly, and Ji Yuan was too tired to run anymore, so he simply walked briskly along the railway tracks.

Da Biao said, "Section Chief, since there are people chasing us ahead, should we take a break?"

"No need, let's keep going."

Da Biao laughed and said, "Section Chief is the best. If Old Huang knew in the afterlife that Section Chief not only spent money but also risked his life to catch the criminal who killed him, Huang Mingquan would have to thank you."

Hearing this, Ji Yuan frowned: "Don't say such things. Deputy Factory Director Huang was actually a good person. Now that he's dead, of course we should catch the murderer and, ideally, avenge him ourselves!"

Da Biao's smile faded, and he wondered to himself, "Has the section chief's personality changed so much?"
He's acting completely strange tonight. According to his personality, he should be jumping for joy at Huang Mingquan's death, but he's behaving so solemnly. Something's not right, not at all.

As Da Biao was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a commotion ahead, followed by the shining of several flashlights.

Someone shouted, "He's been caught! He's right here! Hold him down!"

"You son of a bitch, trying to run? Where do you think you're going? Beat him to death!"

"Get away from me, we arrested him!"

……

Hearing the commotion, Ji Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and then he quickly ran forward.

Halfway there, he saw a man kneeling beside the railway tracks, wearing a black baseball cap, with his back to him and his hands covering his head.

Two people were holding him down by the shoulders and kicking him hard in the back.

Ji Yuan swallowed hard, his heart pounding.

For a couple of seconds, he hesitated.

But then, a commotion suddenly broke out behind them.

Ji Yuan looked back and saw a large group of people a hundred meters behind him, their flashlights shining on the railway tracks like a surging tide.

He heard a familiar voice, like Fu Mingyuan's, shouting, "Don't kill him! Stop!"

"Spread out! We are the police!"

"Stop! Don't hit people! If someone dies, you'll be committing a crime!" Ji Yuan's expression hardened. He had already seen the other person's face; it was indeed Fu Mingyuan who had brought his men.

Damn it, why are they here?

Ji Yuan's heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest!

No, no, we can't let them capture us alive!
At this moment, Ji Yuan was only twenty meters away from the kneeling man.

He turned around, lifted the hem of his raincoat, pulled out a pistol from behind his waist, and with his other hand, pried open the hammer, then strode forward.

His brain was working at a rapid pace. How do you explain that?

It was too dark, the other party resisted, and the pistol accidentally went off.

You should resist quickly!
Resist!
Suddenly, a young miner who had grabbed the murderer's shoulder shouted, "A knife! He has a knife!"

The young miner was startled and stepped aside.

The other person also ran away quickly, revealing the murderer's back.

Ji Yuan's pupils narrowed, and he quickly stepped forward, raising his gun to point at the murderer's back.

"boom!"

"boom!"

In the pitch-black night, dazzling gunfire flashed.

Two seconds later, the murderer collapsed on the gravel beach next to the railway tracks.

Ji Yuan moved the gun down, aimed it at his back near his heart, and pulled the trigger again.

"boom!"

The dazzling gunfire, fleeting and illuminating his vision, flashed by.

The murderer lay motionless on the gravel beach, barely struggling.

Just as Ji Yuan was wondering what was going on, several flashlights suddenly shone on him.

His pupils narrowed, and his right arm holding the gun dropped. Before he could react, the gun was immediately taken from his hand.

Two people emerged from the halo of the flashlight beam ahead.

Yang Jinwen and Zhou Changyuan stared at him coldly.

Ji Yuan swallowed hard. What were they doing here?
The thought that had just arisen was immediately dispelled by fear.

Yang Jinwen sneered, "Killing someone to silence them, Section Chief Ji?"

"No, I didn't! He had a knife. I fired to protect the others!"

"Is that so?" Zhou Changyuan shook his head, disappointed. "Ji Yuan, stop struggling. Just tell the truth: did you kill Huang Mingquan?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't kill anyone!" Ji Yuan tried to take a few steps forward, but was immediately stopped by two miners beside him.

He turned his head and saw a male and a female miner, the same people who had just held down the murderer's shoulder.

Only then did he realize that he knew one of them.

When I went to the police station to cause trouble yesterday, the other party was right next to Yang Jinwen and didn't seem to exist at all.

I should have recognized him earlier!
It was overlooked!

In a flash, Ji Yuan suddenly realized.

This was a setup by these guys!
Zhou Changyuan said, "Ji Yuan, I'll ask you one more time, did you kill Huang Mingquan?"

"No! I didn't kill anyone!" Ji Yuan shouted.

He had figured it out. Since there was no way to prove it after the dead, as long as he kept insisting on it and relied on his father's influence, at most he would be a suspect, and the police would never pin the murder charge on him.

Besides, as the head of the security department of Danan Coal Mine, I have certain law enforcement authority. When pursuing the murderer, I shot and killed him in a moment of desperation because the murderer had a knife.

Everything is reasonable and logically sound.

Immediately, Ji Yuan raised his head and pretended to be innocent.

"Director Zhou, I'll say it again: I, Ji Yuan, did not kill anyone!"

Yang Jinwen narrowed his eyes and sneered: "Even now, you're still going to be stubborn?"

"You fucking targeted me!" Ji Yuan roared. "Yang Jinwen, let me tell you, don't even think about framing me. I'm not someone to be trifled with!"

"Trying to frame you?"

"if not?"

Just as Yang Jinwen was about to speak, a static sound came from the walkie-talkie Zhou Changyuan was holding.

After two beeps, Zhang Qurong's voice came through the walkie-talkie, panting as he shouted, "Captain Fu, Director Zhou, we've caught Chai Jinqiang!"

Zhou Changyuan glanced at Ji Yuan first, then picked up the walkie-talkie and asked, "Where were you caught?"

“In the town of Caochang at the foot of the mountain, Chai Jinqiang wanted to take a long-distance train to escape to another province, but we stopped him halfway.”

"well done!"

Only then did Ji Yuan realize what was happening. His eyes widened, and he couldn't help but swallow.

Yang Jinwen stared at him coldly: "Section Chief Ji, whether you murdered Huang Mingquan or not, Chai Jinqiang is the best witness."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan immediately looked at the person lying on the ground.

He tried to run forward and turn the body over, but Maozi and Lü Weiwei grabbed his arms.

Yang Jinwen squatted down and turned the body over with just one hand.

What appeared before Ji Yuan was actually a scarecrow!

(End of this chapter)