Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 615 The Case

Aunt Wang said, "So you're planning to have someone manage the car sales? Right now, we have Xiao Geng and me in finance, and Xiao Li Na in general affairs and personnel can handle it too. That girl is really capable. Xiao Zhai from An Dong can manage it for you, Xiao Long is in the food factory, and Xiao Hongliang is in the pig farm. That's all the people we can use. Where will we get the store manager if we open another shop in the future?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's pick from the trainees, sign contracts, and make sure the benefits are good. That's not difficult, just be responsible. As for the restaurant, Xiao Hui and I will discuss it tonight; that's the tricky part. Selling cars is a minor issue; for now, we'll only sell here. Aren't they building an annex downstairs from headquarters? We can sell cars on the first floor and deal with the other cities later. Why are only the three of you here today?"

Aunt Wang said, "Don't other people take a break? Today is Sunday."

Xiao Wei said, "I forgot, I was so busy out that I lost track of time. Are we starting to close on Sundays now?" Restaurants, food factories, and cake shops don't really have Sundays off; the staff takes turns closing. The school has some, but Xiao Wei doesn't go there often enough.

Aunt Wang said, "Of course the company has to provide that. Who's going to work non-stop for you? Even Zhou Bapi (a notorious exploiter) wouldn't do that."

Xiao Wei stood up and said, "Where's my uncle? What kind of work does Lao Xia go to on Sundays?"

Aunt Wang said, "Something came up at work, and he went down somewhere to check something. I didn't ask."

Xiao Wei said, "Then I'll go take a look around the Wanliu construction site."

Aunt Wang said, "Now that you brought back that sidecar, Xiao Hui doesn't drive his car anymore. He's always messing with that thing, it's giving me a headache. You guys are always causing trouble."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "I haven't even ridden it yet, but he's already riding it." Just then, the phone rang, and Xiao Wei reached out and answered it.

The caller was Director Lu: "Xiao Wei? Are you settled in yet?"

Xiao Wei said, "Once it's all set up, I'll just put the box down and be done. I was just about to go check on the construction site. What's up? Something wrong?"

Lu said, "If you don't come to the station, and a case comes down, you'll have to go with it; it's a big deal."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll be right there." After hanging up the phone, he said to Aunt Wang, "The police station said they have a case coming up that I need to go with, so I'm going now."

Xiao Wei went to the drawer to find his car keys, took them, went to Xia Maosheng's room and told Xiao Hong and the other two, then went downstairs and drove to the police station.

Upon arriving at the police station, a noisy commotion filled the room. Officer Lu was speaking. Turning around, Xiao Wei saw everyone in Officer Lu's office, packed to the brim. As Xiao Wei approached, the police officers at the door made way for him, and Xiao Wei squeezed in. Officer Lu, seeing Xiao Wei, pointed to the stool beside him.

There were only three people sitting in the room: the director, the instructor, and the deputy director. Xiao Wei walked over and sat down next to Director Huang.

"That's the situation. This case is quite important, and time is tight. I hope everyone will put aside everything else and focus all their efforts on completing the task assigned to us. Do you have confidence?"

"have……"

"You haven't eaten yet? Do you have any confidence?"

"have!"

Lu waved his hand: "Get lost, all of you. Just looking at you is an eyesore. Let me tell you, if another station beats you to it, see how I deal with you."

Xiao Liu asked, "Officer Lu, what if we rush ahead? We can't just punish them without rewarding them, can we?"

Lu glanced at Xiaowei and said, "Okay, if we get there first, we'll all go to Anji Restaurant for drinks. Xiaowei will treat us."

The group of police officers excitedly shouted "Whoa!" and rushed out in a chaotic frenzy. Xiao Wei, bewildered, asked Chief Lu, "What's going on? How did it become my treat?"

The instructor handed a document to Xiaowei and said, "You're such a big boss, shouldn't you treat your colleagues to a meal if they really do something good? We don't have any money, but if we did, I would. Look, sign this."

Xiao Wei took the document and asked, "Is this a big case?"

Lu said, "You and Xiao Huang go back to your room and talk. Let Xiao Huang explain it to you, and I'll arrange the work with the instructor."

Xiao Wei took the documents and returned to his room with Director Huang. Xiao Wei tossed Director Huang a cigarette and said, "What's going on? I just got off the train and haven't even had a chance to sit down yet."

Huang said, "This is a big deal. If you hadn't come along, someone would probably have investigated it. It's just a coincidence that you came back. Take a look at the case first, and I'll tell you after you've read it." He then sat down and went to work on his own stall.

Xiao Wei pulled out the stool, sat down, and opened the document to read.

"Case Notice: On August 13, a soldier changing shifts at a bridge guard post reported the incident to the police. After receiving the report, the local police station rushed to the scene and found three bodies inside and outside the guard post. Two of the bodies were soldiers at the guard post. One of them was shot twice in the back and collapsed at the railing outside the guard post, presumably while on guard duty. The other soldier and a railway worker were both killed inside the guard post. One of them had been shot once in the face, and the other had been shot twice in the abdomen. A half-smoked cigarette butt was found in his hand."

The police station immediately reported the incident, and after the criminal investigation team arrived at the scene, they discovered that the gun used by the murderer was likely a Type 56 submachine gun with an empty magazine, equipped with a Type 56 bayonet. The gun was not found during the search of the scene.

Based on the initial assessment of the scene, this case appears to be a crime committed by an acquaintance. The perpetrator brought a standard 7.62mm ammunition magazine into the sentry post, tricked the sentry into giving up his weapon, and then suddenly loaded it and attacked. The suspect is likely a veteran or a railway militia member with access to firearms. The perpetrator is familiar with firearms, acted with precision and ruthlessness, and possesses strong mental fortitude. Afterwards, he retrieved spent cartridge cases from the scene, cleaned up any remaining traces, and left. Therefore, it is highly probable that the perpetrator is a veteran with combat experience.

Due to a lack of physical evidence, in-depth analysis is not possible, and the motive for the murder and gun robbery remains unclear. The criminal investigation team is currently conducting further investigations based on the victim's identity.

Attached were several photos, which made Xiao Wei's face twitch. They were shocking. The sentry and the one shot in the stomach were still bearable, but the one shot in the face was simply horrible. Xiao Wei felt a wave of nausea.

Huang looked up and chuckled, then asked, "Feeling like throwing up?"

Xiao Wei put the photo down and asked, "Don't you find it disgusting?"

Huang said, "It was disgusting at first, but you get used to it. There are even more brutal ones out there. You think being a police officer is so easy? This is just a photo; do you want to see the real person?"

Xiao Wei gagged a few times, waved his hand, and said with a twitching face, "No, I can't stand this anymore. I'm not watching anymore, tell me what happened."

Huang laughed heartily and said, "There's another one below. Read it first, then we'll talk. You're a policeman now, and even a temporary policeman is still a policeman."

Xiao Wei placed the photo face down on the table and took out the next document.

"Case Notice. On the morning of August 15th, villagers discovered a man lying face down in front of the Yang family's gate in the same village. He was already dead, and the village reported the incident to the police."

When the criminal investigation team arrived at the scene, they discovered that there were a total of five dead people in the yard. The person who was shot in the back at the gate was Wang, a 55-year-old retired worker and a neighbor from the same village.

The deceased inside the house were a married couple. The husband, surnamed Yang, 57 years old, was a retired worker who had been shot once in the chest, once in the mouth, and three times in the genitals, and had also been cut with a bayonet. His wife, surnamed Liu, 55 years old, was a housewife who died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Two people died in the courtyard. One was Yang's eldest son, 32 years old, unemployed, who was shot once in the chest and twice in the groin. The other deceased was Zuo, a neighbor of Yang from the same village, also unemployed, who was shot in the back.

The investigation determined that the deaths of Zuo, Yang, and their wife occurred around 11 PM on August 14th, while their son and Wang died around 4 AM on August 15th. No signs of struggle were found inside or outside the premises. Based on the interior of the house, it was determined that the perpetrator did not leave immediately after the murders. Instead, they cooked a meal on the stove inside the house, then stayed by the bodies of Yang and his wife on the kang (heated brick bed) until dawn, killing their son and neighbor Wang before finally leaving.

Ballistic analysis of the bullet at the scene determined that the weapon used by the perpetrator was the same Type 56 submachine gun used by the sentry guarding the bridge on the 13th. The perpetrator was unusually calm, possessed extremely strong mental fortitude, and acted decisively. It is believed he is a retired soldier, and personnel have been dispatched to the local armed forces department to investigate.

Below were a few more photos. Xiao Wei pressed his hand on the photos, took several breaths, but still didn't have the courage to turn them over.

(End of this chapter)