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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 81: A Turn of Events
On March 26, the case involving Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang, suspected of serious disciplinary violations, was publicly announced. The two former officials were featured prominently on the homepage of a news portal, having been dismissed from their positions and expelled from the party. As public discussions swirled, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission dispatched inspectors to the Criminal Investigation Bureau to inquire about the theft cases at the homes of Wang and Kang. This long-standing unsolved case, which had been shelved for two years, left the Public Security Department struggling to cope, resorting to various means to evade responsibility.
The following day, a report was submitted stating, "Our bureau is making every effort to investigate this case."
The bureaucratic world is a place of cultivation; seasoned personnel could certainly decipher the true progress from those peculiar combinations of words. The absence of terms like "major breakthrough" or precise references to "suspects," coupled with only "making every effort to investigate," indicated that no leads had been found.
The Disciplinary Committee and the prosecution continued to exert pressure on the criminal investigation department regarding the illegal activities of Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang. The case had escalated to a level overseen by the Provincial Department.
On the 29th, the City Bureau began inquiring about the progress of the case. Shen Lingchen was summoned for a report. His vague presentation left the leaders of the City Bureau greatly disappointed. After the meeting, Shen Lingchen was retained for a private discussion with the City Bureau leadership. The conversation began just like any other:
"Comrade Shen Lingchen, the Provincial Department and City Bureau attach great importance to this case and have specifically brought you to Binhai with high expectations..."
The content of the discussion remained unknown; however, Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei noticed that their mentor's complexion had grown even paler. After two weeks of irregular hours, he was on the brink of collapse.
On the 30th, at the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Director Zheng Kegong started his day as usual with a flurry of activity.
He dealt with circulating documents for signatures, various reimbursement requests, reports on case situations from the previous day, and fluctuations in crime rates across districts. Each day began with him sitting in this leadership position feeling anxious, fearing that an unexpected case situation would send his heart racing.
His unease grew as he signed documents when an urgent phone call interrupted him—it was from the City Bureau. He spoke with Director Wang again regarding the Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang case, skillfully dodging questions while trying to maintain decorum. After hanging up, he resumed signing but couldn't find his pen. After searching for a while, one of his subordinates reminded him, "Director Zheng, isn't it in your pocket?"
Oh right, he had unconsciously tucked it into his chest pocket earlier. Frustrated, he pulled it out and signed quickly. Just then, his phone rang again; he felt a twinge of anxiety—it was either the City Bureau or the Provincial Department or even a direct call from the Disciplinary Committee urging him for updates. He struggled to find better excuses when he glanced at his phone.
To his surprise, it was Shen Lingchen calling. He quickly answered: "Deputy Commissioner Shen, I've already received several calls since I started work today! Are you managing this or not? If not, I’ll admit fault and we can go talk to someone in person... Huh? Really?"
"Really... there’s been a significant discovery; it’s not enough to apprehend any suspects yet, but we can provide an explanation," Shen Lingchen replied over the phone.
"Great! Wait for me; I’m coming right away."
Director Zheng threw down the phone, disregarding the signature he was supposed to provide. He donned his police cap and stood up, striding out with a pace that resembled a run.
"Hey... hey... thank you for your hard work..."
Hastily arriving at Ten Squad, Director Zheng got out of the car and vigorously shook hands with Shen Lingchen and Xu Fei, exclaiming that this was life-threatening; if they had no leads, he wouldn't be able to keep his position.
Xu Fei chuckled and replied, "You might be in for a surprise soon."
"Ah? When I was Squad Leader, you were still a little kid. Now you're trying to scare me? I'm really curious about what kind of thief could make me so uneasy," Director Zheng said cheerfully, joking with his former subordinate Xu Fei.
Xu Fei gestured towards Shen Lingchen and remarked, "It's still Commissioner Shen who is impressive. I thought it was a dead case, but he managed to uncover some clues... Twenty days, and those guys haven't had a decent sleep."
"Tell me how you figured it out," Director Zheng asked eagerly.
"Your subordinates reconstructed the crime process and were just about to report it to you," Shen Lingchen replied with a smile.
"You're talking about those two?" Director Zheng asked in surprise. Shen Lingchen nodded, and Director Zheng became excited again, shaking Shen Lingchen's hand firmly. "I really have to thank you; it seems these two kids are following the right person."
"I can't take credit for that; it was them who found the clues, along with Captain Xu. A lot of detailed work was done under his guidance. But let's not celebrate too early; it's just a highly suspicious lead, and we might still be far from our target," Shen Lingchen humbly stated.
This humility greatly increased the goodwill among his peers. The three chatted and laughed as they made their way up to the Technical Investigation building. Inside, all the officers involved in the case stood up to salute. Director Zheng waved for everyone to sit down, praised them briefly, and then eagerly urged them to begin. Shen Lingchen signaled Guo Wei and Guan Yiqing; upon receiving the cue, they took a deep breath. Guan Yiqing turned on the projector and started:
"On March 8th, we received this theft case from two years ago. Due to the special nature of the case, we initially conducted an outer investigation, mainly interviewing suspects in prisons and detention centers while sorting through information on individuals with prior offenses or similar lock-picking skills across several cities in East China. We found nothing during this outer investigation."
Guo Wei continued, "However, based on our team's analysis, this case does not exhibit strong regional characteristics. To commit this crime at the former leader's home and hide the stolen goods there, one must first have accurate information sources; at the very least, they should know that there are valuable items worth stealing at the target location. Secondly, they need to navigate through various obstacles like surveillance cameras, security personnel, and insurance safes. Thirdly, there must be safe and discreet channels for disposing of stolen goods... Therefore, we conclude that this is not a case of transient crime."
Guan Yiqing paused for a moment, looking at the images from the scene as he said, "From the analysis of this Insurance cabinet taken from the scene, it seems to be the work of a skilled individual. However, due to the long time interval, it's impossible to extract anything valuable. The most crucial point is that since we began our investigation at the scene, there has been a persistent question: committing theft in this location, especially silently, is not much easier than robbing a bank vault..."
Guo Wei continued with the slides presented by Guan Yiqing, stating, "The neighborhood where Wang Zihua lives is a family compound of the District Government. It was later expanded, with walls standing 2.45 meters high. Surveillance cameras are distributed at the entrance, garage, buildings, and surrounding walls, with direct coverage at every unit entrance—there are a total of 225 cameras. There are usually between 20 to 28 security personnel on duty, and at peak times, there can be as many as forty. The security measures in this neighborhood are quite strict; even scrap collectors and those putting up small advertisements are not allowed. Not to mention theft cases—there hasn't even been a single incident of missing vehicles from Car Brands... After the incident, Wang Zihua's wife reported it to the police. However, due to special circumstances, the case was put on hold. The property management feared liability and retained surveillance footage from two months before and after the report, which they provided to the local police station. We have not found any suspects in this footage... So the question arises: could these thieves be invisible?"
The issue was compounded by Guan Yiqing's additional conditions regarding entry and vehicle registration; there were entry passes issued. Anyone entering or exiting would surely be captured on surveillance footage. The power supply was segmented; unless all electrical facilities were sabotaged, it would not lead to a blackout in the exit monitoring system. This meant that anyone entering or exiting should have left a trace on camera. The incident occurred on November 12 of that year—so why had nothing been found?
As he paused again, Director Zheng's curiosity was piqued entirely. He looked around at his smiling subordinates and feigned anger as he asked, "Oh, I understand... Is this a collective test for me?"
Laughter erupted around him as Xu Fei chuckled and said, "We wouldn't dare test you! We've spent an entire week pondering this matter and have thought of everything but can't figure out how this thing was stolen. I even suspect that those two Corrupt Officials were just talking nonsense."
"Oh, so you've come to a conclusion." Director Zheng became animated and reminded Guan Yiqing, "Little Guan, don't speak yet; let me guess... The floor where the theft occurred must have experienced a power outage. That area is essential; it had to be dealt with first. Sabotaging the surveillance must have been step one."
"You guessed right, Director Zheng... There was indeed a power outage for forty minutes; several adjacent units lost power." Xu Fei gave a thumbs-up.
"The reason for the outage is key," Director Zheng stated.
"The cause was that two adjacent live and neutral wires in the distribution box were grounded. Due to the peculiar method used, the property management concealed the truth until Commissioner Shen uncovered it... Here's what happened: after the power outage, an electrician went to repair it and found a small bottle wrapped around one of the wires leaking liquid—likely corrosive fluid—that caused a short circuit between the two wires. It took him over forty minutes to restore power... Afterward, he reported to the property manager who feared liability and did not disclose this incident. Upon further investigation, we found that around Four O'Clock in the Morning on that day, there was a shadow of a man near the distribution box; unfortunately, he could not be identified." Xu Fei said excitedly while sneaking a glance at Shen Lingchen.
Director Zheng caught this expression immediately and asked, "Is there an insider among the electricians or property management?"
"We initially thought so too... but we were wrong; there isn't one. If someone had stolen so much over two years' time, they would have left by now. If it were an insider, they wouldn't need to act in the dead of night—they could cut off power anytime and provide ample justification." Xu Fei explained.
"Then... they must have taken advantage of the blackout to sneak in quickly and then slip away?" Director Zheng suggested but quickly negated his own idea: "No, no—committing theft in the middle of the night would make escape more difficult."
"We initially thought that too... but we were mistaken; entry and unit power supplies are not on the same circuit. The surveillance at the entrance was functioning normally during that time," Xu Fei added.
How they committed the crime could be set aside for now; those skilled in lock-picking could do so faster than an average person using keys. The key issue lay in how they entered and escaped. Director Zheng pondered aloud: "...Could it be that they disguised themselves to enter? If different people entered and exited, it would easily fool surveillance... But committing such a crime requires tools; at minimum, they would need a fine drill to break into an Insurance cabinet. Is there any chance we can find footage of someone carrying tools?"
Xu Fei smiled and fell silent. Director Zheng suddenly realized, "It’s impossible; that would be too clumsy. A criminal wouldn’t make such a mistake... Hmm, the vehicle... hidden in the car."
"It requires an entry permit. Outside vehicles need to be registered, and once registered, they have to get out of the car at the time of the incident... Isn’t that even more clumsy?" Guan Yiqing asked, her expression serious.
"Right... Could it really be an invisible person?" Director Zheng was stunned.
Then a few light chuckles erupted, and everyone laughed. Even Guan Yiqing joined in, having intentionally set a trap for Director Zheng to follow a convoluted line of thinking.
Director Zheng laughed heartily and said, "Alright, I admit my IQ isn’t enough. Let’s reveal the truth; convince me... I need to point out the flaws to pass this."
Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei looked at Shen Lingchen, who smiled and said, "If even Director Zheng is stumped, it shows that our week-long effort hasn’t been in vain. I’ve also been puzzled by this strange theft case, just like you, Director Zheng—I fell into a trap of thought we created ourselves. This trap requires reverse thinking to solve."
"What do you mean by reverse thinking?" Director Zheng asked.
"Why must it be an outsider committing the crime? If it were someone from within the community, wouldn’t they naturally be invisible?" Shen Lingchen replied with a smile.
"Oh," Director Zheng exclaimed, his mouth forming an 'O' shape, his eyes wide in disbelief. It was so simple; if it were someone from within the community, then the surveillance would be meaningless—they could come and go freely. He stammered in astonishment, "No way? Such audacity?"
"Hehe, let me restore this with evidence," Shen Lingchen gestured upward.
Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei began their explanation. Guan Yiqing laid out a series of data: "We hit a wall everywhere. We tried using reverse thinking to make a hypothesis: if the suspect had a foothold in this community, everything seems reasonable. All they would need is to bring in a slightly larger vehicle during the crime time... Achieving this goal doesn’t seem too difficult, right, Director Zheng?"
"Could it be a tenant?" Director Zheng said uncertainly, surprised.
"You got it right this time," Xu Fei said with a smile, prompting laughter all around.
Guo Wei continued, "We collaborated with Comrade from Ten Squad; a total of twelve of us spent three days investigating all rental properties outside during the incident timeframe. This community is close to commercial areas and has three nearby middle schools with good public safety records. Therefore, there are quite a few rentals—over a hundred households. While clearing them one by one, we found that most tenants were either corporate white-collar workers or parents accompanying their children for schooling. Only five households raised suspicions."
Guan Yiqing sifted through a pile of identification labels and introduced the five problematic households: "The first household has issues because the landlord is uncooperative. Upon further investigation, we discovered that the landlord is involved in keeping a mistress, so we’ll skip that... The second household is problematic as well; we haven't been able to contact anyone. The landlords have both gone abroad, and the elderly are living in Beijing. However, the house is still being rented out, so we think it's not a big issue, let's move on... The third tenant has a criminal record for fraud. After verifying the case, we'll temporarily skip that... The fourth household is dramatic; when we arrived, the tenant ran away but was caught. It turned out he was a wanted fugitive online, and now Team Xu is handling that case separately... The key issue lies with the fifth household. This tenant has already changed; the new tenant rented it in January of the previous year. When the previous tenant signed the lease agreement, they left a copy of their ID. This raised our suspicions."
An ID copy was pulled up on screen alongside another one; both had the same ID number but different faces.
"Is it a fake ID?" Zheng Director asked.
"Yes, the rent here is over six thousand a month. She rented it for half a year and paid all at once. According to the landlord, he checks on the place every month to avoid damage to furniture or overcrowding. However, he mentioned it was very clean and he never encountered anyone during his visits," Shen Lingchen reminded.
"Oh, spending over thirty thousand just to rent an empty room?" Zheng Director's expression turned serious.
"Pay attention to the location of this room," Guo Wei advised, displaying a 3D map of the entire community. He pointed out two marked spots in red and blue, making it clear that this room on the seventeenth floor was directly above the stolen property, providing an unobstructed view of the target.
"This is unbelievable; how dare they do this?" Zheng Director exclaimed in shock. Suddenly remembering something, he blurted out, "The person living here must have a car for easy access."
"Exactly! Once we realized this, our fatigue vanished," Guan Yiqing said while displaying a final image from Group A—a dark-colored SAIC Wuling Business vehicle registered with the property. Guan Yiqing explained, "It's a seven-seater with ample capacity; it entered the community half an hour before the incident occurred and was overlooked during our previous checks due to having a pass card. It left the community at nine forty that day while an electrician was repairing power... and there's one crucial point."
Guan Yiqing zoomed in on the license plate until it was clearly visible and displayed another number alongside it.
"A cloned vehicle—it's fake."
"So this car hasn't been seen since the incident?" Zheng Director asked.
"Correct. It hasn't appeared in any retained surveillance footage since then. Moreover, according to the landlord, she informed him about her departure half a month in advance while she was out of town. The landlord got a good deal and kept saying she was very nice," Guan Yiqing replied.
"How many times had this car been seen before?" Zheng Director inquired.
"Twice; it rented a temporary parking space and paid for six months' rent. However, based on available surveillance footage over two months, we could only find two instances," Guan Yiqing said while displaying a screenshot of a woman dressed casually with a red backpack. Whether from behind or in profile, even in profile she could be seen partially covering her face with her hand—those present were seasoned criminal investigators who recognized these actions as technical evasion tactics.
"Can we capture the facial features clearly?" Director Zheng asked.
"I'm not sure, but I can barely make it out," Guan Yiqing replied, displaying a portrait reconstructed from different angles.
"Have you identified it?" Director Zheng inquired.
"It's confirmed," Guan Yiqing said, showing a video recording from the law enforcement camera, which captured the landlord's summons. The landlord appeared frightened and pointed out that it was indeed her. She mentioned that the girl was quite righteous, clean, and polite. "Hey, Officer, you must be mistaken!"
Of course, there was no mistake. Guo Wei silently presented a reconstruction of the crime process and timeline. At 8:30 AM, a vehicle entered the community during working hours when the area was almost empty. The suspect's vehicle had already changed drivers; it was no longer the woman but an unknown person whose face was obscured by the sun visor. The car parked directly at the corner of the floor where the incident occurred, one of the few blind spots where no footage of people getting in or out could be captured... At 9:37 AM, that same car reappeared on surveillance footage, leaving the community without drawing any attention.
"Impressive! Aside from this woman, no one else showed their face... After committing the crime, they didn't dare to speak up. Even if we trace back, who would have thought they could brazenly enter as tenants? Normally, if they took a bit longer, any traces left in the surveillance would have been erased... Remarkable! This must be it," Director Zheng murmured to himself. Convinced by the flawless reconstruction, he pondered for a long time. When he looked up again, he saw that all the officers were visibly pleased. Director Zheng pretended to be unconvinced and said, "Don't celebrate too early; this isn't enough to convince me... Xiao Guan, is there more evidence?"
Guo Wei smiled, and so did Guan Yiqing. With a serious tone, he said, "Actually, there is. Our mentor told us not to reveal everything at once; you would definitely pick at it, so we saved one piece."
"There's still more?" Director Zheng chuckled as he looked at Shen Lingchen with increasing interest.
"We initially thought that Wang Zihua's residence in the District Government family compound would be a challenge. However, we didn't expect a clue to emerge here. Yesterday we approached the Kang Zhuang community where the theft occurred with a trial-and-error mindset... He lives on Huatuo Road in the development zone; this is one of his properties. The theft happened a day later than Wang Zihua's incident. The property management here is somewhat lacking; there are both good and bad cameras from two years ago—no one can clarify anything... However, while checking on rental landlords, one landlord actually recognized this suspect. It's easy to identify since only sixty percent of the new residential units have been occupied this year; not many can be rented out." Guan Yiqing laid out two rental contracts.
The ID photos were similar but had different names and places of origin—something ordinary people might find hard to distinguish. Moreover, those landlords only cared about money and not identification. The key was in the signatures: one signed as Li Xue and another as Li Ying. A technical analysis of both signatures revealed nine similarities marked in red and blue; it could be confirmed that they were written by the same person.
It could also be determined that the rented room faced directly across from the theft location in Kang Zhuang residential area, allowing for a clear view of activities on that floor.
At this moment, silence spoke volumes. Director Zheng unknowingly stood up and walked to face the projection screen, scrutinizing it carefully before letting out a sigh of relief—a weight lifted off his chest felt incredibly satisfying. Those involved in criminal investigations knew that nothing was worse than an unsolved case; as long as there were leads—even tiny ones—they could unravel a case situation. And with so many leads available, it was already sufficient for determining a correct direction for solving this case.
When he looked up again, he noticed everyone was watching him with amused expressions; they must have made bets among themselves. He pointed at Xu Fei and laughed as Xu Fei remarked, "Look at that! Director Zheng is so surprised he stood up!"
"Not only did I stand up; I can stand tall now... It seems I'll have to treat everyone to lunch today! Comrades, thank you for your hard work!" Director Zheng said without any pretense and saluted deeply, causing all present officers to stand up in return. At this moment, Director Zheng was in high spirits as he shook hands with Guan Yiqing and Guo Wei repeatedly, expressing his gratitude before proceeding with instructions: "Just to add some unnecessary words—Group A will pursue vehicles; Group A will locate people—let's get started quickly... Today I'll stay here with you for a working meal; mobilize personnel and vehicles as fast as possible."
The excitement of the breakthrough swept away the fatigue of the past few days. The officers who had barely managed to finish the meeting were either rushing to get some sleep or quickly calling home. According to standard procedure, it seemed that the formal project and pursuit would soon commence, making this pre-battle rest essential.
Xu Fei accompanied Director Zheng on a tour of the team. As people gradually left, only one master and two apprentices remained. Shen Lingchen finally saw a hint of a smile on his weary face as the three exchanged glances and laughed. Guo Wei said, "Master, I'm going home for a bit to have lunch with my family."
"Go ahead, stay a while longer. Once the special task force is up and running, there probably won't be time," Shen Lingchen replied with a smile.
Guo Wei nodded happily and stood up. As he was leaving, he casually asked Guan Yiqing, "Yi Qing, how about you? Want to come eat at my place?"
"Dream on! You think I’d just go to your house?" Guan Yiqing shot him a disdainful glance. Living in the suburbs, she had always harbored some resentment towards the city. Noticing Guo Wei's awkwardness, she added with a laugh, "I’m heading back to the dorm to take a shower; I feel all grimy."
"Alright, see you later."
"We see each other every day; aren't you tired of it?"
As they bid farewell, Guan Yiqing tidied up the items on the table while pondering something. She secretly thought that this breakthrough felt too lucky. If it hadn't been for that wealthy young man's reminder during their trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou, perhaps the case would still be at a standstill... By the way, she hadn’t seen that person since he went missing from the hospital; Master hadn’t mentioned him either, and even the phone he provided had lost signal.
"Master..." Guan Yiqing called softly.
"You want to ask about Xiao Mu?" Shen Lingchen guessed without lifting his eyelids.
Guan Yiqing was taken aback, momentarily stunned. It was difficult to gauge how to converse with these astute old cops; their gazes were too sharp. She decided to speak plainly: "Yes, what happened to him? This reversal was prompted by his reminder. I once thought we were completely out of options... It really is just as you said; when the truth is laid out, it’s so simple—just like Columbus standing an egg upright; no one could think of it before it was done, but once it was done, everyone understood."
"Exactly, he's a genius. He only needed one glance to come up with numerous ways to evade surveillance and mislead investigations—truly brilliant." Shen Lingchen leaned slightly forward in admiration but then expressed regret: "Unfortunately, geniuses have their shortcomings. He can see through others' psychological struggles but can't untangle his own mental knots."
"That day... why was he in the hospital?" Guan Yiqing asked curiously.
Shen Lingchen glanced at her with concern and briefly recounted what had happened before explaining: "...Seeing how deeply troubled he was emotionally and fearing he might do something rash, I took him to the hospital. Who would have thought... tsk, he neither went home nor returned to Suzhou and Hangzhou... Where do you think he could have gone?"
“Missing? I thought I had contact with you,” Guan Yiqing exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes, missing... I made a foolish mistake. Someone who acts solely based on personal likes and dislikes cannot be controlled, cannot be commanded, and certainly cannot be coerced. Don’t even mention that I tried to scheme against him,” Shen Lingchen said, reflecting deeply on the visit to the cemetery. He wanted to make amends but found no opportunity.
“But someone who is lazy and indulgent, where could they possibly go?” Guan Yiqing pondered, worrying about Young Master Mu.
“Ha ha, all criminal motives stem from laziness and a desire for comfort. You underestimate him; if placed in the right position, he could be a dragon—a truly formidable force capable of stirring up trouble,” Shen Lingchen replied, still haunted by his experiences. He had gone alone to Suzhou and Hangzhou, starting from scratch, infiltrating Widow Ma's camp in less than two weeks. The money he needed was secured, and both Widow Ma and Mourning Hair came to visit him. Others might not see the significance of this, but for Shen Lingchen, who had dealt with suspects his entire life, it was nearly an impossible task.
“Then we should find him; we can’t let the Red Line Informant become a prime suspect one day,” Guan Yiqing said with concern.
“He has already made his decision; no one can sway him—not even me,” Shen Lingchen shook his head, a frown on his face as he recalled that sorrowful rainy day when that big boy, overwhelmed by sudden grief, likely made up his mind the moment his heart shattered.
“It’s a pity; I don’t know which side he has chosen to stand on.”
Shen Lingchen mused thoughtfully, leaving Guan Yiqing stunned.
Informants are the most dangerous partners; caught between the roles of police colleagues and criminals, you can never know which side they will lean towards...
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