Chapter 48.1: New Case + Business Trip
Having grown suspicious, Chen Yongyi immediately became more alert.
He carefully recalled what Yang Da looked like in the portrait and began comparing him closely with the “cadre” sitting in front of him.
Yang Da had a fairly round face with a little flesh on it, and thick lips. He had the look of someone who lived well.
The man in front of him was the same.
Although he was wearing gold-rimmed glasses, it was still possible to see that his eyes were narrow and slightly elongated. Just like Yang Da, he had a pair of small, narrow eyes.
Every identifying feature matched.
What were the odds?
With so many people traveling by train between all parts of the country, Chen Yongyi really couldn’t bring himself to believe that the man opposite him was actually Yang Da.
There was always a chance that they simply looked alike.
He needed to confirm it.
Chen Yongyi relaxed his posture and shifted his gaze away, no longer staring at the man for an extended period. Instead, he asked with a genial smile,
“Where are you from, Comrade? Where are you headed?”
People traveling by train in those days tended to be quite talkative. Even strangers could strike up a conversation, so Yang Da didn’t find the question unusual at all. He casually gave the excuse he had prepared long ago.
“I work at the Pingde County Plastic Equipment Factory. My name is Wu Zhijun. I’m heading south to inspect some machinery.”
Pingde County.
Chen Yongyi thought about its location for a moment.
It wasn’t under Changning City. It belonged to neighboring Ji’an City.
However, Pingde County bordered Changning City and was directly south of it.
His suspicions growing, Chen Yongyi’s first thought wasn’t to give the man an opportunity to slip away. Instead, he began considering possible escape routes.
If this man really was Yang Da, then heading south from Changning City would be the perfect route. He could easily board a train at Pingde County.
Unfortunately, the province was in the north, where the local accents weren’t particularly pronounced. The accents of neighboring areas were even more similar, and without having visited those places before, it was difficult to distinguish them.
Chen Yongyi could only continue probing.
“Inspecting machinery?”
While suspicion churned in his mind, his face showed a hint of admiration.
“Then you must hold quite a high position.”
When you’re away from home, your status is whatever you make it out to be.
Yang Da was quite pleased to hear himself being praised. His eyes narrowed comfortably with satisfaction, while he modestly replied,
“Ah, I’m just in charge of purchasing. It’s nothing special. I’d just embarrass myself if I made too much of it.”
“That’s still pretty impressive. Looking at you, I’d have guessed you were the director of the purchasing department.”
Chen Yongyi gestured for his apprentice, Xu Zhenwei, to keep quiet. In the casual tone of someone simply making conversation, he casually set a trap for the man.
“Come to think of it, I have a colleague who’s been to Pingde County. I seem to remember him saying that the salted duck eggs there are pretty good?”
“Huh?”
Yang Da was momentarily stunned.
His current identity wasn’t entirely fabricated. Earlier, on a long-distance bus, he had happened to meet a sales cadre from the Pingde Plastic Factory. The man had been extremely talkative, and in the course of his endless chatter, he had revealed all sorts of information about the factory and himself.
As luck would have it, the two fugitives had been carrying blank forged identification documents when they fled. They had simply borrowed this man’s identity and combined it with their change of clothes. Until now, no one had ever suspected them.
There had been plenty of people who struck up conversations with him along the way, but they had always asked about the factory or local specialties…
This was the first time someone had actually brought up something like this.
Yang Da felt a little uneasy, but he couldn’t exactly refuse to answer. He racked his brain before giving a vague response.
“They’re all right. Not as good as the ones from around Weishan Lake. The duck eggs over there are the real deal.”
Not daring to let the other man continue asking questions, Yang Da hurriedly turned the question around.
“What about you, Comrade? What do you do? Where are you headed?”
Hearing his answer, Chen Yongyi’s eyes flickered slightly.
The salted duck eggs had been something he’d made up. If this man really were from Pingde County, he would definitely have corrected him. Instead, he’d glossed over the subject so vaguely and immediately changed the topic by asking a question of his own.
That was far too suspicious.
Chen Yongyi’s suspicions shot to their highest point.
This man was almost certainly Yang Da, the fugitive impersonating Wu Zhijun!
If Yang Da was here, then where was his accomplice, Ding Si? Had they split up, or was he somewhere nearby?
With the situation still unclear, Chen Yongyi continued probing. First, he gave himself a fake identity.
“Me? I’m just a lousy teacher. I teach physics.”
“This time, I’m heading to Jinling. There’s a lecture there on pion-meson and neutron resonance and radiation-decay constraints. I happen to be taking some students along to broaden their horizons.”
As he spoke, Chen Yongyi pointed to Xu Zhenwei beside him and added, “It’s really inconvenient to travel alone these days. It’s better to have someone with you to lend a hand.”
He paused.
Xu Zhenwei, quick to catch on, reined in the murderous aura he naturally carried and pretended to be a taciturn student. He gave the other man a smile without saying a word.
Chen Yongyi then asked curiously, “Comrade Wu, you didn’t come out here alone, did you?”
The moment he heard all that incomprehensible jargon, Yang Da was immediately convinced that the other man really was a physics teacher.
His mind relaxed, and he replied, “Things are so chaotic outside these days. How would I dare travel alone?”
After telling enough lies, they almost started to feel like the truth. For a few moments, Yang Da genuinely felt as though he really were the director of the plastic factory’s sales department.
He confidently pointed toward the upper berth.
“There. The factory arranged for Xiao Wang to come with me. He was on watch last night, so he’s catching up on sleep now.”
“Oh.”
Chen Yongyi gave a slight nod.
The person on the upper berth was probably Ding Si.
Green-skin trains traveled incredibly slowly. With all the stops, detours, and crossing provincial borders, a journey could easily take several days. Yang Da would have to remain on the train for at least another few dozen hours.
Chen Yongyi wasn’t in any hurry. He simply chatted with Yang Da now and then, keeping the conversation going without pressing too hard.
As noon approached, the passengers around them began taking out the lunches they had brought with them. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Yongyi pulled out the local specialties Du Yunqing had given him.
“We’ve been talking so long that I completely forgot to eat.”
Chen Yongyi opened a paper package and took out a flaky pastry. He offered it to the man.
“Come on, Director Wu. These are crispy pastries I bought in Zhanshui. Have one.”
“Teacher Chen, you’re being too generous.”
Although he said that, Yang Da immediately reached out and took one.
Chen Yongyi picked up a piece as well. Then he glanced up at the middle berth.
“Why don’t we call Xiao Wang down to have some too?”
Before Yang Da could even agree, Ding Si had already been awakened by the aroma of the food.
His stomach growled loudly. He turned over on the hard sleeper, grabbed the railing, and stuck his head out.
“Yang… Director Wu, what are we having for lunch?”
Chen Yongyi immediately looked up.
The man was probably in his twenties. He had a somewhat square face, slightly sparse eyebrows, and thin lips. He looked about seventy to eighty percent like the man in the portrait.
That was them. Both of them!
Chen Yongyi continued to play it cool. He chatted casually while eating, and once they had finished, he said offhandedly, “I’m going to use the restroom.”
Yang Da didn’t notice anything unusual at all.
Chen Yongyi made his way through the crowded passengers and found the train police officers in the middle section of the train, where they were taking a break after lunch.
He took out his police identification and showed it to one of the older officers.
“I found two fugitives from Changning City in the compartment in the fourth row of Carriage Eleven. They’re sitting right across from me.”
Chen Yongyi quickly explained, “The fat one is Yang Da, and the thin one is Ding Si. They’re wanted for forging tickets. I’m not sure whether they’re carrying any dangerous weapons, so you should send someone to arrest them.”
The older train policeman remained fairly composed, though his eyes lit up slightly.
The younger officer, who had been half-asleep, instantly became wide awake. He shot to his feet, visibly excited.
A case had practically fallen into their laps!
“Thank you so much, Specialist Chen.”
The older officer stood up and rubbed his hands together.
“You go back first. We’ll make the arrest right away.”
Chen Yongyi waved a hand and returned to his seat.
Ten minutes later, a young train policeman in civilian clothes walked over and waited at the front of the fifth-row section.
Once he had taken his position, the older officer arrived with another young policeman who had a burly build.
“Ticket inspection! Everyone, please take out your tickets.”
The older officer checked the passengers’ tickets one by one, gradually making his way toward the compartment in the fourth row.
He gave Chen Yongyi a meaningful glance.
Chen Yongyi immediately understood. He handed over his ticket, then scooted farther inside to make room for the officer.
Yang Da still hadn’t realized that danger was closing in.
He pulled his ticket from his pocket and handed it over as he asked, “Why are you checking tickets again?”
“We’re getting close to the next station. We’re just making sure nobody gets off without checking their ticket.”
The older train policeman casually came up with an excuse. He took the handwritten substitute ticket and looked it over twice before frowning.
“Why is the train number on this ticket so blurry? Comrade, come take a look.”
As he spoke, the older officer stepped forward two paces, clearing the way for the younger policeman behind him.
The younger officer moved inside and said to Ding Si, who was still sitting on the lower berth and hadn’t climbed up yet, “Comrade, please give me your ticket.”
“What? It’s blurry? I haven’t gotten any water on me.”
Yang Da stood up and followed the older officer toward the window. But after only two steps, he suddenly heard the other man shout sharply:
“Move!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the plainclothes train policeman sprang into action. He lunged forward, grabbed Yang Da by the arm, and forced him down. Inside the compartment, the younger policeman pounced on Ding Si, pinning him firmly against the berth.
Yang Da panicked instantly. He struggled and shouted, “How can you train police arrest people for no reason?! Let me go!”
“Stop shouting, Yang Da.”
The older officer gave a cold snort.
“You think changing your identity means we wouldn’t recognize you?”
Yang Da, who had been struggling moments earlier, instantly froze.
His mind went completely blank. He couldn’t figure out how on earth they had recognized him.
When the arrest began, Xu Zhenwei didn’t rush forward to help. Instead, his first instinct was to protect his master. Once he saw that the danger had passed, he lowered the arm he’d held protectively in front of Chen Yongyi.
The two young train policemen happily escorted the pair away, their grins so wide they looked harder to suppress than an AK rifle.
It felt like finding several hundred yuan lying in the street and having it drop straight into your pocket.
The older train policeman gave Chen Yongyi a grateful nod. Without wasting time on pleasantries, he picked up the two fugitives’ belongings and followed the others back.
What a haul they’d made today!
And with that, the little episode came to an end.
The rest of the journey was considerably more uneventful. Chen Yongyi and Xu Zhenwei spent the next day and two nights on the train. They caught a couple of pickpockets along the way, but otherwise arrived safely in Quzhou City.
The two didn’t stop to rest. They hailed a motorcycle taxi and headed straight for the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
As soon as they arrived at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, they saw Xu Changsong, captain of the city’s Criminal Investigation Division, hurrying down the stairs.
He was unshaven, with bloodshot eyes. The moment he reached them, he grabbed Chen Yongyi’s hand and said enthusiastically,
“Ah, Specialist Chen! I can’t believe you arrived this early. You should’ve told us in advance. I would’ve gone to the station to pick you up!”
“With such a major case on your hands, you must already be overwhelmed. Why would I add to your troubles?”
Chen Yongyi waved his hand. He didn’t bother with unnecessary pleasantries.
“Tell me what happened.”
“Well…”
Xu Changsong hesitated slightly.
“You’ve been on the train for so long. Why don’t you get some rest first?”
“No need. Solving the case is more important.”
Chen Yongyi answered directly.
“If it’s all right with you, let’s go straight to the scene and you can brief me on the way.”
Xu Changsong thought for a moment before nodding.
“Sure.”
Quzhou City was located relatively far south and not too far from the Special Economic Zone. Influenced by its proximity, commercial activity there was more developed, and even the municipal bureau had considerably better funding. The Criminal Investigation Division had even been equipped with a sedan.
They called over a police officer who knew how to drive and set off. Xu Changsong sat in the back with Chen Yongyi and began explaining the case.
“This horrific home invasion and family murder happened late at night on July 3. The victim and head of the household was Duan Xiaodong, the director of the sales department at the city’s Hongxing Soda Factory. He was exceptionally capable at his job. In recent years, with the reform of state-owned enterprises, sales departments have been allowed to receive commissions based on sales volume. He sold a lot and earned a very good income. He even bought a motorcycle last year. We suspect that’s probably why he attracted the criminals’ attention.”
“The victim’s family lived on the third floor of a newly constructed company apartment building.”
“Judging from the traces at the scene, there were probably three or four perpetrators. After forcing open the door, they went straight into the master bedroom, where they subdued Duan Xiaodong, his wife Song Yan, and their four-year-old son.”
“The two daughters, however, slept in the second bedroom. The older of the two, Duan Mingyue, happened to get up to use the bathroom that night. When she heard the door being opened, she hid behind the sofa and wasn’t discovered.”
“These criminals took some cash, gold and silver jewelry, and bankbooks. They then tortured the family, trying to force them to reveal the bankbook passwords.”
“Once they got what they wanted, the criminals stabbed Duan Xiaodong and the two children to death with daggers. They strangled Song Yan, then fled the scene.”
“Duan Mingyue, who was hiding behind the sofa, was fortunate enough to survive. She should have heard or seen the entire incident, and the trauma was immense. Her mental state is still unstable, and she isn’t really able to communicate with people. She’s currently receiving treatment at the hospital.”
At this point, Xu Changsong paused before continuing.
“For her safety, we haven’t made her existence public. We’ve classified this as a family mass*cre.”
“Out of a family of five, only one person survived?”
Even though Xu Zhenwei had solved quite a few cases alongside his master, he still found it difficult to accept. He said,
“Those three are absolute animals!”
“If the girl hadn’t been quick-witted and hidden herself in time, I’m afraid she wouldn’t have survived either.”
Chen Yongyi frowned slightly as he thought it over. Then he asked, somewhat puzzled,
“But with a case like this, the criminals should have scouted the place beforehand. They ought to have known about all of Duan Xiaodong’s family members. Since they intended to wipe out the entire family, why didn’t they search for the missing child after realizing one of them was unaccounted for?”
“Judging from the traces, they did search, but they didn’t find her.”
Xu Changsong explained,
“Duan Mingyue is only seven years old. The gap behind the sofa was very narrow. The criminals didn’t turn on the lights, they didn’t dare make too much noise, and they were in a hurry to get the money and leave. She basically had everything going for her—the right time, the right place, and the right circumstances. That’s how she survived.”
Chen Yongyi pondered for a moment before asking,
“Then, judging from that, they should have left quite a few traces behind, right?”
At that, Xu Changsong wore an expression of helplessness.
“No. These criminals had a very strong awareness of counter-investigation. They cleaned up the scene before leaving, and many traces were deliberately wiped away. In the end, we only managed to find half of one reasonably complete footprint.”
These criminals were certainly a difficult bunch to deal with.
Chen Yongyi asked again,
“What about the neighborhood canvass? Did any of the surrounding residents encounter anyone suspicious?”
Xu Changsong sighed.
“After canvassing the area over the past few days, we did get one lead. An old man said he’d seen an unfamiliar young man that night. He seemed a little flustered, but there was nothing particularly distinctive about him. He was in his twenties and had a crew cut. There are just too many people who look like that. We have no idea where to even start looking.”
“All right, I understand the situation now.”
Chen Yongyi nodded slightly.
“Let me examine the scene and the bodies first. We’ll hold a case analysis meeting this afternoon.”
Xu Changsong said nothing more.
The blue sedan drove all the way to the apartment building.
The mass*cre had frightened quite a few people, so the factory had quickly arranged additional security. The walls of the newly built security office were still bright white. Two young men from the security department were standing guard inside, while someone else was patrolling nearby.
Chen Yongyi went upstairs and removed the seal.
The moment the door opened, a strong smell of blood hit him in the face.
The entire living room was a complete mess. Chairs had been knocked over, clothes were scattered across the floor, the doors to both bedrooms stood wide open, and dried blood covered the floor.
Some of the stains were large pools, formed from blood continuously flowing out of the victims’ bodies. Others were droplets, left behind as the injured victims were dragged out of the bedrooms. There were also faint streaks from dragging—obviously the traces left behind when the criminals had used a mop to clean up their footprints.
A premeditated crime, committed by people with experience in counter-investigation who knew how to clean up afterward.
No wonder the Quzhou police hadn’t made much progress yet.
But no matter how carefully something was planned, there was always a slipup somewhere. The criminals had been in such a hurry to leave that they were bound to have overlooked something.