"Han Bin, why don't you tell me first? Captain Ding has praised you a lot in front of me."
Ding Xifeng was the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team of the Qin Island Public Security Bureau and the captain of the city's criminal investigation team.
In private, Ma Jingbo would call him captain, and in front of outsiders, he would call him deputy captain.
It was important to use different forms of address at different times.
This wasn't the first time Han Bin and Ma Jingbo had met. The two had worked together during Project 101, so Han Bin wasn't unfamiliar with him.
"I think we can locate the suspicious phone number. It would be best if we can locate its current location. If this phone number isn't in the service area, we can locate the last location of the phone number's call. The suspect must have appeared nearby, and there might be some evidence left behind."
Han Bin's suggestion wasn't very clever, but it was the most direct way to find the suspect.
Ma Jingbo nodded. "Wang Xiao, call the technical team of the municipal bureau later and ask them to contact the communications company to locate the suspicious phone number."
"Yes."
"What else do the others have in mind?"
"Ahem …"
Li Hui cleared his throat. "We should contact Zhao Xiaoshan's family in time to confirm whether Zhao Xiaoshan is really missing. If it's confirmed that Zhao Xiaoshan is missing, the family can also provide some clues before his disappearance."
"Li Hui, right? You're right."
Ma Jingbo added, "Not only Zhao Xiaoshan's family, but the families of the first two victims, Ren Jianhua and Cao Da, should also be notified. Ask them to come to the branch office to make statements, and then cross-compare their statements to see if we can find common clues."
"The remains of two victims were found in the dog's stomach. After DNA comparison, one of the victims can be confirmed to be the second missing person, Cao Da, but the identity of the other victim can't be confirmed yet. I'm guessing that the other victim is likely to be the first missing person, Ren Jianhua, so when you notify Ren Jianhua, it's best to ask his immediate family to come. "
"That's the current situation. I'll arrange the tasks." Ma Jingbo said and ticked on his notebook. "Captain Zeng will be responsible for locating the phone and tracking the suspect."
"No problem," Zeng Ping said.
Ma Jingbo pointed at Wang Xiao, who was standing beside him. "You need to assist Captain Zeng in his work. When you're tracking down the suspect, once he goes beyond the jurisdiction of Yu Hua Branch, you need to investigate in the name of the city's criminal investigation team."
"Yes," Wang Xiao replied.
The city criminal investigation team had law enforcement power in the entire island, which was much more convenient than the Yu Hua branch criminal investigation team.
"Captain Ma, it will take some time to locate the phone. I want to go to Zhao Xiaoshan's house to see if there are any clues," Zeng Ping suggested.
"Wang Xiao has information on Zhao Xiaoshan. You can ask him directly," Ma Jingbo said.
Zeng Ping nodded and left the meeting room with Wang Xiao, Li Hui, and the others.
After watching Zeng Ping and the others leave, Han Bin suggested, "Captain Ma, since Zhao Xiaoshan might still be alive, I suggest we start with him first. Perhaps we can find some valuable clues."
"I think so too. The other two cases happened a long time ago, and Zhao Xiaoshan only went missing yesterday. The clues he left behind are easier to investigate," Ma Jingbo agreed.
Han Bin continued, "Then I'll inform the tech team and have them contact the communications company to print out Zhao Xiaoshan's phone records."
Ma Jingbo waved his hand. "I'll contact the tech team from the city bureau. They've been working with the communications company for a long time, so the procedures are easier."
Han Bin was happy. "Captain Ma, what do we do now?"
Ma Jingbo glanced at Han Bin, Zhao Ming, and Tian Li. "If all three victims are confirmed, what do you think the killer's motive is?"
Zhao Ming rubbed his chin. "All three victims are young men. Could it be a revenge killing, just like the first victim of the snowman case? These three young men are all substitutes for someone else."
Ma Jingbo took over the conversation. "I've seen the files on the Snowman Case. The murderer of the Snowman Case is not a standard serial killer. Based on your speculation, the murderer of the 131 case is more mature than the murderer of the Snowman Case."
Han Bin agreed with Ma Jingbo. The first victim of the snowman case was a substitute for the killer's wife. But the second victim was for revenge.
If the snowman killer wasn't caught and continued to kill, it was very likely that he would continue to look for a substitute for his wife. Then, he would evolve into the 131 case's killer and become a standard serial killer.
Once there was no element of revenge, there would be no direct connection between the killer and the victim. The killer might just look at the victim on the street and treat the victim as the next substitute.
That would make the investigation more difficult.
Han Bin shrugged the mask off. "Zhao Ming's speculation has a certain possibility, but we don't know much about the case yet. We can't be sure of the nature of the case."
While they were discussing the case, the four of them each made a bowl of instant noodles and a piece of ham for lunch.
To prevent contagion, the four of them sat two meters apart from each other while eating.
The city's tech team was indeed more efficient than the branch's tech team. Just as the four of them finished eating, Zhao Xiaoshan's phone records were sent to Ma Jingbo's WeChat.
The police system didn't have the phone numbers of Zhao Xiaoshan's relatives, so they could only use Zhao Xiaoshan's phone records to find the more common contacts.
After some comparison, Han Bin found the number that Zhao Xiaoshan called the most frequently.
"Hello." A woman's voice came from the phone. It sounded young.
Han Bin didn't know who it was, so he asked, "Is Zhao Xiaoshan there?"
"Who are you?" the woman asked back.
"Isn't this Zhao Xiaoshan's phone?"
"I'm Zhao Xiaoshan's girlfriend. I'm also looking for him," the woman said.
"What's your name?"
"I'm Ning Yuerong. Who are you, and why are you calling me?"
"I'm from Yu Hua Branch's criminal investigation team. I want to know more about Zhao Xiaoshan."
"What happened to Xiaoshan? I'm looking for him too. What happened to him?" Ning Yuerong sounded anxious.
"When was the last time you contacted Zhao Xiaoshan?"
"Yesterday morning, we talked on the phone. Then his phone stopped working, and I couldn't contact him anymore. He didn't reply to my WeChat messages. I've been worried … "Ning Yuerong started crying.
"Officer, what happened to Xiaoshan?"
"According to our current understanding, Zhao Xiaoshan is probably missing."
"Missing? How could he be missing? Was he kidnapped, or something? "
"The police are still investigating his exact situation. Do you have his parents' contact information?"
"No."
"Do you know where he lives?"
"Xiaoshan doesn't live with his parents. He lives alone in Room 702, Unit 2, Building 1, Baiziwan District, Guangrong Road."
"Do you have the key to the house?"
"Yes, yes. I can take you there."
"That's fine. We were just about to give you a statement."
"Then let's meet at the east gate of Baiziwan District in half an hour."
"Sure."
"Officer, how should I address you?"
"My surname is Han."
After hanging up the phone, Han Bin said to Ma Jingbo, "Captain Ma, should we continue to look for Zhao Xiaoshan's parents' phone number from the communication records?"
Ma Jingbo crossed his arms over his chest. "Since Zhao Xiaoshan talked to Ning Yuerong the most, it proves that the two of them are very close. He also knows the most about the situation. Let's go to Baiziwan District now. We can also look for Zhao Xiaoshan's parents' phone number in the car."
Then, Han Bin and the others got in the car. When they were about to continue looking for Zhao Xiaoshan's parents' phone number in the car, Li Hui called.
Zhao Xiaoshan's ID had an address registered. Zeng Ping and the others followed the address and found Zhao Xiaoshan's parents.
They were now giving statements to Zhao Xiaoshan's parents.
This was equivalent to saving Han Bin and the others the trouble. They only needed to contact Ning Yuerong.
Baiziwan District.
There were a total of four gates in Baiziwan District. Three of them were already closed. Only the east gate was still open. Anyone entering or leaving had to take their body temperature.
After arriving at the east gate of Baiziwan District, Han Bin took out his phone and dialed Ning Yuerong's number.
Then, a woman walked out of a white Tesla car. She was wearing a gray mask. She had a slim figure and was dressed very fashionably. From the faintly exposed eyebrows, it could be seen that she should be quite beautiful.
Han Bin and the others walked out of the car. "Hello, is this Ning Yuerong?"
"Yes, it's me. You are Officer Han." The young woman walked over quickly. Behind her was a woman who was slightly older. Her eyebrows were somewhat similar to Ning Yuerong.
Han Bin pointed to Ma Jingbo next to him. "This is Captain Ma of the city's criminal investigation team."
"Hello, Captain Ma. I just called Xiaoshan again, but his phone still couldn't get through. Let's hurry to his home to check," Ning Yuerong urged.
The woman next to Ning Yuerong tugged at her and said to Ma Jingbo, "Captain Ma, I am Ning Yuerong's mother. Can I see your ID?"
Ma Jingbo took out his police ID.
"Aiyo, it's actually a comrade from the city's criminal investigation team. What did Zhao Xiaoshan do? Are you looking for him?" The woman asked curiously.
Ma Jingbo sized her up. "How should I address you?"
"My name is Chen Xia, I work for the city's Women's Federation."
"We are currently investigating a case and suspect that Zhao Xiaoshan might be one of the victims."
Hearing this, Ning Yuerong immediately became anxious. "What case? What danger is Xiaoshan in? Captain Ma, hurry up and tell me, what exactly is going on?"
Han Bin advised, "Miss Ning, don't be too agitated. It's still the investigation stage. It might just be a false alarm."
Ning Yuerong shed tears. "No, no, this isn't the first time. Xiaoshan has already been in trouble once. I told him to call the police, but he refused. He's just too kind."
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