As the police car sped along the highway, Ji Bai leaned against the back seat with his eyes slightly closed. The sound of the engine and the wind gradually became indistinct.
Suddenly, he felt a slight weight on his body. He opened his eyes and saw Yao Meng beside him. She was lowering her head and putting a pink shawl on his chest.
Ji Bai sat up straight.
Yao Meng looked up at him. "Why don't you sleep a little longer? You haven't slept all night. Your body won't be able to take it. I'll call you when we arrive. "
"No need. Thank you. "Ji Bai lifted the shawl and handed it back to her.
Last night, after receiving orders from the bureau chief, the two of them drove on the highway overnight and arrived at Xiang Chuan County early this morning.
The crime took place in Ma Pu Village. Ji Bai drove the whole night and finally got into the car of the county public security bureau. He took the time to take a nap on the way.
The morning sun was shining brightly outside the window. Ji Bai placed his hand on the handle of the car door as he stared at the scenery outside the window. He did not say a word. Yao Meng looked at his tall and straight figure, his handsome and determined side profile, and her heart ached a little.
After a moment of silence, she handed him a stack of documents. "The documents you asked for are ready."
"Thank you for your hard work." Ji Bai took it and looked down.
Yao Meng did not say anything else. Every time he finished reading a part, she would take the initiative to organize it. When he needed other information, she would quickly find it and pass it to him, quietly cooperating with him.
The roads in the countryside were full of potholes, and the sorghum fields under the sun were green and lush. The group got out of the car and walked along the small path beside the field. There was a group of noisy farmers in front of them, and the local police were trying their best to maintain order.
Ji Bai lifted the seal with a sullen face and strode in. Yao Meng quickly followed behind him.
In the open space beside the crops, there was a small area of dried blood and messy footprints. The corpse had already been transported to the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
The captain of the county's Criminal Investigation Unit, Su Mu, was in his thirties. He explained, "The deceased is Ma Rongrong, 16 years old, female, from Guangyi County, H Province."
H Province and Lin City were a few provinces apart, so Yao Meng raised her doubts. "You've confirmed the identity of the deceased so quickly?"
Su Mu answered, "Ma Rongrong went missing half a year ago and was suspected to have been kidnapped. Her parents reported to the local police, and the DNA data was entered into the national anti-kidnapping system. So when I compared them last night, I got the result. "
He paused and said, "Ma Rongrong is a deaf and mute girl, and her parents are also deaf and mute. Ever since she went missing, they have been looking for her all over the country. It was said that his financial situation was not good, and after his savings were used up, he had been begging for a living. We've already contacted them this morning. They should be here tomorrow. "
Ji Bai and Yao Meng did not say anything. Su Mu handed over a stack of photos from the crime scene.
The girl in the photo was curled up in the open space in front of them. She was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of jeans that had been washed white. There was a large bloodstain on her head, but her delicate and fair face could still be vaguely seen.
Su Mu said, "We've asked the locals. No one has seen the victim before. He should have been brought here yesterday. Her body was riddled with old wounds, and there were signs of struggle on her arms and neck. Her clothes were disheveled, and her belt was unfastened. In addition, footprints of another man were found at the scene. We suspect human traffickers or buyers of attempted rape and murder. "
The sun was getting hotter and hotter, and the local police were waiting anxiously on the outskirts. The surrounding villagers were even more curious and excited as they looked at the two young and good-looking detectives who were said to have been specially invited from the city.
As soon as they received the report, Su Mu immediately ordered the village police station to protect the scene. Since the crime happened at night and the place was remote, the suspect's footprints were preserved more clearly and completely. Ji Bai squatted next to a series of footprints by the side of the field. He pondered for a moment and said, "According to the length and depth of the footprints, the suspect's height is between 165cm and 175cm, and he was wearing a pair of leather shoes at the time of the crime."
Yao Meng squatted next to him and held up a recording pen. Su Mu quickly took notes with a pen and paper.
Ji Bai continued, "Age 18-30, slightly fat, weighs more than 80 kilograms, and was carrying a bag on his left shoulder at the time of the crime."
Yao Meng and Su Mu were stunned, then Su Mu asked, "Why?"
Ji Bai's eyebrows did not move as he stared at the footprints and explained faintly, "The force on the front foot of the footprints is even, and the steps are steady, which is characteristic of young people. If the person is older, the scratches and dirt left by the heel will be more obvious. In addition, the man's steps are not big, but his strides are wider, and the angle of his stride is larger, which is characteristic of fat people. According to the ratio of the length and depth of the footprints, we can also determine this. "
Yao Meng asked, "Where's the package?"
Ji Bai pointed at the left footprint. "Every left footprint is slightly deeper than the right footprint. There are two possibilities for this. First, he's a cripple, and second, he's carrying something heavy on his back. But if both footprints are the same, it means that the shoes are worn out all year round, so it's not a lame foot, but a bag on his back. "
The more Yao Meng and Su Mu listened, the more excited they became. Once Su Mu got a clue, he immediately used the walkie-talkie to inform his colleagues to carry out the ongoing manhunt. Therefore, the other police officers were also amazed by what they heard.
Ji Bai walked along the edge of the field for a short distance and said, "The victim arrived at the crime scene with the suspect. Their footprints are side by side, clear, and evenly distributed. There are no signs of running or struggling. " After that, he pointed to the two sets of footprints on the right side that were protected and asked, "Whose footprints are those?"
Su Mu replied, "It's the person who reported the case. Zhang Zhuangzhi, 45 years old, local. "
Ji Bai walked over and stared at the footprints for a while with his hands behind his back. Then, he looked up at Su Mu and said, "Find him immediately. Not only was he the informant, but he was also the buyer of the deceased. He might have seen the murderer before. "
When this clue was spread, the police officers were all excited, while the villagers were instantly in an uproar.
Under the bright lights, Ji Bai, Su Mu, and Yao Meng sat in the county public security bureau's interrogation room. Soon, Zhang Zhuangzhi was brought in.
He was a short, thin, and stocky farmer. Su Mu only sternly reprimanded him for a few questions before his face turned red, and he looked panicked as he confessed everything.
"My cousin died many years ago, and I heard that he could introduce me to a young and beautiful wife. He asked for 30,000 yuan. "
Su Mu said coldly, "You seem to be in a good financial situation."
Zhang Zhuangzhi was a little embarrassed. "My daughter graduated from university a few years ago and works in Shenzhen. She sends me 1,000 yuan every month. Now, the government's policies for the countryside are also good, so I can still afford 30,000 yuan. Moreover, I said I was introducing her to someone, not abducting her. I think young women nowadays are all like that. It's fine if she's willing to be with me for a few years for 30,000 yuan. "
Zhang Zhuangzhi explained the incident.
The other party was called Chen Yong, and he was not a local. His appearance was exactly the same as Ji Bai's description. He looked to be in his early twenties and was carrying a black shoulder bag. The two of them agreed to meet at the scene of the crime at 9 o 'clock last night.
"But when I saw the girl, I knew she couldn't do it." Zhang Zhuangzhi looked a little agitated. "Chen Yong said she was 22 years old, but when I saw her, I saw that she was a teenage girl. She was deaf and mute, and she kept crying. She even knelt down and shook her head desperately. Chen Yong even slapped her twice. Police comrade, this girl was younger than my daughter, so I thought she might have been abducted. I can't do such a wicked thing. "
"So, you still have a conscience? What happened after that? "
"I do have a conscience … Then I left. When I left, I heard Chen Yong scolding me, saying that the mute guy hadn't earned any money for a few months. Then, I heard him hitting her very fiercely. I didn't want to kill her, so I didn't go far and hid behind the sorghum. After a while, I saw Chen Yong run onto the road and drive away in his small car. When I went over to take a look, the girl was no longer moving. So, I called 110 … "
Before the interrogation ended, Su Mu asked Zhang Zhuangzhi, "Why were the victim's clothes in a mess, and her belt wasn't buckled properly?"
Zhang Zhuangzhi's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not say anything.
Yao Meng noticed his expression and shouted sternly, "Tell the truth, it's illegal to hide anything. This is a murder case, and the consequences are very serious! "
"I didn't do anything!" Zhang Zhuangzhi waved his hands frantically. "I … said I didn't like her, but Chen Yong said that he wanted me to inspect the goods first, so he stripped the girl and made her kneel in the field …"
Ji Bai's face darkened, and Su Mu's expression became more and more unpleasant. Yao Meng's eyes were filled with tears, and she cursed softly, "Animal!"
After taking Zhang Zhuangzhi away, Su Mu immediately informed the frontline police officers based on the clues he provided to carry out a targeted search. After a while, he returned to the interrogation room with two young criminal police officers and looked at Ji Bai with anticipation and solemnity.
"Captain Ji, how did you know that Zhang Zhuangzhi was the buyer?" One of the young criminal police officers asked.
Ji Bai answered plainly, "The location of the crime is hidden, but it's not far from the road, so it's easy to get to. Based on the footprints, the suspect and the deceased arrived at the crime scene at night, so it's very likely that the human trafficker chose this location to trade with the buyer. "
Su Mu suddenly understood. "Other than their footprints, there were only Zhang Zhuangzhi's footprints at the scene, so you suspect that he's the buyer."
Ji Bai nodded. "Not only that, he left two sets of footprints, which means that he arrived at the scene twice. One of them was even and steady, while the other was more messy, and he hesitated for a while more than ten meters away from the corpse. "
Yao Meng continued, "So the first time was probably to meet with the human trafficker, and the second time was when he saw the corpse, so he panicked and hesitated to report the case."
Su Mu and the others felt enlightened, and after quietly reflecting on it for a while, Su Mu said to the other two, "We've all learned a trick from Captain Ji today."
Ji Bai got up and patted Su Mu's shoulder, then followed them out of the house. Yao Meng was about to follow them, but when she looked up, she saw his calm and solemn face, as well as the admiration in everyone's eyes, and she was suddenly stunned. She felt as if something was gently tugging at her heart. It was a little sweet, but also a little bitter. Just by looking at his side profile, there was a kind of heartache and pride that could not be expressed to outsiders.
After a quick lunch, the clue came. In a neighboring county, some people had seen a man who was suspected to be Chen Yong. Su Mu led the team, and Ji Bai guided them to the neighboring county together. Ma Rongrong's death caused everyone to suppress a heavy feeling of resentment. The criminal police would never have thought that Ji Bai had not slept for a day and a night. Instead, they were excited and determined to get what they wanted because the famous detective had also joined the search.
Yao Meng was the only one who pulled Ji Bai's sleeve when no one was around. "Captain, do you want to rest for half a day?"
Ji Bai said no, he wanted to catch the person first.
For the first two days after Ji Bai left, Xu Xu did not really think about him, and she did not even think about calling or sending him messages. When there was a case, everything else would be put aside. This was the basic professional ethics of a criminal police officer, and it was also deeply engraved in Xu Xu's personal consciousness and code of conduct.
She was more concerned about how she could help him with the case. Therefore, she took the initiative to look through and analyze a lot of relevant case information, then she organized and summarized it for Zhao Han so that Ji Bai could use it whenever he needed it.
However, during her lunch break, she inadvertently glanced at the encrypted folder that she had stored in the murder case photos. She subconsciously clicked on it and stared at his face for a few seconds before turning it off.
After a while, she opened it again and looked at it for a few seconds.
At this time, Zhao Han walked in with a stack of documents and said to Old Wu, "The identification department's report is out. I'll scan it first and fax it to Captain."
Xu Xu was silent for a moment, then she also picked up a stack of documents and followed Zhao Han into the photocopying room next door.
What needed to be identified was the powder particles extracted from the suspect's footprints, which had been sent by the Xiang Chuan County Police to the Municipal Bureau last night. Zhao Han stood in front of the scanner and carefully checked each page. Xu Xu said, "Go and inform the Xiang Chuan County Public Security Bureau, I'll scan it for you. It'll be faster this way."
Xu Xu had always been meticulous and agile, so Zhao Han nodded and handed it to her. "Call Captain when you're done."
When she heard the sound of the phone being connected, Xu Xu felt a faint sense of joy in her heart.
It only rang once before Ji Bai picked up the call. "What's up?"
Xu Xu said, "The identification report is out and it's been faxed to the Xiang Chuan County Public Security Bureau. I'll also send the electronic version to your phone."
"Okay."
His voice was slightly hoarse and sounded deeper than usual. Xu Xu paused for a moment and said, "Goodbye then."
"Wait a minute." He stopped her in a low voice.
Xu Xu remained silent and did not say anything.
She could clearly feel that her heart had been lifted up by his words.
At the entrance of an alley in Xiang Chuan County, Ji Bai was sitting in the back seat of an inconspicuous car.
He had led a team and had been waiting outside a small hotel that Chen Yong was suspected to be in for the whole night, but they had not found anything yet. Yao Meng must have mentioned it to Su Mu, so Su Mu insisted that he sleep in the car at the back for a few hours and promised to wake him up as soon as there were any signs. Yao Meng and Su Mu stayed in the car in front.
Ji Bai did not refuse. However, just as he dozed off, he was woken up by Xu Xu's phone call.
"Is everything alright in the city these few days?" he asked gently.
"Everything is normal," Xu Xu replied. "What about you?"
"I'm still waiting, but I'll be back soon."
Both of them were silent for a while, then Xu Xu directly asked the question that she was concerned about. "Your voice sounds a little hoarse, are you okay?"
Ji Bai held his phone and looked at the colorful lights on the streets of the county and the noisy passersby. A smile slowly appeared on his lips. "I'm a little uncomfortable. I drove all night and haven't slept for about 50 hours. I'm about to rest for a while. "
Xu Xu was stunned and did not say anything.
Actually, this was nothing to Ji Bai at all. There were times when it was much more difficult than this. Moreover, it was his habit to never complain about this to anyone. However, when it came to Xu Xu … Could he let her feel sorry for him?
Xu Xu listened to his calm tone and could almost imagine his tired but determined face in her mind. This suddenly made her feel a little uncomfortable and her eyebrows unconsciously furrowed.
"Then you should rest immediately, I won't disturb you anymore," she said quickly. "Also, try to get enough sleep and eat on time. Contact me anytime if there's anything. Goodbye. "
Before Ji Bai could speak, she said again, "Master, go to sleep." She had already hung up.
Ji Bai looked at the dark screen of his phone and could not help but laugh. At this time, the local police officer in the front row heard something and asked with a smile, "Captain Ji, is it your sister-in-law calling to show concern?"
Ji Bai did not directly deny or admit it. He leaned his tired body against the back seat and closed his eyes. There was a smile on his lips. "Women love to worry … I'll sleep for a while then. Wake me up if anything happens."
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