Chapter 428: Chapter 403: Struck Down_1
Liu Yongxin kicked out in irritation, this guy learned to speak in half sentences, which was damn infuriating to listen to, just like Zhou Ning said, in writing a novel this would be maintaining suspense, but in reporting work, it’s asking for a beating.
"Looking for a beating, aren’t you? Spit it out, quickly and clearly."
"Don’t rush me, Mr. Liu, beside the tire tracks, there was a tricycle track. After observing and measuring, I found it consistent with the tire tracks on Menqiao Village bridge; it still has traces of leaking oil. No need for testing, I can be sure this is Yang Liang’s vehicle.
Moreover, this morning when I went out, I checked the tricycle at Yang Liang’s, and you could tell the vehicle had been washed. However, I noticed a scrape along the edge of the handlebar with yellow paint on it, identical to what’s on Menqiao Village bridge.
I thought about it, during the previous sampling I only focused on the tricycle’s cargo bed, wanting to check if there were any bloodstains. I tried to lift fingerprints from the handlebar; all were Yang Liang’s, though the sampling was too perfunctory.
Just now, I logged into my email and saw the report sent by Mrs. Cui. Zhang Hongwei might have sustained an injury on the outer edge of his index finger. Even if he wore gloves, they might not prevent blood from seeping through. So, this time I didn’t miss any of the ridges in the handles. I took multiple samples and handed them directly to Mr. Huang’s team for testing."
While speaking, Mr. Zhao found the camera and passed it to Zhou Ning to look at.
At a glance, the paint traces were indeed obvious. To think of checking the handlebars again, Mr. Zhao was quite thorough.
"Good, if we can find Zhang Hongwei’s DNA, this case is as good as closed. Over at the greenhouse, if someone is unfamiliar with the place and comes from the north, it’s impossible to tell if this is Yang Liang’s house."
Liu Yongxin nodded.
"Indeed, all greenhouses look the same. Perhaps Zhang Hongwei had been following Yang Liang for some time. It seems he had planned to kill Fu Chunyu and then frame Yang Liang. He might have even met Yang Liang, possibly drugged him to cause unconsciousness, entered Yang Liang’s house, and drove out with the tricycle. Let’s set these points aside for the moment. Tell me, did you find the dagger beneath the cellar?"
Mr. Zhao smacked his head and chuckled as he rifled through the camera.
"Look at my memory, almost forgot with all the hustle. The dagger was found, right below the corpse. It wasn’t buried deep—in the sand we dug out from the cellar, I also found a cigarette butt with bite marks, which I analyzed came from a layer of sand near the surface.
Yang Liang’s home had an ashtray, but only those kind he rolled himself for smoking dry tobacco. It’s unlikely he would be smoking such expensive cigarettes. Zhou Xiaozhou, do you think it’s possible that Zhang Hongwei discovered the secret in the cellar, which is why Yang Liang hastily covered up the ground?"
Zhou Ning was also surprised, glancing at the photo, the dagger looked damaged, with nothing but rust and bloodstains on it, while the cigarette butt appeared very fresh, not at all like it had been buried for two months.
"The cigarette butt and dagger were also sent for testing, weren’t they?"
"Yes, they were sent for testing. This area is now completely cleared. Oh, I also sampled every tool in the greenhouse, fingerprints and swabs included, because I found something on a handle that looked like bloodstains—but they were wiped and the color was faded. Mr. Qu will compare them. The fingerprints aren’t complete, but still usable for comparison."
Mr. Qu took out his notebook, sat cross-legged on the ground, and Mr. Zhao connected the data cable as the fingerprint photos uploaded, the comparison frame on the computer began blinking, and in a moment, the comparison was finished. Seeing the result, Mr. Zhao nearly jumped for joy.
"Damn, it really is Zhang Hongwei’s fingerprint, can’t believe I guessed it right, hahaha, I’m gonna quickly pack these tools and we can head out!"
Saying this, Mr. Zhao hurried off, and Cao Pingzhang gave a thumbs up.
Previously, he thought Zhou Ning’s professional skills were impressively formidable, but now he realized that everyone in this team were heavyweights, each one capable in their own right, even the two interns were leagues better than his own assistants and not far off from his own capabilities.
"Can’t compare, Mr. Liu, you’re still the best. I’ll help you carry things. I find that in front of you guys, all I can do is these odd jobs."
Saying this, he ran over to help Mr. Zhao carry things out and pulled out his phone to contact the driver.
Liu Yongxin let out a long, contemplative sigh, his hand resting on Zhou Ning’s shoulder.
"You’ve made me proud again, kid. If Zhang Hongwei’s hand is injured, just as Mr. Zhao analyzed, we’ll find DNA on the tricycle and these tools. Despite all his meticulous planning, he’s not a professional, and as the saying goes, ’wherever there’s contact, there’s trace.’ This is an undeniable fact. But for that final jolt, we still need help, so follow along and lend an ear."
Zhou Ning nodded, and upon seeing the car approaching, he called Mr. Qu to get up from the ground and helped Liu Yongxin into the vehicle.
"Let’s go, as the master says, let’s see this through to the end."
Everyone got into the car and quickly returned to Dayao City Bureau. This time there was no hurry and they had a proper lunch. Cao Pingzhang inquired and found out that Wu Chunming had captured Zhang Hongwei, who had run out from a building and was chased down at the long-distance bus station, leading to a tense chase and arrest.
Mr. Huang was not in a rush this time, as neither Yang Liang nor Zhang Hongwei were urgently interrogated. After all, they had to wait for the test results. Based on the latest testing schedule, the results should be out by five in the afternoon.
As for Shen City, the Passat had also been found. Mr. Zhao inquired around and came back with a vivid account, saying that professionals had gone to inspect it and found a lot of soil and bloodstains in the car based on the record of a 100-yuan cleaning fee. They found a bloodstained glove in the trunk, a white cotton glove for the right hand, with a tear between the index and thumb on the outside, along with streaked bloodstains inside. The test samples were sent in the morning, and the results would be sent over later.
Upon hearing this news, everyone relaxed. Liu Yongxin hummed a Peking opera tune while basking in the sun by the window, Mr. Qu played games, and the young lads helped Mr. Zhao finish off the snacks in the car, naturally with Mr. Zhao being the biggest snacker among them.
Cao Pingzhang went to the front building and didn’t return for quite a while, while Zhou Ning lay on the sofa sleeping. Seemingly upon seeing that Zhou Ning had fallen asleep, Mr. Zhao covered him with a coat, and the room fell silent.
Seconds ticked by, and at four-thirty, coughing sounds emerged simultaneously from both Mr. Qu’s computer and Zhou Ning’s cellphone. Zhou Ning’s eyes snapped open instantly, but he didn’t rush to check his phone.
"If Mr. Qu receives the test results from Shen City, send them directly to Mrs. Cui for comparison," he said.
Mr. Qu glanced at his screen and began to click away rapidly.
After a short wait, coughing sounds came from both the computer and the cellphone. Zhou Ning then sat up, hung the coat on the coat rack, and, carrying a small bag, left the room.
Zou Jialong and Pang Tianhang were both perplexed and nudged Mr. Zhao’s arm, whispering,
"Mr. Zhao, why has our chief gone out?"
Mr. Zhao shook his head and flicked each on their heads.
"I’ve told you to pay attention to your surroundings, to train your observational and judgment skills, but you’re not taking it to heart. Can’t you even notice the details?
Zhou Xiaozhou brushes his teeth after every meal and when he gets up; it’s his habit. You’ve been with him so long and still don’t notice; what are you observing!"
The two had a moment of realization, and Zou Jialong muttered,
"Honestly, talking to the chief makes me nervous, my palms sweat involuntarily, just like when I went to see the big concert of five superstars in 2011. Excited, nervous, clueless. Whenever I see the chief, my mind goes blank. If I can remember one out of the ten things I prepared to say, I consider it lucky."
Pang Tianhang chimed in,
"Yes, I feel the same way. The chief’s presence is too strong, and it seems like he’s cheating. He glances at a corpse and seems to know all the details and problems. The chief kindly encourages us to ask more questions, but with my ability, it’s not that I don’t want to ask; I don’t even know where to begin. That’s the difference!"
Liu Yongxin glanced at them, then walked over to the printer and reviewed each report Mr. Qu had printed out. He indicated for Mr. Qu to print another set and handed the reports he had to Cao Pingzhang.
"We’re lucky. All the test results match our analysis. We found Zhang Hongwei’s blood traces on the tools in the greenhouse, the handles of the tricycle, and the gloves in the trunk of the Passat. As for the dagger, Feng Shujuan’s blood traces were found on the blade and Yang Liang’s DNA and a partial fingerprint on the handle."
Cao Pingzhang’s face reddened with excitement, and he took deep breaths, patting his chest.
"I can’t, I need to take a blood pressure pill first; then I’ll call and send the test results. Otherwise, I fear my blood pressure will hit record highs."
Saying this, he rummaged through the drawer and took his medication before taking out his phone and calling Huang Youdao. He repeated word for word what Liu Yongxin had just said, without changing a thing.
On the other end, Huang Youdao’s reaction was even more motivating. A loud thump came through the receiver as if he had slammed his hand on a desk, probably overwhelmed by the suppressed excitement.
"Great, we finally have complete evidence. Let’s strike while the iron is hot. Why don’t you ask Director Zhou and his team to come and listen to the interrogation? After all, we should also use that software; it gives me more confidence if he’s here."
Cao Pingzhang looked at Liu Yongxin, who nodded.
"We can do that. We’ll head over as soon as Zhou Ning returns."
As he was speaking, Zhou Ning came back, carrying his small bag. Seeing everyone looking at him, he hastened his steps.
"Let’s go," he said. "Is it to listen to the interrogation?"
Cao Pingzhang seemed to know the content of the test results and was in an exceptionally good mood, so he decided to tease Zhou Ning a little.
"Director Zhou, don’t you want to know the contents of the test reports?"
Zhou Ning glanced at him and shook his head slightly.
"No need, I knew the results when they were sent. It was just to see if we could find Zhang Hongwei’s DNA in the analysis. As for Yang Liang, there’s not much to say about his killing Feng Shujuan, we just needed to find the weapon."
Cao Pingzhang was taken aback, and his pace faltered. Liu Yongxin supported him and shook his head. Why was the old man asking for trouble? But the calmness of his own disciple was actually more maddening than any boasting. With such a major case and the primary evidence in hand, he remained unfazed.
"You were asking for that, weren’t you?"
