Chapter 542: Chapter 512 Zhao Xinli Makes a Statement_1
Zhang Meng tilted her head and thought, her expression somewhat dull, as if her brain was not entirely functioning, clearly, the cigarette she had smoked contained more than just hallucinogens.
"There were two groups, four men in total. The first two who came spoke with a Qindao accent. I couldn’t see their faces, I guess they were very young, no, I should say not very old. As for the two who came later, they spoke Cantonese, I don’t know exactly where they were from, but both were balding, very skinny old men."
"In this villa, there are service staff, but only two men. Did you not see them when you came in? Hey, look, those two are the staff!"
Following the direction of Zhang Meng’s finger, two men had just fastened their motorcycle helmets, their backs to the villa, ready to drive off. Zhang Ping pointed in the direction of the motorcycle and shouted down:
"Stop those two, they’re the villa’s service staff, quick!"
Although it was a good idea, and the two were only a short distance away, this was a villa complex built on a hill. Though it seemed close, it was separated by the height of two villas, and all the officers were around the villa—by the time anyone thought of pursuing, it was too late.
Zhang Ping, flanked by an officer, became anxious. The officer reached for his waist, but Zhang Ping stopped him.
"What are you doing? Don’t you know to follow orders? Quickly dispatch someone to intercept them; you drive to chase."
While he was speaking, driver Mr. Wang, who knows when, had already squatted by the villa’s roadside, holding something in his hand, and threw it towards the two departing men. Bang, bang—two sounds rang out and the motorcycle wobbled before crashing into a stone sculpture beside the road, the two men tumbling over it.
Now, no more needed to be said, some people jumped down, others took cars to circle around; they quickly subdued the two men. Zhang Ping gave driver Mr. Wang a thumbs up, and Mr. Zhao came over with an incredulous smile.
"Master Wang, your skills are amazing, turning stones into something like throwing darts. If it were a shooting target, this would’ve been a perfect score!"
Driver Mr. Wang was indifferent, dusting his hands nonchalantly, then pulled out a towel to wipe them, smiling at everyone.
"What skill? It’s just that I grew up by the river as a child, we all liked to skim stones, and I was the best at it among kids my age. When I became a soldier, I had patrol duties; guarding the border, we barely saw people but plenty of wild animals. We couldn’t use bullets casually, so each time we went out, we carried a handful of stones. Boss, I hope those two aren’t injured, we won’t have to compensate, will we?"
Zhou Ning held back her laughter while Zhang Ping couldn’t contain his joy.
"Don’t worry, Mr. Zhang will handle everything. I could tell you were holding back your strength. Otherwise, those two might’ve tumbled down the hill."
Mr. Zhao embraced Master Wang’s neck, dragging him away while continuously inquiring about the technique for skimming stones. Zhang Ping glanced at Zhang Meng sitting on the ground; by then, she had started yawning. He sighed and helped her get up.
"Were those two answering to Liu Liwei?"
Zhang Meng nodded.
"I don’t really know, but every time Liu Liwei called them, they would step out to answer since they saw me nearby. When Liu Liwei came to the villa, they always gathered around him, they seemed very familiar with each other."
Zhang Ping nodded and gestured to the officer beside him.
"Send the recording to Mr. Shan, let him arrange it. After we get back to the bureau, have the transcript sorted out, get Zhang Meng to sign it, and then have someone take her to the rehab center. Let’s hope it’s not too late. But you’ll never be able to enter the entertainment industry again."
Zhang Meng cried, overwhelmed by either her discomfort or the realization of her predicament, sobbing miserably while continuously gesturing to Zhang Ping.
"Officer, can I get clean? Is my life over?"
Zhang Ping remained silent as another detective took Zhang Meng to the car. Mr. Zhao returned and urged everyone to prepare to leave. Approaching Zhou Ning and Zhang Ping, he blinked, sensing the change in their moods.
"What’s going on, aren’t we in a hurry to get back?"
Zhang Ping sighed and reached out his hand to Zhou Ning, signaling him to get in the car.
"Let’s go, let’s get in the car. We can’t blame it on bad company alone. Wanting to take shortcuts, trying to game the system, and getting cheated and harmed in the process—while it’s pitiful and infuriating, it ultimately was her own choice."
Zhou Ning grunted affirmatively and walked toward the car, sparing a glance at the police car Zhang Meng had boarded.
"Some things, once you get involved, can ruin your life forever. It’s not a matter of weak will, but rather these substances are like demons. Maybe rehab centers can cure the addiction, but once you’re out, depending on what kind it is, the relapse rate can be 60-80%.
Her case, starting with high concentration, has already developed such a deep dependency in three days. She might have to fight against drugs for life, either succumbing or forever detoxing—unless she is isolated from society forever. That would prevent relapse, but wouldn’t that be like a life sentence?"
Everyone fell silent, understanding that Zhang Meng’s situation could not simply be explained away with ’meeting the wrong people’.
While there were external factors, everything resulted from her personal choices. The car sped along the road as Zhou Ning sent a WeChat message to Xu Dayuan, briefing him about the situation.
1. The body was found below the cliff, and the suitcase appeared intact, with the correct weight;
2. Zhang Meng, who had shown Li Mubai the way, had been found. Her statement was complete and sent to Mr. Shan for voice recognition.
After returning, they planned to conduct an autopsy immediately. The results would be shared with Xu Dayuan as soon as possible. Furthermore, they needed to collect blood and fingerprints from Liu Tiesong and Ma Decai since the evidence gathered at the crime scene required comparison. The traces found inside and on the body of the deceased also needed analysis.
A moment later, Xu Dayuan replied to the message; they had caught the two individuals. During the arrest at Huajin Group, the suspects had tried to drive past the encirclement like maniacs, and Liu Yufei along with several officers were injured. They are now being taken to the central hospital.
Zhou Ning was startled and quickly made a call.
"Director Xu, are Fei’s injuries serious?"
At these words, everyone perked up their ears and looked toward Zhou Ning in surprise, knowing that something had gone wrong.
"It’s nothing serious. Liu Yufei jumped to the side when she was hit, but she fell on a staircase with her arm. It’s uncertain whether it’s a fracture or a dislocation, but she can’t move her right arm at all. The other two are more seriously injured, probably with broken legs. I can’t leave here, so inform He Shancun that they will probably arrive at the hospital soon."
"Alright."
Having hung up the call, before Zhou Ning could dial out, Mr. Zhao had already contacted Doctor Chen.
"Chen Cheng, are you at the hospital? Hurry and organize the medical staff. Zhou Xiaozhou hasn’t called Mr. He yet, and some of our people are injured, hit by the suspect’s vehicle. Among them, Mrs. Fei is injured; she can’t move her arm. We are too far to reach there in time!"
"Ah! Yufei is injured, is it serious? Never mind, I won’t ask you about it; tell Director Zhou there’s no need to call Mr. He, he’s right beside me. We’ll organize the rescue teams immediately and will keep you posted on any news," Doctor Chen responded.
With that, he hung up the phone with a click.
Zhou Ning looked worried. Although Xu Dayuan had spoken lightly, it was clear from the urgency of the situation that the event had been grave. Given Liu Yufei’s skills, it would be a challenge for an ordinary person not just to hurt her, but even to get close. Furthermore, one car had managed to injure three people, indicating that the suspects knew what the consequences of their capture would be.
Zhang Ping turned around, leaning on the backrest of the chair to face Zhou Ning.
"Should we make a trip to the central hospital to see for ourselves?"
Zhou Ning shook his head and glanced out of the car window, noticing the car’s speed picking up. He looked toward the driver, Mr. Wang, at the front.
"Mr. Wang, there’s no need to rush. Safety comes first. With Mr. He and Chen Cheng at the hospital, we won’t be much help with the medical treatment. Right now, we need to focus on our work, conducting the autopsy and collecting samples for comparison as soon as possible—that’s how we can be of help."
The people in the car fell silent, understanding that Zhou Ning was right, but they were all eager, given that several people were seriously injured.
Over forty minutes later, they arrived at the city bureau. Zhang Ping and the others were dropped off at the front door while the Iveco van went straight to the backyard. The people who had stayed behind were already waiting in the yard, and the dolly was ready. Without needing instructions, everyone hurried forward to help. The two suitcases were swiftly pushed into the autopsy room. Zhou Ning gave Xia Momo a reassuring smile as she looked on from the car.
"Is there anything to eat? We’ll start with the autopsy. Prepare something for us to eat, then send someone to Mrs. Cui’s place, and have them wait a moment. I’ll be sending over the samples for testing shortly; it’s urgent."
Xia Momo quickly replied:
"Don’t worry; everything here is ready. Mrs. Cui made a special trip over and said they won’t leave for now, waiting for your autopsy and sample delivery. As for the blood and fingerprint samples of Liu Tiesong and Ma Decai, they’ve already been sent over for comparison. The boxed meals are ordered and will be delivered shortly."
Zhou Ning nodded and waved to the others behind him.
"Let’s go, work first."
Without a word, they all got to their tasks with precision. The suitcases were placed on the autopsy tables, and everyone donned their protective gear. Zhu Xingxing and the others followed inside, visibly taken aback upon seeing the two suitcases.
"Two bodies?"
Mr. Zhao gave her a look.
"Don’t talk nonsense. That one is the deceased’s suitcase. You and Mr. Yang take Mr. Hen and Mr. Zou, Mr. Pang to check it. Even the exterior of the suitcase needs to be fingerprinted."
They got to work. The suitcase containing the body had burst open, and Sun Gaotie carefully began to recover fingerprints from the zipper pull and handle, without rushing to open it entirely. The suitcase’s corners and lifting straps were all scrupulously checked for DNA, given that such material doesn’t easily retain fingerprints.
After the collection was complete and photos were taken, Liu Yongxin entered, strode over to the autopsy table, and after a look, gestured at Zhu Xingxing.
"You go help Zhou Ning with the autopsy, I’ll keep an eye on things here."
Zhu Xingxing was naturally pleased to help Sun Gaotie open the suitcase. As they caught sight of the body’s condition inside, everyone gasped in shock.
Although they had glimpsed some details through the gaps before, the full sight of the victim wrapped in a white sheet, folded into an N-shape to fill the suitcase, stunned everyone. They moved forward with clear roles, lifting the body as a whole before removing the suitcase underneath.
Sun Gaotie located the beginning of the duct tape, started unwinding it with a plastic board, and as the sheet was carefully undone layer by layer, the state of the victim became apparent to all.
The limbs were soft, with rigor mortis completely dissipated, and faint signs of marbling were visible on the abdomen. Upon seeing this, Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief and motioned to Zhao Xinli.
"Zhao Xinli, state the observations; prepare to record the autopsy video. After the introduction is complete, position the body in supine."
