SOTC Chapter 17

The Yulin County Criminal Investigation Brigade has two squadrons. Sun Tao is the captain of the First Squadron, while Gu Zheng used to be in charge of the Second Squadron.

After Gu Zheng was suspended, Xue Ting, the deputy captain originally belonging to the Second Squadron, temporarily took over Gu Zheng’s position. Due to a series of events that followed, this situation has continued to this day.

But as Gu Zheng’s former subordinate, Xue Ting couldn’t believe that Gu Zheng would do those things. So, after the money transport vehicle case occurred, he was almost always on the front line, searching with the First Squadron for clues that could solve the case.

This day was the eighth day of the first lunar month. Xue Ting had just returned to the county seat from the outskirts of Poshui Township, but before he could approach the gate of the County Public Security Bureau, he was stopped by someone.

Xue Ting took a closer look and found that the person who stopped him was actually Sun Tao. He was a little confused for a moment and immediately asked:

“Lao Sun, what are you doing?”

Sun Tao looked a little mysterious today. He wasn’t sitting in his office, but instead, he deliberately hid at the corner next to the gate. As soon as he saw Xue Ting, he immediately pulled him aside.

“Lao Xue, we haven’t seen each other for almost a week. Today, I want to treat you to a meal. What do you think?”

“No, no, the case hasn’t been solved yet, so I’m not in the mood to eat. Lao Sun, you’re really idle. It’s one thing to sit in the office all day, but you’re still pulling people to eat during work hours. What’s wrong? Don’t want to investigate the case anymore?”

Xue Ting’s mood hasn’t been very good lately. He has never encountered such a frustrating case.

A small Poshui Township now has a total of two criminal investigation squadrons, plus the evidence search section, and dozens of forensic team members.

But after being idle for a whole week, they still haven’t found any clues.

Sun Tao knew that Xue Ting was in a bad mood, so he didn’t take his words too seriously, and laughed:

“Investigate, of course, we have to investigate the case. But can’t we eat too? It’s lunchtime now, and Liu is coming down to inspect today, so even if I go back, I won’t find anyone to report to. Why don’t you two chat?”

“Lao Sun, what are you up to?”

Xue Ting wasn’t a novice either. As soon as he heard Sun Tao’s tone, he felt like he had something he wanted to say.

But what could be so important that it had to be said outside?

Just as Xue Ting was thinking about these things, Sun Tao had already pulled him into the car.

The two came to a small restaurant about ten kilometers away from the County Public Security Bureau.

Sun Tao parked the car, found a restaurant with few people, and pulled Xue Ting in.

“Boss, two jins of braised mutton, and two bowls of noodles.”

“Okay!”

As soon as Sun Tao entered the door, he yelled at the boss a couple of times, then found a corner seat and sat down.

“Lao Sun, what exactly is going on?”

Xue Ting was feeling more and more uneasy now.

Sun Tao had specially driven more than ten kilometers to find a restaurant with few people. It would be a bit ridiculous to say that he just wanted to treat him to a meal.

“There is indeed something.”

Seeing that Xue Ting’s face was a little pale, Sun Tao didn’t hide anything and went straight to the point:

“I hope you don’t investigate the money transport vehicle case for the time being.”

“What joke are you playing, Lao Sun?”

Xue Ting frowned immediately upon hearing this.

“There’s no progress on this case at all. You’re telling me not to investigate. What do you mean?”

Xue Ting has always been straightforward, so it’s only natural that his words weren’t pleasant.

Sun Tao naturally wouldn’t care about these small things, and continued to say to Xue Ting:

“You and I aren’t new to handling cases. Haven’t you noticed that this case is very strange?”

“Strange? What are you referring to?”

Xue Ting frowned and looked at Sun Tao.

“You’re referring to every single thing being strange. Do you still remember how you discovered the abandoned money transport vehicle and the bodies of the two security guards? From the time the money transport vehicle disappeared from the last surveillance camera on the national highway to when you found it, there was a full two-week gap. During these two weeks, you asked so many people in the nearby villages, and they all said they didn’t see any traces of the money transport vehicle. Only in the last two villages before finding the money transport vehicle did someone say they saw a similar car pass through the village road. Lao Xue, don’t you think this is very deliberate? It’s like someone specifically wanted you to find the money transport vehicle and discover the two bodies.”

“I discovered that a long time ago.”

Xue Ting continued in a muffled voice, “When we found the car, there was nothing in the carriage, indicating that the cash had already been transferred by someone. The first time I came, a young guy asked me, saying that Yulin County has so many mountains in the suburbs, whether it’s the money transport vehicle or the security guards, just find a place to bury them.”

“That’s what I’m saying. As long as the car is dismantled and buried with the people, then it will be even more difficult to find. The most important thing is that this way, we won’t be able to determine the location of the money transport vehicle, and we won’t be able to determine whether the cash is still within Yulin County. So let’s assume that the money transport vehicle and the corpses were deliberately left for us to discover by the criminals. What clues did we get after the discovery?”

“Clues?”

When Xue Ting heard this, he suddenly snorted coldly.

“Besides discovering that Captain Gu has become a murderer, what other bullshit clues are there?”

“So?”

Sun Tao smiled at Xue Ting.

“Wait, Lao Sun, do you mean…?”

Just as Xue Ting was about to finish speaking, the restaurant owner walked over with the mutton and noodles.

He quickly swallowed the rest of his words and nodded to the boss.

The things these two were discussing now did indeed require utmost care, so it wasn’t until the boss had walked far away that Sun Tao lowered his voice again and said:

“The criminals deliberately left us clues, allowing us to find the evidence of Lao Gu’s murder. Then do you think Lao Gu could be the murderer?”

“I also don’t think Lao Gu is the murderer?!”

Sun Tao’s words almost immediately struck Xue Ting’s most sensitive nerve.

He and Gu Zheng belonged to the same squadron, and they had solved so many cases that they had long regarded each other as brothers.

However, handling cases ultimately requires evidence.

Without evidence, any speculation would seem particularly weak.

“I don’t know if Lao Gu is the murderer, but if we keep pushing on one point in this situation, I think it will only make us sink deeper and deeper.”

“But if we don’t continue to investigate, will the case solve itself?”

Xue Ting gently patted the table, with an anxious expression.

“Lao Xue, think carefully. How did Lao Gu get into trouble? If Lao Gu hadn’t been dealt with in Chen Fan’s case, wouldn’t the fingerprints found at the scene of Wang Nongxin’s survival be questionable? Do you think that’s a coincidence?”

“Lao Gu didn’t make any mistakes in Chen Fan’s case at all. When we knew about this, the team was a bit emotional. I personally surveyed the scene of Chen Fan’s murder. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say that we could determine that Yang Xu was the murderer based on the scene, but Lao Gu was also wronged. No one could have imagined that Yang Xu would suddenly run away. Because that’s not in line with common sense. He left a text message in Chen Fan’s phone. If he was going to run, he should have run immediately after killing someone. How could he have happened to run after Lao Gu finished taking his statement?”

“And we still haven’t caught Yang Xu.” Sun Tao picked up a piece of mutton and put it in his mouth, then took a couple of sips of noodles before slowly saying to Xue Ting, “Chen Fan, Wang Nongxin, plus the money transport vehicle, there are a total of three cases. You two squadrons are desperately investigating one case. How can you find anything out of it?”

“Then do you think Lao Gu is in danger?”

At this point, Xue Ting unreservedly revealed a worried expression,

“All the evidence is pointing to Lao Gu now. If something happens to him, wouldn’t all the leads be broken?”

“So I hope you can temporarily pull some people out to investigate Chen Fan’s case. Lao Gu is more capable than you and me. It’s not that easy to harm him. But if the time drags on, then no one can say for sure. I have a new lead. Chen Fan’s death may be related to Zhao Yangfu, the editor-in-chief of Yulin Publishing House. If possible, I hope Lao Xue you can investigate Zhao Yangfu. I know your situation. The higher-ups have given you a direct order to find the lost cash. It’s impossible for the First Squadron to shift the direction of the investigation, but the Second Squadron is now assisting the First Squadron in carrying out the investigation, so…”

Sun Tao finally finished what he wanted to say and looked at Xue Ting with a thief-like smile.

“You just don’t want to be dealt with, do you.”

Xue Ting revealed a slightly dissatisfied expression.

But Sun Tao was now having a hard time saying anything. He had finally found Gu Zheng. Under these circumstances, if he was also dismissed, it would probably be even more difficult to continue the investigation.

And for safety reasons, he couldn’t mention the fact that he had met with Gu Zheng to anyone, so Sun Tao had no choice but to do this.

“It’s not a matter of being dealt with. Lao Xue, I promise you that once the case has any progress, I will tell you everything I know, but now you are also struggling to protect yourself. So, I can only ask you to do this.”

“Okay, since it’s for Lao Gu, then I can only agree to you.”

Xue Ting was a straightforward person after all, and he agreed to Sun Tao’s request without hesitation, which relieved Sun Tao temporarily.

“But the fewer people who know about the investigation of Zhao Yangfu, the better. If possible, I hope Lao Xue you can investigate personally. Also, this matter is urgent, the sooner the results come out, the better.”

“I know, but this is not easy to do. I don’t know where your clues come from, but on the surface, we can’t find any connection between Zhao Yangfu and Chen Fan’s death, so it may take some time.”

“How about a week?”

Sun Tao took a deep breath and asked Xue Ting.

“Okay, I’ll do my best.”

Xue Ting gritted his teeth and agreed to this matter.

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