March 10, 2012, 17:03
Zhang Chunbo had made the call earlier, and Shen City was very cooperative. They imdiately sent various reports and ntioned that they had already received Tao Zhenshan and his team and would transfer the evidence soon.
Zhou Ning stared at his email inbox, as Shen City would not send all collected information in separate emails. Therefore, he could not know in advance if the fingerprints could be matched.
Just then, an unread email arrived in his inbox. He clicked to open and download each attachnt, which included reports and so fingerprint images collected by Shen City. Zhou Ning asked Mr. Qu to use software to compare all the fingerprints first.
Before Zhou Ning had finished reviewing the report, Mr. Qu had already completed the comparison, but he looked puzzled at the results.
"On the gold bars, a total of seventeen different fingerprints were found. Seven belong to Wang Hongzhan, and another five are Ho Dongi’s. The remaining five and so partial fingerprints were overlaid and covered, and no matches for them were found in the fingerprint database."
Mr. Zhao leaned over, glanced at it, and said,
"Then it is possible that these are the fingerprints of the Wang parents. But they passed away before the Spring Festival of 2009; could it be that they didn’t get the second-generation ID cards in ti?"
Mr. Qu had already found the compensation certificate issued by the town governnt earlier, which contained half a fingerprint. After comparison, it indeed matched one of the fingerprints.
"Director Zhou, one of the remaining three fingerprints belongs to Wang Hongzhan’s father."
Zhou Ning nodded. Xu Dayuan had moved closer, his expression calm.
"It’s not surprising that the Wang parents, who hid the gold bars, left fingerprints that could easily be covered by Wang Hongzhan’s later prints, but to find Ho Dongi’s fingerprints on them... Could it be that Wang Hongzhan deliberately showed the gold bars to his wife?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Their parents died the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve. According to our Ludong customs, the funeral typically occurs on the third day, which would be on the first day of the New Year. The village chief had ntioned that Ho Dongi fainted from exhaustion after the Wang parents’ funeral and was found to be pregnant at the hospital.
During the ti Ho Dongi was hospitalized up until she returned to her hotown on the eighth day of the New Year, Wang Hongzhan certainly made so arrangents, like keys, the safe’s password, and transferring the gold bars. In fact, Wang Hongzhan gave Ho Dongi an opportunity."
Xu Dayuan looked at Zhou Ning, his face showing incomprehension.
"What opportunity?"
Zhou Ning focused on the report in his hand. It indicated that DNA from four people had been collected: one was Wang Hongzhan’s, another was Ho Dongi’s, and the analysis showed that the other two, with genetic relations to Wang Hongzhan, were likely his parents’.
"Wang Hongzhan had been planning to buy a house in Shen City; the down paynt was ready. He wanted to take Ho Dongi away from here to start a new life in Shen City as a real family of three, away from those connected with Ho Dongi’s affair, and to pass Wang Hongzhan’s test.
If the other man wasn’t Wang Hongwen and if Ho Dongi hadn’t revealed anything about the safe, its password, or the key’s location, she might still be in Shen City starting a new life with Wang Hongzhan and their child."
Liu Yongxin, with his arms folded, let out a sigh.
"But the person she had an affair with was Wang Hongwen, who knew the affairs of the Wang Family all too well. His goal in getting close to Ho Dongi was the gold bars. And Ho Dongi, unaware of all this, thought Wang Hongwen was like Wang Hongzhan, one of her suitors, as she had always been treated like a princess by Wang Hongzhan.
Having investigated this far, we all know that Wang Hongzhan made many preparations, but not a single one was illegal or a breach of public morality. Even on moral grounds, he has held firm, voluntarily raising soone else’s child, striving to wear the green hat graciously. I think he can be released."
Xu Dayuan nodded and waved over to Liu Yufei.
"Take a look, have they brought him over?"
Liu Yufei quickly stepped out, just in ti to see Zhang Chunbo escorting Wang Hongzhan with handcuffs still on. Liu Yufei glanced at Zhang Chunbo with a aningful look.
Zhang Chunbo was montarily startled, unsure how he had offended this lady as her look was as sharp as a knife.
"Let’s go to the interview room across the hall."
Zhang Chunbo didn’t dare to object and quickly led Wang Hongzhan over; Liu Yufei approached Xu Dayuan, and they made their way to the interview room. Xu Dayuan glanced at Wang Hongzhan’s handcuffs and signaled to Liu Yufei, who stepped forward to unlock them.
Wang Hongzhan abruptly looked up at Xu Dayuan, rubbing where the handcuffs had been.
"The investigation is complete, and you are now cleared of suspicion. The gold bars will be delivered to the station tomorrow; you can claim them after signing. Regarding the case’s trial, the Hai’an Municipal Criminal Police Brigade will contact you, and the dossier will be transferred tomorrow. If normal procedures are followed, the hearing can be held within a month. If there are no further issues, you are free to leave."
Xu Dayuan had not even taken a seat, just standing beside Wang Hongzhan as he delivered these statents.
Wang Hongzhan’s eyebrows twitched, the result obviously puzzling him, but after so thought, he let out a slight smile.
"I thought you were going to pin so charge on . This is sowhat unexpected. Haven’t you folks from Qindao always suspected that I engineered Ho Dongi’s death?"
Xu Dayuan skewed his mouth into a smile, though it ca off as rather forced.
"We are not judges, nor can we, out of our own disapproval, place our judgnt above the law to reproach you. After your parents’ death, suddenly learning of your wife’s pregnancy, you began to reveal the location of the password keys and the information about the gold bars, even allowing Ho Dongi to see and touch them personally.
From your perspective, these might be just a way of testing, especially since opening the safe anyti would reveal that it was empty. But you knew all too well the nature of the Wang Hongwen family and their motives for getting close to Ho Dongi."
But from another perspective, you suspect your parents’ death is related to the Wang Family, yet you lack evidence. Unable to vent your hatred, you refuse to hand over the woman you’ve been pursuing for years to soone else, nor do you want to divide the inheritance with them, allowing them to live a prosperous and happy life with their children. You can’t do it.
Although we have figured out these details, legally, you haven’t defad anyone or broken the law, and we can’t do anything about it. I just want to know why you have such hostility towards the Wang Family. Is it because his grandfather’s betrayal caused your father to have his legs broken or because he had an affair with Ho Dongi, and you can’t tolerate the cuckoldry?"
Wang Hongzhan fell silent, and when he looked up again at the other people in the room, he raised his hands.
"I’m free now, right? And you’ve finished your investigation into ?"
Xu Dayuan nodded and gestured toward the door.
"Yes, if you don’t want to answer, you can leave."
Wang Hongzhan stood up and walked to the door, leaving without hesitation. Xu Dayuan followed him out to the corridor, waved his hand behind him, and everyone else stopped.
Liu Yufei snorted and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.
"Hmph, that Wang Hongzhan is a highly intelligent man. He doesn’t want to talk, not because he can’t, but because he doesn’t want to leave any video evidence. Such a fox."
Zhou Ning waved his hand, indicating that the others behind him should stop gawking.
"That’s enough, this case is closed. Just complete the case file, and when Tao Da and the others return tonight, we can leave Hai’an City, right?"
Liu Yongxin poked Zhou Ning’s arm and looked at the dark circles under Zhou Ning’s eyes.
"Quit the chatter and get so rest soon. You’re too tired to rember what Zhang Chunbo said before. Among the Hai’an City’s backlog of cases, this is a recent one. There’s another case that’s much older. Every ti we clear backlog cases, it cos up, and it’s still unsolved."
Zhou Ning nodded; he genuinely wanted to rest. He glanced in the direction where Wang Hongzhan had left but didn’t move his feet. Liu Yongxin also looked in the sa direction and shook her head slightly, saying:
"I wonder if the Wang Family’s car accident years ago is related to Wang Hongwen’s grandfather. According to his age, Wang Chaozu is already eighty years old. The Wang Family grandparents adopted him when he was only ten, which would have been in 1942.
"During those years, with famine, war, and poverty, without the Wang Family, he would have had a hard ti surviving. But when calamity struck, he was the first to turn against the Wang Family, his uncle who was eleven years younger than him. Knowing that the Wang Family had been rehabilitated, he wanted to curry favor again."
"He even inquired about the builders of a new house, asked what the Wang Family had hidden, and taught his grandson to get close to the Wang Family’s grandson. All these actions show what kind of a person he is. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did sothing to Wang Hongzhan’s parents."
Zhou Ning agreed with Liu Yongxin’s words.
"Wang Chaozu’s moral compass is flawed. He has always felt entitled to the Wang Family’s inheritance. His teachings led his grandson to where he is now."
As they were speaking, Xu Dayuan ca back, Mr. Zhao waved Zhu Xingxing away, and the others dispersed. Xu Dayuan approached Zhou Ning and Liu Yongxin, waited for a while without saying anything, and Liu Yongxin looked at him puzzled.
"What’s wrong, Director Xu? This isn’t like you."
"Wang Hongzhan suspects that his parents’ death was orchestrated by Wang Chaozu’s sons. The tracks left on the ground were from a tractor, and his parents had multiple fractures. There was a square imprint on their backs, caused by a protruding part of the tractor.
"After reporting to the police, he went to Wang Chaozu’s house and saw that Wang Chaozu’s youngest son had a tractor. However, when the police went there, the tractor was already gone. After being passed around a few hands, the tractor that was sold had its wheels and the protruding counterweight replaced.
"Detailed inspections didn’t turn up any blood or other evidence. Since the tractor’s main fra and engine weren’t changed, the rest was different from the original. Without evidence, he decided to enact an eye for an eye."
Zhou Ning wasn’t surprised by this outco. Wang Hongzhan had never let go of his parents’ death, especially since that incident led to him finding out about Ho Dongi’s pregnancy—all his trauma stemd from that period.
"It seems the replaced parts have also disappeared, haven’t they?"
Director Xu nodded.
"Alright, regardless, this case is considered closed. Where’s Zhang Chunbo?"
Zhou Ning looked around but couldn’t see Zhang Chunbo. It seed like he had left after escorting Wang Hongzhan.
"Director Xu, you’re not about to start another special case eting, are you? I need to rest."
Director Xu dialed Zhang Chunbo’s phone, shouting irritably:
"Where have you been? I do the interrogation, and you have nothing to do with it? Isn’t this a Hai’an City case? Don’t you have to deal with the aftermath, or are you leaving it all to our special task force?"
Director Xu’s furious outburst clearly showed his annoyance. Zhang Chunbo hurried out of an office.
"I’m here, leader, preparing the case files. Are we having a special case eting?"
Director Xu gave a cold look.
"Starting now until tomorrow morning, don’t disturb us. You’ll arrange for soone to pick up Tao Zhenshan and the others at the airport. We need rest—everything else can wait until tomorrow."
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