"A sense of familiarity?"
Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao both paused. Liu Yongxin rarely spoke, but when he did, he had his own opinions. He felt sothing familiar—could it be they had encountered a similar case before?
Liu Yongxin nodded emphatically.
"There was a case in Qidong in the year 2000 where a businessman’s child was kidnapped. The businessman was in the fireworks trade, earning a substantial sum every New Year. His toddler, just over two years old, was abducted, and the ransom demanded was precisely the amount he could afford. They, too, sent one of the child’s fingers."
"We all thought it must have been an inside job, so after a thorough investigation, we noticed a young worker under his employ as a suspect. Just as we were about to place him under surveillance, the kid realized and attempted to flee during the sting operation. He was shot dead on the spot, and the kidnapped child was found in a wardrobe in that house, though the ransom was never recovered. Could it be..."
Liu Yongxin didn’t finish, but Zhou Ning had already caught on. It seed that Liu Yongxin thought the young worker might not have been capable on his own, but the thod was indeed similar.
"Master, do you rember the shape of the child’s cut-off finger?"
Liu Yongxin gave Zhou Ning a look—it was only because he was his prized apprentice that he might ask such a question. Anyone else would likely have been t with a fiery retort. However, Liu Yongxin knew that Zhou Ning was anxious.
After all, there weren’t many leads in this case. There was plenty of information from the autopsy, but not a single detail that could hint at the real cri scene.
"I’m not a computer, but Director Xu should rember this case. He was in the criminal police force at the ti, just an ordinary detective. However, we can retrieve this case file for review. Moreover, the child would be around fourteen or fifteen by now. Even though he has no mory, perhaps we should get him scanned?"
Zhou Ning nodded vigorously; this was indeed sothing they could do.
"Let’s go, we should get together with Director Xu first to see how they are progressing. As for the forensic reports, I just had a glance. A significant number of chemical substances were found on the three victims, their clothing, and hair, though we don’t yet know the specifics."
Zhu Xingxing raised a hand.
"Chief, I’ll stay here with Gao Tie and Mr. Yang to sort out the details. As for the forensic results, we’ll categorize them. You go to the eting!"
Zhou Ning didn’t object, feeling pleased with his ticulous assistant.
They returned to the conference room, and upon opening the door, found the scene inside quite impressive. The case files were split into two large portions—one neatly piled, the other splayed open, being sorted and entered by several groups.
At the sound of the door, Xu Dayuan set down his lunchbox and looked toward Zhou Ning.
"Well, that was quick. But I hope you weren’t too quick; if you were, it ans there isn’t much information."
Zhou Ning nodded, noticed there were untouched lunchboxes next to him, handed one each to Mr. Zhao and Liu Yongxin, and began to eat while he spoke:
"We’ve finished with the autopsy report, not much of use there. As far as the forensics reports, Zhu Xingxing and the team are working on it. I have made a discovery, though, so I ca to discuss it with you."
"Speak up!"
Before Zhou Ning could say anything, Liu Yongxin began expressing his thoughts.
"...I was there to inspect the kidnapping scene and saw the child’s severed finger. I wasn’t part of the capture, but do you rember the condition of the young worker’s wounds? If we could retrieve the case file, Zhou Ning wants to compare them. Of course, it would be best to get that child scanned to observe the wounds."
Xu Dayuan seed troubled by this, leaving Zhou Ning sowhat puzzled.
"What’s the matter, Director Xu? Is the family no longer in Qidong?"
"No, I was on the case back then. Although I wasn’t the one who shot during the takedown, I saw it all. The young worker was desperate to escape, tried to climb over the wall, and that’s when Mr. Sun ordered us to shoot."
However, the owner who deals with fireworks treats that child as the apple of his eye. I don’t think he’ll necessarily cooperate. So, I’ll contact He Chunyang and have him make a personal visit. Whether it works out, we can discuss in person.
The case back then wasn’t led by . There are many details I’m not privy to. I only followed along for the arrest. According to our speculation, if the mastermind is soone else, that poses a threat to his son as well. I think from this angle, it might be a breakthrough."
Zhou Ning very much agreed with this view. After all, as a parent, one always wants to protect their child. It’s not really about scaring the owner. After all, the ransom was never recovered, which indirectly proves that at least this young fellow had accomplices.
Liu Yongxin added:
"Prepare more comprehensive information. It’s best to ask Mr. Sun to find the detailed information of that young guy from back then. I rember he was a local, seems to be from a village near Qidong."
Xu Dayuan went to make a phone call. Zhou Ning glanced at the busy crowd. Many were faces he didn’t recognize. According to what Xu Dayuan said, they should be the technical departnt people who had co over. But Zhou Ning realized he didn’t recognize a single one. However, on reflection, he understood. These were likely personnel transferred from sowhere else, to be placed under unified closed managent, to prevent the case details from leaking.
After just a short wait, Xu Dayuan returned. His expression gave nothing away. Walking up to the group, Xu Dayuan spoke in a low voice.
"He Chunyang is on his way to find the person now. Mr. Sun is personally overseeing the retrieval of the information. With this arrangent, I’m at ease."
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"I forgot about that part. Director Xu is now Mr. Sun’s superior. It’s like a wheel of fortune, isn’t it? Mr. Sun never imagined he’d see this day."
Having said that, Mr. Zhao dashed behind Zhou Ning, a movent that definitely didn’t seem like one a 250-pound person could make. Zhou Ning held back a laugh; Mr. Zhao really had a mouth on him, kicking him wouldn’t be too much.
Xu Dayuan couldn’t be bothered with him and looked towards Zhou Ning.
"How’s it going on your end? Found anything?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Nothing much discovered other than the murder weapon. We suspect it’s a specially sharpened triangular bayonet. The length and diater match up. As for the forensic report, it hasn’t been organized yet. Part of is here just to grab a bite to eat, and also to see how your investigation is going. Besides, my master said, this kind of bayonet is quite common in the countryside."
Liu Yongxin quickly explained, and Xu Dayuan finally understood what had happened. He nodded along.
"Actually, not just this thing. Before, there were bird guns and those so-called ’turtle shell boxes’ and such. Even though there’s been a crackdown on firearms for many years and the propaganda’s been effective, there are definitely still privately hidden ones. We can’t say they’ve been completely eradicated. In a bit, I’ll arrange to have the subdivisions conduct a campaign to check for these relics from the war era."
Mr. Zhao joined in.
"Won’t that be like poking the grass and startling the snake?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Now, even if the killer walked right in front of us, we wouldn’t know who he is. So, there’s no question of startling the snake. I imagine such items aren’t just lying around everywhere. There must be so distribution area. Based on that area, we could ascertain where the killer is from and narrow down the investigation radius."
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"That’s exactly the point. It’s like looking for a donkey while riding one..."
Before he could finish, Xu Dayuan’s phone rang. Seeing the na on the caller ID, Xu Dayuan’s face showed a hint of nervousness.
"Hello, old leader, how co you’re contacting ?"
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