Forensic Forensic - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Due to years of field work, Zhuang Yu’s tan was comparable to Luo Jianan’s, but he lacked Luo Jianan’s gangster-like air. Qi Ming, upon hearing that this guy was an intelligence professional, immediately took an interest in him. Most of the intelligence professionals he’d met abroad worked in offices, and few, like Zhuang Yu, chose to work in high-risk departments.

Luo Jianan felt a little annoyed as Qi Ming kept questioning him about Zhuang Yu. He and Zhuang Yu had a feud. After flipping over Zhuang Yu’s desk, he was severely scolded by the director, and then nearly had his legs broken by his father when he got home.

“Team Leader Zhuang, you can work with him, but don’t make friends with him,” Luo Jianan warned Qi Ming. “He has no idea what comradeship is. Whenever he encounters something that could potentially take the blame, he immediately draws a line and distances himself from the matter.”

Then he told him about Zhuang Yu’s request to sign the injury assessment report.

“As long as we abide by the rules and regulations, I don’t think there’s any problem,” Qi Ming shrugged.

“Look, most people’s principles are here.” Luo Jianan patted the armrest of his chair and pointed to the ceiling. “Team Leader Zhuang’s over there.”

Qi Ming looked up and asked Luo Jianan, “We’ve caught him, why are you still fighting?”

“Did I chase him for two kilometers for nothing?” Luo Jianan scoffed. “I ran so hard my heart was about to jump out of my throat, and my legs were shaking from exhaustion.”

“That didn’t stop you from beating him up.”

“That guy deserves to be beaten. He uses drugs to coerce seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls into prostitution,” Miao Hong chimed in. “Luo Jianan’s only mistake was that he hit him in the face. If it were me, I’d kick him in the ribs and then say the suspect fell down the stairs.”

Luo Jianan gave Miao Hong a thumbs-up. Qi Ming smiled and shook his head, continuing to look through the information Luo Jianan had retrieved from Shangguan Yunfei. As he looked, he spread the folder on the table and said, “This ID is fake.”

“Impossible!” Luo Jianan objected. “Yunfei checked the Public Security Bureau’s system, how could it be fake?”

Qi Ming pointed to the ethnicity column on the deceased’s ID and explained, “It says Maonan, but the deceased’s face doesn’t have typical Bo features.”

“Bo is… what?” Luo Jianan thought Qi Ming wasn’t speaking Chinese.

“Over a dozen ethnic minorities, including the Dong, Zhuang, and Maonan, share a common ancestor. Some people in Myanmar and Vietnam are also descendants of the Bo.”

“I understand,” Luo Jianan nodded. “But there’s no guarantee they’ll mix with Han Chinese.”

“Bo genes are mostly dominant. Even with repeated interbreeding, they can be passed down through three or four generations.”

“Are you so sure?”

“I can do a genetic sequence analysis.” Qi Ming slapped the document at Luo Jianan.

“How long will that take? I’ll just call and check the household registration. I have to notify the deceased’s family anyway.” Turning his chair, Luo Jianan opened his computer and searched the internal system for the address on it. He found the number of the police station where the deceased’s household registration was located and called them.

After he hung up, Qi Ming asked, “How is it?”

Luo Jianan looked at him gravely and shook his head.

“No such person.”

————————

Zhuang Yu glanced at Luo Jianan as he emerged from Chen Fei’s office. Without saying hello, he walked straight out of the Serious Crime Unit office. Luo Jianan made a face behind him and stood up to report his findings to Chen Fei. Chen Fei frowned and called Zhao Pingsheng into a private office.

“More than a decade ago, creating a fake identity wasn’t difficult, but now that it’s connected nationwide, it can be checked in the public security system, which means this ID is definitely real.” Zhao Pingsheng flipped through the document several times, but there were only a few pages in total, and even if the paper was torn, he couldn’t make out anything. “It’s possible that some corrupt police are facilitating these criminals.”

Chen Fei nodded. “Well, there haven’t been any in recent years, but we did catch them before. One ID card costs two thousand, and that bastard made millions from it, making us catch people like crazy.”

“Boss,” Luo Jianan scratched his head. “There’s another possibility. Do you remember when you sent me undercover and gave me a new ID?”

Chen Fei certainly did. To protect Luo Jianan’s identity, he personally completed the entire process of entering the information and making the new ID.

“So, you think the deceased might be an undercover agent?” Chen Fei looked at Luo Jianan inquiringly.

“It’s related to drug traffickers, and their identities are questionable. Either they’re trying to clean up their criminal record and change their identities, or the only explanation is that they’re undercover.”

Zhao Pingsheng said, “I think what Xiao Luo says makes sense. If the undercover’s identity was exposed, then his murder makes sense.”

“So, two lines of investigation,” Chen Fei decided after a moment of contemplation. “Old Zhao, you and Miao Hong will pursue the undercover lead and find out where this ID card came from. Luo Jianan, you should focus on the vendetta first. Report any leads immediately.”

“Yes!” Luo Jianan replied. “By the way, Boss, are Team Leader Zhuang and the others involved in this case?”

“Not yet, but I have to warn you, Luo Jianan. If we set up a joint task force, you’ll have to put your temper to bed. If you dare to clash with our colleagues in the Narcotics Division again, I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of Senior Brother Weidong!”

“Boss, you’re amazing! You’re on the same page as my dad.” Luo Jianan rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction.

Hearing this, Zhao Pingsheng gave Chen Fei a meaningful look.

————————

After work, Luo Jianan went straight to Old B’s place, where he had dinner and inquired about clues. Qi Ming had a vegetarian dinner. Old B had noticed the last time he was here that after eating the crayfish Miao Hong had peeled, he only ate the vegetarian dishes. Seeing him coming today, Old B quickly went to the kitchen and cooked two vegetarian dishes, serving them up and offering a bottle of vintage wine for them to share.

Of course, drinking wouldn’t distract from the main task. Luo Jianan had previously instructed Old B to gather more information about Zhou Daguo, so Old B had specifically called in a henchman who had dealt with Zhou Daguo. This henchman, nicknamed “Pliers,” was said by Old B to be an expert at breaking into houses and picking locks.

As soon as Qian Zi sat down, Old B waved at Luo Jianan and said, “Call me Brother Nan.”

“Brother Nan,” Qian Zi nodded respectfully to Luo Jianan, then looked at Qi Ming. “This is…”

“This is our Teacher Qi,” Luo Jianan introduced him.

Qian Zi then respectfully called out to Qi Ming, “Hello, Teacher.”

Qi Ming felt awkward, but out of politeness, he nodded.

After a few sips of wine, Qian Zi wiped his lips and started talking: “This Zhou Daguo is such a fearless brat. Not only in our city, but in the southeastern provinces, who doesn’t know that Jinshan has the final say in that business?”

“That business” refers to drug trafficking.

“As soon as this guy showed up, he cleared out all the drug dealers working for Jinshan in the nightclub,” said Claws as he peeled some crayfish. “Do you know how powerful he is? No one’s dared to smuggle drugs into that big, most prestigious nightclub behind Minguang Plaza for years. Zhou Daguo slammed a suitcase full of cash on the manager’s desk and told him to either take the money and turn a blind eye to everything going on there, or just wait and see.”

Luo Jianan handed him a cigarette. “Go on.”

Claws wiped his hands, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and continued his conversation. “How could the manager dare take it? That was Brother Guang’s place, and it was raided that night. All the drug dealers and drug users were arrested, and he almost went to jail himself.”

“Who is Brother Guang?” Luo Jianan asked.

“Tan Xiaoguang,” Pliers lowered his voice. “He used to be a narcotics officer. He got into trouble and spent several years in prison. After he got out, he joined Jinshan. Think about it, he’s been in the narcotics department for so many years, what’s he got into? Ever since he joined Jinshan, his henchmen haven’t been caught very often.”

“Fvck! Scum!” Luo Jianan spat at the person beside him. He hated colleagues who kowtowed to money. For a police officer to join a drug dealer was like selling their soul to the devil. “What happened next? Didn’t Tan Xiaoguang go after Zhou Daguo?”

“Why not? Brother Guang gathered over a hundred people and surrounded the hotel where Zhou Daguo was staying. They told him to either pay money and kowtow, or jump down from the building. In any case, he couldn’t leave the hotel without an explanation.”

Qi Ming asked, “With such a big fuss, no one called the police?”

“Who would dare to offend Tan Xiaoguang? He previously put some idiot who was trying to steal his business into intensive care, and he only stayed there for three days before being released. There must be someone protecting him,” said Qian Zi with a disdainful snort.

Luo Jianan was displeased and rapped the table. “What do you mean? You’re accusing the police of protecting the underworld without any evidence?”

“Brother, don’t be angry. I’m just being rude and talking nonsense. Drink, drink.” Qian Zi gulped down half a glass of wine.

Watching his treasured wine being consumed in this way, Old B twitched his lips in pain.

“How was it finally resolved?” Luo Jianan asked.

“You know Zhou Daguo wasn’t a pushover. He made a few phone calls inside the house, and Jinshan called Brother Guang and told him to withdraw his men. He said he had a business deal with Zhou Daguo’s boss, and the subordinates shouldn’t mess things up.” Qian Zi squinted his alcohol-red eyes and took a puff of his cigarette. “But Jinshan was actually even angrier than Brother Guang. He issued a death warrant, offering one million to anyone who could kill Zhou Daguo.”

Luo Jianan nodded—it seemed someone had earned the million.

————————

The torrential rain washed away nearly all the evidence, and Qi Ming couldn’t find any traces of the murder weapon from the victim’s wound. But judging by the angle and cracks in the wound, the weapon was likely a cylindrical object. Finding a cylindrical object on a construction site is surprisingly easy; a wooden stick, an iron pipe, or even a shovel handle could be the murder weapon. But the trace investigators searched the crime scene extensively but couldn’t find any traces of the bloody weapon.

Therefore, the murder weapon was likely taken by the murderer.

Luo Jianan went to question Tan Xiaoguang, but he refused to see him. He called Tan Xiaoguang again, demanding he come to the bureau for an investigation. Tan Xiaoguang’s message was, “Either bring a formal confirmation letter or stop interrupting my earnings.” This infuriated Luo Jianan, so much so that he gritted his teeth as he drafted the confirmation letter, typing Tan Xiaoguang’s name.

The system was too slow to process, so Luo Jianan printed the confirmation letter and went straight to the director for approval. As he exited the elevator, he was nearly blocked by a group of female police officers rushing in. “Girls, what are you doing?” Squeezing out of the elevator, Luo Jianan held onto the door and raised his chin at the girls.

“Hey, Luo Jianan, let go! Don’t interrupt us from seeing the handsome guy!” a young female police officer from the logistics department yelled at him.

Luo Jianan pointed at himself. “Just look at me!”

Goodness, the elevator was lit up like a 200-watt lightbulb after all the eye-rolls he got.

Coming out of the director’s office, Luo Jianan wondered what kind of handsome guy had spooked all the girls in the bureau? So he walked to the window, opened it, and looked down—

Wait, who’s that blond foreigner standing at the gate hugging Qi Ming?