Chapter 271: He Took Away All the Military Uniform Photos

Thinking about it, with ten people involved in the case, it's equivalent to ten families splitting this sum.

Thinking this way, the amount each family actually puts out isn't much.

Yu Dazhang had wanted to ask about the specific compensation amount, but when the words reached his lips, he felt there was no need.

Since it was enough for Han Lianwen's family to live without worry about food and clothing, then he didn't need to concern himself further.

Add to that the discharge pay from Han Lianwu's military service, and it should be more than enough for the mother and son to live on going forward.

He enlisted right after high school graduation, meaning he joined the army at 18, and was discharged last year at 29. Eleven years of service would mean at least several hundred thousand in discharge pay.

The exact figure depends on each region's standards, but it starts at a minimum of six hundred thousand.

If there are merit citations, for instance, an individual Third-class merit, the discharge pay increases accordingly by five percent.

Soldiers who served in harsh regions or in special military branches also receive additional subsidies.

"Are there any photos of Han Lianwu at home?"

When Yu Dazhang asked this question, he was somewhat nervous inside.

Because this would determine Han Lianwu's final attitude.

"Yes, wait a moment, let me look for them." After the woman finished speaking, she went into another room.

Yu Dazhang sat in the chair and waited quietly.

Given the suspects' counter-surveillance awareness, they would certainly anticipate that one day the police might track them to their home.

So to prevent further tracking, all videos, photos, and the like would need to be cleaned up in advance.

The result was...

"They're all here."

The woman walked out of the room holding an old-fashioned photo album in her hand, and placed the album on the dining table in the living room:

"Photos of our whole family are all inside."

He didn't clean up!

At this moment, Yu Dazhang was momentarily dazed.

This was the outcome he least wanted to see.

If Han Lianwu was indeed the suspect, the fact that he hadn't taken any action to clean up the photos meant he had given up.

He simply hadn't thought about running away!

From here on, Han Lianwu only had two choices left:

1. Perish together.

2. A cornered beast's fight.

Whichever choice it was, for the police it was extreme and unfavorable.

Moreover, a person like this with solid military skills, adept at special operations, was capable of inflicting casualties on the police.

"Are you sure there are photos of Han Lianwu inside?"

Yu Dazhang glanced at the album on the table, and when he asked this, he was already harboring a hint of wishful thinking.

"Of course, most of the photos inside I personally placed there."

As the woman spoke, she opened the album, then pointed at one of them and said:

"Look, this is Xiao Wu. This photo was taken when he was in school."

Yu Dazhang looked in the direction she was pointing.

The Han Lianwu in the photo looked only fifteen or sixteen, his face full of youthful innocence, his features delicate yet with a hint of firmness.

The woman's hands didn't stop, continuing to flip through the album.

"This one was taken before he enlisted."

"Look at this one, it was sent back from his unit; that was when he had just completed one year of service."

"This one was taken when he was on family leave, home for the New Year. I remember that year he was 24, already six years into his service."

As she introduced each photo, her face was radiant with a happy, warm smile, as if these photos were the treasures in her hands.

When he had first entered the house, Yu Dazhang had noticed an indelible melancholy between the woman's brows.

But at this moment her brow was relaxed, and the whole person looked radiant and full of spirit.

But upon turning to the last page, the woman suddenly stopped her actions.

"That's not right, some photos are missing."

Saying so, she flipped the album back toward the front.

Yu Dazhang, looking at the end, also noticed something off.

This album contained quite a few photos of Han Lianwu, from the youthful, green appearance of his younger years to the mature steadiness of adulthood.

However, among so many photos, there was not a single one of him in military uniform.

Eleven years of military service, and not one military uniform photo — how could that be? Besides, the military isn't so secretive as to forbid that; taking commemorative photos in service dress is still permitted.

"Why are they gone?"

The woman quickly flipped the album back to the first page, her eyes full of astonishment:

"Xiao Wu had several photos of him in military uniform — how are they gone? Not a single one left."

Seeing that she was about to continue flipping through the album, Yu Dazhang quickly advised:

"If they're gone, then forget it. It's possible he took them out to show a friend."

He could now determine with certainty that the photos had been taken by Han Lianwu, and that he had deliberately chosen the military uniform photos to take.

The purpose, then...

Han Lianwu was afraid that what he had done would tarnish the image of soldiers.

This was the only possibility Yu Dazhang could think of.

Just then, Ye Zhiyu walked out of the room.

!

He first nodded at Yu Dazhang, then looked at the woman beside him:

"His condition has stabilized. From now on, even if he sees multiple strangers, he won't experience negative emotions like fear or panic anymore."

"Really?" the woman asked excitedly.

"Mm, I promise." Ye Zhiyu nodded firmly, speaking with great certainty:

"From now on, he can go in and out of public places just like a normal person."

It was precisely because Han Lianwen couldn't see more than two strangers that he could only stay cooped up at home.

It had been like this for over ten years. For him, this place was home, but also a cage.

Ye Zhiyu had specifically addressed his psychological trauma, making him forget that experience so that he would no longer排斥 strangers.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

The woman was not a person of many words; she could only keep saying thank you.

Yu Dazhang took the opportunity to make a request:

"Could I have a recent photo of Han Lianwu? If it's inconvenient, I can just snap one with my phone."

"Sure." The woman agreed readily. She flipped to the back of the photo album, pulled out a photo, and handed it over:

"Would this one work?"

Yu Dazhang took it and glanced at it.

It was a front-facing photo. Han Lianwen was wearing a shirt on his upper body, his face was very clear, chin slightly raised, eyes sharp and cold, yet the corners of his lips carried a faint smile.

"This one will do." Yu Dazhang put the photo away, then stood up to take his leave:

"Sorry for the intrusion."

The woman saw them to the door, and finally couldn't help asking:

"Did Xiaowu do something illegal?"

After saying that, she looked at Yu Dazhang with a tense expression.

"We're still in the investigation stage. We came today just to understand the situation."

Yu Dazhang answered with a relaxed expression:

"We're looking for Han Lianwu in the hope that he can assist us with the case."

This family had already suffered enough misfortune; he truly couldn't bear to further upset this mother.

Besides, before a verdict is pronounced, no one can认定 Han Lianwu as a criminal.

After going downstairs, Yu Dazhang took an evidence bag from his bag, opened it, and said to Ye Zhiyu:

"Put it inside."

Ye Zhiyu had been clenching his fist tightly the whole time. Hearing Yu Dazhang speak now, he placed his fist at the mouth of the bag and opened his hand.

A lock of hair slipped from his hand into the evidence bag.

"Didn't I tell you to take just one strand? Why did you take so many?" Yu Dazhang asked, a little annoyed.

Ye Zhiyu, however, was unfazed:

"Better safe than sorry."

Yu Dazhang ignored him and turned to look at Liu Miao:

"Take these two items to the local municipal bureau for DNA鉴定."

As he spoke, he handed the evidence bag and the urine stain sample to Liu Miao.

Back in the car, he took out his phone and called Ma Jian.

Since he had gone to Tongcheng personally to find Liu Miao, he had Ma Jian stay behind in Xicheng to wait for further instructions together with Xia Bin.

The moment the call connected, Yu Dazhang ordered directly:

"You two head to Xicheng Third Hospital right now. I'll meet you there."

(End of this chapter)