Chapter 244: Service Point

"The people from the power supply station all live in the power supply station's family quarters, right? Their location over there is also quite good..." the chubby shopkeeper said, a bit sluggishly.

Wei Zhengguo couldn't wait to interrupt him, asking, "What is Old Fu's name?"

"Fu... Fu Guangyun, I think." The chubby shopkeeper patted his head, trying to remember.

Wei Zhengguo immediately checked on his phone, then signaled for Wen Ming to keep an eye on the shopkeeper, before finding a corner to call Huang Qiangmin.

A criminal investigator who goes straight to arrest people the moment they get a lead would be relegated to the sidelines after handling just two cases in this country.

For a major, serious case organized by the Provincial Department, utilizing over a dozen laboratories, deploying hundreds of vehicles, and organizing thousands of people for screening—if four investigators finally screened out a result, would they just run off to make the arrest themselves?

If they managed to catch the suspect, the superiors might just grit their teeth and accept it, but what if they didn't, or if a standoff occurred?

Why not find a way to utilize the hundreds of officers from other units?

For Wei Zhengguo, having caught thieves for so many years, he was experienced and knowledgeable, and he knew better than anyone that there is strength in numbers.

Not to mention anything else, a criminal suspect with a normal mental state might resist when facing two or three people, but upon seeing a massive crowd, they would be the first to give up resistance.

Of course, they might try to flee, or try every possible means and use every method to evade capture, but eliminating armed confrontation is already a major success.

Unlike what is portrayed on television, the police neither want themselves or their colleagues to get hurt, nor do they want the criminal suspect to get hurt.

If a criminal suspect gets injured, the detention center won't even accept them, and you have to assign two or even four people to guard them at the hospital, working 24-hour shifts... Any investigator with a hero complex would be on the verge of a breakdown after guarding a criminal suspect in the hospital for half a month.

After Wei Zhengguo reported to Huang Qiangmin, he felt a bit more relaxed. He turned back and began to carefully question the chubby shopkeeper about the situation.

Wen Ming and Mu Zhiyang alertly circled the shop three times, and only after confirming that the two workers were outside did they return to guard the entrance.

Inside the shop, Jiang Yuan was also rapidly collecting information.

The information obtained at this moment was not only for arresting the suspect, Old Fu, but possibly also for rescuing Liu Jinghui.

If there was still time.

Jiang Yuan hadn't had the luxury of thinking about this question carefully before. For the previous three days, Jiang Yuan had spent his time in the autopsy room; before that, it was searching for corpses and sorting through trash or evidence in the mine shafts.

He had also deliberately avoided thinking about this question.

From the beginning, changing the mode from directly searching for Liu Jinghui to solving the case first and then searching for Liu Jinghui was already the best plan Jiang Yuan could come up with after discarding a lot of emotions.

Xu Taining, Huang Qiangmin, and the others ultimately approved this plan. Of course, a large part of this was due to their trust in Jiang Yuan—if they hadn't trusted Jiang Yuan's investigative ability, they likely wouldn't have adopted this indirect approach.

Jiang Yuan understood this point. While feeling fortunate that the case could proceed smoothly, he also had to bear this heavy pressure.

The pressure was always there, and there was no channel to relieve it; one could only forge ahead with all one's might.

It was still the same now; it was far from time to celebrate.

Because of various reasons, stories of choosing the wrong criminal suspect were never in short supply...

At times like this, verification is necessary, but it doesn't mean everything has to come to a halt.

Under Wei Zhengguo's careful questioning, the chubby shopkeeper gradually felt more at ease, and his chatterbox opened slightly: "Old Fu usually drove an old-model Grand Cherokee. That car had many minor issues and had to be brought in for repairs from time to time. Their unit also had a Foton pickup truck, which Old Fu also occasionally brought in for repairs and maintenance. Later, once we got familiar, he often borrowed my motorcycle, saying it was convenient for running on mountain roads."

"How long would he borrow the motorcycle for each time?"

"Short ones were a week, long ones were over a month. Sometimes when he came back, he was too lazy to return the bike, saying he'd want to use it again in a few days, so it was just a matter of a phone call."

"Then how was the payment calculated?"

"It wasn't really calculated; it was mainly the repair costs. This beat-up second-hand motorcycle only cost two or three thousand to buy. If he used it for a month, I'd just charge three or five hundred. The main thing was that he was driving on mountain roads and had to transport cables, motors, and the like, so it often needed repairs when he got back. Later on, I just calculated it directly into the repair costs. Look, I haven't written down any monthly settlements since then..."

"Is it normal to borrow a motorcycle so often?"

The chubby shopkeeper let out an "Aiya" and said, "It would be the same if he bought one himself; he'd still have to bring it to me every day. Old Fu often drove back, and the motorcycle's rear suspension would be loose. They were hard on the vehicles, the loads were heavy, and the road conditions were poor. Every time he came back, I had to take it apart to check, repair, and replace parts."

After a pause, the chubby shopkeeper pointed to the several vehicles in the back and said, "It's so much more comfortable for him to borrow from me. Every time, he picks the one in the best condition. If he's not satisfied at the time, I'll take a new part and replace it for him right then and there. If he really bought a motorcycle himself, he'd run it into the ground in a year at most, and the cost of replacing parts would be more than the bike itself."

Wei Zhengguo was amazed as he listened, and couldn't help but exchange a look with Jiang Yuan.

This was truly a case of practice yielding true knowledge. In a repair shop in a big city, there would certainly be no such service, nor would they rent out vehicles to customers so casually. Not to mention whether it was profitable, operating without a license would be a hassle.

But in a small township like Fangjin Township, whether it was compliant or not didn't have much meaning. Frequently coming to repair and replace parts would instead easily arouse suspicion. And if the motorcycle wasn't frequently maintained and kept in good condition, carrying a corpse weighing over a hundred jin, breaking down halfway would truly be a case of calling to heaven with no response and calling to earth with no reply.

At the same time, a motorcycle carrying an adult and an adult corpse, driving for a long time on mountain roads with terrible conditions, requiring maintenance and care, was also a very reasonable requirement.

From another perspective, ultimately choosing this mode of corpse disposal must have involved some experience.

"From which year did Old Fu start borrowing your motorcycle?" Jiang Yuan followed this line of thought and asked.

The chubby shopkeeper's brain stalled for a good while before thinking and saying, "It was the year they withdrew from the mountain, five or six years ago."

"What does 'withdrew' mean?"

"Their power supply station used to have a point on Xishan, it seemed to be for guaranteeing electricity for the surrounding factories and mines. Later, those factories and mines didn't do well, so the power supply station withdrew the point on Xishan. Old Fu used to live on Xishan, and later he moved down."

Jiang Yuan exchanged another look with Wei Zhengguo...

Wei Zhengguo let out a quiet "Good fellow," immediately took his phone and went outside to call Huang Qiangmin again.

Jiang Yuan questioned the chubby shopkeeper for a while longer, and when Wei Zhengguo returned, he continued the questioning.

In terms of interrogation techniques, Jiang Yuan and Wei Zhengguo were still a level apart.

The two took turns questioning for over half an hour, then took the shopkeeper into the car and headed to the police station.

This chubby shopkeeper was an important witness and definitely had to have a formal statement taken in the presence of a camera.

Jiang Yuan and the others got things straightened out here, and an hour had passed. Just as they came out of the interrogation room, they heard a chaotic scene outside.

A man wearing a black hood and blue double-pocket work clothes walked in, surrounded by seven or eight officers.

Just this sense of ritual in the arrest was enough to prove the person's identity.

"Already caught?" Wei Zhengguo asked someone who came in later.

The other person saw it was Wei Zhengguo, gave an "En," and said in a low voice, "Caught him as soon as we went. He didn't resist when he saw us, didn't say a word, didn't even ask a single question."

"Did he participate in our operation? I mean, auxiliary work or something like that." Jiang Yuan didn't know who to ask now, but seeing Wei Zhengguo knew this person, he hurried over.

The other person looked at Wei Zhengguo first, and seeing him nod, only then said, "The power supply station has guarantee tasks, and it's a public institution, so they definitely sent people out. Whether it was him, I don't know."

Speaking of this, he patted his head: "You reminded me, I'll go confirm this matter. The young man is so tall, you must be Jiang Yuan, right? Your mind is quite sharp."

The other person was about the same age as Wei Zhengguo, smiled and praised him before going to get busy.

Wei Zhengguo smiled, turned back and whispered to Jiang Yuan: "Li Ji. He used to be the captain of the plainclothes brigade of the Jianjiang City Criminal Police Team. He should be working on telecommunications fraud now."

Jiang Yuan nodded.

The criminal police present seemed to be watching the excitement, but in reality, they all had work to do. In a matter of minutes, they dispersed again, like fallen leaves on a windy day, leaving only a mess on the ground.

Not long after, Xu Taining hurried over.

Huang Qiangmin and several other persons in charge gathered spontaneously.

"Has Old Zhou gone in?" Xu Taining was referring to the interrogation expert Zhou Chuanwen.

Xu Taining had called him over a few days ago, presumably feeling that it was time to dig out the suspect.

Unexpectedly, digging out the suspect was so difficult. Zhou Chuanwen had also been on standby for several days because of this.

The subordinate knew Xu Taining's intentions and immediately said, "They've been inside for a quarter of an hour; the interrogation should have started."

"Let's go over and take a look, talk while we walk." Xu Taining called the local police station chief and went to the monitoring room to see the interrogation situation.

These were all standard equipment for police stations, but the township police station's equipment was a bit worse, the layout inside was a bit messy, and the monitoring room wasn't large enough. Several white shirts entered and stood in the middle, and the remaining group of blue-shirted persons in charge could only watch from the cracks.

Xu Taining looked to both sides and waved, saying, "Let Jiang Yuan come in and listen together. The case isn't over yet."

Jiang Yuan was then pulled in as well.

The group was even more uncomfortably crowded, and they could only focus their attention on the monitor screen...

In their ears, the interrogator's voice came out:

"Fu Guangyun, I was sent by the Provincial Department, specifically to Fangjin Township, to wait for you."

"You not speaking doesn't affect the progress of the case..."

"Fu Guangyun, this is your last chance!"

From the speaker came only the interrogator's voice.

The people standing in the monitoring room listening intently could hear Xu Taining's gradually heavy breathing.

A criminal suspect not speaking, wanting to resist the iron fist with silence—this wasn't a rare occurrence. Xu Taining believed that with Zhou Chuanwen's ability, it would only take a short time to break the suspect's psychological defense line.

Xu Taining had seen many similar cases.

The only thing he wasn't sure about was whether Liu Jinghui could hold on, and whether he was still alive.

The same anxiety was also spreading in Jiang Yuan's mind.

After waiting quietly for a few minutes, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but whisper, "I have a suggestion."

The atmosphere in the monitoring room was already oppressive enough, and as soon as Jiang Yuan spoke, everyone's eyes turned to him.

It was just that Jiang Yuan was a bit too tall, which didn't make the leaders feel too good.

"Let's hear it." Xu Taining was slightly expectant.

Jiang Yuan said, "When Wei and I were questioning the repair shop owner, we got a piece of information: the Fangjin Township Power Supply Station previously had a service point on Xishan, which was canceled five and a half years ago. Previously, that service point was specifically responsible for guaranteeing electricity for the nearby factories and mines. Later, we learned that the service point had a courtyard and three employees taking turns on duty. This includes the suspect, Fu Guangyun."

After a pause, Jiang Yuan continued, "During the duty period, according to regulations, two people were needed, but the three employees at the service point privately swapped their duty times, working two days and resting three, so there was always only one employee at the service point. In addition, the service point was equipped with a motorcycle and had water and electricity supply. The daily task was to run to various factories and mines for repair and maintenance work."

Jiang Yuan spoke very objectively, but in reality, he was describing a separate place suitable for dismembering a corpse.

Everyone understood, and each began to reason in their own minds.

Xu Taining said directly to Jiang Yuan, "Continue."

"Yes." Jiang Yuan looked at Huang Qiangmin and then said, "When Liu disappeared, he was with two police officers. The criminal suspect shouldn't have had enough force to confront them head-on. Nor was there any reason to confront three police officers head-on. Previously, Liu's tire was punctured, which shows part of the criminal suspect's strategy..."

Jiang Yuan didn't continue to speculate, but instead said, "The location where Liu's tire was punctured for the first time should be near the mine shaft where the corpse was disposed of. We also invested a lot of manpower to search near the mine shaft, but there were no results. Looking at the information we have now, Liu might have found the Xishan service point of the power supply station, or perhaps encountered a similar situation."

"You think the Xishan service point might be the killer's early corpse disposal site?" Xu Taining asked.

"Very likely. We dug very deep in the Zifeng Mountain mine shaft, and the death time of the earliest corpse is exactly over four years ago. And judging from the decomposition of the corpse parts, the No. 4 corpse source is definitely not the No. 1 victim." Jiang Yuan said very affirmatively, "In addition, there are corpses whose skulls have never been found. It is very reasonable to speculate that the killer has an earlier corpse disposal site or burial site closer to where they lived or worked."...

Compared to Fangjin Township, Zifeng Mountain was still slightly further away.

On the mountain road of several dozen kilometers, riding a motorcycle at a speed of under 30 km/h, it would take almost two hours, and the actual time might be even longer.

Honestly, a killer without experience and insufficient psychological quality wouldn't dare to transport a corpse so far, even in the wilderness.

And experience and psychological quality can be practiced.

For someone like Fu Guangyun, killing early on might have been very rough, and disposing of the body in a hurry near their residence or workplace was the most normal reaction.

But after gaining experience, their choices could be more numerous, and the mode could be more concealed and safe.

Like borrowing a motorcycle, he might have even considered the economic aspect.

Xu Taining was more familiar with Liu Jinghui than Jiang Yuan, and he subconsciously accepted Jiang Yuan's reasoning.

Liu Jinghui was an investigative genius who could find clues without evidence. In the eyes of a criminal investigator like Xu Taining who liked to work step-by-step, Liu Jinghui also had an innate intuition.

He always made incredible assumptions and ultimately proved them.

Therefore, Liu Jinghui wandering around the mine shaft several times, using police dogs near the killer's corpse disposal site multiple times, and deploying manpower far exceeding the average level for searching, undoubtedly stimulated the killer.

It is conceivable that if it weren't for an imminent crisis, the killer wouldn't have easily tried to puncture the police's tires.

This was also one of the reasons why Xu Taining agreed when Jiang Yuan proposed pumping water from the filled mine shaft. He did so because resources were abundant and clues were scarce, and also because he trusted Jiang Yuan's judgment. At the same time, Xu Taining also believed that Liu Jinghui wouldn't have wandered around the mine shaft for so long without a reason.

However, the search near the mine shaft failed to find Liu Jinghui, which was quite frustrating. The thought at the time might have been that the mine shaft was too complex, or the mountain road was too dangerous, leading to a fall or being forced to fall.

Looking at it now, Liu Jinghui might have just found the killer's corpse disposal site—this is unusual for a normal criminal investigator. A normal criminal investigator, after encountering a car accident, would definitely have to desperately look for the cause on the spot.

But for Liu Jinghui, even if he used himself as bait, the evidence he hooked out was only a part of the case.

He always used his own way of thinking, in a posture of "four ounces to move a thousand pounds," to lightly solve the case.

If Liu Jinghui had any fault, perhaps it was that he underestimated the killer's growth.

The killer punctured the tire for the first time, creating a car accident, allowing Liu Jinghui to escape a disaster. The second time, the killer had probably evolved too.

"Go find a map of Fangjin Township, as well as a map near Xishan." Xu Taining no longer hesitated.

The subordinate responded and left.

Jiang Yuan coughed lightly and whispered, "I think we can deploy police dogs. It's best to deploy a few more. Not only can they try to sniff for corpses, but they can also use items belonging to Liu and the missing police officers as scent sources. It's best to also use the criminal suspect as a scent source."

"Okay, also wake up the technical investigation team, check the criminal suspect's mobile phone, and see if we can draw a range." Xu Taining was fighting a rich battle and never went soft when using resources. ===== CHAPTER 245 =====