Chapter 963: Difficult Progress
Chen Shi glanced at the name of the female graduate student accused of killing her husband: Chen Anhe. She now resided in Long’an. He considered tracking her down but decided against it for now. With two cases simultaneously under investigation, resources were too stretched to follow what seemed like a minor lead.
Meanwhile, Tao Yueyue sat in a SWAT vehicle headed to the black-market car dealership. To her surprise, the dealership was closed during the day. The team leader asked, “Is this the place?”
Tao Yueyue nodded, feeling a bit nervous—not about facing criminals, but because she was surrounded by tall, muscular SWAT officers.
The team leader issued orders through his radio, and the officers disembarked, preparing for a raid.
Inside the vehicle, Tao Yueyue asked, “Can women become SWAT officers?”
“Of course. Men and women can both be in SWAT,” Lin Dongxue replied. “But I think you’re interested in something else.”
Tao Yueyue smirked and laughed.
Lin Dongxue leaned in and whispered, “If you get assigned to the municipal bureau, go to the second-floor west window every afternoon at three. The SWAT guys work out shirtless on the field below.”
“Wow, Sister Lin, you’re such a pervert.”
“Aren’t you? I saw you staring at that guy’s chest muscles earlier!” Lin Dongxue teased, making Tao Yueyue giggle.
With a serious expression, Tao Yueyue declared, “I have a new goal to strive for!”
A loud crash came from outside as the SWAT team broke down the door. They moved swiftly, and within two minutes, all suspects were in custody. Some of the men were familiar to Tao Yueyue, and they now looked like disgraced rats being led out.
Lin Dongxue said, “Our turn now!”
The detectives exited the vehicle and entered the dealership. Inside were several dismantled cars, revealing the place to be a chop shop. Stolen cars were either resold or stripped for parts.
Lin Dongxue opened a drawer filled with license plates and instructed, “Take all these plates and ledgers.”
By 5 PM, the evidence and suspects were brought back to the detective unit. Chen Shi came out to greet them.
“The operation went smoothly. Based on the ledgers, the total value of stolen cars handled here is in the five-figure range. It’s quite a case,” Lin Dongxue reported.
“Great job. We’ll be questioning these guys for a while,” Chen Shi said.
Processing the evidence from the chop shop took three days, but the effort paid off. Among the fake plates was the one Tao Yueyue had seen. One of the suspects claimed it had been purchased by a man known as Lao Si, and provided an address.
Excited by the lead, Chen Shi immediately assembled a team and headed there.
They found a family of three living at the address. The homeowner, nervous at the sight of police, asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Do you know anyone called Lao Si?” Chen Shi inquired.
“No, there’s no one by that name here.”
“Is this a rental?”
“Yes, we moved here from out of town for work.”
“I’d like to speak with the landlord.”
The landlord, who lived on the same floor, soon arrived with a stack of rental contracts. As Chen Shi sifted through them, one name caught his eye: Lu Dahai, a single man fitting the profile of their suspect.
“How long did he live here?” Chen Shi asked.
“Two years. He worked at a convenience store but was transferred and moved out.”
Lin Dongxue checked the police database and called Chen Shi aside. “Captain, he has a criminal record.”
“Look into it further!” Chen Shi handed her his phone. “Call the bureau.”
Using Lin Dongxue’s phone, Chen Shi showed a photo to Tao Yueyue. “Is this the man?”
Tao Yueyue covered the top part of the photo and frowned, trying to recall. “I’m not sure, but I might recognize his voice.”
A while later, Lin Dongxue reported, “He’s still working at a convenience store. It’s a chain, and he gets one day off a week—Wednesdays. He was imprisoned for aggravated assault, later transferred to a psychiatric hospital, and released three years ago.”
“I think we’ve got him. But Yueyue needs to confirm it. Let’s call off the team and go ourselves. Yueyue, change out of that uniform.”
“I didn’t bring any other clothes,” Yueyue complained.
“I’ll buy you something from a nearby kids’ store,” Chen Shi said.
“Why kids’ clothes?” Yueyue pouted.
“Because adult stores don’t carry your size,” Chen Shi teased.
Unhappy, Yueyue frowned.
The officers headed back while Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue took Yueyue shopping. After trying several stores, Yueyue still hadn’t found anything suitable. Impatient, Chen Shi urged, “Just pick something already.”
“Choosing clothes takes time… Why are they all so childish?” Yueyue sighed.
Lin Dongxue held up an outfit. “Try this one, Yueyue.”
“That’s menswear,” Chen Shi noted.
“So what? Yueyue is slim enough to pull off a dapper look,” Lin Dongxue insisted.
Yueyue tried on the purple men’s shirt and pants, complete with a tie. She spun around in the mirror, grinning. “This looks great! You’ve got an eye for style, Sister Lin.”
“It’s like you’re a different person!” Chen Shi agreed.
“Girls can look good in anything if they pick the right outfit,” Lin Dongxue said proudly.
“Sure, you’ll handle Yueyue’s shopping from now on. Let’s get to work.”
The convenience store was quite far. On the way, Chen Shi mused, “After four or five days, we finally have a solid lead. I hope this isn’t a dead end.”
“Thankfully, there hasn’t been another ‘Life Function’ note recently. By the way, how’s the information search going?” Lin Dongxue asked.
“It’s on my WeChat. Check it yourself.”
Lin Dongxue retrieved Chen Shi’s phone from his pocket and read a message from Sun Zhen. It explained that a forum post detailed Xiaoya’s scheme to trap and extort wealthy men with her looks.
“This post is from last year. It doesn’t reveal Xiaoya’s real identity. How did the killer find her?” Lin Dongxue pondered.
“It’s the only lead Sun Zhen could find. The killer might have hacking skills and monitored her.”
“He must have monitored many people to find two ‘worthy of killing.’ Does he have nothing better to do?”
From the back seat, Yueyue suggested, “What if his job is to monitor and observe people?”