County Police Headquarters. Criminal Investigation Division!
Xiao Zhanwu was in the conference room analyzing the case with the deputy captain and several key officers when a frantic knock suddenly sounded at the door.
“Come in!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Xiao Zhanwu saw Li Yi push open the door and walk in.
Upon seeing it was Li Yi, Xiao Zhanwu immediately stood up and said, “Hey, Brother Li Yi, didn’t you just leave? Why are you back already?”
“Captain Xiao, I ran into something on the way here. I thought it might be helpful for that missing woman case of yours, so I came over!” Li Yi said.
Xiao Zhanwu’s eyes lit up immediately, and he hurriedly asked, “What’s the situation?”
He’d worked on cases with Li Yi before and knew he was no novice in this field. Since he’d mentioned it, there must be a lead.
Li Yi didn’t keep him in suspense; he immediately recounted his chance encounter with the woman searching for her husband!
After listening to the account, Xiao Zhanwu immediately said, “Are you suggesting that the disappearance of that woman’s husband could be investigated in conjunction with the missing woman case we’re currently handling?”
“Exactly. After all, they’re both missing persons cases, so combining them for investigation is definitely worth considering!” Li Yi replied.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged police officer suddenly interjected, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If we merge the investigations, it would conflict with our previous characterization of the case. After all, we’ve been investigating this as a case of human trafficking all along!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than another middle-aged police officer, slightly older, chimed in: “Exactly. If we take the wrong investigative approach, how are we ever going to solve the case?”
“Captain Xiao, I also think it’s a bit problematic…”
Hearing their unanimous opposition, Li Yi immediately retorted, “Then how can you be so certain that you’re right—that this case is definitely a case of human trafficking involving women?”
“Because all the missing persons reported to us are women. Based on our past experience, this is definitely a case of human trafficking targeting women!” the middle-aged officer said with certainty.
“That’s not necessarily the case. We’ve already had a male reported missing. Clearly, there’s a flaw in your reasoning!”
Li Yi continued, “Missing persons cases are major investigations. The missing individuals could have wandered off on their own, been kidnapped, held captive, trafficked, or—in the most extreme cases—murdered. When investigating, we must consider all possibilities comprehensively; we cannot simply classify it as trafficking just because the missing are women!”
Seeing that the middle-aged police officer was about to retort, Xiao Zhanwu immediately interjected, “Old Zhang, hold on a moment. Let Comrade Li Yi finish speaking first!”
Li Yi nodded and continued, “Most importantly, you’ve been treating this case as a missing woman case for so long without any breakthroughs. That alone proves your previous investigative approach was flawed!”
“Brother Li Yi, I know you have a strong talent for solving cases. In your opinion, how should we crack this one?” Xiao Zhanwu asked.
Li Yi replied immediately, “I don’t think this case is a human trafficking case. The first thing you need to do is determine the scale of the victims!”
“Are you saying there might be other missing persons?” Xiao Zhanwu asked.
“Yes, and you shouldn’t limit your investigation to Yong County. You might want to contact the police departments in the neighboring counties to see if they’ve received any reports of sudden disappearances in recent months!”
Li Yi continued, “Secondly, the woman who filed the report said her husband went missing while looking for work. You might want to check out the area near the bridge in the county—the day labor market—and see if you can find any leads!”
“You’ve got a point. We’ll get in touch with our colleagues in the other counties right away!”
Xiao Zhanwu then added, “By the way, where is that woman you mentioned? Where is she?”
“She’s in the reception hall filing the report!”
“Alright, I’ll go ask her myself!” Xiao Zhanwu said.
“Alright. By the way, Captain Xiao, do you have any spare vehicles here? I’d like to borrow one,” Li Yi said.
“We do. I’ll get you the keys!”
“Thanks…”
………..
After leaving the county bureau, Li Yi couldn’t stop thinking about the matter.
Based on his assessment, the missing women in Yong County, as well as the husband of that woman from the countryside, were very likely connected to that evil couple in Wu County.
After all, so many people disappearing from a single region in such a short time is rare even on a national scale.
And with a couple in the area who clearly took pleasure in murder, it seemed impossible that they weren’t involved!
But this was merely Li Yi’s own assessment; he had no evidence whatsoever, and there was no way he could share it with others—even if he did, no one would believe him.
Therefore, how to investigate this matter became a major problem.
More importantly, Li Yi’s understanding of the case was far from comprehensive; he had only heard a report about it by chance on the radio and retained only limited details.
So far, Li Yi only knew that the perpetrator’s name was Yan Minsheng and that the crime had taken place in Wu County.
But as for which commune or village this guy actually lived in, he knew nothing else.
Besides, even if he knew the suspect’s home address, Li Yi couldn’t just go investigating him without any grounds. Even if that actually solved the case, people would become suspicious of him.
Furthermore, the news reports at the time didn’t mention any details about the victims; they only stated that 48 people had been killed, without revealing their names or where they were from.
Perhaps the reports did mention it, but Li Yi hadn’t taken note; in any case, there was no way to trace the case through the victims.
However, Li Yi knew that to solve the case, he had to first track down that demonic couple and confirm their address.
According to reports from his past life, this diabolical couple liked to bury their victims’ bodies in their home after killing them. In other words, as long as he found their residence, he could locate the victims’ remains and convict them.
As for what excuse to use to search their home once he found their address, he’d figure that out later.
The problem was, figuring out that guy’s home address was another matter entirely.
The most direct approach would be to take this name to the Household Registration Division of the Wuxian County Public Security Bureau, compile a list of everyone with that name, and screen them one by one.
But this approach is rather inefficient. After all, in those days there were no computers; all household records were filled out by hand. Trying to track down every person with the same name in an entire county is no small task.
Not to mention having to screen them one by one—that would be even more troublesome.
Besides, what possible reason could he give to get the Wuxian County Public Security Bureau to investigate that Yan Minsheng?
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated Li Yi became!
Just as Li Yi was deep in thought, Zhang Ziqiang’s voice rang out: “Brother Yi, we’re here!”
Li Yi looked up and saw that the car had already returned to the guesthouse.
He composed himself and got out of the car.
Zhang Ziqiang locked the car, and the two of them walked into the guesthouse together.
Back in their room, they found the door locked, but the door to the adjacent room was ajar, and the voices of Jiang Xue and Ye Lingyun could be heard from inside.
Li Yi immediately headed toward his mother-in-law’s room and walked right in.
Seeing Li Yi enter, Jiang Xue immediately said happily, “You’re back! How did it go?”
Xiao Ya, standing nearby, also looked at Li Yi with eager anticipation!
“I’ve already spoken with Captain Xiao. They’ll do their best to find him, so we just need to be patient!” Li Yi said.
Hearing this, Xiaoya looked visibly disappointed.
“Did Captain Xiao and the others say how long it might take to find him?” Jiang Xue asked.
“No, they didn’t. After all, no one can say for sure with something like this!” Li Yi replied.
Ye Lingyun also noticed Xiaoya’s disappointment and immediately said, “Don’t lose heart. I’m sure the police officers will definitely find your mom!”
Watching the two young girls’ renewed hope, Li Yi couldn’t help but sigh.
If their mother really was connected to that evil couple, then the situation was looking grim. That evil couple was ruthless and had no habit of leaving anyone alive.
With that thought, Li Yi quickly changed the subject and asked, “Xiao Xue, Mom, do you have any plans for this afternoon?”
Jiang Xue replied immediately, “Mom wants to go take a look at the old textile factory!”
“Great. I just borrowed a car from the county bureau, so I’ll head over after I finish lunch!” Li Yi said.
“Okay…”
………