Chapter 225: Xiao Zhanwu
In the days that followed, Li Yi didn’t pay much attention to the matter; after all, being unfamiliar with the area, there wasn’t much he could do to help.
So, for the past few days, he’s been taking Tang Xue on leisurely strolls around the county town!
They left their footprints at the county-run restaurant, the supply and marketing cooperative, the movie theater, and the school Tang Xue had previously attended!
After a few days, Tang Xue’s spirits had lifted considerably.
A week later, news finally came from Long Zhanjun.
After reviewing the investigative report Long Zhanjun had sent back, Li Yi immediately asked, “Big Long, is the situation regarding Tang Meiqin’s eldest son true? Does he really owe a lot of gambling debts he can’t pay back?”
“It’s true. We’ve looked into it thoroughly—that guy really does owe Old Wu a lot of money!”
“How much?”
“A little over a thousand yuan.”
Li Yi immediately pulled out a thousand yuan and handed it to Long Zhanjun, then said, “Take this thousand yuan to your friend and get the IOU from him!”
“No need. I’ll just ask him for it directly…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi said calmly, “Take it. It’s best not to let a favor go unpaid—sometimes a 1,000-yuan favor can’t be repaid even with 100,000 yuan!”
“I understand! But what do we do once we get the IOU?” Long Zhanjun asked.
“Once we have the IOU, send someone over to that guy’s place right away to collect the debt!”
“What if he refuses to pay?”
“It’s best if he doesn’t. Just tie him up and have Tang Meiqin come and ransom him!”
Li Yi continued, “Remember, don’t get involved personally when kidnapping him. Just have Old Wu bring him out and keep him under control—and don’t hit him!”
“Yes, sir!”
Just then, Long Zhanjun suddenly spoke up: “Brother Yi, I just got some news. I’m not sure if I should share it.”
“What’s the news?”
“It looks like the arson case at Xinjing Town Health Center has been solved!” Long Zhanjun said.
“Solved? Did they catch the culprit?”
“Yeah, apparently the culprit is a local man from Xinjing Town!”
“What was the motive?”
“I heard the man’s wife was taken to the clinic after going into labor, but by the time she arrived, it was too late—they couldn’t save her, and both mother and child died!”
Long Zhanjun continued, “The man blamed the clinic for the deaths of both his wife and child. He went there every day to cause trouble and demanded compensation from the clinic. Naturally, the clinic refused and took a firm stance, which really angered him!”
Li Yi frowned and thought for a moment before asking, “Did that man confess?”
“I don’t think so, but everyone in town says he did it, since he’d previously threatened to burn down the clinic!”
Li Yi shook his head and said, “I know. The plan stays the same!”
“Well…”
Before Long Zhanjun could finish, Li Yi asked again, “Do you have any contacts in the police force?”
“Yes, one of my comrades works at the county bureau, but he’s not in a leadership position,” Long Zhanjun replied.
“Get him to meet with me. Just tell him I’m offering him a chance for a promotion!” Li Yi said calmly.
“Got it!”
With that, Long Zhanjun left!
After seeing Long Zhanjun off, Tang Xue said with some concern, “This… might not be a good idea. Why don’t we just drop the investigation?”
“Are you worried we might be breaking the law?”
“Well, kidnapping someone is against the law, isn’t it?” Tang Xue said.
“Haha, we didn’t kidnap anyone. We just had that Wu guy call the kid out and keep him occupied. But we need to make Tang Meiqin think we’re the ones who kidnapped him!”
“You want to use her son to threaten her?”
“Yep!”
“What if she doesn’t talk? After all, if she does, she’ll go to jail.”
“Don’t worry, she’ll talk!” Li Yi said confidently.
According to our investigation, Tang Meiqin has only this one precious son, and she dotes on him immensely.
Over the years, the boy had gone astray, racking up a hefty gambling debt, and Tang Meiqin had always cleaned up after him.
She’d even gone so far as to buy him a job at the town grain depot just to keep him from loafing around. It’s safe to say her son is Tang Meiqin’s Achilles’ heel.
With people, it’s not their wickedness you fear—it’s their vulnerabilities!
Once you have a weakness, even the strongest armor is useless.
…….
The next day at noon, Long Zhanjun showed up again, this time bringing a young man with him.
Upon seeing Li Yi, Long Zhanjun immediately introduced him: “Brother Yi, this is my comrade-in-arms, Xiao Zhanwu. He works at the county bureau!”
Long Zhanjun had already told Xiao Zhanwu about Li Yi before they arrived, and had relayed Li Yi’s exact words to him.
So Xiao Zhanwu cut straight to the chase: “I want to know how you plan to get me promoted.”
“You know about the arson case at the Xinjing Town Health Center, right?”
“I do!”
“Can I get promoted if I solve this case?” Li Yi asked casually.
“Huh, that’s odd. I heard that case had already been solved!” Xiao Zhanwu frowned.
“Are you talking about the husband of that pregnant woman who died?”
“Yeah!”
“He’s not the real killer!” Li Yi said with certainty.
“Why? I heard the police station in Xinjing Town already got the suspect to confess. What makes you say he’s not the killer? If he’s not the real killer, then who is?” Xiao Zhanwu asked in a low voice.
“I’ll definitely give you the answer, but for now, just tell me if solving this case will get me a promotion!” Li Yi said.
“There’s a chance, but it’s not very likely!”
“What if we add a case involving the theft of an infant to it?”
“That should be enough. But why me?” Xiao Zhanwu asked.
Li Yi replied calmly, “We chose you because you’re Dalong’s comrade-in-arms. We had no other choice but you!”
“What do I have to give in return?”
Xiao Zhanwu knew full well that there’s no such thing as a free lunch; any reward is proportional to the effort put in, let alone something that seems like a windfall.
“You don’t have to do anything—just watch from the sidelines. But you must not interfere with our operation without my permission!”
Li Yi continued, “Apart from that, once the case is solved, you’ll have to do us a favor!”
“What kind of favor?”
“We’ll discuss that later, but I promise it won’t cause you to violate any regulations, nor will it tarnish your personal honor!” Li Yi said.
“All right, I’ll agree! But first, you have to convince me why that man isn’t the arsonist!” Xiao Zhanwu said.
“They say the dog that bites doesn’t bark. Think carefully about the criminals you’ve dealt with—how many of them announced their crimes to the world beforehand? Unless they were suicidal or deliberately seeking revenge on society!”
Li Yi continued, “Clearly, that man was just taking out his anger on the clinic because his wife and child died—or maybe he was just trying to extort some money. If he really wanted to take revenge on the clinic, he wouldn’t have said those things. And if he really did it, he wouldn’t have stayed home quietly waiting for the police to come arrest him!”
“That’s true, but that alone doesn’t seem to be enough,” Xiao Zhanwu said again.
“Of course, that alone definitely isn’t enough!”
Li Yi continued, “I’ve been to the scene of the arson—I went there the day before the fire and again after it happened—so I’m fairly familiar with the area outside the Xinjing Town Health Center!”
“As far as I know, the walls around Xinjing Town Health Center are very high—at least two and a half meters—and they’re studded with broken glass. There’s also a large iron gate. Once it’s locked at night, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to get in! Especially without alerting the people inside—it’s simply impossible!”
“Moreover, the large kitchen is at the end of the left corridor, and it’s stacked with firewood right next to it. If I were seeking revenge against the clinic staff, I’d have simply set that firewood ablaze. In that case, it wouldn’t have been just half the clinic that burned down—it would have been completely destroyed, and hardly anyone inside would have been able to escape.”
“But in reality, when I went there that day, I happened to hear the fire department’s conclusion: the fire started in the archives room at the end of the right-hand corridor. So this wasn’t an act of revenge at all.”
After hearing Li Yi’s analysis, Xiao Zhanwu couldn’t help but nod in agreement, then said, “So, does that mean the Xinjing Town Police Station really got it wrong?”
“Most likely. If we don’t look into this, it could easily become a miscarriage of justice!” Li Yi said.
“I admit you’ve convinced me. It’s been a pleasure working with you!”
With that, Xiao Zhanwu extended his hand first!
“It’s been a pleasure working with you!”
……