Chapter 41 Another Direction
It was around 4:40 in the early morning when Su Tianyu, Bai Hongbo, Zhang Hao, and others arrived at the third-story warehouse by car. The heavy rain outside was still ongoing, and several police officers were at the scene both inside and outside the warehouse collecting evidence.
Inside the car, Su Tianyu dialed Yu Mingyuan's number and said, "Hey, we've arrived, but it looks like there are still police officers inside the warehouse."
"Don't go in yet. They'll seal the scene once they finish their work. Wait for them to leave before you proceed. Don't touch any other equipment inside, just clean up the speedboat in the backyard," replied Yu Mingyuan. Although he was annoyed by the unnecessary trouble, he still restrained his emotions and instructed Su Tianyu and the others to finish the job.
"Okay, got it," Su Tianyu nodded.
They chatted for a while before ending the call.
"This Tang Baiqing really has nothing better to do. Is it necessary to play with women until it results in death? Why not just love properly?" Bai Hongbo couldn't understand why a beautiful relationship between a man and a woman had to end up in a bloody incident. He was also quite annoyed, "Do you think this will affect our business?"
"It shouldn't. These are two separate matters," Su Tianyu nodded.
"Sigh, we're receiving new goods tomorrow, but someone had to cause a fatal incident tonight," Bai Hongbo lit a cigarette and said, "It's really frustrating."
Su Tianyu hadn't thought too much about it earlier, but upon hearing Bai Hongbo's words, he suddenly realized something, "Oh my god! Tang Baiqing caused trouble in the warehouse. What about Wu Shixiong?"
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
"He lives here. He was probably taken away by the police as a witness," Bai Hongbo guessed.
—---
Normally, Tang Baiqing's case would be handled directly by the police station. Therefore, he and Wu Shixiong should have been taken back to the station for questioning. However, Deputy Chief Yang didn't arrange it that way. Instead, he instructed the police officers to take them to the criminal office building in Zhanan District.
The heavy rain was still pouring outside. Tang Baiqing's father's business car was parked across from the criminal office building in Zhanan District, with the engine on and the lights off. The car was full of people.
"Old Tang, make some calls, use your connections!" Tang Baiqing's mother urged anxiously. "We can't just wait like this."
"You're not thinking straight," Tang Baiqing's father retorted, frowning. "We haven't received any news from Old Yang yet. What good will using connections do? What should I say? That your son committed murder?"
"What do we do then?"
"We wait. If Old Yang doesn't respond, we shouldn't complicate things." Tang Baiqing's father waved his hand dismissively.
Tang Baiqing's mother sniffled but didn't dare argue.
It was just early morning, and the police detectives hadn't arrived at the crime office yet. The criminal investigation building was quiet and deserted.
After Tang Baiqing was brought back, he was left in the police officer's office on the third floor. No one had questioned him or taken any measures to detain him. Instead, the officers had questioned Wu Shixiong twice, asking him about basic information on the case.
In the criminal investigation office on the third floor, Old Yang sat in a chair by the window, poring over the victim's information, as well as Tang Baiqing and Wu Shixiong's profiles.
"Tang Baiqing claims the girl was pregnant. Is that true?" Old Yang asked, flipping through the documents.
"No, it's not true. The forensic examination showed that she wasn't pregnant. She probably just said that to scare Tang Baiqing," the officer replied, sipping his tea. "But it's been confirmed that she did have needle injections. That's good for Tang Baiqing's defense."
"Okay, that's something," Old Yang nodded, squinting at Wu Shixiong's personal information. "This Wu Shixiong lives on Tufang Street, and he has two brothers at home?"
"Yes, according to the form he filled out himself," the officer nodded. "I mentioned him earlier. He seems a bit intellectually challenged and has difficulty speaking."
"Oh?" Old Yang raised his head. "He has a mental deficiency?"
"That's what it sounds like when he talks," the officer warned softly. "Boss, if this guy really does have a mental deficiency, that could complicate things. If we follow the girl's story and use self-defense as Tang Baiqing's defense, but Wu Shixiong is found to have a mental deficiency, then his testimony won't hold up in court. Without a third witness, it will be difficult for the prosecution to accept only Tang Baiqing's confession and the evidence we've collected."
In the third year since the establishment of the Dragon City Police Station, Old Yang began working as a police officer there. Although his rank was not particularly high, he had a wealth of experience in handling criminal cases. With just a cursory glance at the case files, he already had some ideas in mind.
"Let's go take a look at this Wu Shixiong," Old Yang said as he stood up.
"You're still going to question him? Won't it be useless?" the other officer asked, standing up as well.
Old Yang didn't say anything and simply walked out of the office.
Five minutes later, inside the interrogation room, when Wu Shixiong saw Old Yang come in, he immediately stood up and greeted him, "Officer... Officer, hello!"
"Hehe, it's okay. You can sit down," Old Yang smiled and waved his hand. "Want a cigarette?"
"No thanks," Wu Shixiong shook his head.
"I've read your statement, and it seems like this has nothing to do with you," Old Yang sat down at the questioning table and spoke in a friendly manner. "You can sign off and leave the police station once you're done."
"Ah, thank... thank you," Wu Shixiong nodded.
"I saw in your statement that you have two brothers at home? Are they both working? Oh, and was your family originally from Xia Island?" Old Yang didn't ask any serious questions but instead chatted with Wu Shixiong like an old friend.
They talked until around 6:30 in the morning, and Old Yang only left the interrogation room after that. "It's almost time for work. Wrap things up and we'll be back at the police station at 8," he told the other officer.
"Okay," the officer nodded.
"I'm going out for a bit," Old Yang grabbed a coat and left the building in the light rain, getting into Tang family's car. "Don't just sit here. Drive around."
The driver obeyed.
"So, Old Yang, how's it going?" Tang Baiqing’s father immediately asked.
"Old Tang, this case is complicated to explain, but it's also simple," Old Yang replied with some hesitation, rubbing his hands together as he recounted his thoughts. "Bai Qing and that woman both injected themselves with drugs, but we can change that. However, according to our previous plan, the eyewitness at the scene is a bit tricky... he has some cognitive impairment, and we still haven't figured out how severe it is. But if he has serious intellectual disabilities, then his testimony won't hold much weight in court."
"Ah, go on."
"I thought about it, and this case can actually be taken in another direction," Old Yang leaned in and whispered his thoughts to Tang.
—---
At just past 7 in the morning, in a breakfast shop near the port in the Zhanan district, Wei Xiangzuo was enjoying his soy milk and fried dough sticks with a hearty appetite.
"Hey, have you heard?" a young man spoke in a low voice.
"What?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.
"Last night, it seems like Tang Baiqing from the marine police had an accident," the young man replied. "Someone died, at the warehouse in Haiyan Pit. We were just thinking of asking him for a favor yesterday, but who would have thought that we wouldn't even be able to find him today."
"Why were you looking for him?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.
"What else could we do? Everyone is unhappy with the deal that Tang Baiqing and the Zang gang are involved in. At first, it was a small operation and we gave them face and bought from them. But now they're getting bigger and bigger, and those higher up are not pleased," the young man replied with a sneer. "What do you think about this, Xiangzuo?"
Wei Xiangzuo took a sip of his soy milk but remained silent.
Meanwhile, Su Tianyu had finished dealing with the aftermath of the third-story warehouse and immediately headed to the Zhanan police station with Bai Hongbo and Zhang Hao.
Chapter 41 Another Direction
It was around 4:40 in the early morning when Su Tianyu, Bai Hongbo, Zhang Hao, and others arrived at the third-story warehouse by car. The heavy rain outside was still ongoing, and several police officers were at the scene both inside and outside the warehouse collecting evidence.
Inside the car, Su Tianyu dialed Yu Mingyuan's number and said, "Hey, we've arrived, but it looks like there are still police officers inside the warehouse."
"Don't go in yet. They'll seal the scene once they finish their work. Wait for them to leave before you proceed. Don't touch any other equipment inside, just clean up the speedboat in the backyard," replied Yu Mingyuan. Although he was annoyed by the unnecessary trouble, he still restrained his emotions and instructed Su Tianyu and the others to finish the job.
"Okay, got it," Su Tianyu nodded.
They chatted for a while before ending the call.
"This Tang Baiqing really has nothing better to do. Is it necessary to play with women until it results in death? Why not just love properly?" Bai Hongbo couldn't understand why a beautiful relationship between a man and a woman had to end up in a bloody incident. He was also quite annoyed, "Do you think this will affect our business?"
"It shouldn't. These are two separate matters," Su Tianyu nodded.
"Sigh, we're receiving new goods tomorrow, but someone had to cause a fatal incident tonight," Bai Hongbo lit a cigarette and said, "It's really frustrating."
Su Tianyu hadn't thought too much about it earlier, but upon hearing Bai Hongbo's words, he suddenly realized something, "Oh my god! Tang Baiqing caused trouble in the warehouse. What about Wu Shixiong?"
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
"He lives here. He was probably taken away by the police as a witness," Bai Hongbo guessed.
—---
Normally, Tang Baiqing's case would be handled directly by the police station. Therefore, he and Wu Shixiong should have been taken back to the station for questioning. However, Deputy Chief Yang didn't arrange it that way. Instead, he instructed the police officers to take them to the criminal office building in Zhanan District.
The heavy rain was still pouring outside. Tang Baiqing's father's business car was parked across from the criminal office building in Zhanan District, with the engine on and the lights off. The car was full of people.
"Old Tang, make some calls, use your connections!" Tang Baiqing's mother urged anxiously. "We can't just wait like this."
"You're not thinking straight," Tang Baiqing's father retorted, frowning. "We haven't received any news from Old Yang yet. What good will using connections do? What should I say? That your son committed murder?"
"What do we do then?"
"We wait. If Old Yang doesn't respond, we shouldn't complicate things." Tang Baiqing's father waved his hand dismissively.
Tang Baiqing's mother sniffled but didn't dare argue.
It was just early morning, and the police detectives hadn't arrived at the crime office yet. The criminal investigation building was quiet and deserted.
After Tang Baiqing was brought back, he was left in the police officer's office on the third floor. No one had questioned him or taken any measures to detain him. Instead, the officers had questioned Wu Shixiong twice, asking him about basic information on the case.
In the criminal investigation office on the third floor, Old Yang sat in a chair by the window, poring over the victim's information, as well as Tang Baiqing and Wu Shixiong's profiles.
"Tang Baiqing claims the girl was pregnant. Is that true?" Old Yang asked, flipping through the documents.
"No, it's not true. The forensic examination showed that she wasn't pregnant. She probably just said that to scare Tang Baiqing," the officer replied, sipping his tea. "But it's been confirmed that she did have needle injections. That's good for Tang Baiqing's defense."
"Okay, that's something," Old Yang nodded, squinting at Wu Shixiong's personal information. "This Wu Shixiong lives on Tufang Street, and he has two brothers at home?"
"Yes, according to the form he filled out himself," the officer nodded. "I mentioned him earlier. He seems a bit intellectually challenged and has difficulty speaking."
"Oh?" Old Yang raised his head. "He has a mental deficiency?"
"That's what it sounds like when he talks," the officer warned softly. "Boss, if this guy really does have a mental deficiency, that could complicate things. If we follow the girl's story and use self-defense as Tang Baiqing's defense, but Wu Shixiong is found to have a mental deficiency, then his testimony won't hold up in court. Without a third witness, it will be difficult for the prosecution to accept only Tang Baiqing's confession and the evidence we've collected."
In the third year since the establishment of the Dragon City Police Station, Old Yang began working as a police officer there. Although his rank was not particularly high, he had a wealth of experience in handling criminal cases. With just a cursory glance at the case files, he already had some ideas in mind.
"Let's go take a look at this Wu Shixiong," Old Yang said as he stood up.
"You're still going to question him? Won't it be useless?" the other officer asked, standing up as well.
Old Yang didn't say anything and simply walked out of the office.
Five minutes later, inside the interrogation room, when Wu Shixiong saw Old Yang come in, he immediately stood up and greeted him, "Officer... Officer, hello!"
"Hehe, it's okay. You can sit down," Old Yang smiled and waved his hand. "Want a cigarette?"
"No thanks," Wu Shixiong shook his head.
"I've read your statement, and it seems like this has nothing to do with you," Old Yang sat down at the questioning table and spoke in a friendly manner. "You can sign off and leave the police station once you're done."
"Ah, thank... thank you," Wu Shixiong nodded.
"I saw in your statement that you have two brothers at home? Are they both working? Oh, and was your family originally from Xia Island?" Old Yang didn't ask any serious questions but instead chatted with Wu Shixiong like an old friend.
They talked until around 6:30 in the morning, and Old Yang only left the interrogation room after that. "It's almost time for work. Wrap things up and we'll be back at the police station at 8," he told the other officer.
"Okay," the officer nodded.
"I'm going out for a bit," Old Yang grabbed a coat and left the building in the light rain, getting into Tang family's car. "Don't just sit here. Drive around."
The driver obeyed.
"So, Old Yang, how's it going?" Tang Baiqing’s father immediately asked.
"Old Tang, this case is complicated to explain, but it's also simple," Old Yang replied with some hesitation, rubbing his hands together as he recounted his thoughts. "Bai Qing and that woman both injected themselves with drugs, but we can change that. However, according to our previous plan, the eyewitness at the scene is a bit tricky... he has some cognitive impairment, and we still haven't figured out how severe it is. But if he has serious intellectual disabilities, then his testimony won't hold much weight in court."
"Ah, go on."
"I thought about it, and this case can actually be taken in another direction," Old Yang leaned in and whispered his thoughts to Tang.
—---
At just past 7 in the morning, in a breakfast shop near the port in the Zhanan district, Wei Xiangzuo was enjoying his soy milk and fried dough sticks with a hearty appetite.
"Hey, have you heard?" a young man spoke in a low voice.
"What?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.
"Last night, it seems like Tang Baiqing from the marine police had an accident," the young man replied. "Someone died, at the warehouse in Haiyan Pit. We were just thinking of asking him for a favor yesterday, but who would have thought that we wouldn't even be able to find him today."
"Why were you looking for him?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.
"What else could we do? Everyone is unhappy with the deal that Tang Baiqing and the Zang gang are involved in. At first, it was a small operation and we gave them face and bought from them. But now they're getting bigger and bigger, and those higher up are not pleased," the young man replied with a sneer. "What do you think about this, Xiangzuo?"
Wei Xiangzuo took a sip of his soy milk but remained silent.
Meanwhile, Su Tianyu had finished dealing with the aftermath of the third-story warehouse and immediately headed to the Zhanan police station with Bai Hongbo and Zhang Hao.
