latelenovela Chapter 1517 Investigating Clues, Identification of the Deceased
Chapter 1517 Investigating Clues, Identification of the Deceased
"He walked towards the ditch?" Xiao Wang's eyes narrowed, and he quickly asked, "Uncle Liu, are you sure? Which direction did he go in the ditch? East or west? Did you see him meet with anyone or get into any vehicle?"
“I’m sure, I’m absolutely sure.” Grandpa Liu nodded firmly. “He took the path north of the ditch and headed west. There’s a residential area and a few small construction sites over there. I was standing at the door watching him walk by. I didn’t see him meet anyone or get into any vehicle. He just walked there slowly by himself.”
“Okay, Mr. Liu, thank you so much. The clues you provided are very important to us,” Xiao Wang said quickly, then had his team members record every detail Mr. Liu mentioned. “Mr. Liu, if you remember anything else, or see any suspicious people or situations, please call us immediately. This is our contact number.”
Xiao Wang handed Grandpa Liu a contact card. Grandpa Liu took the card, carefully put it away, and nodded: "Okay, okay, no problem. I'll call you as soon as I remember anything. You've worked hard, handling cases outside in this cold weather."
"It's my pleasure, Uncle Liu, thank you for your trouble." Xiao Wang smiled, then got up and left the convenience store with his team members, walking quickly towards the residential area and construction site to the west of the path north of the ditch that Uncle Liu had mentioned.
After leaving the convenience store, Xiao Wang immediately called Li Ming and reported the clues he had obtained from visiting the store to Li Ming one by one.
"Team Leader Li, we just visited a small shop next to the ditch, and the shop owner, Grandpa Liu, provided an important clue. Three days ago, around 4 PM, a man whose physical characteristics closely matched the deceased came to the shop to buy something. He was about 172 centimeters tall, of medium build, around 40 years old, with short black hair, wearing a black jacket, dark pants, and black sneakers. He spoke with a Henan accent, and there was blood on his hands. After buying his things, he walked west along the path north of the ditch, which leads to a residential area and a small construction site." Xiao Wang's tone was tinged with excitement.
On the other end of the phone, Li Ming showed a hint of relief upon hearing this, and his tone became urgent: "Good, good, this clue is very important! Xiao Wang, you two immediately go to the residential area and construction site west of the path north of the ditch and continue your investigation. Focus on people from Henan, especially those whose physical characteristics match the deceased and who have wounds on their hands. At the same time, check the surrounding surveillance footage, retrieve the surveillance videos from the past five days, and try to find the man's whereabouts to identify the deceased as soon as possible."
"Understood, Captain Li! We're already on our way there. We'll investigate as quickly as possible and report any findings to you immediately," Xiao Wang replied.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, please be careful."
"Yes, Captain Li!"
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Wang and his team quickened their pace and soon arrived at the residential area and construction site near the path to the west of the ditch. This area consisted mostly of old residential areas, with several small construction sites underway. The diverse and mobile population made the survey work somewhat challenging. However, Xiao Wang and his team did not back down. Instead, they divided into two groups according to their assigned tasks: one group visited the residential areas, and the other visited the construction sites, carrying out their survey work methodically.
Xiao Wang led a team to visit residential areas. They went into each old residential building, knocked on doors, showed their law enforcement credentials, asked residents about the situation, showed them the description of the deceased's physical characteristics, and asked if they had seen such a man in the past three days, heard any unusual noises, or if anyone had gone missing.
During the visits, most residents cooperated with their work, but a few, fearing trouble, were unwilling to speak much, simply shaking their heads and saying they hadn't seen or heard anything. Faced with this situation, Xiao Wang was not discouraged. Instead, he patiently persuaded them, explaining that the case involved a life and hoping they would actively cooperate, provide valuable clues, and help the police solve the case as soon as possible and bring justice to the deceased.
Persistence pays off. When they visited the third residential building, a woman in her fifties provided them with an even more valuable clue. This woman, surnamed Wang, had lived in this residential area for many years and was quite familiar with the surrounding residents.
After carefully examining the description of the deceased's physical characteristics and hearing Xiao Wang's explanation, Aunt Wang quickly said, "Officer, I know this person! His name is Zhang Baoqing, he's from Zhoukou, Henan, he's 41 years old, and he works as a cook at the Xingfu construction site next door, responsible for cooking for the workers. He lives alone on the third floor of this building. I often see him, and sometimes I even greet him."
"Zhang Baoqing? The chef?" Xiao Wang's eyes lit up, and a weight was finally lifted from her heart. She quickly asked, "Aunt Wang, are you sure? His name is Zhang Baoqing, from Zhoukou, Henan, 41 years old, and he works as a chef at the Xingfu construction site? Have you seen him recently? When did he stop showing up here?"
“I’m sure, I’m absolutely sure!” Aunt Wang nodded firmly. “His name is Zhang Baoqing. I asked him, and he said he’s from Zhoukou, Henan, 41 years old, and has been working as a chef here for almost a year. The last time I saw him was three days ago in the afternoon, around five o’clock. I was downstairs buying groceries when I saw him coming back from outside. He didn’t look well; he was pale and unsteady on his feet. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he wasn’t feeling well, then hurried upstairs. After that, I never saw him again, nor did I hear any noise from his room. I thought he had gone back to his hometown or somewhere else, but I never expected…”
At this point, a hint of regret appeared on Aunt Wang's face. She shook her head and didn't continue.
Xiao Wang quickly said, "Aunt Wang, thank you for the clue. It's so important to us! Think about it carefully again. What kind of person is Zhang Baoqing usually? Does he have any enemies? Has he ever had any conflicts or arguments with anyone? What is his relationship with his colleagues at the construction site like? Does he have any particularly close friends or fellow villagers?"
After a moment of careful recollection, Aunt Wang said, "Zhang Baoqing is usually a man of few words, rather introverted, and fairly honest. I've never seen him have any conflicts or arguments with anyone, and he only occasionally greets us neighbors; he's not very sociable. He works as a cook at the construction site, and his cooking skills are quite good; the workers at the site have a fairly good opinion of him."