ebookland Chapter 1020 Identifying the Scene, Deepest Regret
Chapter 1020 Identifying the Scene, Deepest Regret
Looking at Zhang Dahai, who was weeping uncontrollably, Li Ming remained calm: "Where is the ledger now? And who are the other people involved in the theft?"
Zhang Dahai wiped away his tears and choked out, "Li Fengqiang took the ledger. He said he would find a chance to destroy it. Besides me, Baohai, and Li Fengqiang, two workers from the factory were also involved in the theft. They were responsible for catching up in the warehouse. That's all I know. I've told you everything. Please be lenient with me..."
In the interrogation room, only Zhang Dahai's sobs echoed. With his confession, the full picture of this meticulously planned murder was finally revealed, and they will face the most severe punishment under the law.
Ten days after the incident.
The police car sped along the winding gravel road of Qinglan Mountain, kicking up clouds of dust. Li Fengqiang and Zhang Dahai were handcuffed to the back seat, separated by iron bars, neither daring to look at the other. Familiar mountains and forests flashed past the car window, and images of bodies dumped here before flashed through their minds like nightmares.
"We've arrived," Li Ming's voice came from the passenger seat.
Li Fengqiang was the first to be led off the vehicle, the sunlight making him squint. He stared at the grove of trees in the distance, his legs beginning to tremble uncontrollably. That rainy night three months ago seemed like it was just yesterday. Back then, he could never have imagined that his meticulously planned scheme would ultimately be exposed.
"Let's start the identification," Xiao Wang said, giving him a push.
Li Fengqiang took a deep breath and mechanically began to walk. With each step, his heart pounded faster. "That night... it was drizzling. I invited Baohai to the old warehouse at the steel factory, lying that I had one last batch of goods to sell." His voice was hoarse, filled with barely concealed fear. "When Baohai arrived, before he could even react, I..." Li Fengqiang pointed to an empty space nearby, "I picked up an iron bar from behind my back and smashed it down on his head."
Recalling the scene, cold sweat broke out on Li Fengqiang's forehead. "His face was covered in blood, and he lay on the ground begging for mercy. But I was out of my mind at that time, all I could think about was him going to call the police, I just couldn't stop..." His body began to twitch slightly, "I kept hitting him until he stopped moving. The ground was covered in blood, everywhere..."
When Zhang Dahai was brought over, his face was ashen. Hearing Li Fengqiang's description, he closed his eyes and shook his head in anguish. "I was watching from the sidelines, trembling with fear. I wanted to stop it, but I didn't dare..." Zhang Dahai's voice trembled with tears, "I never imagined things would turn out like this."
Li Ming, who was taking notes, asked with a cold look in his eyes, "Continue, how did you dispose of the body afterwards?"
Li Fengqiang swallowed hard and continued walking. "We wrapped the body in a tarpaulin and carried it to the black SUV we had prepared beforehand. Dahai stole the car from the junkyard; it wasn't registered, and we thought that way we wouldn't be discovered." He pointed to the route they had taken. "We took many detours, just to avoid being caught on camera. Dahai drove, and I sat next to him. Neither of us spoke the entire way; the car was eerily quiet."
“When we arrived at Qinglan Mountain, we parked the car at the foot of the mountain,” Zhang Dahai continued, his voice filled with regret. “The rain was getting heavier and heavier, so we dragged the body out of the trunk and carried it into the woods. The body was very heavy, and we had to stop and start, and it took a lot of effort to move it inside.” He looked at the familiar woods, tears welling up in his eyes. “I remember my hands were shaking the whole time, and I couldn’t hold the tarpaulin tightly.”
"Why did you choose this place to dump the body?" Xiao Zhou pressed.
Li Fengqiang said with a bitter smile, "Bao Hai's hometown is nearby. We thought that if we dumped the body here, the police might think it was a revenge killing and mislead your investigation." His eyes were filled with despair. "Now that I think about it, we were so naive."
Reaching the spot where the body was found, Li Fengqiang suddenly squatted down, burying his face in his hands. "This is it, we dumped the body here." His body trembled uncontrollably. "After dumping it, we covered the body with branches and fallen leaves, thinking that once it decomposed, no one would find it."
Zhang Dahai stood to the side, memories flooding back. “On the way back, my mind went completely blank. I couldn’t believe that someone who was just alive and well had been killed by us.” He covered his face with his hands, sobbing uncontrollably. “I couldn’t sleep at night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Bao Hai’s face, pleading with me for help…”
"What happened to the iron rod and the waterproof cloth?" Li Ming continued to ask.
“I threw the iron rod into the moat, and burned the tarpaulin.” Li Fengqiang raised his head, his eyes empty. “I thought that by disposing of these things, there would be no evidence left. But I forgot that you can’t completely erase what you’ve done.”
As the crime scene identification concluded, the setting sun cast its golden rays upon the forest, a scene that should have been beautiful, yet it couldn't illuminate the dark hearts of Li Fengqiang and Zhang Dahai. As they were being escorted back to the police car, they both glanced back at the grove. This place, once the scene of their self-proclaimed "perfect crime," had now become a testament to their sins.
On the way back, the two remained silent. The police car drove further and further away, leaving only the forest behind, silently telling the story of what had happened.
However, before this case was fully resolved, the Criminal Investigation Division received another new case.
The torrential rain pounded against the windows of the Criminal Investigation Division. Li Ming's instant noodles, still steaming, were just being served when the phone in the duty room rang shrilly. "A robbery and murder has occurred in Building 3 of Qinghuai Residential Area. The victim's wife just called the police!" The voice on the walkie-talkie crackled with static. Li Ming grabbed his car keys and shouted to the group organizing case files, "Everyone assemble! Depart immediately!"
The sirens ripped through the rain as five police cars filed into Qinghuai Residential Area. The old apartment buildings were partially obscured by the rain; police tape had already been put up around three buildings, and onlookers crowded around the unit entrances, discussing the situation. Li Ming waded through the puddles into the stairwell, the stench of decay mixed with the dampness of the rain hitting him; the smell of blood on the second floor was almost palpable.
"Captain Li!" Xiao Zhou waved from the door of room 203. The security door behind the cordon was wide open, with obvious pry marks on the lock. Inside, the deceased's wife, Wang Xiulan, slumped on the sofa, soaked to the bone, her hair plastered to her face, clutching her bloodstained cell phone—the one she had left behind when she called the police.
“I…I work the night shift, I get off at three in the morning.” Wang Xiulan’s teeth chattered, and dirt was stuck in her fingernails. “When I opened the door, I saw…I saw Bao Cun lying on the ground, with blood all over the ground…” She suddenly started to gag violently, and her body curled up like a shrimp.