Chapter One: Important Cases

The piercing siren pierced the dark sky before dawn, and a dozen police cars lined up in a long line, speeding toward Tunkou Township. Fifteen minutes earlier, the city public security bureau had received a report that a rare major case had occurred in Tunkou Township since the founding of the country, with seventeen militiamen killed. The county public security bureau has launched a preliminary investigation into the case. Based on intelligence provided by Township Chief Li Dong, the suspect Zhao Haiping used the most brutal methods to kill these seventeen militiamen, then seized one Type 85 automatic rifle and two Type 54 pistols, with the number of bullets unknown.
Ouyang Zhuo, captain of the criminal police team at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, is only twenty-eight years old this year, yet he is already a veteran detective with six years of criminal investigation experience and has repeatedly solved major cases. By the small light on the car roof, Ouyang Zhuo quickly flipped through the pitifully scarce intelligence materials at hand. After just a few glances, his sharp, sword-like eyebrows raised sharply. In his deep eye sockets, his eyes, as captivating as stars in the night, constantly flashed with wisdom and a cold, sharp light.
Sitting in the back seat of the police car, Tang Qian—known as the city bureau policewoman—was undoubtedly known for her looks, temperament, and figure. Looking at Ouyang Zhuo's marble-like hard facial features and feeling the absolute focus and passion a man suddenly unleashed when facing work and challenges, she felt utterly intoxicated. With appreciation, she carefully sized up Ouyang Zhuo's bronzed skin, his hair, styled short like a soldier's, and his hands that could absolutely hold up a blue sky for any woman in the world...... Only at this moment did she dare to quietly use such overly focused gaze to scrutinize this outstanding man who combined calmness, strength, sharpness, and freedom.
Ouyang Zhuo's experience itself is legendary.
In his first year after graduating from the police academy, he infiltrated the criminals as an undercover agent, assisting the city's major case unit in dismantling an international counterfeit currency manufacturing syndicate. He joined the city criminal police team. The Type * pistol he had just received hadn't even warmed up when he killed four habitual armed criminals who had fled to Taiyuan during a lone chase. During those six years, he fired more bullets alone while fighting bandits than others fired during shooting range training; He offended more people than his friends, but once they became his friends, they were good brothers who could shield him with their bodies like sworn brothers; The rooster hanging in front of his house with its throat cut and blood still dripping down is more than the roast chicken others eat in a year; The thug who tried to throw a few dead rats inside broke his glass, and he caught more on the spot than escaped!
Tang Qian quickly reported, "According to information transmitted by the county public security bureau, the main culprit behind this largest murder case in our province since the founding of the country is Zhao Haiping, thirty-seven years old, from Zhaojia Village, Tunkou Township, married, with one daughter and both parents deceased." For some reason, the photos on the records were taken in 1995, eleven years apart, and it was a photo of two people together. It was probably a comrade from the county public security bureau who tore it off his marriage certificate. ”
From the photos, Zhao Haiping was an ordinary young man who would be completely lost in a crowd. His family background was probably not good. With Ouyang Zhuo's keen eye, it was clear at a glance that Zhao Dongping wore a suit worth at most fifty yuan from a street stall during the wedding photos. He seemed to feel extremely happy, with a genuinely honest smile at the corner of his mouth, and his hair, less than a centimeter long, stood on end, smiling along with him. Based on Ouyang Zhuo's years of experience as a criminal police officer, such people are generally very dull and honest. In life, they find satisfaction easily and are willing to settle for the status quo.
It's hard to imagine that such a person would become the murderer of seventeen people in a row, and not just seventeen militiamen, but also seventeen militiamen and seizing their weapons!
"Zhao Haiping's wife is Zhang Yanhua, Chinese New Year's Eve-five, and she runs a small convenience store in the village."
Looking at the faxed photos, Ouyang Zhuo had to admit that Zhao Haiping's wife was truly a flower. Although she was already thirty-five and only had a junior high school education, she was still well maintained. During the photo shoot, the faint smile on her lips added a touch of mature woman's allure.
Tang Qian then handed a faxed photo along with the documents to Ouyang Zhuo, saying, "This is Zhao Pan, the daughter of Zhao Haiping and Zhang Yanhua. She's fourteen years old and is in the second year of junior high." ”
She clearly inherited Zhang Yanhua's beauty as a woman. Nowadays, children develop early, and by fourteen, they have already matured into delicate beauty. Especially her big eyes, deep and captivating, carrying a childlike innocence and playfulness that doesn't understand the ways of the world.
When Ouyang Zhuo's gaze casually swept over Zhao Pan's profile, his body stiffened slightly, because among Zhao Pan's files, there were two characters that should never have appeared, yet were very likely closely connected to this shocking bloodshed: 'Deceased!'
The time of death was September 21, 2006—in other words, just forty-eight hours ago!
Perhaps it was too rushed to make an assessment, or there could be other reasons, but there was no written evidence explaining the cause of her death.
Ouyang Zhuo picked up the materials Zhao Haiping had covered in just one thin sheet of paper and said, "Tang Qian, immediately contact the county bureau colleagues. I know time is tight and the materials they sent must have omissions and shortcomings, but they made two unforgivable mistakes!" ”
Not only Tang Qian, but everyone in the police car, including detective Wang Ming speeding along, perked up their ears. They knew that following Ouyang Zhuo, they should remember every word he said. This included not only the experience of a veteran detective but also Ouyang Zhuo's unique creative thinking.
"First, the cause of death of Zhao Haiping's daughter, Zhao Pan. The daughter had only been dead for forty-eight hours, and Zhao Haiping's father suddenly acted violently, killing seventeen Tunkou township militiamen. Was this a coincidence?" Coincidence? Or is there another reason that requires us to look for it? ”
Everyone in the car nodded repeatedly. Finally, Ouyang Zhuo pointed to a spot on Zhao Dongping's profile and said, "Zhao Haiping is eighteen years old, which means he enlisted in 1989 and became a soldier. He still hasn't been demobilized yet." According to this statement, his neighbor once asked him how he was doing in the army, and he replied that he was just an ordinary soldier. A soldier who has served in the military for a full seventeen years and is still just an ordinary soldier up to this day is illogical! He had no records on which unit he was in now, what branch he belonged to, what training he had received, or what rewards or punishments he had received! ”
"The most ridiculous thing is this confession!" Ouyang Zhuo said, "That neighbor asked Zhao Haiping what he did in the army. Zhao Haiping replied that he was raising pigs in a grassroots company!" And some people from our county bureau actually believed it and passed this statement to me as important intelligence, exactly as it was! ”
"Tell them to request support from the armed police before we arrive at the scene. Also, immediately find out which unit Zhao Haiping currently belongs to, contact their direct commanders, and obtain all the training materials Zhao Haiping received in the army! When contacting people from the county bureau, remind them that only high-ranking officers in the military, such as the General Political Department or the Operations Staff Department, would use the term 'grassroots,' which carries a sense of condescending superiority and superiority, to describe a company! ”