Free Web NovelChapter 119: Chapter 118 A Camera_1
Seeing this, Zhou Ning was stunned.
He had suspected that these two must have had some story, but he never imagined there would be so many unknowns involved, especially the dead man Zhang Min’an’s son, who was nearly fifty years old, and yet he was still demanding money from his old father. How noble was that?
However, since Zhang Min’an had the habit of keeping a diary and felt such guilt towards Luo Suqin, might he have arranged something for after his death?
With that thought, Zhou Ning grabbed his cellphone and dialed Mr. Zhao’s number.
"Hello, have you guys finished the second inspection?"
"Zhou Xiaozhou, you’re even harsher than Xu Da. He keeps nagging and nagging, constantly buzzing in my ear, and I’m already annoyed enough, and now you..."
Zhou Ning knew that if he didn’t interrupt this guy, he would have a dozen more things to say.
"Since you’re at the scene, go look for things like cameras, voice recorders, tapes, external hard drives, and so on. I think Luo Suqin has already woken up too, you can let Xu Da go ask her. I believe Zhang Min’an must have left something like a will."
Mr. Zhao was taken aback, and Xu Dayuan snatched the phone from him.
"What’s up, Zhou Xiaozhou, did you discover something?"
"A diary. I found Zhang Min’an’s diary. It was tucked among his translation manuscripts, a diary recording every time his son Zhang Guoqing came to ask them for money, the dates, the amounts, and the whole process. It includes threats and intimidation, even physical harm."
Xu Dayuan took a deep breath and then paused slightly before speaking.
"Don’t worry. Before we arrived, I had someone take a blood sample from Zhang Guoqing for DNA analysis. The comparison will happen afterward. As for his father’s matter, we’ve already informed him. He’s flying to Qindao this afternoon. I’ve gotten Mr. Zeng to pick him up. We’ll interrogate him as soon as he arrives. We have a case of intentional injury, and that won’t be over lightly.
As for the hospital, I’ll go there myself. Alright, I’ll get Mr. Zhao to look for the evidence you mentioned. I have to go now!"
Zhou Ning hung up and let out a sigh of relief.
Though the countdown to identifying the cause of death was still ticking away, he had done everything he could for now, waiting for the results of the comparison. According to what Xu Dayuan said, blood was drawn and sent for analysis early on, so the DNA results should come through very quickly.
Just then, Mr. Sun came in, holding a lunch box.
"Forensic Doctor Zhou, I brought you a meal. I wasn’t sure about your dietary restrictions."
"Thanks, I don’t have any."
After eating, Zhou Ning went straight to the testing department.
As he approached the entrance, the door to the testing department opened. A short and slightly chubby woman in a white coat looked Zhou Ning up and down. Mrs. Cui, the head of the department, had been introduced to him the day before by Mr. Pang during a tour, so he recognized her.
"Hello, Mrs. Cui, I’m Zhou Ning."
"I remember. Do you need something from me?"
Her straightforward question spared the need for any small talk.
"The DNA information of the 2.21 case victim’s son will be sent over shortly. I’ll need your assistance, Mrs. Cui, to compare it with the victim."
Cui Lili nodded and held up her phone.
"Add me on QQ. As soon as the file arrives, just send it to me. The comparison results will come quickly."
"Okay, thank you, Mrs. Cui."
After speaking, Zhou Ning didn’t linger and quickly returned to his work. Cui Lili interestingly watched Zhou Ning’s retreating figure and said to a female lab technician behind her:
"This new forensic doctor Zhou isn’t just handsome, his work ability is also commendable, and moreover, he doesn’t flirt around. Don’t any of you have thoughts?"
The female lab technician drank her water, shaking her head continuously.
"Chief Cui, you’re just busy with testing and have no time to keep up with the gossip in the tech department, huh? Forensic Doctor Zhou is no ordinary person. He was specially assigned here by the city, involved in some project, and highly regarded.
Yesterday, so many people from Qindao University came over with him, and there was this one female professor; her looks are no worse than those celebrities. They were all smiles and laughter as they arrived, the relationship clearly more than ordinary. I know where I stand."
Cui Lili blinked, seemingly recalling something.
"I remember now; Mr. Pang seemed to have mentioned before that the Red Dress Serial Murder Case was solved with his participation. No wonder he’s competent; he’s not just another pretty face."
...
Two hours later.
Cui Lili, holding a stack of reports, walked into office 302. Upon entering, she saw Zhou Ning standing in front of the whiteboard, on which were drawn relationship charts and all known conditions. His focused demeanor was striking.
"Forensic Doctor Zhou, the DNA comparison results for the victim’s son are out. They confirm the father-son relationship. All other comparisons, including the bloodstains found at the scene and DNA samples taken from the toothbrush and razor, belong to the victim himself."
Zhou Ning hurriedly took the report and skimmed through it.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Cui, this report came right in time; you’ve worked hard."
Mrs. Cui waved her hand, a rare smile crossing her face.
"You’ve got a sweet tongue. Alright, just let me know if anything needs testing. This 2.21 case is really tough; the pressure from City Bureau on Mr. Xu must be huge. If it’s necessary for us to work overtime, let me know in advance so I can make arrangements."
Zhou Ning nodded at Cui Lili, touched by her kindness. After all, in the two days he’d been there, there weren’t many in the technical department who were genuinely willing to help—most were just watching from the sidelines. And as for Mr. Pang, he’d likely be distant if it weren’t for the acting director title hanging over his head.
"Once Mr. Zhao and the others are back from their second site inspection, I reckon there will be some samples; there’s no rush, though—it’s fine if we can work on them by tomorrow."
Cui Lili nodded and headed towards the door.
Just as the door opened, Mr. Zhao charged in carrying a case, almost bumping into Mrs. Cui. Though Mr. Zhao had been rapidly gaining weight, his reflexes were still sharp, and he quickly sidestepped, dropping the case on the floor.
"That scared me half to death. I can’t afford to bump into our Mrs. Cui."
Cui Lili glanced at Mr. Zhao’s hand, which seemed to have twisted a bit.
"Looking all in a daze, is your hand okay?"
Mr. Zhao flashed his trademark toothy smile and lifted his wrist up, giving it a shake in front of Cui Lili.
"Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Cui, I’m fine. Look at me, tough as nails."
Xu Dayuan kicked him from behind.
"Stop clogging the way, and start getting out what needs to be tested. Are you trying to make everyone work overtime with you or what?"
Mr. Zhao pouted but didn’t dare retaliate.
"Give it to me; I’m about to head back and sort out the tests anyway."
Xu Dayuan paused, then hurriedly fell silent. Mr. Zhao, on the other hand, was eager to go, taking the case with him as he followed Mrs. Cui. It was only then that Xu Dayuan approached Zhou Ning, who had been sizing him up. Seeing his empty hands, Zhou Ning felt a sense of unease.
"Didn’t find it?"
Xu Dayuan was just about to speak when he realized Mr. Zhao had gone out.
"Found it, it’s with Mr. Zhao. I haven’t checked yet."
"Recording? Video?"
As they were talking, Mr. Zhao ran back, glanced at the two men, and from the investigation case, he retrieved a bag containing a box, holding it up high.
"You’d never guess—I found a box on the bookshelf. It was sealed with paper, written with the three characters ’Zhang Min’an’, along with a date, and this is the photo I took."
The bag was placed on the table, and Mr. Zhao opened the camera to show a photo. The signature was in a handsome script with a date beside it: June 27, 2010.
"I opened it on the spot, and inside was a brand-new video camera, complete with the purchase receipt, and there was also a video of the salesperson from the store, seemingly as a tutorial on how to use the device."
"Did you lift fingerprints from the video camera and the box surface?" freewēbnoveℓ.com
Mr. Zhao nodded.
"Found seven or eight fingerprints. Xu Da checked the police database and found Zhang Min’an’s prints, which matched perfectly."
Zhou Ning said nothing as Mr. Zhao took out the camera. Sun Gaotie had already considerately located the data cable and connected it to the computer; he quickly found two videos inside and opened them one by one.
The first video was dated May 21, 2010, 14:22.
A female salesperson carefully taught Zhang Min’an how to use the video camera, adjusting focus and framing. Zhang Min’an asked how far and high he should be if he wanted to record himself. The two demonstrated for a while.
The saleswoman casually asked a question.
"Sir, are you buying this video camera for a trip, to record for your family?"
Zhang Min’an shook his head and, looking up, said to the saleswoman with a smile,
"I’m going to record a will."
The saleswoman clearly froze, then asked no more. She familiarized Zhang Min’an with the distance once again, and the video ended shortly after.
Without being told by Xu Dayuan, Mr. Zhao already clicked on the other video.
The background was an office, the camera slightly shaky. Zhang Min’an entered the frame, sat down on a chair and kept pushing it to adjust the distance. An elderly man walked beside him and stood still. Then, facing the camera’s direction, Zhang Min’an said,
"How’s this distance? It can fit me into the frame, right?"
