Free Web NovelChapter 509: Chapter 480: Killing by Overpraising (Part 1)
Mr. Zhao sighed, twisted his fingers as if he wanted to grind them to dust as he carefully explained. But seeing the slight furrow in Zhou Ning’s brows, he quickly lowered his voice and just laughed instead.
"To put it simply, my initial judgment was wrong. This car might not look impressive, and you’d even think it’s cobbled together from different parts, but from the width and diameter of the tires, especially after hearing the sound of this engine, and analyzing some other details, this car might not be inferior to a million-dollar BMW. To be blunt, it’s a custom-built vehicle using top-of-the-line components from various brands."
This discovery surprised everyone. Fang Mu waved his hand and glanced at the awkward fisherman beside him.
"Uncle, I need to take down your contact information. Someone will come to you later to take a statement, and don’t worry, they absolutely won’t wear a police uniform, nor will they let the people around know that you’re working with the police. They’ll just go over under the pretext of visiting relatives."
The fishing man nodded. His phone was already in their hands and they had obtained his contact information. Not agreeing wouldn’t change anything. He immediately thought about packing up, but Mr. Zhao stopped him.
"Uncle, just stick to your usual routine; there’s no need to go back early on purpose. We will call you in advance when we come to your house; don’t be so nervous."
The fishing man sat down. The group didn’t get into the cars right away. Mr. Zhao and Mr. Yang went to the spot where the video showed the car had stopped and then searched for tire tracks around there. Not everyone would drive to the edge of a pond with no regard for rules, so it was easy to find traces. Sun Gao Tie also took samples of the pond water, and then they all returned to their vehicle.
Sun Gaotie sighed.
"Had I known earlier, I’d have had the comrades in the inspection wait for us. Now we have to make a second trip."
Fang Mu waved his hand, looking unconcerned.
"No rush, perhaps we’ll find something else at the auto repair shop."
Following the navigation’s guidance, Mr. Wang found the auto repair shop. Truly hidden behind the car city, it was hard to find. And behind the shop, there was a huge parking lot filled with scrapped vehicles, piled up like mountains.
Fang Mu contacted Liu Yufei, and after waiting for a short while, Liu Yufei emerged with a glum face. Zhou Ning could tell at a glance that the progress here wasn’t going smoothly.
"Did you guys find the original scene?"
Seeing Zhou Ning nodding at him, Fang Mu quickly recounted the discoveries they’d made in the Salt Company Community and in Jiulaofeng Park. Mr. Zhao also showed Liu Yufei the video, which finally eased the expression on her face somewhat.
"This is great. As long as we find the suspect and compare the DNA, getting the two eyewitnesses to identify the voice, we will have conclusive evidence. However, I contacted Zhu Pingyong, and he said his second and third sons aren’t involved in managing the Jinrui Auto Repair Company, and he doesn’t know their whereabouts.
We’ve asked around in the repair shop, and everyone was evasive at first, but their final answers were surprisingly consistent; the second and third sons aren’t managing the company here. They just come to collect money or to boss people around. We went to the Zhu Family residence too, but couldn’t find the two sons, and their phones were unreachable."
Fang Mu thought for a moment, then quickly said:
"So you’re saying, the eldest son is here, working with his father to manage the company, is that correct?"
Liu Yufei nodded.
"Yes, I met the eldest. He seems pretty honest and straightforward. He wasn’t surprised to see the police. It seems as if his two younger brothers often cause trouble, so he’s used to this kind of situation.
I’ve also checked their records. They’ve been investigated and detained several times for brawling. Additionally, I found something surprising. It turns out that these four children of the Zhu family, the eldest son and the other three aren’t full siblings.
The eldest’s mother died from complications during his birth, and later Zhu Yongping remarried, which is when the other three were born. Zhu Xiaoxia was the one who got fined."
This outcome somewhat surprised everyone. Zhou Ning slightly furrowed his brow. Could it be that the second and third sons were not favored, and Zhu Yongping wanted to leave the inheritance to the eldest, so they caused trouble or stirred up conflicts, and that was related to this?
However, the most urgent issue at the moment was to find these two brothers.
"Did you go to their house?"
Liu Yufei nodded.
"We did. We tried to find toothbrushes or combs or anything that might yield DNA for comparison, but after looking round, there was absolutely nothing of theirs in the house. The eldest son, Zhu Xiaojun, said that those two had stopped living there since they were sixteen.
They only come back when they run out of money, or they’re in trouble and need their family for bail. He has been speaking up for them, even covering their debts and secretly giving them living expenses. His father has scolded him for it.
Over time, everyone got tired of it. As for where those two are living, even he doesn’t know. After all, there’s a lot to handle in the company, and sometimes he’s busy helping with repairs, so he hasn’t paid attention to these things."
Zhou Ning narrowed his eyes slightly. The eldest son was eloquent in his righteousness, painting himself and his father as fed up with the two younger ones. But such behavior isn’t formed overnight. Besides, among the few children, except for the youngest Zhu Xiaoxia, the others had not pursued their education properly.
Given the scale of the auto repair shop, coupled with their partnerships with insurance companies and traffic police, it could be considered as one of the top repair shops in Xinghua City, never short of business.
With money and connections, at the very least they could follow Tang Jianghai’s approach, using sponsorships or other excuses to continue the children’s education. Such negligence, with the eldest son secretly providing funds, wasn’t discipline but rather intentional indulgence, not unlike setting up someone for ruin.
But if he’s not staying at home, where could he be living?
According to Mr. Zhao, for them to get hold of such professionally modified vehicles, if they weren’t frequenting the auto repair shop, they simply wouldn’t have such convenient conditions. Therefore, there’s something off about this story.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ning looked towards Liu Yufei.
"Have the surveillance tapes from the auto repair shop been retrieved?"
Liu Yufei glanced in the direction of the office and nodded slightly.
"We coordinated for over an hour, and finally, they agreed to provide the surveillance content, but they insisted on having someone present. Mr. Qu has been in there for ten minutes now, not sure if he can find anything. But considering it’s been a month since the incident, if these two have left Xinghua City, this case is going to be tough to crack."
Mr. Zhao leaned in, a puzzled look on his face, and asked:
"The wife that Zhu Yongping found later, which village is she from? Didn’t she go to school? I just checked, and this auto repair shop has been open for twenty-five or twenty-sic years. If you say that Zhu Yongping had no money and it was hard to find someone when he was with his eldest son, but after making money, would he still marry a wife from the countryside?"
Without saying a word, Fang Mu had already opened his police terminal. Zhou Ning’s team was well-versed with this, and although Mr. Zhao appeared plump and somewhat simple-minded, his insights were unmatched by ordinary people.
After a search, they found out that the mother of Zhu Xiaoguang and Zhu Xiaoming was named Zhang Xiangfang, aged 44. After checking the household registration migration information, they discovered that she had married Zhu Yongping on December 20, 1992, which was 21 years ago.
As Fang Mu was about to click on related information, Zhou Ning stopped him and scrolled down to look at the birth information of Zhu Xiaoguang and Zhu Xiaoming. The twins were born on April 2, 1993.
Mr. Zhao’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pointed it out for everyone to see.
"I’m saying, they were born less than four months after the marriage; were these two sons premature?"
Liu Yufei shook her head.
"I haven’t heard anything about that. During the previous inquiry, Zhu Xiaojun even mentioned that although his two younger brothers were twins, they were both born quite large, each weighing over seven pounds, and grew quickly. He has always helped take care of them."
"Zhu Xiaojun said that?"
Liu Yufei nodded again, but this time, she had also caught on and looked at Zhou Ning with increased seriousness.
"I understand what you’re getting at, the older brother is hinting to us that these two younger brothers are not his biological father’s children, so he simply doesn’t care about them. As for the indulgence and free-reign upbringing, there must be a reason. Of course, it’s also possible that Zhu Xiaojun is doing this on purpose."
At this moment, Fang Mu had resumed his search. Upon seeing the information, his eyes widened in surprise, seemingly understanding something, and quickly explained: fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Regarding Zhang Xiangfang’s previous household registration information, she is from Xinghua City and served as the head of the vehicle management office. She has two older brothers and an older sister and is the youngest daughter in her family. Her father, named Zhang Xuewen, had served as the director of the Xinghua City Health Bureau, and her mother had served as the head of the Xinghua City Education Committee.
"Her two older brothers, the eldest named Zhang Xianghua, is the current deputy mayor of Xinghua in charge of culture, education, and health, and the other named Zhang Xiangguo, is the director of the Xinghua City Public Security Bureau. The elder sister named Zhang Xiangfen serves as the deputy principal of the No. 5 Middle School, and we have met her husband before."
Everyone looked at Fang Mu, and Liu Yufei grew impatient.
"Don’t beat around the bush, just tell us who Zhang Xiangfen’s husband is?"
Fang Mu took a deep breath and raised his police terminal for everyone to see.
"Liu Kai, Zhang Xiangfen’s husband’s name is Liu Kai; he’s also He Jiahong’s coach. I don’t know what the relationship is here, but there’s definitely something wrong. Would a family with such a background like the Zhang Family’s youngest daughter marry a man who’s been married before, one who’s lost his wife and has a child, to boot?"
Everyone fell silent, clearly understanding the implications. Fang Mu’s conjecture was likely the actual truth: pregnant before marriage, finding someone to take responsibility. It might be difficult and tricky to find someone involved in politics to handle this, but finding a businessman who could also take care of their business, this kind of marriage alliance could also be a worthwhile arrangement.
Zhou Ning caught on and stepped up to Fang Mu.
"Since we’ve gotten this far, let’s carefully check out Liu Kai, how old his son is, and whether he’s also studying at No. 5 Middle School. I remember when we inquired earlier, it was said that this Liu Kai is 44 years old, the same age as the Zhang Family’s youngest daughter, Zhang Xiangfang, so naturally, her elder sister would be a bit older."
Fang Mu nodded and started searching at once, connecting the dots they previously hadn’t been able to.
Shortly after, Fang Mu’s police terminal showed the search results. Liu Kai’s wife, Zhang Xiangfen, was 46 years old, two years older than Liu Kai. Their son, named Liu Nian, was eighteen years old and attended No. 5 Middle School. With such results, there was no need for further explanation; the truth seemed to be gradually surfacing.
Mr. Zhao raised his hand, and Liu Yufei nodded, signaling him to speak quickly.
"I’ll go in with Mr. Yang and take a look around. After all, we have some analytical skills when it comes to vehicles. Whether they are lying and whether these two come back often, we should be able to tell upon inspection.
"As for where they’re staying, I’m not too worried. Let’s first check the hotel check-in records for information on these two. If not, then we’ll look into properties under their family’s names. We’re bound to find something."
