Criminal Investigation Notes

Chapter 133

On Dechang Street at this moment, Dai Yuansheng held a black bag and moved through the crowd.

He had already switched three buses on his way here and purposely took a detour.

He wanted to shake off many people. As for the location to place the bag, he had it figured out. It would be in Wan Yin Square on Dechang Street. There was a shopping mall filled with people, especially wealthy individuals. He knew a hidden corner where he could place the bag without anyone noticing.

It was the most foolproof method, and he was taking the safest route. His plan was bound to succeed.

Dai Yuansheng walked through the crowd, slightly hunching his back, appearing like an ordinary elderly person.

He had been a thief for many years and had a skill of blending into the crowd, making others automatically overlook him.

But today, Dai Yuansheng had a strange feeling.

The people on the street seemed to be watching him. As they brushed past him, their gaze locked onto him, and they whispered to each other.

A sense of unease crept into his heart. Could it be… someone recognized me?

Dai Yuansheng’s heart raced, and he lowered his head, wanting to quickly pass through this stretch of road.

At the side of the street, there was a shop, and the shopkeeper was looking up at the television news playing.

“In recent days, the Huadu police have received information that a suspect will be placing dangerous items in the city…”

Dai Yuansheng immediately recognized that they were talking about their operation. He hurriedly tried to avoid attention and continued walking. However, it seemed that even the heavens were not willing to let him go. Up ahead was an electronics store, and several televisions inside were all broadcasting the news.

“Now, the following individuals are wanted: Song Lan’en, male… Xu Shuang, female… Dai Yuansheng, 54-year-old male… The Huadu police have zero tolerance for such behavior and will crack down on these criminal activities according to the law.”

Dai Yuansheng turned his head abruptly, and in a quick glance, he saw his enlarged photo on the television!

Moreover, it was playing on multiple TVs simultaneously, freezing the frame and displaying his face.

It was the detailed and clear mugshot taken when he was in prison!

Dai Yuansheng’s heart pounded rapidly, and sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

How did the police know their names?! How did they find him?!

He almost wanted to shout out loud, and his peculiar behavior attracted the attention of passersby.

Dai Yuansheng suddenly turned his head, clutching the bag, and fled in a panic. He kept his head down, feeling increasingly anxious.

He dared not take the main road anymore. Holding the bag in his arms felt like holding a hot potato.

He always felt eyes on him, on his back. It seemed like countless pairs of eyes were watching him, scrutinizing his every move. And now, someone’s gaze fell upon him again, and that person even took out their phone…

Would they call the police? If they summoned the police, it would be over!

Dai Yuansheng was extremely nervous. He saw a public restroom nearby and quickly hid inside. He went into one of the stalls, checked the time, and realized it was only around two o’clock. He had been out for an hour.

Where should he go now? Should he go out and try to hail a taxi?

Do I still need to go to that shopping mall?

Or should I just randomly discard it somewhere?

Dai Yuansheng felt at a loss. For a moment, he even wondered if he should just leave the bag in the restroom and consider it done.

Life and death are predetermined, while fortune is in the hands of fate. Whoever gets blown up is their own fate.

Suddenly, he felt a bit of regret. Why did he give in to this final craving? He hadn’t detonated it yet, and he still had a chance to run away. He could shave his head, wear sunglasses to cover his face, and go to a place where no one knew him, no matter where it was.

But he also felt somewhat unwilling.

Dai Yuansheng steadied his mind and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

He walked out of the stall, approached the sink, and splashed water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, his mouth twitching.

How did this idea arise in him? It seemed like decades ago, when he was a child, he had already had the idea of killing. That idea in his brain was like a ball floating in a pond. When he pressed it down, it would resurface. He pressed it down with force, but after a while, it would resurface again.

He was born into a cold and unfeeling family, never experiencing what affection was from a young age.

He learned theft from an early age and associated with some shady characters. He had been to prison several times but never repented.

However, theft was merely his means of survival. His true desire was to kill.

To kill unfamiliar people.

Maybe passing men, women, young or old…

As long as it wasn’t himself, anyone else would do.

This desire grew stronger, and that ball that couldn’t be pressed down gradually swelled, leaving only this one thing in his mind.

Later, he encountered those people…

On the surface, he appeared timid and cowardly, but now, someone finally understood the madness and longing in his heart.

Later, he received a phone call. He danced in the yard, then immediately followed the instructions to contact Song Lan’en.

From the designated location, he obtained a heavy package.

With the help of this item, his dream could come true.

He hid the object in a corner of the city where people couldn’t see it.

That was the most anticipated thing for him during that period…

Dai Yuansheng wiped the water off his face, ending his reminiscence.

He clenched his teeth and held the bag tightly in his arms as he walked out.

He had already gone through several successful attempts smoothly. I’ve been overthinking it. No one will recognize me, and no one will notice me. This time will be as smooth as the previous ones, he thought boldly.

Dai Yuansheng walked forward, his heart pounding rapidly, constantly scanning his surroundings.

A small shopping mall appeared ahead, much smaller than his original target, but it was still a good choice.

He stopped in his tracks and looked up from the ground.

The city was filled with high-rise buildings, surrounded by countless people…josei

No one knew the murderous thoughts in his mind at this moment…

“Stop! Don’t move!”

Just as he stood still and looked up, Dai Yuansheng suddenly heard a loud shout.

He panicked and ran forward, but he was quickly caught up by someone.

Two people blocked his path, and two more stood behind him. Someone pressed down on his shoulder with one hand. Next, he felt everything spinning, and he was thrown to the ground like a sack.

Something was pressed against his head—it was the dark barrel of a gun.

Someone had already rushed over and picked up the bag he had dropped, examining its contents.

“The package is still here!”

“Contact the team quickly!”

Only then did Dai Yuansheng realize that the people following him must be plainclothes officers. He didn’t know how long he had been under surveillance, but before he could carry out his plan, he had already been caught.

Lu Junchi stepped down from a nearby command vehicle and looked at Dai Yuansheng. He put handcuffs on him.

Since he got off the third bus, he had already been targeted by the police.

His actions and targets matched the police’s predictions perfectly.

The constant news broadcasts had stimulated his nerves, exposing his flaws.

Dai Yuansheng looked up at Lu Junchi and saw that the others were all following his orders. He gasped for breath and smirked, raising the corner of his mouth. “I just had bad luck. You won’t catch the others!”

Lu Junchi didn’t bother listening to his nonsense and made a gesture. “Take him away! Interrogate him immediately to see if he knows any useful information.”

The other individuals selected by Song Lan’en lacked experience, and many of them were exposed not long after starting. A few were even arrested beforehand and revealed the locations where they were supposed to retrieve items.

During the police’s operations and inspections in the city, they quickly captured three people.

With Dai Yuansheng included, four people have been captured.

Although they had apprehended several individuals, Lu Junchi didn’t dare to relax in the slightest. He quickly informed Su Hui about the news.

On the other end of the phone, Su Hui seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then asked, “Still no news about Song Lan’en and Bi Shanyu?”

“No…” Lu Junchi glanced at the time.

Where could the remaining criminals with the explosives be targeting?

Thirty minutes later, two more people were caught.

Later, Xu Shuang was also found. When Lu Junchi arrived at the scene, she was sitting outside a kindergarten, her head lowered, next to a swing. She was wearing a autumn-style dress, her body swaying back and forth as her feet touched the ground, but her gaze remained fixed on the kindergarten beside her.

Inside the kindergarten, a group of children in a class were playing a game of “eagle catches chicks” under the guidance of their teacher.

Xu Shuang had a gentle gaze and a slender figure. She appeared to be an ordinary woman in her thirties with good manners, and there was no way to tell she was a cold-blooded killer.

Several police officers who rushed over were somewhat nervous, wary of her every move.

However, Xu Shuang stood up and voluntarily raised her hands without any resistance.

Someone searched the designer bag she was carrying.

“Captain Lu, we didn’t find anything in the bag.”

Lu Junchi approached and handcuffed her. “Then where is it?”

Lu Junchi had heard Su Hui’s analysis before. In previous incidents, Xu Shuang always avoided targeting students and pregnant women. However, he didn’t understand why she was discovered outside the kindergarten this time.

Xu Shuang’s eyes shifted to him, and her voice was very calm. “I’ve already lost it.”

Lu Junchi continued questioning, “Where did you put it?!”

“When I took the item, I realized I didn’t need it anymore,” Xu Shuang replied nonchalantly. “So I handed it over to Bi Shanyu.”

At that time, Bi Shanyu had a conversation with her at the door, and it was then that Bi Shanyu suggested she could give him the item, so she didn’t have to hesitate anymore.

Although she didn’t like that man very much, she thought the suggestion was not bad.

“Where did Bi Shanyu go?” Lu Junchi asked.

“I don’t know. Each of us acted independently,” Xu Shuang said at a steady pace.

“Zheng Bai, investigate along the route she took to prevent her from lying,” Lu Junchi gestured, “Qu Ming! Take her to the car and prepare for interrogation!”

Everything was arranged, and they got back in the command vehicle. Lu Junchi checked the time and informed Su Hui of the progress on their side.

Su Hui hadn’t anticipated this outcome either and whispered on the other end of the phone, “So… it means there might be two bombs in Bi Shanyu’s hands…”

At this point, they had obtained six bombs and seven were still unaccounted for.

Song Lan’en was still missing, and there were some issues arising with Bi Shanyu.

Su Hui vaguely felt that this was a signal, but he hadn’t analyzed it yet or understood what it represented.

At this stage, two of the main culprits had already shown their traces, and the other perpetrators were being found one by one.

However, for some reason, Su Hui couldn’t shake off the unease in his heart. He felt that Bi Shanyu’s behavior was different from before, and that person could be hiding anywhere in the city.

Moreover, he now had more than one bomb in his possession…

“Su Hui, be careful. I’ll try to find Bi Shanyu as soon as possible…” Lu Junchi’s mood was contradictory at this moment. He knew he had to do everything in his power to search for the whereabouts of the criminals, but at the same time, he was deeply concerned for Su Hui’s safety.

He wished he could catch everyone quickly and return to Su Hui’s side.

“I have to go. Director Tan is calling me,” Su Hui whispered. “I saw a notification on the internet that the pears you ordered have arrived. I’ll wait for you to make pear syrup.”

“Okay…” Lu Junchi finally hung up the walkie-talkie.

Qu Ming was in the driver’s seat and turned to ask, “Captain Lu, what should we do now?”

They had searched in all directions where Bi Shanyu might go, and plainclothes officers were stationed at train stations, large supermarkets, and crowded squares. Various government agencies and key intersections were not only manned by multiple police officers but also accompanied by police dogs.

Now, data monitoring was even more intensive, and in this command room, they could see the situation at various intersections and key locations in Huadu.

With such an investigation, if those individuals were planning to commit a crime in public, they would be quickly discovered.

Lu Junchi believed that Bi Shanyu’s behavior and personality would eventually lead to his capture. It was only a matter of time.

Su Hui held his chin with his finger, blinked his eyelashes, and lowered his head, deep in thought.

“…There are still many things I can’t figure out,” Su Hui tried to calm himself down. “Bi Shanyu’s behavior… doesn’t match my profile of him, and I can’t find his motive for the crimes.”

Why would this situation occur?

Did he miss something?

“Bi Shanyu…” as he uttered his name, Lu Junchi also recalled something. “When we initially tracked these people, we started from one of Bi Shanyu’s payment records…”

Hearing him mention this, Su Hui furrowed his brows. He remembered Bi Shanyu’s file. “Something is not right. How can a heavily indebted gambler and debtor have cash to make payments on WeChat?!”

Later, it was Xu Shuang who bore the expenses for these people, and Bi Shanyu didn’t have to make any payments…

Years ago, Bi Shanyu should have already been burdened with gambling debts, and he shouldn’t have any money on him.

Was it the money given to him by those people later?

Or perhaps… this behavior was intentional, allowing the police to follow the trail and find those individuals.

Among all the surveillance footage that the police had, Bi Shanyu always wore a hat and appeared blurry. He seemed to be avoiding the cameras.

This somewhat suspicious behavior suddenly made Su Hui think of a possibility.

“Hold on, let me confirm something…” Su Hui said to Lu Junchi while rushing to Interrogation Room No. 3 nearby.

Xu Shuang had just been escorted here after her arrest and was sitting with her head down.

Su Hui quickly took out his phone and showed Xu Shuang Bi Shanyu’s wanted warrant. “Is this the person you know as Bi Shanyu?”

Xu Shuang didn’t understand why a police officer suddenly rushed in and asked this question.

She lowered her head and examined the photo. The man in the picture was thin and ordinary-looking. They had confiscated their phones, so they hadn’t seen any wanted warrants before. Now she saw clearly that it was Bi Shanyu’s wanted warrant.

Xu Shuang didn’t quite understand why the photo on the wanted warrant was different from the person she saw a few days ago. She shook her head and said, “It’s not him.”

“Then, what does he look like? Any distinctive features?” At this point, Su Hui finally realized the problem. The surveillance footage of Bi Shanyu always showed him sitting in a corner, only appearing as a blur.

That Bi Shanyu might not be the person they were searching for, which also explained why the police couldn’t find him.

Xu Shuang thought for a moment and recalled, “He… he looked quite young, around his twenties or thirties. He had peach blossom eyes, thin lips, and was always smoking…”

The description she provided gradually formed a picture in Su Hui’s mind.

He thought of a possibility that sent a chill down his spine. Yet, as he thought about it carefully, there were signs pointing to it.

“How did you communicate with him before?”

Xu Shuang adjusted her hair, still not understanding why the police officer was so anxious. “Before, we only contacted each other online. Song Lan’en would leave the items in a designated location for us to pick up. Although we were in the same group for a while, we only met face-to-face a few days ago.”

Su Hui hurriedly left the interrogation room and tightly gripped his phone as he spoke to Lu Junchi, “I just confirmed it with Xu Shuang. That person is not the real Bi Shanyu.”

Lu Junchi, who usually had a calm voice, also showed a trace of panic, “Then who could he be?”

Su Hui sighed and said, “It’s possible that he is Yao Fei. He recently switched identities with Bi Shanyu.”