Chapter 117: Chapter 54: Acting Team Leader Becomes Permanent (Requesting Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
"On March 11th last year at 6 AM, the human organ puzzle murder case at Yongjiang Square in Jiangzhou City?" Luo Fei looked at Yang Mei, inquiring, as he had heard Yang Su mention the case once after joining the criminal police team.
The victim was a 16-year-old high school girl who was brutally murdered during school hours. The killer gruesomely dismembered her body, then used her limbs and blood to create a sunflower painting at Yongjiang Square.
The horrific scene was discovered the next morning by a sanitation worker, who immediately reported it to the police. Jiangzhou City police promptly arrived at the scene and launched an investigation, but within the following month, there was no progress in their inquiries.
A month after the Yongjiang Square human organ puzzle painting, on April 11th at 6 AM, a similar method was used by the killer to create a peony painting using human limbs and organs on the playground at Tianfu Middle School, also in Jiangzhou City.
This time, the victim was a beautiful thirty-year-old female teacher at Tianfu Middle School. It was said that she stayed late at school that night to grade student assignments, giving the murderer the opportunity to strike.
After the police intervened in the investigation, they also failed to uncover any leads.
The cruel methods, bloody and terrifying scene, and brazen attitude of the serial murders quickly triggered panic among Jiangzhou citizens. The police gathered elite criminal investigators from the city’s various districts and counties to solve the case swiftly.
The Ningjiang County Criminal Police team was also mobilized, including the then head of the technical team, Zheng Bei, and Yang Su.
With so many elite criminal investigators assembled, it was expected that the case would be quickly solved and the serial killer apprehended. However, unexpectedly, there was no progress in the investigation for three whole months, and the killer seemed to have vanished into thin air.
But just as everyone believed the killer would not reappear, he resurfaced, attacking Zheng Bei on his way home from work.
Like before, the killer brutally dismembered Zheng Bei’s limbs and organs, using them to draw a mocking face on Yongzhou Bridge.
Yang Su and Jiangzhou City police received the alert the next morning around 7 AM, only then learning of Zheng Bei’s murder.
The murder of a police officer, coupled with the creation of a smiley face, caused a sensation not only in Jiangzhou City but nationwide.
The provincial bureau promptly set up a special investigation team, vowing to solve the case and capture the killer.
Yet, to date, the case remains unsolved, and the killer is still at large.
"Hmm," Yang Mei nodded.
"So Aunt Tang is the wife of Captain Zheng." Luo Fei suddenly realized.
"Aunt Tang is very pitiful; she’s now all alone after her husband passed away." Yang Mei said, looking towards the kitchen with some sympathy.
"Did Aunt Tang and Captain Zheng have any children?" Luo Fei asked.
"I heard they once had a daughter, but when she was eight, Aunt Tang took her to the park, and she disappeared, never to be found." Yang Mei replied.
As the two chatted, Aunt Tang came over carrying a small pot of porridge.
"Here, the porridge is ready. Eat it while it’s hot; it won’t taste good if it gets cold. The barbecue will be ready shortly." Aunt Tang smiled as she placed the porridge on the table.
"Let me serve you a bowl, I’m sure you’ll like it." Yang Mei took a bowl from the table and scooped some for Luo Fei.
Luo Fei didn’t hesitate, took the bowl, and began eating.
"It’s really delicious," Luo Fei couldn’t help but comment, genuinely praising the porridge’s exquisite taste, not merely flattering Yang Mei or Aunt Tang. It was truly aromatic and enjoyable, no wonder Yang Mei said he’d love the taste.
"See, I knew you’d love the flavor." Yang Mei’s face lit up with a satisfied smile upon hearing Luo Fei’s words, and she also scooped herself a bowl.
"Haha, if you like it, you can come eat every day. You two enjoy, I’ll check on the barbecue; it should be ready soon." Aunt Tang chuckled as she headed back to the kitchen.
At half-past eleven, Luo Fei and Yang Mei finished their midnight snack.
Yang Mei drove Luo Fei home before heading back herself, which made Luo Fei feel a bit awkward.
Honestly, Luo Fei had a slight masculine pride in his character, and having Yang Mei drive him home bruised his ego somewhat. In his view, he should be the one driving Yang Mei home; it’s unusual for a woman to drive a man home!
But there was no choice, as he didn’t own a car. Even if he wanted to drive Yang Mei home, he didn’t have a car to use.
As for buying a car?
For now, Luo Fei’s need for a car wasn’t that great; he typically used the team’s squad cars for investigations, so purchasing a car would only happen after buying a house. He had no plans to delay buying a house for a vehicle.
The awkward feeling lasted only a moment. Once Luo Fei entered his room and saw Wu Yan still waiting on the sofa, he felt that nothing was more pressing than buying a house.
"You’re home. Did you eat? If not, there’s some leftover food; I can heat it up for you," Wu Yan quickly asked as he entered the room.
"I’ve eaten, Mom. I’m grown up now and will take good care of myself, don’t worry about me. It’s already half-past eleven, you’ll have to wake up early for work tomorrow morning. Go to sleep, and you don’t have to wait for me if I come back late; just sleep early," Luo Fei advised, genuinely not wanting Wu Yan to worry too much about him.
"I’m alright; even if I sleep early, I can’t fall asleep. I was just watching some TV on the sofa," Wu Yan replied.
"You need to wake up at four in the morning; how can you be okay? Go to bed," Luo Fei urged.
"Alright, I’ll go to sleep now, and you should go to bed early too," Wu Yan instructed Luo Fei before going to bed.
Luo Fei changed into slippers, preparing to take a shower.
In the bathroom
Luo Fei was showering, but his consciousness drifted into the system.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for solving the Jin Dayuan family massacre case, earning six hundred Gold Coins."
The system’s notification sounded timely.
A smile appeared on Luo Fei’s face.
With this, Luo Fei had accumulated a total of twelve hundred Gold Coins. It wouldn’t be long before he could exchange them for the next gene.
After finishing his shower and freshening up, Luo Fei returned to his room and turned on his phone, immediately noticing two messages from Yang Mei.
The first message read, "I’m home!"
The second message said, "I’m going to freshen up, covered in sweat and grime."
Seeing Yang Mei’s messages, Luo Fei smiled softly and then replied, "I just took a shower. You must be really tired today. Rest early after freshening up, good night."
After sending the message, Luo Fei casually picked up a criminal investigation book from the cabinet beside his pillow and started reading.
About fifteen minutes later.
Yang Mei sent another message.
"Yeah, good night."
The next morning, Luo Fei arrived at the criminal investigation team at 7:20.
He first went over the Jin Dayuan family massacre case in his mind, then spent over twenty minutes summarizing and printing out the report on the computer.
By nearly eight, the members of Group Three gradually walked into the office.
"Leader, I notice you always seem full of energy. Never seen you tired. Do you have any tips for staying refreshed?" Wang Yong asked Luo Fei while yawning, looking fatigued. Yesterday had been exhausting, and Wang Yong felt he still wasn’t fully awake.
Luo Fei glanced at Wang Yong and then said lightly, "Spend less time on your phone, sleep early, wake up early, and keep exercising."
"I don’t sleep that late either! I usually go to bed by midnight." Wang Yong replied.
"No need to say more, I’m sure you’re up to no good under the covers at night," Zhao Cheng teased with a mischievous grin.
"Shut up, you pretentious guy. Not everyone is like you, thinking about random nonsense all day. We’re criminal investigators, okay? Watch how you speak, and don’t embarrass our team." Wang Yong first looked disdainfully at Zhao Cheng, then said seriously.
At 8:30, Luo Fei handed the summary report for the Jin Dayuan family massacre case and Liu Wei’s interrogation record to Zhao Donglai.
When Luo Fei walked into the office, Zhao Donglai was on the phone, and judging by his smiling expression, he seemed in quite a good mood.
Once Zhao Donglai hung up the call.
"Sit, sit, sit. Finished writing the report?" Zhao Donglai gestured to the sofa for Luo Fei to sit down and then asked.
"Yes," Luo Fei nodded in response.
"Not bad, you young people are truly active. Doing things with such vigor and speed. If you asked Yang Su, Zhang Fan, or Liu Qiang to write the report, they might take a week to get it done," Zhao Donglai said approvingly.
"Maybe Team Leader Yang and the others write more detailed reports," Luo Fei suggested after thinking for a moment.
"Nonsense," Zhao Donglai snorted, "They’re just too lazy to write."
"Enough about them. Good news for you: Director Wu is very satisfied with our quick solving of the Jin Dayuan family massacre case, and he’s also very pleased with your achievements as the acting captain for Squad Three. If nothing unexpected happens, your acting position will become permanent in the next couple of days. And not just you, Yang Mei will likely also be made permanent," Zhao Donglai said with a smile.
"Thank you for the leadership’s care and support. I will continue to work hard and strive for even better results," Luo Fei said solemnly and earnestly. The news of permanently securing his position was indeed a pleasant surprise for him.
"Yes, keep up the good work. Both Director Wu and I have high hopes for you. Your future is indeed bright, but you must keep pushing yourself and not become complacent with your current achievements. Aim high and far," Zhao Donglai encouraged.
"Yes, I’ll remember that."
"By the way, I heard you’re dating Yang Mei?" Zhao Donglai suddenly asked.
Luo Fei’s expression froze. He was aware of the connection between Yang Mei and Zhao Donglai, so how should he respond?
"Haha, I was just asking. You young people handle your own affairs. We can’t interfere. Alright, that’s all, you may go now." Zhao Donglai perhaps realized his question was a bit abrupt and quickly excused Luo Fei.
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