Chapter 1333
第1333章 李爱国抽丝剥茧，1脚救1人，2脚救2人
At this time, more and more residents outside gathered, all pointing inside and whispering among themselves.
Although they didn't know what was happening inside, they knew from the scene that something serious had occurred.
"What do we do now?" Chen Hua asked while directing the security officers to stop the residents.
"Take the body back for autopsy first, and verify the footprint clues as well," Li Aiguo said.
Having worked at the weather station for so many years, Li Aiguo has been through many battles and has handled many difficult cases.
He knew that the most crucial aspect of investigating a case was to confirm the clues he already had.
If you start by blindly following the wrong clues, you're just wasting your time.
Old Cat nodded, turned around and went out to borrow the supply and marketing cooperative's phone to notify the weather station to send people over for support as soon as possible.
Taking advantage of this break, Li Aiguo went outside and began questioning several residents who were watching.
The questions naturally all revolve around the deceased, Zhang Tao.
"What is this person's usual conduct like? Does he usually have any friends or acquaintances?"
Upon hearing that there was something interesting to talk about, the elderly women and young wives in the courtyard immediately perked up and became extremely enthusiastic, offering their "information" all at once.
However, the answer given was not very satisfactory.
"Zhang Tao, you're almost thirty this year, right? And you're still not married."
"That's right, that's right. He usually keeps to himself and rarely interacts with people in our compound. He's a real quiet type."
Hearing this, Li Aiguo raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat strange: "That shouldn't be the case. Zhang Tao is a technician, right? What level is he again?"
He turned to look at Chen Hua, who immediately replied, "Zhang Tao joined the factory in 1953 and is now a mid-level technician."
Li Aiguo is now considered part of the technical staff and is well aware of this.
A mid-level technician, that's a level 19 technician, earns 52 yuan a month.
Moreover, for large heavy industrial factories like Changxindian Locomotive Factory, located in the Beijing area, wages would increase by 25%.
With a salary level like that, you'd be considered a high-earning professional in later generations. How come you're not married?
Seeing the puzzled look on Li Aiguo's face, an old woman curled her lip and said:
“A couple of years ago, I was planning to introduce my niece to him, but Zhang Tao refused without even meeting her.”
“I heard that Zhang Tao… has some problems,” a young woman nearby chimed in.
"What's the problem?" Li Aiguo asked casually.
"It seems... she's impotent." The young woman covered her mouth mysteriously.
Goodness, those words instantly livened up the atmosphere.
In an instant, the topic shifted from whether Zhang Tao was married to whether he was "impotent".
The old women and young wives chatted away, one after another, having a really lively conversation.
Li Aiguo stood to the side, listening with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
It seems that the human instinct to gossip is the same across all eras.
However, this could be an important clue.
Li Aiguo didn't take it as a joke; he took out his notebook and wrote it down.
Just then, a meteorologist from the weather station arrived in a modified minibus. Several meteorologists carried a stretcher over, and after ascertaining the location of the body, they went inside to get busy.
The old woman who had been watching the drama unfold finally came to her senses and asked in confusion, "Comrade, what exactly happened to Zhang Tao?"
"Dead." Li Aiguo replied calmly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the faces of the old women and young wives all changed instantly.
They exchanged glances, and their previously chattering mouths instantly fell silent, no one daring to utter another word.
Li Aiguo ignored them and instructed Section Chief Chen Hua to stay and take statements from everyone. He then followed the stretcher and rode back to the meteorological station in the car.
Upon returning to the weather station, the body was sent directly to the autopsy department, while the photos of the footprints were sent to the forensic department.
"Director Li, the results of this assessment probably won't be available until this afternoon at the earliest," the colleague in charge of the handover said to Li Aiguo after going in to complete the process.
Li Aiguo knew that the identification process couldn't be rushed.
Looking at the time, it was almost noon. Since the results weren't out yet, Li Aiguo simply washed his hands and went to the cafeteria for lunch.
After finishing their meal, they ran into Zhao Laoshuan, and the two sat down together and chatted.
This girl, Dieter, who was airdropped from America's home, is now living a very fulfilling life and has a lovely little daughter.
"Alas, if I had known I would be living such a good life now, I would have surrendered long ago!" Zhao Laoshuan sighed as he recalled the past.
"Haha, this is what they call 'the moment the thought of surrender arises, the world becomes vast'!" Li Aiguo joked with a laugh.
"Yes, yes, yes! That's a brilliant summary!"
The two were talking.
Zhao Laoshuan's daughter, Zhao Guihua, ran over with a little braid in her hand, holding a red hair tie, and asked Zhao Laoshuan in a childish voice to help her re-tie her hair.
Seeing Zhao Laoshuan, a man accustomed to using pistols, now frantically trying to braid his daughter's hair, only to end up with a messy braid that earned him a look of disgust from his daughter, Li Aiguo couldn't help but laugh out loud.
After the chat ended, Li Aiguo stood up and went to the appraisal office again.
At this time, Lao Mao also rushed back from Changxindian.
They didn't get any good news from the tenement, as the residents really knew very little about Zhang Tao's private life.
"This is Zhang Tao's file that I just had someone retrieve. Take a look." Old Cat handed over a document.
Li Aiguo took it and looked at the cover first.
This file was transferred from the Changxindian Locomotive Factory. It had a seal on it. He opened the file, and the contents were very detailed.
"Zhang Tao was born in February 1934 in Northeast China. Both his parents died. After graduating from vocational school, he was assigned to the Changxindian Locomotive Factory... His political affiliation was that of a member of the public..."
There wasn't any particularly useful information above.
In this era, there are far too many people with backgrounds and life trajectories like Zhang Tao.
"Director Li, the autopsy results and forensic findings are in! To ensure everything is perfect, we reviewed them again, which caused a slight delay."
At this moment, the comrade in charge of the appraisal came out quickly with several forms in his hand.
The result was not unexpected for Li Aiguo.
The footprints collected at the scene included those of the deceased, Chen Hua, and the technicians.
More importantly, the footprints at the scene did show signs of having been cleaned up.
The windows were also clean, with no fingerprints found, clearly indicating that the murderer had cleaned up after committing the crime.
As for the cause of death, the autopsy confirmed that the deceased did indeed die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Once the result is confirmed, it means that the entire case has been officially upgraded to a homicide case.
Old Cat's expression immediately turned serious.
It is not yet certain whether Zhang Tao's death is related to the leak of "Project 639".
Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, the weather station absolutely cannot take that risk.
"Let's go and report to the farmer now."
Li Aiguo and Lao Mao knocked on the door of the farmer's office.
The farmer had just returned from a meeting, and upon seeing the two of them, he knew there was progress on the case. He pointed to the chair.
"Sit down and talk."
After Li Aiguo sat down, he gave a complete report on the situation.
Throughout the entire process, the farmer frowned. After listening, he looked at Li Aiguo and asked, "Comrade train driver, what are your thoughts?"
Li Aiguo said solemnly, "The key issue now is that we cannot determine whether Zhang Tao had leaked information related to 639 to the murderer before his death."
Therefore, we must act quickly! Even a second's delay could result in irreparable damage.
The farmer nodded approvingly: "You've considered everything very thoroughly. Let's do it your way. Given that this case may involve 639, it must be escalated!"
I suggest that a special task force be immediately established, with Comrade Li Aiguo as the leader and Comrade Lao Mao as the deputy leader, to investigate this case with all our might.
The farmer's proposal was unanimously approved by the weather station leaders.
After all, if Li Aiguo hadn't astutely noticed the anomaly in Zhang Tao's cause of death, Zhang Tao would probably have been hastily dismissed as an accidental death due to drunkenness.
"Comrade train driver, are you determined to crack this case?" The farmer stood up and looked at Li Aiguo.
"Please rest assured, sir, we will definitely investigate the case thoroughly and get to the bottom of it!"
Li Aiguo suddenly stood up, straightened his chest, put his feet together, and answered at attention.
The farmer patted Li Aiguo heavily on the shoulder: "Good! From now on, you will be fully responsible for investigating this matter, and all relevant departments must cooperate unconditionally."
The farmer wasn't just saying that; with the weather station's endorsement, mobilizing local resources or those of the Changxindian Locomotive Factory became much easier.
In addition to several veteran meteorologists, the project team also included Section Chief Chen Hua, who was not officially part of the team.
It was already six o'clock in the evening.
Old Cat glanced at his watch and suggested, "Team leader, we've already contacted Zhang Tao's hometown to verify the situation, but we probably won't get back anytime soon."
How about we call it a day, everyone take a break, and continue tomorrow?
"Alright, everyone go back and rest first." Li Aiguo understood the importance of conserving energy before a major battle.
After the group members left, Li Aiguo also rode his motorcycle back to the courtyard house.
As soon as I reached the door, I heard my second sister-in-law's voice coming from inside the house.
Push open the door.
Sure enough, Second Sister-in-law was sitting in the room, holding Chen Xueru's hand and talking to her while wiping away tears.
Li Aiguo stood at the door, watching this scene, feeling somewhat melancholic.
My second sister-in-law and second brother Chen Xingyi are a couple who argue every three days and have a big fight every five days. When they get really angry, they can even fight each other.
When it really came down to it, they never abandoned us.
"Patriot! You're finally back! Have you inquired about your second brother's situation?"
As soon as the second sister-in-law looked up and saw Li Aiguo, she quickly stood up as if she had grasped a lifeline, hastily wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
“I’ve already inquired, and the problem shouldn’t be too serious. However, the specific situation hasn’t been investigated clearly yet, and my second brother may have to stay inside for a while longer.” Li Aiguo did not reveal any details.
Hearing this, the second sister-in-law breathed a long sigh of relief: "Oh! Aiguo, thank you so much."
"Without you, I really don't know what I would have done if the sky had fallen!"
“We’re family. If I don’t help him, who will?” Li Aiguo said with a smile.
"Yes, Second Sister-in-law, don't worry."
As long as my second brother hasn't done anything wrong, and he's upright, he has nothing to fear. The police will definitely not wrong an innocent person.
Seeing that Li Aiguo was tired, Chen Xueru stood up and saw her sister-in-law out of the house.
After finishing his meal, Li Aiguo returned to his study and picked up the transport plane blueprints to study them again.
Although the case is important, the transport plane cannot be left unattended.
We must grasp both hands; we cannot let go of either.
The next morning, Li Aiguo got up earlier than usual and went to the studio to supervise the manufacturing of the transport plane.
Seeing that everything was going smoothly, they then arrived at the security department of Changxindian Locomotive Factory.
The security department vacated several offices to serve as the command center for the special task force.
When Li Aiguo went in, Lao Mao, Chen Hua, and several team members had already arrived and were preparing to hold a case analysis meeting.
"Patriotism, where should we start next?" Old Cat asked bluntly.
Several group members also frowned.
From what we can see so far, the scene has been cleaned up so thoroughly that there are no direct, useful clues.
Li Aiguo began, "Based on the information we have so far, there is actually a very obvious suspicious point at the scene, which is, how could the murderer know so accurately how long Zhang Tao had been drunk and then take the opportunity to strike?"
The atmosphere at the scene immediately changed after these words were spoken.
"That's right! The key reason why the murderer was able to fake a locked-room murder was that Zhang Tao was already dead drunk and completely unable to resist!"
"However, drinking last night was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and most people would never know that."
"Could it be... that the murderer is one of the technicians who drank with him yesterday?!"
Someone immediately put forward a bold hypothesis.
Chen Hua shook his head: "Impossible. Last night I checked the whereabouts of those technicians repeatedly, and they all have alibis. They didn't have time to commit the crime."
Old Cat pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I think we should continue to follow the clues today and start with Zhang Tao's interpersonal relationships."
The investigation into the deceased's interpersonal relationships was originally just a routine procedure, an attempt to cast a wide net and try to find some clues.
But now that Li Aiguo has raised this point of doubt, it has instantly become a key area to focus on.
Then Chen Hua, along with the officers from the security department, invited the comrades from the technical department over and questioned them one by one.
Old Cat was responsible for keeping an eye on things from the sidelines, checking whether these people were lying.
Li Aiguo took advantage of this time to go to the detention room of the security department.
At this moment, Chen Xingyi and his group had just finished eating and were squatting on the ground counting ants. When they saw Li Aiguo coming over accompanied by the security officer, they all stood up. Li Aiguo asked the security officer to open the door, but the security officer was still a little worried: "Sir, should I call a few more people?"
"no need."
Li Aiguo waved his hand and entered the detention room. The technicians who saw him couldn't help but take a step back.
Li Aiguo didn't speak, but instead offered a few cigarettes.
The technicians were flattered and quickly accepted the match with both hands, then lit it on the match Li Aiguo handed them.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the tense atmosphere eased slightly.
Li Aiguo then slowly asked, "Gentlemen, I came here today specifically to ask you something: Who is Zhang Tao on the best side?"
The technicians exchanged glances, all smiled wryly, and shook their heads in unison: "Boss, we only had some business dealings with Zhang Tao when we were working at the factory."
He's usually extremely withdrawn; he leaves work as soon as he gets off. We really have no idea who he's close to in private.
Li Aiguo was somewhat disappointed. At this moment, Chen Xingyi suddenly raised his hand: "I have a clue here, I don't know if it will be of any use."
Li Aiguo did not interrupt, but turned his head and gave Chen Xingyi an encouraging look, signaling him to continue.
Chen Xingyi took a puff of his cigarette before continuing, "Zhang Tao, although he's a tech guy, is incredibly superstitious at heart!"
Sometimes, when he goes on a long trip, he has to consult the almanac to calculate the auspicious day.
I once heard him tell me personally that he knew an old Taoist priest who was incredibly accurate at fortune-telling!
"An old Taoist priest?" Li Aiguo was stunned. There are still old Taoist priests these days?
Before Li Aiguo could ask, Chen Xingyi continued, "At the time, I also asked Zhang Tao out of curiosity, and Zhang Tao vaguely said that it was an old Taoist priest left over from the old society."
I don't know exactly what kind of business they make now.
But I know he lives in the suburbs!
"Once, on my way home from get off work, I saw Zhang Tao riding his old, beat-up bicycle at breakneck speed toward the suburbs."
He had no friends or relatives in the suburbs of Changxindian; he couldn't possibly be going for a drive, could he?
Li Aiguo perked up and immediately asked, "Which way exactly did they go?"
"Let me think...it seems they went towards Jiuzihe Commune!"
"Good, Comrade Chen Xingyi, you may have made a contribution."
"Whether I make a contribution or not doesn't matter. I just want to provide some clues that can help." Chen Xingyi scratched his head.
Li Aiguo didn't say much. After leaving the pack of cigarettes with the group, he returned to his office.
By this time, Chen Hua had already led his men to question all the technicians.
Seeing Li Aiguo come in, Chen Hua shook his head helplessly: "Team leader, we can't get anything useful out of these people. They all know nothing and we have no clues."
“I do have one here; his target is the old Taoist priest from Jiuzi River,” Li Aiguo said.
Upon hearing this, Old Cat immediately grabbed the telephone, shook it a few times, and made a call to Jiuzihe Commune.
Jiuzihe Commune is located east of Changxindian.
Although it was nominally called a commune, due to its geographical location, it had long been intertwined with the residential areas of Changxindian Town, forming a complex and interwoven network.
At the same time, due to its proximity to the capital, Jiuzihe Commune has historically undertaken some special "peripheral duties".
For example, cemeteries.
People need to buy a house to live in.
After a person dies, there must be a place to be buried.
When there are enough houses for living people, a residential community is formed.
When there are many graves where the dead are buried, they naturally become cemeteries.
Before liberation, there were two types of cemeteries.
One type is a public cemetery, which mainly buries the poor, unclaimed corpses, and those who died far from home; it is free or extremely cheap.
Yes, it also has another name, called the mass grave.
Another type is the family cemetery.
These cemeteries are regularly maintained and repaired by professionals, and have excellent feng shui. Only the extremely wealthy and powerful can afford to own one.
The cemetery in Jiuzihe happens to be a private family cemetery.
The cemetery is quite large, covering an area of about five or six acres.
The cemetery is surrounded by a blue brick wall that is more than a person high and has an open top. There are two purple-lacquered gates facing south, and a black plaque with four gold-painted characters reads "Zhang Clan Cemetery".
In the very center of the cemetery stand two stone houses, which were the former residences of the grave keepers.
The owner of the cemetery had moved his entire family to Shanghai before the War of Resistance against Japan. They did business in the Shanghai concessions and later moved to Hong Kong. The cemetery was originally managed by distant relatives of the clan.
Before liberation, this distant relative also left Jiuzihe.
The Party Secretary of Jiuzihe Commune said that an old Taoist priest now lives here.
Considering the cemetery was dirty, the commune didn't come forward to drive him away, but just told him not to get involved in those crooked things.
"This old Liu is a good person. He even helps us harvest crops during the busy farming season. He can't be a bad guy." The militia captain, who had been called to lead the way, scratched his head in confusion when he heard that the police were coming to arrest someone.
The Party Secretary sternly reprimanded him: "Is your head filled with nothing but cornmeal?"
Do you think a bad guy can just swear 'I'm a bad guy' all over his forehead so you can tell?!
Since the police officers have come all this way specifically to arrest him, they must have solid evidence!
"If I tell you to lead the way, then just do it obediently. Why all this nonsense!"
"Yes, yes, yes... Party Secretary, please don't be angry. I'll lead the way, I'll lead the way right away, okay?" The militia captain shrank back after being scolded and quickly agreed with a smile.
He looked at the young man in the lead and said, "I'll take you there now."
"Wait a minute, find us some of your members' clothes to change into," the young man said.
The militia captain thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill; he was just an old Taoist priest, after all, but he still found a few clothes for him.
After changing his clothes, the young man carefully inspected his sidearm, silently chambered a bullet, and hid it under the hem of his clothes.
With everything prepared, the militia captain was allowed to lead the way.
The group left the commune compound quietly and headed towards the cemetery.
Although it's noon, it's unusually quiet here, with graves everywhere, which makes even the militia captain feel a bit creeped out.
But seeing the young man's calm expression, he quickly followed him.
"Old Liu lives in that house," the militia captain said, quickening his pace.
Before we even reached the house, a middle-aged man in his fifties came out.
"Old Liu, have you eaten yet?" the militia captain greeted him with a smile.
Li Aiguo narrowed his eyes. Without asking, he knew this man was Liu Laodao.
His hands were already inside his waist.
"We've already eaten," Liu Laodao said, glancing first at the militia captain before his gaze fell on Li Aiguo and the others.
His pupils suddenly contracted!
"Captain, who are these people following behind...?"
Before Old Liu could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred!
The hand hidden at the waist was pulled out with lightning speed, holding a dagger!
Old Liu's movements were incredibly fast.
The militia captain never expected that this honest and unassuming old Taoist priest would have such skills. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.
The sharp dagger was about to press against his neck.
The captain stared wide-eyed in horror.
At that critical moment!
A foot flew out from the side and kicked Liu Laodao's wrist hard.
The militia captain turned his head to look.
Before he knew it, the young man who had looked so calm was now standing beside him.
"My god... this guy is really something!" The militia captain's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, feeling a wave of fear wash over him.
Old Liu had originally thought he could control the militia captain, but seeing that he hadn't succeeded, he wasn't too flustered.
Because he knew that panicking now would be useless.
"Don't move!"
"Hands up!"
Old Cat and his team members had all raised their pistols and were aiming at Old Liu.
Old Liu had no doubt that if he dared to make another move, he would definitely be shot.
Old Liu slowly got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and asked, "Gentlemen, who are you? Why are you making things difficult for this poor monk?"
He was speaking the dialect of the Changxindian area.
Li Aiguo informed them in dialect: "We are from the Public Security Bureau. Old Liu, your case has been exposed."
Old Liu actually let out a sigh of relief: "Well, since it's a matter of public security, then we should be realistic. This matter can be clarified; Zhang Tao's death actually has nothing to do with me."
At this moment, Lao Mao stepped forward, and several team members rushed over. Because Liu Laodao was very skilled, they put two pairs of handcuffs on him.
Only then did they begin asking questions.
"Stop talking nonsense! How do you know Zhang Tao is dead? We haven't even mentioned his name yet!" Old Cat pressed.
"This is what I calculated!" Although he was handcuffed, Old Liu still held his head high, putting on the air of a wise and sage.
"I have been a disciple of Master Wang of Funiu Mountain since childhood. I am proficient in Qimen Dunjia and can calculate the fortunes of the past and future for eight hundred years!"
I had long ago foreseen that Zhang Tao was destined for this calamity, and I had even advised him to stay home and not go out.
But he wouldn't listen to my good advice, so who can he blame?
In all his years of solving cases, this is truly the first time Old Cat has encountered such a skilled old charlatan.
For a moment, I was so angry at this argument that I laughed, and I didn't know what to say.
Old Liu felt he had the upper hand: "Leaders, you can't do that now. I've been behaving myself all these years. Even if you arrest me, all you'll get is a lecture or a reprimand. It's really useless."
"is it?"
Li Aiguo, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, suddenly turned his head and cast his gaze into the depths of the cemetery on the left.
Liu Laodao was taken aback by Li Aiguo's sudden action. He subconsciously followed Li Aiguo's gaze and blurted out, "What...?"
however!
He hadn't even had a chance to completely utter that "sh" sound!
A flash of light appeared in the middle of the graveyard.
"boom!"
The gunshot shattered the deathly silence of the cemetery!
Immediately afterwards, Liu Laodao sensed that death was about to come.
In that split second between life and death, another large foot, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slammed heavily into Old Liu's body!
After falling to the ground, the unfinished word "me" from Liu Laodao's throat was finally squeezed out.
However, after being kicked and thrown, the sound was completely distorted, making it sound particularly comical.
Old Liu lay on the ground, still shaken, panting heavily.
Immediately afterwards, he felt a sharp pain in his right cheek, and even felt warm liquid flowing down his neck.
Turning his head again, he saw a bullet hole right behind where he had just been standing!
Half of the ear, covered in blood, lay in the grass below the bullet hole.
Old Liu trembled like a leaf!
What accurate marksmanship! If it weren't for that young man's kick, he would already be meeting his maker.
Li Aiguo felt that this situation of losing an ear was somewhat familiar.
What? That person only got shot, didn't lose an ear, so forget about it?
Old Cat hadn't expected that someone had been lying in ambush there all along, and had even fired a shot right in front of him. He immediately shouted, and several team members rushed into the graveyard.
They found nothing; the shooter had already escaped.
Upon learning the result, Old Cat's face turned ashen, and he turned to look at Li Aiguo with lingering fear.
That kid was absolutely amazing today!
Those were two kicks.
He stopped Liu Laodao from killing someone with one kick, and saved Liu Laodao with the other. It's really strange.
But Old Cat was filled with more doubts at this moment.
Their task force had only just decided to rush to this cemetery after obtaining Chen Xingyi's confession.
How was the murderer hiding in the shadows able to lay in ambush beforehand?
at this time.
Li Aiguo had already walked up to Liu Laodao and looked down at the "half-immortal" whose half-ear was still bleeding.
She slowly asked the question that had just been interrupted.
"What? Didn't Master Wang of Funiu Mountain teach you that?"
"You've calculated everything from heaven and earth to the past eight hundred years... didn't you foresee that you almost got shot today?!"
Old Liu's face turned ashen, and his mental defenses completely collapsed.
"Sir... I... I surrender... I'll tell you everything I know..."
(End of this chapter)