Silin Town, heavy snow.
This is a small town hidden in the low hilly area in the north. The traffic is extremely inconvenient, the land is barren, and there is a lack of resources. People outside are reluctant to enter, and people inside have no awareness of coming out. Some surrounding villages and towns that are radiated by big cities have developed. But it was gradually forgotten because of its own conditions.
Xiang Tao's feeling in Silin Town is that this place is really poor.
None of the townspeople can speak Mandarin. Older townspeople hide at home when they see outsiders, while younger men look at outsiders, and some even follow them all the way, with shovels and wooden sticks in their hands that can hurt people. Tool of.
Xiang Tao saw a lot of little boys of a few years old. They were wearing tattered cotton coats, building snowmen in the snow and playing snowball fights. Because the clothes were too thin and could not keep warm, they generally wore layers after layers, wrapped like a A plump onion.
Compared with the little boy, the little girl had almost none, at least Xiang Tao didn't see much.
However, there are quite a few pregnant women in the town. They are doing whatever work they can in their own yard with big stomachs, and their faces look very haggard.
Xiang Tao settled down in the town as a riding "alive friend".
Silin Town has probably never had a "Donkey friend" pass by, and the townspeople are very wary of their group. Xiang Tao originally wanted to inquire about the "Master Craftsman". If he was lucky, he might meet people like Huang Yan and Cai Xinyue who came to buy "ghost cards". But the timing was too unfortunate. There were no pregnant women in the town giving birth in the cold winter and the twelfth lunar month, and the "master craftsman" seemed to have left temporarily. The bloody sin here is like being washed away by a pure white snow, and when the snow melts and the snow is the same color as the mud in the coming year, the sin will spread like weeds.
Those pregnant women carry in their wombs, if it is a boy, they can live, if it is a girl, it is very likely that they will be made into lifeless "ghost cards".
Looking at those numb eyes, an extremely absurd thought suddenly poured into Xiang Tao's heart - there are so many pregnant women here, could it be...
·
Because of the clues provided by Wen Ling, the serious crime team officially participated in the investigation of Huang Yan's case.
"Cai Xinyue, who went to Silin Town with Huang Yan to buy a 'ghost card', has now quit her job out of fear and locked herself at home. She believes that Huang Yan was attacked by the 'ghost card'." The conference room , Only Mingshu stood alone, "The superstition of 'backlash' is of course not credible, but now it cannot be ruled out that some people target people who buy 'ghost cards'. There are a total of 17 people on this list, The situation of each of them needs to be verified. Team Li, how is Xiang Tao doing now?"
Li Chicheng, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Beicheng Branch, also came to the serious crime team for a meeting. Compared with the stubborn Wang Hao, who is also the deputy captain on the front line, Li Chicheng is much easier to get along with, and his judgment on the case is more accurate than Wang Hao. He was the one who was in charge of Huang Yan's case in the sub-bureau, so Mingshu was somewhat relieved.
"Silin Town is very backward, there are many boys and very few girls. Xiang Tao told me one of his views." Li Chicheng said: "There are too many pregnant women in the town, and it is abnormal. He suspects that these women are being raped. Organizing to get pregnant. The conditions in Silin Town are too poor, and there will be a lot of trouble in giving birth in winter. Judging from the condition of their stomachs, the earliest expected date of childbirth is March next year, when the temperature has already risen. "
"That is to say, there is indeed a 'ghost brand' industry chain there." Mingshu took a few steps by the table, "But there are at least 17 buyers in Dongye City alone, and Silin Town should not be the only one who is a 'craftsman'. The master 'provides the village and town of the baby girl."
Li Chicheng said: "We will verify the 17 people on the list. However, the Ming team has a lot of restrictions on the sub-bureau. I will trouble you to think of other things."
Mingshu nodded, "Leave it to me."
·
There is a small iron ore mine in Dongye City.
At 10 a.m., the door of the school opened, and the students trotted in a long line under the guidance of the teacher to the plastic playground outside the school gate for the 100-day long-distance running, a routine fitness activity every winter.
This kind of activity is supposed to take place on campus, but not every elementary school has the conditions. Iron Mine is next to Iron Mine Middle School, and the two schools share a 400-meter standard playground.
The playground is not only open to the two schools, but also to the public, and although teachers have posted signs at several entrances and exits urging residents not to enter when students need to use the playground, this has little restraint.
In recent years, incidents of hurting elementary school students have occurred all over the world. Teachers are all nervous, and long-distance running activities cannot be cancelled. Children are struggling to run on the playground. The teachers stare at the adults near the playground like bodyguards. Those who are suspicious, immediately follow closely.
It's really not easy to be a teacher at this level.
Standing on the edge of the playground, Mingshu noticed a bunch of vigilant eyes, turned halfway, and saw a female teacher in her twenties looking at him cautiously.
Looking at the "suspicious man", the female teacher was even more nervous, but she didn't turn around and left, instead she took two steps forward.
Mingshu can understand the other person's mind at a glance.
This thin and weak female teacher regarded him as someone who had bad intentions towards the students. If he made any dangerous actions at this time, the female teacher might rush towards him recklessly.
"This gentleman." The female teacher summoned her courage and said, "What's the matter with you?"
Mingshu was wearing a leather jacket that became popular in recent years. He didn't look like a policeman. He stood outside the playground for a long time. No wonder the female teacher misunderstood.
"I'm looking for a student named 'Xu Yin', she goes to school here." Mingshu took out the certificate.
When the female teacher saw that it was a policeman, her expression suddenly relaxed, and she patted her chest and whispered, "It scared me to death."
Mingshu smiled gently, "It's hard work."
The female teacher didn't react for a while, "Huh?"
Mingshu said, "Your students are lucky to have a teacher like you."
The female teacher blushed at the praise, "You're looking for Xu Yin, right? She's my student, I'll call her right away. But can I ask, what's your business with her? Is it about her parents? You are a police officer, you should know that she has some mental problems and has only recently returned to school."
Mingshu nodded, "I know her psychological problems. I came to her this time because I wanted to ask her some questions about the case."
The female teacher was a little worried, but did not continue to ask, and soon brought Xu Yin over.
Long time no see, the little girl's energy is much better than before, she laughed when she saw Mingshu, "Captain!"
The long-distance running was still going on. Ming Shu took Xu Yin to a nearby McDonald's, "Is there a final exam? How are you doing?"
Xu Yin's school status was not in Iron Mine Elementary School before, so he was registered, but basically he didn't go to school. After Wu Zhen's body was found, she was taken to the city bureau for psychological counseling. There is only one elderly person left in her family and she cannot take care of her, but she cannot stay in the city bureau forever. A while ago, her condition improved and she was arranged to study in a small iron mine. In the new environment, although she did not immediately make friends, the teacher knew her situation and took good care of her.
"Captain, you must not come to see me because you care about me." Xu Yin's eyes were less gloomy and weird, and he looked like a normal child when he didn't speak, but the demeanor and tone when he spoke were still easy to distinguish. Out, she is different from other children.
Mingshu put the fries in the ice cream and stirred it twice before taking it out, "You are very smart."
"You are very perverted." Xu Yin said.
Inexplicably being scolded, Mingshu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Me? Pervert?"
"You ruined the beauty of ice cream." Xu Yin said, "You use french fries to stir ice cream, just like cutting a corpse with a knife."
"Shh..." Mingshu said, "Can you stop talking about corpses when you eat?"
Xu Yin lowered his voice: "French fries should be dipped in ketchup."
"This sentence doesn't need to be whispered." Mingshu moved the ice cream cup forward, "Ketchup is good, but you can also try ice cream."
After all, it was a child, Xu Yin dipped it in ice cream suspiciously.
Mingshu asked, "Is it delicious?"
Xu Yin answered with action.
"After eating, let's talk." Mingshu said.
"Just ask what you want to ask." Xu Yinxiao said, "I will cooperate."
Ming Shu took out two photos of Chi Xiaomin, one was the ID photo (forged) that the police had long ago, and the other was a sneak photo provided by Wen Ling.
"You said last time that this person is the elder sister you saw. She once appeared out of your window at night, looking at you without saying a word, and later died in Yisi Alley near your house." Mingshu He tapped the photo twice with his finger, "Now I want you to think about it again, is it really this person?"
Xu Yin bit the spoon and stared at the photo seriously.
And Mingshu kept watching her expression.
"I..." Xu Yin raised his head, a little blank in his eyes, "I don't know."
Mingshu frowned: "What does 'don't know' mean?"
"I don't know, I don't know." Xu Yin suddenly became irritable. She was holding a spoon in her right hand. At this time, the spoon was thrown on the ground by her, and she grabbed her hair with both hands, and ripped apart the well-tied braids.
Mingshu felt very strange.
Although he didn't have much contact with Xu Yin, he generally knew Xu Yin's character. Before this, Xu Yin had never had such a reaction.
Did Chi Xiaomin's photo stimulate Xu Yin
But the last time I saw Chi Xiaomin's photo, Xu Yin was very calm.
Could it be that what happened to Xu Yin during this time
"My head hurts when I see her." After a few minutes, Xu Yin calmed down, "I don't know why."
Seeing Xu Yin like this, Mingshu couldn't continue to ask questions, so he had to temporarily send the person back to the school, and before driving back to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, he sat in the car and called Xiao Yuan.
After listening to Mingshu's description, Xiao Yu'an asked, "Does Xu Yin remember or not?"
"She doesn't seem to want to think about it at all." Mingshu said, "Chi Xiaomin must have something to do with her, otherwise her reaction would not be the same as before. When we were dealing with Wu Zhen's case, she took the initiative to find me. , said that in addition to Wu Zhen, she also found a body, and later pointed to the photo in the system and said that the person who died was Chi Xiaomin. It stands to reason that Chi Xiaomin—or be more cautious, that she saw at night The woman who did not have a psychological shadow on her, but the way she looked just now gave me the feeling that she has a shadow."
Xiao Yuan didn't speak immediately, Mingshu could only hear very light breathing.
"There is a possibility that after Xu Yin left the city bureau, someone approached her, interfered with part of her memory, or did something else - I can't think of the specific operation method and motivation." Xiao Yu'an said : "But there is another possibility..."
"Huh?" Mingshu asked, "What?"
Xiao Yu settled down, "You go to verify the former possibility first. Xu Yin's current reaction at least shows that she is under the surveillance of someone or a certain group. She is not yet 10 years old and has experienced so much. She is mentally abnormal, it is easy to be targeted and used, and it is easy to go down the wrong path by herself. Now her life seems to be back on the right track, in fact, she still needs help from various aspects of society."
Mingshu said, "Do you need to bring her back again?"
"No, don't disturb her unless it is a last resort. For her, the school is a more suitable place than the police station." Xiao Yu'an said, "But she needs our protection in the near future."
Mingshu nodded, "Okay, I understand."
After the call ended, Xiao Yuan stood in the corridor for a while.
When the phone vibrated, he was in a less important meeting, and when he saw it was Mingshu's call, he came out to answer it. Now it doesn't matter if he goes back or not.
A few minutes later, he walked to the floor where the serious crime team was located.
"Officer Xiao, what's the matter?" Yi Fei asked.
Xiao Yu'an said, "I remember that you were the first to contact Xu Yin?"
Yi Fei knew that Mingshu had gone to the Iron Mine to find Xu Yin. He was not surprised to hear the little girl's name at this time, "Yes, it's me."
Xiao Yu'an said, "At that time, she only said that she liked the smell of corpses, and she liked to follow the smell to find corpses?"
Yi Fei thought for a while and said with certainty, "Yes. We only found out her family background later."
Xiao Yu'an said "um", "Tune up Xu Yin's inquiry records, all of them."
·
The Beicheng Branch has completed the inspection of the current situation of the 17 people on the list. Unexpectedly and as if expected, in addition to Huang Yan, 2 people have died and 1 person's whereabouts are unknown.
Qiao Xuehua, female, 57 years old, partner of "Dongjifu", left Dongye City in November last year and returned to her hometown of Puji County, where she died in a car accident.
Li Sijia, male, 41 years old, owner of the "Huanxi Chicken" food company, committed suicide by lighting gas in his villa in February this year.
Lu Chao, male, 30 years old, self-employed, his main income is stock speculation, he started hiking in May this year, and his family and friends were unable to get in touch with him.
What is appearing on the projector is a photo of Qiao Xuehua. From the appearance, she is not significantly different from women of the same age who live in the city all the year round, and her appearance is not distinctive. "Dongjifu" is a financing platform that walks in the gray area between legal and illegal. In big cities, there are many such platforms. Whether a partner can make money depends on luck and success.
Qiao Xuehua is obviously a person who has both luck and knowledge. "Dongjifu" has not been online for a long time, and it has brought quite a lot of income to Qiao Xuehua - of course, this happened before November last year.
Qiao Xuehua divorced at an early age, and her only son lives with her husband. She has worked in the clothing business, opened a restaurant, and even in the cultural industry. With her flexible mind and diligent hands and feet, she has gradually become a successful female entrepreneur in the eyes of others.
Before Qiao Xuehua returned to her hometown, "Dongjifu" was operating well, and the upward trend was obvious. It was just when she was needed. People in the company still don't understand why she suddenly abandoned such a big stall. "Dongjifu" was completely overtaken by competitors after her death.
At that time, the police in Puzhi County investigated the cause of Qiao Xuehua's death, not without suspicion of some commercial conspiracy. But after repeated investigations, there was no sign of any commercial retaliation. The driver and witnesses to the accident also said that Qiao Xuehua rushed out of the road by himself.
There are very obvious brake marks at the scene. The background of the driver and family members, the running water before the incident, and the interpersonal network have long been clearly understood, confirming that there is no possibility of deliberately killing Qiao Xuehua.
Qiao Xuehua's return to her hometown for no reason is the biggest doubt. There are no relatives of her in Puji County. She lives alone in the house left by her previous generation and hardly interacts with the surrounding neighbors.
This case was finally characterized as a traffic accident, and Qiao Xuehua's funeral was handled by his son Mi Zheng, whom he had not seen for many years. And Mi Zheng also said that he did not understand what his mother had experienced over the years.
Mingshu said: "'Ghost card'."
Li Chicheng nodded, "No one cared about 'ghost cards' at that time. Now we have found four pieces in a property owned by Qiao Xuehua."
Photos of these four "ghost cards" appeared on the projector.
Li Sijia's cause of death was completely different from Qiao Xuehua's, but some of Li Sijia's actions before her death were somewhat similar to Qiao Xuehua's.
Li Sijia is also a successful manager of small and medium-sized enterprises. “Huanxi Chicken” was just a small restaurant with chicken soup more than ten years ago. Li Sijia's wife Xu Nan said that Li Sijia had always been suspicious at home and always felt that others were trying to harm him, so when Li Sijia continued to say similar things before her death, she did not pay attention.
From the monitoring outside the villa, before and after Li Sijia's death, no one approached the villa, and the technicians also did a comprehensive inspection. There were no fresh footprints except Li Sijia in the villa, and there was Li Sijia's fingerprint on the gas switch. , indeed he chose death himself.
There is a voice inside "Huanxi Chicken", that is, Xu Nan and Li Sijia have been at odds for many years. Although they have not divorced, they have already lived separate lives. On the surface, they are just husband and wife. So the man Xu sympathized with people and killed Li Sijia.
The police also suspected that, but found no evidence.
As for the "ghost card", the police officers in charge of the investigation at that time all said that no similar items were found.
The relatives and friends of Qiao Xuehua and Li Sijia did not know that they had bought "ghost cards", let alone how to make "ghost cards".
The missing person, Lv Chao, was born in a "Kochi" family. His parents were doctors. Lv Chao started to trade stocks when he was in college and made a lot of money. Later, he made a living by speculating in stocks and traveled abroad many times. From his updates on social media It can be seen from the photos that he went to places where normal tourists would not go.
He went wherever it was dangerous, taking pride in taking pictures that others couldn't.
His parents have long been accustomed to his "disappearance", and they didn't think in the direction of "something happened" when they could not contact him at first. Until more than two months later, he still did not go home and did not update his status on any social media. , only to call the police.
After investigation, as early as when he first embarked on the journey, his mobile phone and credit card were never used again.
In his home, the police found seven "ghost cards".
"Looking for so long, Lu Chao may have already been killed." Mingshu supported his cheeks, "I have seen the surveillance footage of Qiao Xuehua's car accident, and it is clear that she was heading for the truck. She and Li Sijia both It was suicide, but before they committed suicide, there was a push on them. Team Lee."
Li Chicheng turned his face, "Huh?"
"Has anyone else mentioned that they have encountered some unusual things recently?" Mingshu asked: "For example, intimidation and being followed. The missing Lu Chao will not be discussed for the time being. Qiao Xuehua and Li Sijia both behaved abnormally before they died. What caused their malfunction? I suspect someone threatened them."
Li Chicheng shook his head, "Our police are all used to investigate the two dead and one missing person. I haven't gotten to know the details of what you said yet."
"It's fine." Mingshu said, "Check this detail first."
After the meeting, Xiao Yuan beckoned Mingshu at the door.
Mingshu ran over with the notebook, "Xiao Bureau."
"Is Xu Yin still safe now?" Xiao Yu'an said, "How does she understand her experience in the past few months?"
Team members kept running past in the corridor, and Mingshu stepped aside for two steps. "It looks normal. The teacher from Iron Mine Elementary School said that no suspicious person has approached her. But it's hard to say. Someone really wants to do something to Xu Yin. It shouldn't be in front of many people. After that, I went to see Xu Yin again. After she saw Chi Xiaomin's photo, her reaction was not that big, but as long as I asked her to see Chi Xiaomin standing in front of her window The matter, and the fact that she saw the corpse in Yisi Alley, she took the left and right into consideration, and did not give me a clear explanation. If we talk about other things, she will immediately return to normal. "
Xiao Yu'an said: "So it cannot be ruled out that someone interfered with her during this time."
Having said that, the two had already walked to the door of the deputy director's office, and Ming Shu turned around, "Xiao Bureau, didn't you say there is another possibility last time?"
"Yes, then I checked Xu Yin's original inquiry record." Xiao Yuan opened the door and let Mingshu in before saying, "I found a very noteworthy place."
Ming Shu quickly asked, "What?"
Xiao Yuan said, "I'll ask you first, do you still remember, when did Xu Yin tell you that she saw a mysterious woman standing in front of her window in the middle of the night?"
Mingshu frowned and thought for a while, but he really didn't remember it. At that time, he was investigating the Wu Zhen case and the Sha Chun case, and he could let go of such trivial matters as he could.
"Just after we brought her back?"
"To be precise." Xiao Yu'an said, "After sending her to the Psychological Research Center."