flstandardbreds Chapter 1315 Surrounding Investigation, Few Clues
Chapter 1315 Surrounding Investigation, Few Clues
At noon, the team members split up according to Li Ming's instructions—Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun took the samples to the technical department; Xiao Wang led the visiting team to start asking around the residents; and the team members responsible for monitoring and investigation went to the local police station to retrieve relevant surveillance footage.
The demolition work at the shantytown in the north of the city has been temporarily halted. Police tape still conspicuously surrounds the small buildings, and occasionally curious residents peek from afar, discussing this sudden accident. Inside the cordon, sunlight filters through the crumbling walls, illuminating the scattered rubble, as if silently awaiting the revelation of the truth. Everyone knows that solving this case is destined to be fraught with challenges, but everyone's eyes are filled with determination—no matter how difficult, they will find the truth hidden beneath the rubble and ensure that justice is served.
On Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m., the sunlight in the shantytown in the north of the city was shrouded in dust, making it appear particularly dim. Xiao Wang, along with two team members, carrying photos of the deceased's clothing and a simple map of the crime scene, set off from the demolition site, conducting door-to-door inquiries along the surrounding alleys. "Let's start with the residential building closest to the crime scene, focusing on elderly residents who have lived here for a long time. They're more familiar with the area and might be able to find clues," Xiao Wang said to his team members Xiao Li and Xiao Zhang as they walked, his eyes scanning the low-rise houses and cluttered courtyards along the roadside.
The first stop was a three-story residential building on the east side of the shantytown. Xiao Wang knocked on the door of Zhang, a resident on the first floor. Zhang, 68 years old, had lived there for over 20 years. Upon hearing that a body had been found at the demolition site, she looked surprised: "Officer, I heard a commotion outside this morning. I thought the demolition team was tearing down houses again, but I never imagined someone had died! That building has been vacant for years. Nobody goes there except for scavengers."
"Aunt Zhang, have you seen anyone loitering around that empty building in the past six months? Or heard any strange noises at night, like digging or dragging sounds?" Xiao Wang asked, pointing to the building at the crime scene in the photos.
Aunt Zhang frowned and tried hard to recall, then shook her head: "I didn't notice anyone loitering around, but I often saw Old Li, who collects recyclables, rummaging through things in that area, trying to find some scraps that he could sell. At night, the shantytown is very quiet. I'm a light sleeper, so I would definitely hear any strange noises, but I don't remember any digging or dragging sounds. At most, it would be the noise from the demolition team during the day."
After leaving Aunt Zhang's house, Xiao Wang visited five more households in the vicinity. The information they received was largely consistent – no suspicious individuals had been observed near the vacant building in the past six months, and there were no unusual noises at night. Only one resident mentioned seeing a white van parked near the building one night about three months ago, but couldn't see the license plate clearly or what the people inside did. They assumed it was a demolition team vehicle and didn't pay much attention. "The van was parked for about ten minutes and then left. It was too dark to see what the driver looked like, and I didn't see anyone get out," the resident recalled.
At 3 p.m., Xiao Wang led his team to the scrap metal recycling station on the west side of the shantytown and found Old Li, the scavenger mentioned by Aunt Zhang. Old Li was sitting at the door sorting through scrap metal. When he saw the police, he seemed a little nervous: "Officer, I just collect some scrap metal, I haven't done anything wrong!"
"Don't be nervous, we just want to ask if you often go to that empty building to look for scrap? Have you found anything unusual in there recently, such as strange items, bloodstains, or smelled any strange odors?" Xiao Wang asked gently.
Old Li breathed a sigh of relief and put down the scrap he was holding: "I did go to that building to rummage around often. There was nothing of value inside except for old furniture and broken bricks. About a month ago, when I went to the second floor to rummage through things, I smelled a faint stench. At the time, I thought it was a dead rat and didn't pay attention. I didn't smell it when I went back later. Now that I think about it, the smell seems a bit like the stench of a corpse that you mentioned, but I'm not sure."
"Do you remember exactly where you smelled the stench? Which room on the second floor?" Xiao Wang pressed, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
Old Li pointed in the direction of the small building: "It's the westernmost room on the second floor. There were a lot of old wooden planks piled up inside, and the stench was coming from under the planks. But I was afraid of rats, so I didn't dare to lift the planks to look. Now that I think about it, could the body have been hidden on the second floor at first, and then moved behind the wall on the first floor?"
Xiao Wang immediately instructed Xiao Li to record this clue, and then led his team to investigate the west-facing room on the second floor of the vacant building. The room was indeed filled with old wooden planks, and the floor was scattered with dust and garbage. However, due to the damage caused by the demolition work, the walls and floor were unrecognizable, and no traces related to the body were found, nor was there any unusual odor. "The body may have indeed been hidden here, and later moved to the first floor by the suspect, but the scene was too badly damaged, and no trace of the move can be found," Xiao Wang said helplessly.
At 4 PM, Xiao Wang led his team back to the demolition site, found the construction manager, Manager Li, and gathered the 10 team members who had participated in the construction that day, questioning them one by one. Qin Degui, the bulldozer driver, confirmed again that he did not feel any abnormal resistance or hear any strange noises when demolishing the wall; the other team members stated that they had not entered the vacant building before construction, but had only moved equipment around the area and did not find anything unusual.
"We only circled the outside of the building before construction began, and once we confirmed that the beauty was inside, we started demolishing it. Who would have thought that someone was hiding behind the wall!" a worker said, his voice filled with lingering fear. "Now that I think about it, it's fortunate that Master Qin discovered it in time. If we had used a bulldozer to dig it up directly, the body would have been damaged even more severely."
During the questioning, Xiao Wang focused on the whereabouts of the construction team members, especially whether anyone had entered the vacant building alone or had frequent contact with outsiders in the past six months. However, all the team members stated that the construction team was strictly managed, they worked together during working hours, and went home separately after get off work. No one had entered the building alone, nor had they had contact with any suspicious outsiders. "We are all locals, and we work in the demolition business. We have no reason to do anything illegal, let alone murder and hide a body," Manager Li said, proactively providing the construction team's attendance records for the past six months to prove that no team members had any abnormal absences, lateness, or early departures.
Meanwhile, Xiao Zhang, who was in charge of retrieving surveillance footage, sent a message: "Team Leader Wang, there are too few surveillance cameras in and around the shantytown. There are only two security cameras on the main road, and the resolution is very low, making the images blurry at night. In the surveillance footage from the past six months, apart from normal pedestrians and vehicles, no suspicious persons or vehicles were found lingering near the crime scene for extended periods. The white van mentioned by the residents three months ago was also not found in the surveillance footage; it may have taken a side road in a blind spot of the surveillance."