Chapter 23

Since the incident of "Madam Cai's Rampage at Honey Garden," Lu Zheng's work at the Anti-Crime Office has become increasingly smooth. The "rescue" campaign he launched has made many second-hand dealers repent and rejoin the enthusiasm of socialist economic construction.

Time flies, and summer arrived. Tong Susu had been gone for more than two months, and there was still no news. Occasionally, Lu Zheng would think of this girl who had fallen from heaven to hell, but he could only sigh, for he had no way to find her.

On this afternoon, a green sidecar motorcycle, spewing black smoke, drove into the courtyard of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, drawing everyone's attention, and they pinched their noses and moved to the side.

Two police officers were on the motorcycle, both wearing new olive-green police uniforms. Half a month ago, the entire police system of Wushan had changed uniforms.

The visitors were Hou Jianjun and the chief of Nanying Police Station, Hong Tao, who had come to find Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng and Old Hong were not very familiar. He had only heard that this guy had a bad temper and was nicknamed "Hong the Second Stupid." Seeing Hou Jianjun lead him in, Lu Zheng couldn't help but be slightly surprised. Moreover, he hadn't seen Hou Jianjun for some time. He had heard that someone had seen Hou Jianjun and Gao Zhikai ride in a jeep together.

Hou Jianjun's face was somewhat embarrassed. Indeed, he had been intentionally distancing himself from Lu Zheng recently.

This was inevitable. Although the June 15th case had been solved, Commissioner Lu was gradually fading out of the county bureau leadership, as if he had become addicted to his position at the Anti-Crime Office and had no intention of returning to the county bureau. Moreover, no one knew what Commissioner Lu was thinking, as he had aligned himself with Liu Baojun, who was a minor figure in the county and didn't get along with powerful figures like Qiu Dahu and Ma Weiguo, making him a nobody.

Recently, due to the county's recruitment reform, Ma Weiguo criticized Liu Baojun's methods at an expanded county committee meeting. It seemed that Liu Baojun had seriously offended Ma Weiguo during the reform process, and Ma Weiguo, who never took him seriously, made Liu Baojun lose face in front of the entire cadre conference. After that, who among the county's middle-level cadres would still give him any respect?

It was well-known that Chief Zhang and Deputy Secretary Ma Weiguo were close. With Commissioner Lu aligning himself with Liu Baojun, how could Chief Zhang treat him well? It seemed that Commissioner Lu would remain at the Anti-Crime Office.

As for Lu Zheng himself, he had also caused a lot of trouble. It was said that his work at the Anti-Crime Office was not very effective, and the incident with Old Cai at Honey Garden, though seemingly over, had a significant impact on Old Cai. It would be extremely difficult for him to advance further.

Therefore, some people in the county bureau were spreading that anyone who got close to Lu the Stubborn would suffer, and that Lu the Stubborn was a disaster star.

Today, Hou Jianjun had no choice but to come. A month ago, a family massacre occurred in Nanying, and there was still no clue, causing panic among the locals. Some even said that the "Two Wangs" were still alive and had killed this family; others said it was a ghostly act; and still others said the killer was the notorious Northeastern murderer Zhang Zili, who was being sought. In short, there were all sorts of rumors.

Although Chief Hong had handed the case over to the county criminal investigation department, the inability to solve it was putting immense pressure on him. After all, it was a case in his jurisdiction, and if it became a cold case, it would affect his reputation. After much consideration, he suddenly thought of Commissioner Lu, who had solved the May 16th case, and sought out his acquaintance, Hou Jianjun, to introduce him and seek advice from Commissioner Lu.

Although Hou Jianjun had followed Lu Zheng throughout the May 16th case and admired his investigative skills, he had always been close to Lu Zheng and had seen his rough and unrefined side. Therefore, Hou Jianjun did not idolize Lu Zheng as some in the bureau did, nor did he believe that Lu Zheng could solve the case just by showing up. But since Hong Tao and he were good friends, and he used both soft and hard tactics, Hou Jianjun finally gave in and reluctantly brought Hong Tao to see Commissioner Lu.

He knew that Lu Zheng was aware of his recent actions, so he just sat there smoking and didn't say much.

When Lu Zheng heard Hong Tao describe the case, he didn't even look at the materials Hong Tao brought, and smiled, saying, "I won't look at them; I can't violate the rules."

Hong Tao quickly smiled and said, "You're a bureau leader, it's fine."

Lu Zheng waved his hand and said, "Let's go to the scene."

Hong Tao was taken aback. It had been over a month, what was there to see at the scene? But he had heard that although Commissioner Lu was known for his temper and argumentative nature, his investigative skills were top-notch. Some even said he had a sixth sense. Commissioner Lu's methods were certainly different.

So, Hong Tao quickly became excited and asked, "When, Commissioner, when are you free?"

Lu Zheng stood up and said, "Now, let's go now."

Hong Tao was taken aback again, not expecting Commissioner Lu to be so decisive.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Maybe it's time." After hiding for so long, he was waiting for an opportunity to return to the county bureau, and now, perhaps, that opportunity had come.

Hong Tao and Hou Jianjun looked at each other, not understanding what Lu Zheng meant.

...

Hou Jianjun drove, Hong Tao sat in the back, and Lu Zheng in the sidecar. The three-wheeled motorcycle sped towards Nanying.

Nanying was by the sea, and the Gold Coast and the Sand Sliding Park were located there. In the past two years, Wushan's economy had developed rapidly, attracting some foreign investment. In the summer, more and more people from Wushan came to the Gold Coast for leisure, and Nanying, relying on the sea, had become the most economically powerful town in Wushan, far surpassing what it was when Lu Zheng left.

Returning to Nanying, Lu Zheng was lost in thought, silent all the way.

In Hou Jianjun's view, Lu Zheng's silence was directed at him, and he couldn't help but resent Lu Zheng, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

The Zhao Laosi family, who had been massacred, lived at the east end of Nanying village. The sun was setting, the sky was red, and it was already dusk.

The murder had occurred over a month ago, and the scene had long been released, but the Zhao Laosi family's broken walls and dilapidated house still gave off a chilling wind.

Lu Zheng's investigation of the scene was extremely meticulous. He looked around and touched things in the Zhao Laosi family's house, while Hou Jianjun and Hong Tao followed behind, not knowing what he was looking for and not daring to speak, for fear of interrupting his thoughts.

"Alright! Let's go to the neighbor's house," Lu Zheng said after about an hour. Hou Jianjun and Hong Tao were almost yawning from boredom, and they were happy to move to a new location. Asking people questions would be more interesting than standing there idly.

The neighbor to the east was a newly built three-room house with red brick walls and a green iron gate. Red wedding couplets were pasted on both sides of the gate, indicating that the family had recently married and was relatively well-off.

The yard was planted with flowers and grass, which was uncommon in the countryside. Usually, villagers liked to grow vegetables in their yards, or at least a couple of cherry trees, something related to food.

Under the window, a young man, bare-chested, was planing wood. When he saw Lu Zheng and the others enter, he stood up and greeted them, "Chief Hong? What brings you here?"

Hong Tao recognized him. After the murder at the neighbor's house, he had visited this family several times. The young man, Wang Erqiang, was a carpenter who had moved there a few years ago. He was very skilled and had married a famous beauty from a nearby village.

Impressed by this local talent, Hong Tao smiled and said, "Erqiang, this is Commissioner Lu from the county bureau. He has a few questions for you."

Wang the carpenter wiped his hands and approached, somewhat nervous, not daring to look up, appearing very simple.

Hong Tao was about to say, "Go, get us some water, we're thirsty..." but before he could finish, Lu Zheng handcuffed Wang the carpenter and said, "It's him, he's the murderer."

Hong Tao was stunned, reacting instinctively, "This, this is impossible!"

Hou Jianjun was also confused, his face full of bewilderment.

Lu Zheng's tone was calm but authoritative, "Wang Erqiang, confess and you will be treated leniently!"

Hong Tao couldn't hold back any longer and said urgently, "Commissioner, are you sure you're not mistaken?" Questioning a leader or colleague during an investigation, he lived up to his nickname "Hong the Second Stupid," but it was also because he found it incomprehensible.

Indeed, in rural murder cases, relatives and neighbors who had close relationships with the victim were often listed as key suspects and investigated one by one.

But the problem was that Wang the carpenter had been thoroughly investigated and found to have no suspicion.

This young man was very successful, living a prosperous life, and was generous and helpful. His relationship with the Zhao Laosi family was neither close nor distant, just normal neighbors. After interviewing many people, no one had ever seen the two families argue, and there were no rumors of any romantic entanglements. There was no motive for murder.

Lu Zheng ignored Hong Tao's outburst and just stared at the young carpenter.

The young carpenter's face turned pale, "I didn't kill anyone, don't frame me." He looked at Hong Tao for help, "Brother Hong, what's going on?"

Lu Zheng sighed and said, "Although Zhao Laosi insulted you and revealed your secrets, you didn't have to kill him."

The young carpenter looked up sharply at Lu Zheng, his voice filled with terror, "What are you talking about?"

Lu Zheng said, "Do you know what I'm talking about?" Then he said to Hou Jianjun and Hong Tao, "Search his house, there must be clues."

At this point, Hou Jianjun and Hong Tao realized something was wrong. Although they were full of questions, they followed Lu Zheng's instructions and searched the house. After a long time, they found nothing. Finally, Lu Zheng, in a fit of determination, dismantled the stoves and beds in the two rooms. In the stove of the west room, they found a bloody kitchen knife.

When Lu Zheng showed the knife in a plastic bag to the young carpenter, who was handcuffed by the water pump, the young carpenter collapsed on the ground, looking at Lu Zheng in terror, "How did you know? How did you know..." He kept repeating these two sentences.

Hou Jianjun and Hong Tao were shocked beyond measure. Commissioner Lu was truly amazing. A case that had stumped the county bureau's elite, he solved with a flick of his finger.

The rumors about Lu Zheng that Hong Tao had heard were somewhat exaggerated, but he was even more impressed. As for Hou Jianjun, a wave of shock washed over him. If the June 15th case hadn't completely changed his view of Lu Zheng, then this case certainly did. He had to reconsider who Lu Zheng really was.

Lu Zheng, however, remained calm. This time was different from the June 15th case. It wasn't a great achievement, because he knew who the murderer was as soon as he saw the case.

This case had occurred a few months later in his previous life, but it had become a cold case. It wasn't until ten years later, when Wang the carpenter was arrested for raping and murdering a young woman, that he confessed to the family massacre.

Wang the carpenter had indeed gotten along well with the Zhao Laosi family, but Zhao Laosi had a strange habit of eavesdropping, especially on Wang the carpenter and his beautiful wife. However, this led Zhao Laosi to accidentally discover Wang the carpenter's secret: despite his strong appearance, he was impotent in bed.

Zhao Laosi was usually very discreet, but one day, after drinking with Wang the carpenter, he couldn't help but tease him, planting the seeds of his own demise.

After killing the Zhao Laosi family, Wang the carpenter discovered that he could only get an erection when sexually abusing and raping women. Because he had escaped punishment for the family massacre, the evil in his heart gradually grew, leading him down the dark path of rape and murder.

In his previous life, this case was reported ten years later. Since it was a case from Guangning, and the Nanying family massacre was a mystery before Lu Zheng left the police force, he had read the report in detail and remembered it well.

However, this was a different world from his previous life. Many things would be different, not just because of the butterfly effect of his actions, but also because the same person could make different choices in life. Especially in murder cases, a combination of factors often led a normal person to commit murder. In Guangning, he might have already influenced many people and events, and some murders might never have happened.

Even after learning about the Zhao Laosi family's murder, Lu Zheng wasn't sure if the murderer was still Wang the carpenter. It wasn't until he talked to him and tricked him that he confirmed Wang the carpenter was the murderer.

But such things couldn't be said, so when Hou Jianjun and Hong Tao asked about their doubts, Lu Zheng vaguely responded, mentioning that he had noticed a special red soil on Wang the carpenter's cloth shoes, which left them in awe. Although they didn't really understand how the red soil was special or why it wouldn't be found in Wang the carpenter's house.

...

That night, Wang the carpenter was taken to the Nanying police station for questioning. The next day, Hong Tao escorted him to the county, inviting Lu Zheng to go to the bureau to explain the case. As for Hou Jianjun, he had already said he didn't want to get involved.

Actually, Lu Zheng didn't want to go either. He had already spoken to Li Xiangyang, asking him to feel out Secretary Qiu Dahu on his behalf.

Li Xiangyang, because Lu Zheng had cleared his nephew's name, was now very close to Lu Zheng, and Lu Zheng knew that Li Xiangyang had been mentioned by Secretary Qiu Dahu and could speak to him.

Qiu Dahu and Ma Weiguo, Zhang Qingming had always been at odds. He had long wanted to promote his own people in the county bureau, but under the current system, the position of county bureau chief was not entirely within his control. Therefore, Ma Yuewu, whom he had favored, had remained in a gray area. Now, with Lu Zheng's emergence, Qiu Dahu would likely use him to weaken Zhang Qingming's influence in the county bureau. Although Lu Zheng was far from being able to match Zhang Qingming, as Qiu Dahu's agent, he would inevitably stand against Zhang Qingming.

As a pawn, Lu Zheng had gradually shown his value through these cases, hadn't he?

But he didn't know when he would become the one making the moves. However, with his two lives