Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“We can’t eliminate this possibility!” Miao Ying nodded. “The robbers knew the how the bank operated too well. Whether it was the time, the police activity, cutting the power off, then prying open the security boxes and finally leaving, they all picked the best timing. Don’t you think outsiders wouldn’t be able to do this easily?”
“Also, we’ve already investigated!” Li Beini chimed in support, “Lately, Qinshan Bank had huge losses due to a loss in trust. If their funding wasn’t enough and they were near bankruptcy, could it be…”
“So, the executives decided to set up this act and rob their own bank?” Zhao Yu shook his head and laughed. “Alright, we can just write the script and send it to Hollywood now!”
“Anything’s possible!” Miao Ying ignored Zhao Yu’s denial and continued, “The reason they stole from the security boxes was because the bank executives knew that there were many suspicious things inside the safety deposit boxes. Even if they were stolen, the owners might not report it!”
“Then,” Li Beini immediately added in support, “everything inside the safety deposit boxes are worth their weight in gold! If they could sell them, then they’d make a ton!”
Zhao Yu continued to shake his head.
“Zhao Yu, don’t just dismiss what we’re saying!” Miao Ying continued, “Cases like yours where you just temporarily deposited a valuable item are extremely rare! Most other customers stored things for the long term.
“All of these people are already fairly rich. They could’ve easily bought their own high security safety box and stored their stuff at home. Why would they put it in a bank? Do you really think they chose to put their possessions in the bank for security purposes?”
“It’s all because they’re shady and feared being discovered!” Zhao Yu shrugged and answered, “But it’s not the same as a bank’s safety deposit boxes—as long as they provided fake information, and remembered the password and kept the keys safe, they’d be free of any worry!
“But don’t you guys think that if the bank executives did something like this, they weren’t very smart?” Zhao Yu changed his tone, and retorted, “As soon as the robbers were captured, the truth would immediately come out. Wouldn’t this be suicide for the bank? If all the executives were sent to jail, then everything would be lost! Don’t you guys think that this risk wouldn’t be worth it?”
“What you said makes sense, but there isn’t a definite answer yet!” Miao Ying retorted back, “What if they’ve already thought up the perfect plan, and we can’t catch the culprit?”
“Then, if you say so, I’ll go investigate the bank thoroughly!” Zhao Yu slapped his chest in assurance. “Team Leader Miao, don’t worry. As long as I, Zhao Yu, go, the truth is basically out in the open! I’ll be sure to find out if there was any inside job at the bank, okay?”
“Please!” Miao Ying yawned tiredly as she glanced at Zhao Yu. “Zhao Yu, don’t tell me you’re going to say the gods are with you again? I already saw you clenching the key to your security box. Kiddo, you just want to go to the bank quickly and get your two-hundred thousand yuan back! Don’t try to act tough!”
“Well, I was discovered?” Zhao Yu admitted and praised the Miao Ying, “Team Leader Miao, you’re truly a master detective. As soon as I raised my ass, you knew…” Zhao Yu clearly could not finish what he was about to say.
“Ew!” Li Beini immediately yelled, “Stop, stop!”
Originally, Zhao Yu wanted to stand up and leave, but suddenly he saw a bunch of new additions to the whiteboard. “Oh?” Seeing new names added to the involved people’s list, he asked, “Duan Dacheng? Who’s this? Where did he come from?”
“Guo Xiuzhen’s husband, Bureau Chief Tang’s fifth uncle,” Miao Ying said. “He’s also missing!”
Ah? Another missing?
“Wait, what?” Zhao Yu scratched his head. “How come I’m lost! How come there’s another missing person?” Miao Ying told Zhao Yu about the situation, including Guo Xiuzhen, Duan Dacheng, and Tong Yun.
“No way?” Zhao Yu furrowed his brows. “The way all three people went missing is pretty strange. Since Guo Xiuzhen is dead, then the other two are probably goners too?”
“We can’t say that!” Li Beini said. “All three of them went missing at different times and different places. We can’t confirm any relationship between the three!”
“Li Beini is right. Before we find evidences, we can’t make guesses,” Miao Ying said. “Right now, we can only be sure that Guo Xiuzhen is dead. As for the other two, we can’t confirm anything yet!”
“This is pretty interesting!” Liu Huan shook his head and continued, “The thing is, Guo Xiuzhen was already seventy or so, a widowed old lady, with no money or power. Is the culprit insane? Why would they kill her?”
“Holy!” Zhao Yu exclaimed, surprising everyone. “Could it be…organ trafficking?!”
“No!” Miao Ying answered immediately. “Guo Xiuzhen’s organs were all perfectly fine! Zhao Yu, quit the sailor mouth, okay?”
“Then, she died of an illness!” Zhao Yu clenched his fist as he guessed. “The person trying to hide the body caught right as Guo Xiuzhen died of an illness, so they had to hide the evidence, and he thought up this method!”
“Peh…” Li Beini’s forehead was lined with wrinkles. “Senior, why wouldn’t they just dig a hole then? Don’t forget, a ten-year-old safety deposit box costs a tens of thousands of yuan!”
“No!” Miao Ying shook her head. “The autopsy confirmed that the elderly had no prior illnesses. The new information from the forensics department also confirmed that Guo Xiuzhen was indeed starved to death!”
“Ah?!” Zhao Yu was stunned, this was truly strange! A lonely elderly without money nor power, who would do something so cruel to her, to starve her to death?
“Oh! I got it!” Zhao Yu’s eyes widened as he paused between words, “This culprit is a psycho murderer!!”
God! Miao Ying and Li Beini nearly fell over in exasperation.
“The culprit definitely has some mental issues!” Zhao Yu clenched his teeth. “He’s killing for sport. How unforgivable! Otherwise, why would they use a vacuum packaging machine to seal their victims? Also, did you guys find the bank clerk that opened the security box for the killer?”
“We did!” Li Beini answered. “We’ve already called them, but they didn’t say much! The clerk couldn’t even tell the person was male or female!”
“Ah?!” Zhao Yu was shocked as he asked why. Li Beini immediately explained to him. Apparently, many of the people who came to open safety deposit boxes signed up under fake names. There were even some government officials or enterprise executives, or even high publicity figures. These people often came with masks, glasses, or caps, along with a huge coat in order to hide their identity. Thus, the clerks responsible for the security storage already could not care much! The bank only cared about money, who would care for such details?
According to the worker’s recollection, he could only remember that the person was not too tall, and held a huge suitcase. As for any other details, he could not even tell if they were male or female. Thus, this line of evidence hit a dead end. Up until now, no one even knew what the person who deposited Guo Xiuzhen’s body into the safety deposit box even looked like.
“Tsk, tsk.” Miao Ying shared her opinion, “If you ask me, the bank robbery and the bodies are most likely two separate cases! There shouldn’t be any relationship between the two!”
“Then, what about the bank robbery? No news either?” Zhao Yu asked.
“Yeah!” Peng Xin was responsible for the robbery case, and immediately shook her head. “Those robbers were incredibly sly. The forensics department didn’t find any fingerprints. Even though there was DNA on the masks, they couldn’t even be sure if it was from the criminal! Also, according to the security videos, we realized that the car came from the LC section. Right now, we’re looking for older security footage, but no news yet!” She finished by saying, “Yu, hurry and go investigate at the bank. I really hope that the robbery was done by the bank!”
“Alright sis, don’t get too agitated. Watch me!” Zhao Yu noted that the situation was not too different from before and turned to leave. Yet, before he even took two steps, he suddenly remembered the “Zhen” hexagram. He quickly said to Miao Ying, “Also, Team Leader Miao! Why don’t you stay here today? Just leave any outside work for me. Don’t go out at all!” Zhao Yu’s words were clearly spoken with the fear that Miao Ying would end up like Qu Ping, in tragedy.
But Miao Ying could not make any sense of Zhao Yu’s words. “Zhao Yu, on your way back from the bank, stop by a psychiatrist!” Miao Ying examined Zhao Yu and spoke in confusion, “Why are you acting so strange these few days? Are you in debt? Did you get someone pregnant?”
“You? You’re pregnant?” Zhao Yu pointed at Miao Ying’s stomach, feigning shock.
“Hehehe,” Li Beini could not help but laugh, but stopped under Miao Ying’s icy glare.
“Alright. Don’t worry about my mental health. Just remember, don’t leave the police station at all today!” In order to make sure Miao Ying listened, Zhao Yu even pinched his fingers as if were doing traditional Chinese divination, “Otherwise, disaster will befall you!”
“Zhao Yu, you wanna die?” Miao Ying was enraged and pointed at Zhao Yu angrily. “If it wasn’t for the fact I didn’t sleep last night, I would’ve already kicked you through the window! Get out!”
“Okay, okay.” Zhao Yu ran without much hurry.
“Ah, senior’s way of thinking is getting even more profound!” Seeing Zhao Yu’s frame disappearing in to the distance, Li Beini sighed in exasperation. “He’s back to fortune telling! This guy…”