Chapter 430: Successful Capture
After Liu Gensheng resigned, he continued living in the company dormitory, going home only on weekends. During the incident, Liu Gensheng was at the company where he drove, with video and witness evidence, so he had no time to commit the crime.
Wang Yong’s investigation results also quickly progressed.
Wang Yong resigned from Tianhong Chemical Transport and Storage Company two months ago, not because he found another job, but because his son had a child, and he went to help take care of it.
Wang Yong’s son is in Haizhou City, not Tianzhou City, so Wang Yong has been living in Haizhou City for the past two months and hasn’t returned.
With this, Wang Yong’s possibility of committing the crime was directly eliminated.
That left the last person Lu Chuan suggested for thorough investigation, Zhang Zicai.
Third Mr. Zhang’s Village is a small village in Quanshui County of Tianzhou City.
The village has a small population, only about a hundred households, mainly relying on farming as their economic source.
In July and August, the crops in the village are at their best.
The car Lu Chuan and the others took drove on the countryside road, surrounded by lush green crops, the sound of cicadas was everywhere, and the unique fresh scent of crops wafted through the air.
The slanting sun at the edge of the sky scattered its last rays, casting a warm glow on people’s faces.
"Captain Wang, ahead is the entrance to Third Mr. Zhang’s Village, the village head is already waiting there."
The guide was the head of the town’s police station, a dark-skinned, burly man.
In grassroots village and town police stations, the workload is not high, with very few criminal cases, mostly handling learning tasks required by higher-ups and some local household management tasks.
Even neighbor disputes are seldom handled, only occasionally going out to catch gamblers during festivals, rounding up some old folks playing mahjong, which is considered a major event — it’s a relatively leisure place.
This time assisting the upper-level Criminal Investigation Team in an investigation was a first in many years.
Zhang Zicai’s personal situation was almost mapped out; after leaving Tianhong Company a month and a half ago, he returned to the village, and left the village again half a month ago, with no one knowing where he went.
"How’s the arrest operation arranged?"
"It’s already arranged, five groups of people surrounding Zhang Zicai’s bungalow, with personnel at the windows, back door, and front door."
The person responsible for the arrest was the captain of Tianzhou City’s Criminal Investigation Team’s first group, an old hand in this area — not guaranteed to be foolproof, but the problem shouldn’t be big.
"Alright, when acting, be decisive, do not dawdle!"
Arresting in the village, although not that difficult, if leaked, Zhang Zicai, having lived here most of his life, is very familiar with the village roads.
Once he escapes, unnecessary trouble might ensue.
A thunder strike operation, capturing him in one go, is best.
At the village entrance, the village head and team leader were waiting there.
"In a moment, let the team leader go knock on the door, our people are ambushed in the grass on either side of the main gate."
In rural households, the main gate is not fully enclosed, if the ambushed police don’t hide in the grass, Zhang Zicai would see them as soon as he opens the door.
"Old Zhang, open the door!"
The team leader was an old man from the village, naturally familiar with Zhang Zicai.
"Brother Wang? Why are you here so late? Have you eaten? I just finished cooking at home, made stewed fish, want to have a drink?"
Zhang Zicai was very hospitable, opening the gate and letting the team leader in.
"Action!"
At that moment, the ambushed police in the grass suddenly burst out.
Seeing someone emerge, Zhang Zicai turned and ran.
Wang Chuanmin in the rear command had a look of delight on his face.
He was just afraid he wouldn’t run, if he ran, there must be something up!
Although Zhang Zicai’s yard was big, there was no way he could outrun the intercepting forces of five waves of people.
He only managed to run a dozen meters before being pinned down in front of his house.
Handcuffs were slapped on immediately.
"Zhang Zicai, do you know why you’re being arrested?"
"Yeah, who are you guys, and why are you arresting me?"
"Song Dahuo, forgotten?!"
The few policemen holding Zhang Zicai down clearly felt his struggle weaken.
"Take him away!"
Most murderers are crazed when committing murder.
But once they’ve completed the act, during their hiding phase, they are more cowardly than anyone else.
A mere rustle could keep them up for days, unable to sleep.
Over twenty years ago, there was a massive robbery and murder case in Haizhou City.
Eight robbers hijacked a cash transport truck, killed all the security guards responsible at the time, and stole tens of millions in cash.
The case was too severe, alerting the ministry, which set up a special task force to investigate — within a month, 7 of the 8 robbers were caught.
However, the eighth robber remained untraceable, which was always a mystery.
Though 7 of the 8 robbers were captured and most of the stolen cash recovered, effectively solving the case, the whereabouts of the last robber remained a mystery.
A detective working this old case hadn’t gone a day without thinking about capturing the suspect over the ensuing twenty years.
By chance, he attended a friend’s daughter’s wedding — when a southern parent gave a speech, the detective immediately recognized them!
As it turns out, post the robbery, the eighth suspect fled to distant places, dared not spend a cent of the stolen money, and became a domestic son-in-law in Sichuan Province.
He got married, had children, and lived for twenty-three years under a false identity.
When captured, the person faced the once-detective, not hysterically, but by saying with a smile: "You’ve aged too."
Turns out, they had been neighbors in the same village, growing up together.
"Do you know how I lived those past twenty years."
"Whenever I heard sirens on the street, I thought they were coming for me."
"Seeing the police on the road, I could not wait to avoid them."
"The money we stole, all buried under the big tree in the yard, even when my son nearly died of a high fever, I didn’t dare use it — in the end, the money rotted in the ground."
"Why... why did it take you so long to come!"
They spent over twenty years in fear, and if it hadn’t been for his wife and child, he would have surrendered long ago.
The later interrogation went very smoothly; Zhang Zicai confessed about killing Song Dahuo without holding back.
Of course, even if Zhang Zicai didn’t confess, it wouldn’t help — although his fingerprints were temporarily destroyed, the blurred traces of his peeled fingerprints still matched the impressions left on the murder weapon, indicating him as the perpetrator.
And Zhang Zicai’s motive for killing Song Dahuo was simple; although they didn’t know each other, they were introduced through friends at a card table, and played mahjong twice.
"That bastard cheated, winning 3000 bucks from me."
"Later, I caught him in the act, but not only did he refuse to return the money, he had people beat me up."
"Damn it! Should such a scoundrel live, let alone survive past New Year’s?"