Chapter 432: Chapter 260: Yuncheng Case No. 1

“Yes.”

After the recent discussion, everyone basically accepted Li Xiang’s position as captain.

They also followed his command.

This lunch was both a welcoming banquet and a starting meal; at the table, everyone got to know each other better, becoming more familiar during the meal.

In the afternoon, they had free activities; everyone went back to tidy up, as they were set to depart for Yuncheng the next day.

—————–

Early the next morning, everyone gathered at the office building, having packed their luggage briefly.

Some had just moved in and hadn’t had time to settle their luggage before going on this trip, saving them the trouble of packing again.

A 12-seater Coaster was parked downstairs, specially assigned to the guidance group by the provincial office, complete with a designated driver for convenience during their travels. It was considerate planning.

Everyone boarded the vehicle, except for Li Xiang as it was overloaded.

The guidance group had 13 members, but the vehicle was meant for 12, necessitating an additional police car to lead the way.

After a four-hour drive, they finally reached Yuncheng. As soon as they exited the highway, a police car came forward to greet them.

The Yuncheng Public Security Bureau received notification from the provincial department about the arrival of the guidance group experts and promptly sent people to the highway entrance to welcome them. Team Leader Wang Ruigang of the Yuncheng Case No. 1 task force personally came.

“Comrades from the provincial department, thank you for your hard work. I am Wang Ruigang, the team leader of the Yuncheng Case No. 1 task force. Welcome to our experts from the provincial office to guide the work.”

“Team Leader Wang, you are too polite; we will need to trouble you in the future.”

Wang Ruigang noticed a young man was coordinating with him and immediately curiously asked, “I wonder if Captain Li from the guidance group is here yet?”

“That’s me.”

“Ah, ha, Captain Li, you are indeed young and promising. Let’s head to the bureau first; the cafeteria has prepared some simple meals, and everyone can have a quick bite.”

“Sure, thank you for the trouble, Team Leader Wang.”

The guidance group had been on the road for four hours since morning and was already hungry.

Thus, Wang Ruigang took them to the bureau’s cafeteria, where they had a simple meal before officially starting the meeting in the afternoon.

At 2 p.m., in the large conference room of the Yuncheng Public Security Bureau, the guidance group and the special task force held a meeting, announcing the establishment of a joint command center, with Li Xiang as the chief commander and Wang Ruigang as the deputy commander.

After both teams got familiar with each other, the meeting turned into an analysis session of the Yuncheng Case No. 1.

The meeting was organized by Wang Ruigang, who was familiar with the case.

“The Yuncheng Case No. 1 initially occurred at 11 p.m. on May 12, 2013. The victim, Xiaomei, aged 21, had just entered the workforce. When the incident happened, she had just finished a night shift and was dragged into a pile of grass by the killer. Due to her fierce resistance, the killer used the stockings ripped off the victim to strangle her to death and desecrated the body. Xiaomei worked at the Electronics Industrial Park in the development zone, which was still under construction at the time. The area had many construction sites, a complicated mix of people, and incomplete infrastructure, lacking surveillance, which made the investigation difficult.”

“The second case occurred at 9 p.m. on October 30, 2013, when Xiaoping, a high school student, was tragically raped and murdered by the killer on her way home after night classes. The cause of death was again the strangulation by stockings, leading to mechanical asphyxia. These two cases had similarities. The victims wore stockings and died from their own stockings, so we combined the two cases for investigation. Unfortunately, the killer chose very remote locations for his crimes, with no witnesses or cameras, a sign that he likely scouted the locations beforehand.”

“For the subsequent cases, the killer maintained a frequency of one attack every six months, targeting young women wearing stockings. The killer’s methods were escalating, increasing in brutality, with the last case on July 5, 2018, when victim Xiaoxia was found naked, dead in an unfinished building, her body covered in burn marks from cigarette butts, and both ** cut off, a horrific scene.”

“The killer’s continuous rampage over the years has disgraced the Yuncheng police, with the case remaining unsolved causing deep fear among Yuncheng’s residents. Even now, the shadow of past incidents lingers. Hardly any women walk alone at night in Yuncheng, and no stores dare to sell stockings.”

Wang Ruigang narrated the details of past cases while introducing them: “Over these five years, we have reviewed the case annually looking for new clues, but regrettably, none have surfaced. The killer hasn’t struck again, leaving us without leads. With this ’Operation Clean Net,’ we have reconvened the former task force members, hoping the guidance group can help us bring the criminal to justice.”

“Captain Li, would you like to say a few words?”

“I won’t say anything nice-sounding. Our simple aim is to ascertain the criminal’s capture; however, we currently have limited clues. I hope you can bring all the case files over so we can examine the cases thoroughly to start our work.”

Being new to the scene, Li Xiang barely knew the details of Yuncheng Case No. 1, only having information from previous briefings and the meeting’s introduction which was not comprehensive.

He knew that only by personally reviewing the files, retracing the investigation steps of the past task force, could he grasp all the intricate details of the case.

The guidance group’s primary task would be scrutinizing the records; only by thoroughly reviewing these materials could they gain a full understanding of Yuncheng Case No. 1.

“Of course, we will fully cooperate wherever you need our support.”

The guidance group came down from the provincial office with the Imperial Sword; if any department fails to cooperate, they could be instantly dismissed.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The guidance group was assigned a dedicated office. Once they moved in, Wang Ruigang promptly arranged for the task force members to bring all the case files related to Yuncheng Case No. 1.

Soon, the files filled the whole office.

“So many? How long would it take to get through all of these?” Qi Liyan couldn’t help but exclaim upon seeing the sheer volume of files.

This case’s files dwarfed those of any case she had handled before.

But there was no alternative, for the Yuncheng Case No. 1, although called a single case, actually consisted of 11 separate cases. How could the files not accumulate?

“Let’s start by categorizing them. This is your specialty.” Zhou Jian chuckled. Being part of the guidance group meant they were prepared for intense work.

After all, the provincial office assembled them not for leisure tours but to face elusive criminals who have dodged law enforcement for years, possessing strong anti-detection skills.

Once the materials arrived, everyone immediately set about categorizing and summarizing them, proceeding to read the files on their own.

Only by thoroughly understanding the entire case can one truly commence the investigation.

Over the next month, the guidance group did nothing else but organize files and familiarize themselves with the case, striving not to miss a single detail.

“These past weeks, everyone has gone through most of the files. Starting tomorrow, we will analyze each case, dissecting every detail, so let’s all prepare today.”

Seeing that over a month had passed, and everyone was fairly well-acquainted with the case, Li Xiang indicated the guidance group could formally initiate the case investigation.

“Yes.”

That night, the lights in the guidance group’s office blazed brightly, long past the end of the workday, yet nobody left. Instead, they diligently studied the case on their own, jotting down notes with questions and insights intended for the upcoming analysis meeting.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep