Tong Meng's appearance naturally caused some emotional fluctuations for Lü Qingqing, but she soon put it out of her mind. This was because Ouyang Wen had sent back news: there was an update on "Er Jiuliu."
Ouyang Wen said he had scoured all the materials from around 1918 and found two "Er Jiuliu" figures who were highly suspicious. One was dismissed shortly after the shooting, and the other resigned voluntarily shortly after the shooting.
Ouyang Wen suspected this was a cover-up.
He then found the "Er Liujiu" who was dismissed. The man was still alive and had started a small business. However, the other "Er Jiuliu" who had resigned voluntarily was puzzling. It was said that after resigning, he returned to his hometown, built a house, and married a wife.
Yet, instead of living in his new house and embracing his new wife, he disappeared three months later.
He has not been seen since.
Therefore, yesterday, he went to Huayan, Jiulongpo, the hometown of the missing Wang Yanlin, hoping to inquire about Wang Yanlin from the local police.
But unexpectedly, as soon as Ouyang Wen identified himself to the local constables, Inspector Chen of their police station enthusiastically shook his hand, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, thank you, we've finally been waiting for you."
This baffled Ouyang Wen. Did Inspector Chen know he was coming?
But, that couldn't be right.
This trip was entirely his personal undertaking; Inspector Chen couldn't have known.
As Ouyang Wen pondered, Inspector Chen looked past him, "Why is Captain Ouyang alone? Where are the others?"
This made Ouyang Wen even more confused. "What others? It's just me."
To his surprise, Inspector Chen's face stiffened upon hearing this, then quickly returned to normal. "Alright. I suppose the superiors trust Captain Ouyang's capabilities, which is why they sent you alone."
Now, Ouyang Wen understood. Inspector Chen must have requested reinforcements, and before the support team arrived, he mistook Ouyang Wen for the reinforcements.
But since he was already there, Ouyang Wen naturally wanted to ask more questions. Little did he know, this led to a discovery. Just ten days prior, an old man in the area was clearing out an abandoned dry toilet and unearthed a burlap sack containing large strips of ribs.
The old man, thinking they were animal remains, paid them no mind.
But a couple of days later, while clearing rubble from the dry toilet, a human head rolled out.
The head had completely decomposed into a skull, which terrified the old man. He immediately reported it to the police.
Such cases normally wouldn't be escalated to the city bureau. However, after the Huayan police cleaned and pieced together the skeletal remains, they found a peculiar anomaly.
Based on the leg bones, pelvic bones, and other parts, the skeleton appeared to be male, approximately 1.65 meters tall. However, the ribs, shoulder blades, and other upper body bones were remarkably thick and robust, even larger than those of a 1.8-meter-tall police officer.
It was hard to imagine a man only 1.65 meters tall possessing such thick and sturdy bones.
This exceeded normal human proportions.
Faced with the assembled "humanoid skeleton," the Huayan police were bewildered and had to seek assistance from their superiors.
"But this report was submitted five days ago, and the city bureau hasn't sent anyone to handle it," Ouyang Wen said indignantly. "I truly don't know what those police officers are doing, neglecting such a serious case."
Lü Qingqing could only shake her head. In this era, not every police officer possessed a diligent and responsible heart.
Ouyang Wen stayed in Huayan for two days, but due to the peculiar nature of the remains, he found no useful clues. However, he learned from Wang Yanlin's wife that Wang Yanlin's lower leg had been injured, about two centimeters above the ankle bone. The skeleton had a similar knife wound in the corresponding location, leading him to suspect that this skeleton was "Er Jiuliu."
"So you want to use this as an opportunity to reapply for an investigation into the shooting case?" After listening for so long, Lü Qingqing finally grasped the key point.
"No," Ouyang Wen shook his head. "I heard this case has been handed over to the Training Institute, supposedly for you all to practice on."
What?
Lü Qingqing was astonished.
A murder case given to trainees for practice? This was an unprecedented, bizarre story.
"Surprised? I was even more shocked than you when I heard this," Ouyang Wen said. It was indeed inexplicable that the Training Institute, rather than the police force, would be assigned such a case, especially one involving a significant figure connected to the shooting.
"What did Deputy Director Qiao Huali say?" Lü Qingqing also recognized the importance of this matter.
"He was powerless to intervene. He said it was an old case, occurring in a remote area, and likely wouldn't yield much even if investigated. So when Li Hongjiang from the Training Institute requested to take the case for practice, the higher-ups agreed, and it's now unchangeable."
Ouyang Wen's words made Lü Qingqing fall into deep thought.
Lü Qingqing had always suspected something was amiss within the Training Institute, especially since the perpetrator who had been secretly watching and abducted Li Yongqiang had yet to be apprehended.
Now, with news of "Er Jiuliu" finally surfacing, Li Hongjiang had taken the case, ostensibly for student practice. Whether intentional or not, he was, in a way, preventing Ouyang Wen from investigating this matter.
Could Li Hongjiang be the hidden mastermind?
"The immediate priority is for us to get involved in the investigation of this case. If this person is indeed Wang Yanlin, he must have left some evidence. Finding the killer might lead us to the person behind the shooting case," Ouyang Wen said. "These practice projects usually have participant limits, so you need to try and secure a spot."
"Mmm!" Lü Qingqing nodded.
After bidding farewell to Ouyang, Lü Qingqing hurried back to the classroom. She saw Tong Meng engrossed in a book, her focused expression indicating she was genuinely putting in a lot of effort.
However, Lü Qingqing wasn't afraid of her. If this girl could truly snatch Hu Jia away from her, then she would have to admit her capability.
Soon, what Ouyang Wen had said came to pass.
In the afternoon, after school, Tong Hua indeed came to announce the "practice" project.
Yes, in Tong Hua's words, it was just a project.
Hearing this, Lü Qingqing felt like cursing.
"In ten days, the senior students will graduate. So this project will be prioritized for the senior students specializing in criminal investigation. Our freshman class will only have three spots, allowing you to broaden your horizons and gain experience."
As soon as Tong Hua finished speaking, most eyes turned to Lü Qingqing. Firstly, she had a background in criminal investigation, and secondly, she possessed the capability.
Lü Qingqing lived up to expectations and was the first to raise her hand to register. But to her surprise, Tong Meng also raised her hand.
Tong Hua didn't say much, merely recording their names and leaving the classroom.
"It seems Tong Meng is determined to oppose you," Cai Xiaojuan expressed her dissatisfaction with Tong Meng's actions. Why was a transfer student stirring up trouble instead of staying in class to absorb knowledge?
Lü Qingqing, however, felt indifferent. Everyone had the right to compete for this opportunity.
She knew Tong Meng's capabilities to some extent and didn't believe Tong Hua would dare to defy the entire class and assign such a task to a transfer student.
But facts proved her wrong.
Tong Hua actually dared!