kingnovel Chapter 915 Liu Weiguo's Brother-in-Law
Chapter 915 Liu Weiguo's Brother-in-Law
Li Ming reviewed the market surveillance footage. At 3:17 AM on January 2nd, a figure wearing a hat did indeed linger near the fishpond at "Dahai Fish Market," but based on body type and gait, there was a clear difference between this person and Wang Jianjun. Simultaneously, the technical team provided material analysis of the nylon rope: "It belongs to the same batch as the rope used for the body disposal, but the rope Wang Jianjun purchased shows relatively new wear, while the rope used for the body disposal had been used at least five times."
"So you were just engaging in unfair competition, not murder." Li Ming closed the notebook. "But do you know the consequences of your actions? You interfered with the police investigation and wasted a lot of police resources!"
Wang Jianjun nodded repeatedly, his forehead resting on the table: "I was wrong, I really didn't mean to cause trouble... Actually, I've wanted to quit for a long time, but my wife said that if this keeps up, we'll end up losing our son's school district property sooner or later..."
At the end of the interrogation, Wang Jianjun was taken back to the detention room to await further processing. Li Ming, watching his hunched back, suddenly recalled the first case he handled when he first became a criminal investigator—a staged crime scene stemming from a neighborhood dispute. The murderer had used a dead rat to frame his enemy, inadvertently covering up a real robbery and murder.
“Team Leader Li,” Wang Fang said as she walked in with a new report, “Wang Jianjun’s truck GPS showed that he was indeed at a farm a hundred kilometers away when the incident occurred. But we found an interesting clue on his phone—he had a phone call with Li Guoqing on December 20th of that year, which lasted 17 seconds.”
"Isn't Li Guoqing exhibiting in Haizhou?" Li Ming raised an eyebrow.
“The exhibition was a pretense, but the location of the call was real – near the Dongchuan City Aquatic Products Market.” Wang Fang pulled up a map, and the call location was only 200 meters away from “Dahai Fish Market.” “What’s more, right next to this location is Liu Weiguo’s usual spot where he sets up his stall.”
Li Ming reread Liu Weiguo's interpersonal investigation records and found that one of the vegetable market stall owners mentioned: "In late December, a man wearing a leather jacket often loitered around Weiguo's stall, bought things, and didn't bargain." The sketch drawn based on the stall owner's description was surprisingly similar to a recent photo of Li Guoqing.
“Zhang Lin,” Li Ming grabbed his coat, “notify the technical team to re-compare Li Guoqing’s DNA, focusing on whether he has a brother or twin relative. Wang Jianjun may not be the murderer, but he inadvertently helped us uncover a crucial clue—Li Guoqing and Liu Weiguo had crossed paths as early as ten days before the incident.”
Upon receiving this information, the police immediately took action.
In the afternoon, Li Guoqing was taken to the interrogation room of the Criminal Investigation Detachment.
The iron door to the interrogation room slammed shut. Li Guoqing sat in the chair, his hands clasped together but trembling slightly. His gaze frequently swept over the "Confess and receive leniency" slogan on the wall, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with each swallow. Li Ming observed him through the one-way glass for three minutes before pushing open the door and entering, the DNA comparison report in his hand showing clear creases.
"Li Guoqing, do you know why I brought you here?" Li Ming slammed the report on the table, the four red characters "No Suspicion" on the title page particularly glaring.
Li Guoqing suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "I knew it! Officer, I really didn't kill anyone! I was at the fish exhibition in Haizhou that day—"
“Stop pretending,” Li Ming interrupted him. “Your exhibitor badge is fake. Your call records show that you were in Dongchuan on December 20th and even met with Liu Weiguo.” He pulled out a sketch. “The market vendor recognized you. You were wearing a leather jacket and chewing betel nuts. You bought insoles from his stall.”
Although the DNA comparison report essentially ruled out Li Guoqing as a suspect, he did lie during the exhibition, and his acquaintance with Liu Weiguo is an indisputable fact. Therefore, Li Guoqing should be able to provide some clues regarding Liu Weiguo's situation. This is the main reason why, even after the DNA comparison proved that Liu Weiguo was not the murderer, Li Guoqing was still required to undergo questioning.
Li Guoqing's shoulders slumped instantly, betel nut residue spilling from the corner of his mouth: "Okay... I did see him. My brother-in-law, Wu Hailong, is a toy wholesaler, and Wei Guo often gets his supplies from him. We've had dinner together twice. It's that simple, I swear!"
“Simple?” Wang Fang opened her notebook. “Wu Hailong, 35 years old, was previously punished for selling counterfeit and shoddy products, and now runs ‘Hailong Toy Wholesale Department.’ What kind of goods did Liu Weiguo get from him?”
“Just… stationery, plastic toys and the like.” Li Guoqing’s eyes drifted to the ceiling. “Weiguo wanted to raise money for his son’s medical treatment, so he set up a street stall to sell small commodities. My brother-in-law supplied him with the goods and made a profit from the difference.”
Li Ming suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "On December 20th, you spoke with Wu Hailong on the phone, and then you appeared near Liu Weiguo's stall. Don't tell me it's just a coincidence!"
“I…” Li Guoqing wiped the sweat from his forehead, “My brother-in-law asked me to find out about Wei Guo’s situation. He wants to borrow money from Wei Guo.”
"Borrow money?" Wang Fang raised an eyebrow. "Liu Weiguo is dirt poor himself, where would he get the money?"
"That's what they say, but my brother-in-law heard that Wei Guo has a batch of 'valuable goods'." Li Guoqing swallowed. "I don't know exactly what it is, but I went to ask him that day, and Wei Guo said he didn't have any, and he even got angry with me. Later I went back to Haizhou, and I haven't seen him since!"
With the information provided by Li Guoqing, the police immediately summoned Wu Hailong for questioning.
The metal chair in the interrogation room scraped against the floor with a harsh sound. Wu Hailong, his hands cuffed to the table, sat with his legs crossed and half a betel nut dangling from his lips. He glanced at the one-way glass, grinned at Li Ming, revealing his back teeth stained black by betel nut: "Officer, I'm a law-abiding citizen. I quit that stuff last time I was in there, and now I make a living by working as a bouncer."
Li Ming slammed a stack of documents on the table. On top was Wu Hailong's criminal record: sentenced to two years in prison in 2022 for selling ecstasy; after his release, he frequently visited entertainment venues like the "Nightlife" bar and had recently been in close contact with several drug-related individuals. "Would a law-abiding citizen buy 50 meters of nylon rope? Would he dump a body at a seafood market?"
“Buying rope is for bundling goods!” Wu Hailong raised his voice. “My brother-in-law is a toy wholesaler, and I helped him load the goods onto the truck. Is that illegal? Besides, as for disposing of the body—I was working at ‘Dihao KTV’ on the night of January 2nd, and the surveillance footage can prove it!”
王芳调出 KTV 监控：1 月 2 日 18:00-22:00，吴海龙确实在吧台附近游荡，期间多次与服务员交谈，偶尔帮客人拎包。但李明注意到，他在 19:15 曾消失在监控盲区，19:25 返回时外套内衬沾有可疑水渍。
"Where did they go for the past half hour?" Li Ming pointed to the surveillance screenshot.
Wu Hailong shrugged: "I had diarrhea, so I'm on the toilet. You can check the toilet's security footage—oh right, there aren't any cameras there." He suddenly sneered, "Speaking of Liu Weiguo, he's no pushover. After he got out of prison, he's been selling 'candy.' People in the underworld call him 'Crippled Dragon' because he injured his right leg and walks with a limp."