Chapter 127 Massacre

Chapter 127: The Family Annihilation Case

Tong Dagui, a native of Chaiyang, is currently 47 years old.

In 1993, a horrific murder occurred in Tongchang Village, Chaiyang City, where an entire family of five was brutally murdered in their home. The local police quickly formed a special task force and, after extensive investigation, identified Tong Dagui from a neighboring village as the prime suspect.

However, by the time they went to arrest him, his home was already empty. Tong Dagui’s parents and wife claimed they had no idea where he had gone or what he had done. But the police found crucial evidence in his house, confirming that Tong Dagui had fled to avoid prosecution.

In the following months, despite their efforts, the local police failed to track down the suspect. Soon after, the Ministry of Public Security issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Tong Dagui. By the 2000s, the warrant was upgraded, officially classifying him as a Class A fugitive with a reward of 150,000 yuan.

Yet, even now, nearly a decade later, Tong Dagui had remained at large. No one knew his whereabouts, and even his family, repeatedly questioned by the police, claimed complete ignorance.

That was until this time—when Tong Dagui’s mother fell seriously ill. Unable to resist the urge to return, he took the risk, only to cross paths with Yue Lingchuan on the plane.

After ten years on the run, the fugitive was finally apprehended.

“All these years, he’d been hiding in a remote, underdeveloped town in Wuchuan Province’s Danan City, scraping by with odd jobs at local construction sites. He barely earned enough to keep himself fed.”

“He never completely cut ties with his family, calling them once a year just to say he was safe. The police in Chaiyang suspected his family but couldn’t monitor them around the clock. His family was cautious too, always using public phones to communicate, so no concrete leads ever emerged.”

“This time, his mother was not expected to survive, so she called him. Tong Dagui couldn’t bear to stay away, and with misplaced hope that the police might have eased up after so many years, he decided to return.”

“Danan’s a backwater, only accessible by train. In a hurry, he first took a train to Ankou City, then flew from Ankou to Pingjiang, planning to take another train back to Chaiyang. But you nabbed him en route.”

Yue Lingchuan asked, “What about the ID? He’s using the name Hou Jianjun—was it a fake?”

Detachment Leader Song shook his head. “No, the ID is real.”

“According to his confession, ten years ago, right after he fled, he got into a fight with someone on the road. Panicked and afraid of being discovered, he killed the man. Afterward, he noticed the victim bore a passing resemblance to him and decided to steal his identity, taking his ID. All these years in Danan, he’s been living as Hou Jianjun. Since he naturally resembled Hou Jianjun and deliberately copied the ID photo’s look, no one ever suspected a thing.”

Xiao Shen frowned. “So, he has another murder to his name?”

Detachment Leader Song nodded. “Exactly.”

Xiao Shen heaved a sigh.

Detachment Leader Song fell silent for a moment before saying, “Well, no matter what, catching him is a good thing!”

He then looked at Yue Lingchuan and couldn’t help but laugh. “You two—color me impressed. You take vacation time for a trip, first help Ankou’s police solve a case, and on your way back, you manage to catch a fugitive who’s been on the run for ten years. What kind of luck is that?”

Yue Lingchuan gave a dry chuckle. “I’d like to know too. We just wanted a peaceful trip, and yet we kept stirring the pot.”

Originally, he had hoped to use this opportunity to properly pursue someone, but in the end, the mood was shot.

Detachment Leader Song chuckled. “You’ve got a sharp mind. I heard you and Xiao Shen even pulled a stunt on the plane, pretending to be a couple?”

Yue Lingchuan glanced at Xiao Shen. “I only glanced at the warrant back then and didn’t remember much. But I recalled he had a prominent mole on his left shoulder, so we set up that ruse to get his shirt off.”

Detachment Leader Song gave him a hearty clap on the back, laughing. “Well done! Well done!”

He then turned to Xiao Shen. “Xiao Shen was on the ball during the investigation and even found key evidence. The police in Ankou called specifically to thank you—Dir. Gao took the call, haha!”

“Plus, catching this fugitive means a departmental shout-out is guaranteed!”

Xiao Shen joked, “As long as the detachment leader doesn’t mind us stirring the pot outside and adding to your workload!”

“Haha, if this is ‘stirring the pot,’ I’d gladly take more of it!” Detachment Leader Song was grinning ear to ear, clearly proud of his officers’ achievements.

After exchanging a few more lighthearted words, the two were finally dismissed.

Coming back upstairs from the second floor, there weren't many coworkers around at this time.

Shen Qingye didn't give it much thought and was about to go straight back to her office when Yue Lingchuan suddenly stopped on the steps above her.

Shen Qingye looked up, a puzzled look on her face.

The tall man turned around, gave a soft cough, and looked down at her, his words halting. "Just now… the squad said we were putting on an act, playing a couple."

Shen Qingye raised an eyebrow. Yes, that was indeed the truth.

And then?

She stayed silent, just cocking her head slightly, her meaning clear.

Yue Lingchuan rubbed his nose. Despite standing higher, he somehow seemed strangely awkward and vulnerable.

He asked, "So… could I have a shot at making this thing between us real?"

Sunlight streamed through the stairwell window, filling the hallway with golden light.

At his words, Shen Qingye paused, her eyelids lowering slightly, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, like a golden butterfly about to take flight—making her look almost unreal.

Her fingers tightened slightly on the handrail as she asked softly, "How so?"

Yue Lingchuan took a quiet breath. The man who was unflappable even in a crisis couldn’t help but feel nervous now, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I was thinking… could I have a shot at winning you over?"

Shen Qingye’s eyes widened in surprise abruptly.

She had already prepared herself to accept a confession, but unexpectedly, this was all he'd asked for.

For a moment, Shen Qingye wasn’t sure whether to laugh or not.

She wasn't one to overthink romance. Once she confirmed her feelings for someone, she wouldn’t waver. Yet, it turned out he could hold out even longer than she’d imagined.

She looked up at him, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "Just pursuing?"

Seeing her reaction, Yue Lingchuan paused, wondering if he’d missed something. Still, he answered earnestly, "Yes."

Only then did Shen Qingye smile, clasping her hands behind her back and lifting her chin slightly, her demeanor carrying a touch of pride. "Then show me what you've got."

Yue Lingchuan’s expression softened, finally relaxing.

Meeting Shen Qingye’s smiling face, he couldn’t hold back any longer and slowly smiled as well.

As the sun gradually set, the dim stairwell stretched and merged their shadows, making them inseparable. The entire scene had a sweet, unspoken tension.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Qingye added, "But you can’t let Luo Kaiyang and the others know for now."

"Of course," Yue Lingchuan replied.

He himself didn’t mind—in fact, he wished everyone knew. But given their positions, as colleagues and with their professional hierarchy, if things didn’t work out in the end, it could lead to talk for Shen Qingye.

Though he could sense that Shen Qingye likely had feelings for him too, making such an outcome highly improbable.

Still, he wanted to rule out anything that might hurt her.

Perhaps due to the intense workload in the previous period, the team had a rare stretch of downtime with no major cases to handle.

Shen Qingye’s daily routine now had an added surprise—arriving at the office each morning to see what new item had appeared on her desk.

Sometimes it was a modest bouquet of flowers, just right for her desk; other times, it was pastries from a renowned local bakery, the kind that required long queues to obtain; and occasionally, it was an unusual stone, just right to accompany the pebbles in her potted plant… and so on.

When Wei Zhengyi and the others first spotted the flowers, they went wild with excitement, demanding to know who had the audacity to pursue their station's star cop. Shen Qingye merely smiled without answering, watching their antics before her gaze drifted to Yue Lingchuan, who stood nearby with a straight face, as if he had nothing to do with it. A small smile played on her lips.

The only married colleague glanced between Yue Lingchuan and her before silently returning his attention to his computer without a word.

·

The case involving Tong Dagui also moved along smoothly. Since the crime had not been committed in Pingjiang, after apprehending him, they contacted the police in Chaiyang and transferred custody.

Once back in custody, perhaps realizing there was no escape or wanting to see his mother one last time, Tong Dagui put up little fight and quickly confessed to his crimes.

After hearing the details, Shen Qingye let out a sympathetic sigh but didn’t dwell on it.

Mass murder cases were rare, and since this one didn’t fall under their jurisdiction, it wasn't their problem.

Still, the investigative approach taken by the Chaiyang police might be worth studying.

As Shen Qingye was thinking this through, she never expected the next case to arrive so abruptly.

And, of all things, it was another mass murder.

One night, deep in sleep, Shen Qingye was abruptly awakened by her ringing phone.

Groggily answering, she heard Yue Lingchuan’s unusually grave voice:

"Longhu Villa District. Mass murder. Get here now."

Shen Qingye was instantly wide awake.