137 Investigating the Scene

"Please walk us through the situation at the scene," Han Bin said calmly.

Ever since the Tang Yu case, Han Bin had learned not to jump to conclusions about whether someone was lying based solely on their body language.

Li Weili led the group forward to the entrance of the courtyard. It was an ordinary, rusted iron gate made of a thin sheet of metal; the area around the lock had been bashed in.

Han Bin and the others put on shoe covers and entered the yard. The ground was paved with bricks. To the left stood a cell tower, and to the right was the equipment room, with a plastic sign on the door reading: "Restricted Equipment Room, No Unauthorized Entry."

It was a blue security door. The metal around the lock was rusted, and there were clear pry marks around the frame, as if it had been forced open with a crowbar.

As soon as they entered, they saw several rows of equipment against the opposite wall, all of which had stopped functioning. Further inside stood a gray iron rack about a meter high.

Li Weili pointed to the gray rack. "This is where the storage batteries were kept. They were already gone when I arrived."

"How many batteries were missing in total?" Zeng Ping asked.

"The batteries come in sets of twenty-four. There were three sets in total—two in regular use and one as a backup."

"Can the twenty-four batteries be separated?" Tian Li asked.

"Battery banks are generally connected in series. They are joined by welds or screws. The latter can be connected and removed manually, but the former requires a drill to cut through before they can be re-welded," Li Weili explained, tapping the iron rack. "The batteries here are all welded."

"Is the current strong?" Han Bin asked.

"Extremely strong, equivalent to high-voltage electricity. If someone doesn't know what they're doing and tries to force them apart, it could easily cause a short circuit and generate a massive current, which is very dangerous," Li Weili explained.

"In other words, it's highly likely the work of a professional," Han Bin pressed.

"I wouldn't know about that, but it would be very difficult for an average person to dismantle them," Li Weili replied.

Han Bin carefully observed the iron rack that held the batteries. "How much does a set of batteries weigh?"

Li Weili thought for a moment. "Nearly a hundred pounds."

Han Bin examined the area closely, but there were no clear footprints or other obvious signs of the crime. Shortly after, Han Bin and his team exited the equipment room, and Lu Wen led the technical team to collect fingerprints and evidence.

Han Bin walked outside the courtyard, where a yellow pickup truck was parked by the side of the road.

"Li Weili, did you drive this vehicle here?"

"Yes, I use this truck for my regular maintenance rounds," Li Weili replied.

"Who was at the scene when you discovered the equipment room had been broken into?" Han Bin asked casually.

"Just me."

"Have you left the scene since calling the police?"

Li Weili shook his head. "No."

"Can your company determine the exact time the batteries were stolen?" Zeng Ping asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Why isn't there surveillance installed around the base station?" Tian Li asked.

"There are so many base stations. Some have cameras, some don't. That's not something we frontline maintenance workers can decide," Li Weili said helplessly.

"Zhao Ming, Tian Li, take a statement from Mr. Li," Zeng Ping instructed.

"Understood." Tian Li nodded and called Li Weili aside for questioning.

With only Zeng Ping, Han Bin, and Li Hui remaining, the three began discussing the case naturally.

"You two have a rough idea of the case now. What are your thoughts?" Zeng Ping asked.

Li Hui pulled out a pack of gum and offered some to Zeng Ping and Han Bin. "These base stations are built in the middle of nowhere, there's no surveillance, and the crime happened in the middle of the night. I'm afraid we won't find many clues."

"It would be much easier if Lu Wen could find the suspect's fingerprints," Han Bin said with a smile.

Zeng Ping shook his head. "That's unlikely. No fingerprints were found in the previous theft cases."

"Dismantling the battery bank requires a certain level of technical knowledge. I suspect the perpetrator is likely someone in the industry or someone who used to work in it," Han Bin hypothesized.

"There are plenty of people who have worked in this industry; narrowing them down would be too difficult," Li Hui said, chewing his gum. "I actually think we should start by checking vehicles. This place is so remote, and the battery banks are heavy and bulky, so they definitely needed a vehicle."

"If we go by what Li Weili said, these battery banks weigh nearly a hundred pounds and are quite large. Since there were no obvious drag marks, it would be hard for one person to move them. It would take at least two," Zeng Ping added.

"Plus a lookout, that makes at least three people. This was likely a gang operation," Han Bin added.

"The real problem is the lack of surveillance. If we had that, this case would be easy to crack," Li Hui lamented.

"Even if there were cameras, the perpetrators might just target somewhere else. As long as they have the intent, they'll always find a vulnerability," Han Bin said.

Just then, Lu Wen walked over. "Captain Zeng, the on-site investigation is complete."

"Did you find any fingerprints?"

"We found one set of prints. After checking, they belong to the maintenance worker, Li Weili," Lu Wen said, habitually adjusting his glasses.

"Did you find any other evidence left by the suspects?" Zeng Ping pressed.

Lu Wen shook his head. "Nothing obvious."

Zeng Ping patted Lu Wen on the shoulder. "Good work."

"It's my job," Lu Wen said with a shrug, then went to pack up his equipment.

"That's all the evidence we have at the scene. It's not enough to lead us to the suspects, so we'll have to find another way," Zeng Ping said, spreading his hands.

Han Bin wandered over to the pickup truck and gave it a thorough inspection.

"Did you find anything?"

"No." Han Bin frowned, hesitating before adding, "Captain Zeng, do you think Li Weili's account is accurate?"

Zeng Ping looked surprised. "You suspect him?"

"A little," Han Bin admitted.

Li Hui chimed in, "Could it be an inside job?"

Zeng Ping glanced toward Li Weili. "Do you have any proof?"

Han Bin hesitated for a long time before squeezing out two words: "Intuition."

Zeng Ping patted Han Bin on the chest. "Keep your intuition here for now—let's find evidence first."

A while later, Tian Li and Zhao Ming returned from taking the statement. Zeng Ping got straight to the point: "How did the questioning go?"

"Seems like there are no issues," Tian Li replied.

Zeng Ping looked at Han Bin, and seeing no objection from him, continued: "Then I'll assign the tasks."

"Han Bin, Li Hui, go conduct interviews in the surrounding area to see if anyone living nearby noticed any suspicious individuals last night or in the early morning."

"Tian Li, Zhao Ming, check the nearby surveillance cameras and the SkyNet cameras at the local intersections to see if there are any suspicious vehicles or people."

Zeng Ping scanned the group. "Anything else to add?"

"Captain Zeng, this is just one crime scene. There are six more. I'm afraid our team doesn't have the manpower," Li Hui noted.

"Don't worry about that. I'll report to Captain Zheng and request reinforcements."