Investigation

Lin Fang Residential Complex.

It was already eight o'clock in the evening. To cooperate with the police investigation, the village committee had turned up all the lights in the complex.

Han Bin and three others, plus four officers dispatched from the local police station, made a total of eight people searching the premises. Tian Li and Zhao Ming each led a police officer; because the greenbelt was quite large, Li Hui brought two officers with him.

Han Bin sat on a bench in the complex, pondering where Chen Kangning could have hidden the stolen goods.

Li Hui and his team each chose a search direction, all fairly common hiding spots, with a high probability of finding the loot. It wasn’t easy for Han Bin to come up with a different approach.

Apart from the buzzing of mosquitoes, the surroundings were silent.

Han Bin sat quietly, reviewing the case, imagining himself as Chen Kangning. If it were him, where would he hide the stolen items?

The Third Criminal Investigation Team had already searched Chen Kangning’s home and found nothing. Han Bin had also confirmed that Chen Kangning had not moved the loot outside, but had hidden it somewhere in the complex.

Though the complex was sizable, there weren’t many places suitable for hiding things. Han Bin carefully recalled the details of the case...

After a long while, Han Bin suddenly looked up and murmured, "Tape..."

He hurried to Building Three, Unit One, where Chen Kangning lived. Taking the elevator to the top floor, he began checking floor by floor, looking for doors with tape attached.

On the twentieth floor, he discovered a transparent piece of tape under the door of Room 2004, about three or four centimeters long and less than a centimeter wide, very similar to the tape found in Building Five.

Han Bin examined it closely; the tape was intact.

He knocked on the door. No response.

Han Bin spoke into the intercom, "Has anyone found anything?"

"No."

"Still climbing stairs."

"Digging holes."

"I'm at Building Three, Unit One, Room 2004. Li Hui, go to property management and find out about the owner. If possible, get their contact information."

"Han Bin, did you find something?" Tian Li pressed.

"You and Zhao Ming come over. Let’s talk in person."

"Understood."

...

Soon, Tian Li and Zhao Ming arrived with two police officers.

"Brother Bin, do you think Chen Kangning hid the stolen goods in this apartment?" Zhao Ming asked.

"Look at the lower left corner of the door."

Zhao Ming squatted for a closer look. "Tape."

"Maybe Chen Kangning knew this apartment was vacant and hid the loot here?" Tian Li guessed.

"I think Chen Kangning scouted out a hiding spot before committing the theft. He stashed the loot here and reapplied the tape. As long as the tape remains unbroken, it means no one has come back; he can retrieve the loot anytime." Han Bin analyzed.

"Tricky little tricks," Zhao Ming snorted.

A moment later, Li Hui arrived with a representative from the residents’ committee. Just as Han Bin had suspected, the apartment was unoccupied. The village committee had contacted the owner, who was away and wouldn’t return soon.

After negotiating with the owner, the police were granted entry, provided they compensated for the lock replacement.

The committee summoned a locksmith, and within two minutes, the door was open.

The layout was identical to Xu Yan’s apartment, the first complainant. Han Bin and the others were well acquainted with the space.

Two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a small bathroom—easy to search.

Upon entering the foyer, Han Bin gestured for everyone to stop.

The floor tiles were coated in thick dust, indicating the apartment hadn’t been cleaned for quite some time.

Han Bin crouched, inspecting the floor, and clearly saw a row of shoe prints. "There are shoe prints on the floor. Everyone else, stay out for now."

"Call Captain Zheng and have the forensic team examine the scene."

Han Bin put on shoe covers and followed the prints. The shoe marks circled the living room, then went into the side bedroom, looped around, and returned to the door.

Han Bin guessed the stolen goods were likely hidden in the apartment. "Tian Li, check the living room. I’ll search the side bedroom."

"Got it." Tian Li, meticulous by nature, was well-suited for the task.

Han Bin entered the side bedroom, furnished with a bed, wardrobe, and vanity table. Everything was covered in thick dust, suggesting it had been unoccupied for some time.

Wearing gloves, Han Bin searched the wardrobe and vanity but found nothing.

His gaze shifted to the bed, which was covered with a sheet. He touched it; there was considerable dust.

After a careful look, Han Bin lifted the bed cover. Underneath were many items, draped with cloth. He pulled back a piece of fabric to reveal a bundle containing bedding.

He uncovered more fabric and found a gray tool bag. Opening it, he discovered a black bag, a waist pouch, a flashlight, and a short knife.

The black bag was tied with a red cord. Inside were piles of red banknotes and valuable items like gold and silver jewelry.

The waist pouch contained tape, lock-picking tools, and other equipment.

"We really found it!" Tian Li exclaimed, delighted, as she came over.

Li Hui and Zhao Ming, hearing the commotion, entered as well.

"Brother Bin, you’ve scored another major achievement," Zhao Ming said with envy.

"More than that—Captain Zheng is leading the team. Bin’s really in the spotlight this time," Li Hui remarked, clicking his tongue.

"This isn’t just my accomplishment; it’s the result of our entire group’s effort," Han Bin replied with a smile.

...

Half an hour later, Zheng Kaixuan arrived at the scene.

Upon seeing the stolen goods, Zheng Kaixuan patted Han Bin’s shoulder. "Well done. I’ll record your merit."

"Thank you, Captain Zheng."

Zheng nodded and instructed Lu Wen, "Check the stolen items for fingerprints and DNA."

"Yes, sir."

Lu Wen took out his tools to collect fingerprints, while a crowd gathered around.

Zheng Kaixuan waved them off. "What are you all crowding around for? Step back."

Soon after, Lu Wen lifted fingerprints from the short knife and flashlight and began matching them on the spot with a portable fingerprint scanner.

"Beep. Fingerprint collected."

"Matching in progress..."

Everyone fell silent, watching intently.

"Beep. Fingerprint match—perfect!"

"Finally, direct evidence. We can arrest him now," Li Hui said, elated.

"Let’s see if he dares to act arrogant this time," Zhao Ming remarked.

Tian Li snorted, "Chen Kangning played the victim all along, but it turns out he’s the same as ever..."

Zheng Kaixuan nodded, encouraging, "Second group did well this time. I’ll commend you."

"Thank you, Captain Zheng."

Zhao Ying had also come along, but stood quietly in the back, her expression complex.

Suddenly, she felt a bit envious of Zeng Ping, who’d been resting at home, never showing his face, while the team solved the case.

What a situation!