Chapter 669 - 556: Optimism

Chapter 669: Chapter 556: Optimism

The special task force’s work was now advancing on multiple fronts.

First, they were re-examining the case files to find connections to Lu Weihong.

Second, they were conducting a comprehensive investigation into Lu Weihong, employing technical measures to dig up everything they could on him without contacting anyone in his circle.

Lastly, they were working to reconstruct his movements from several years ago.

This last part was the absolute top priority.

Xu Jinguang and his team had certainly thought of the same things Shen Xin and Yang Zeran had.

They knew better than anyone that to find useful evidence, they had to search through Lu Weihong’s movements from that year.

Their current method was to start from December 3rd, 2008—the day the four of them went into the mountains—and push forward, trying to reconstruct his whereabouts for every single day.

Every single day!

Xu Jinguang had coordinated a large number of personnel.

It was safe to say that without a major, high-profile case like this, it would be impossible to mobilize resources of this caliber.

Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps it was their hard work finally paying off, but on February 25th, news arrived from the United States.

They had found Yang Guofa!

He wasn’t dead. He was still alive.

「February 28th. Anjing.」

In a suite at the Guoyi Hotel, Ding Yuwei was helping Shen Xin check his luggage.

Yang Zeran walked in, pulling a suitcase, and told Shen Xin it was time to leave.

"Yuwei, if anything happens with Walnut and Meng Lan, just video call me," Shen Xin said, giving a final reminder.

In the time since he had returned from Wudu, Ding Yuwei had been taking his place to look after Walnut.

The case wasn’t over, so they couldn’t call off the "troops" on Walnut’s side just yet.

Ding Yuwei stepped forward to hug Shen Xin and reminded him, "The United States is chaotic. Be careful."

Shen Xin nodded and said not to worry.

Then he realized Ding Yuwei hadn’t been talking to him, but to Yang Zeran.

"Got it. He’s a precious treasure," Yang Zeran said, making an OK sign.

Shen Xin tugged on Ding Yuwei’s hand. "The way you said that makes it sound like Yang is more reliable than me."

Yang Zeran snorted lightly. "Because I am."

Shen Xin couldn’t be bothered to argue. He picked up his suitcase and left.

Lin Wei was their driver again, taking the two of them to the airport.

This time, he would also be accompanying them to the United States, as per Xu Jinguang’s request.

Longzhou and Kang Province had each sent their own people as well.

The third case had occurred in Kang Province, so their involvement in the investigation was essential.

But Longzhou was still taking the lead.

Chang Zhigang, the captain of the criminal investigation detachment, was personally leading the team.

There were quite a few others traveling with them.

There were people from Interpol’s National Central Bureau in China, who were responsible for coordinating with Interpol and the local police in the United States.

There was also an interrogation expert.

He had been brought over from Ludong and was the political commissar of the Ludong Province Capital’s criminal investigation detachment. His name was Zheng Chengbao.

A 1992 graduate of the Public Security University’s preliminary hearing program, he had been a police officer for nearly thirty years, specializing in interrogation.

He was a specially-appointed interrogation expert for the Ministry of Public Security, a senior instructor at the Public Security University, and a graduate student advisor.

A Second-Class National Hero Model, one of the Top 100 National Criminal Police Officers, he had solved over a thousand murder cases and apprehended more than 1,500 suspects.

His nicknames in the field were "The Major Case Closer" and "The Soul-Searching Detective."

His mission was to use psychological tactics to get Yang Guofa to talk. If possible, it would be best if he could persuade him to return to China.

But the chances of that were slim.

According to the task force’s speculation, Yang Guofa had likely participated in the assault of Li Suhua and had also killed a giant panda.

He had fled to the United States for his own safety because he had committed these crimes and didn’t dare turn himself in.

Of course, the fact that this goal was even mentioned meant there was still hope.

Because based on the information they had received, Yang Guofa’s life in the United States was not going well either.

On the direct flight to New York, Yang Zeran looked at the photo of Yang Guofa’s wife in the file, frowning and grimacing. "They say it’s all the same once the lights are off, but with a face like that, how could he bring himself to do it?"

Shen Xin glanced at the laptop screen. "When it’s about survival, do you think he could afford to care about that?"

He had crossed the border illegally and didn’t even have proper identification. Establishing a foothold in the United States was no easy task.

He was an illegal immigrant, so he could only work under the table.

All that talk online about washing dishes for three months and being able to afford a mansion is pure nonsense meant to fool people.

In any case, Yang Guofa hadn’t moved into any mansion. To obtain legal status, he chose the most direct path.

Marriage!

In 2015, he married a Black woman named Jolinda, thereby obtaining legal residency.

Out of politeness, Shen Xin wouldn’t say someone was ugly.

But this Jolinda was genuinely not good-looking.

That year, Yang Guofa was 34, and Jolinda was six years older than him.

He really hit the "gold brick" jackpot, twice over.

And that wasn’t all.

The people Yang Guofa could meet were naturally not going to be middle-class, white-collar types.

This Jolinda lived in Brooklyn’s famous African-American enclave, the Bedford-Stuyvesant Community.

She was already 39. How could she not have been married or have kids?

She had been married twice and had three kids.

The oldest was already 20 and stood a head taller than Yang Guofa.

So, when Yang Guofa chose to marry Jolinda back then, it could only be described as a matter of survival.

After a long 15-hour flight, exhausted and weary, they finally arrived in New York.

It wasn’t Shen Xin’s first time abroad, but it was his first time in the United States.

But he couldn’t say he felt any sense of novelty; after all, the only thing on his mind right now was the case.

The reconstruction of Lu Weihong’s movements had yielded some discoveries, but it wasn’t enough.

Therefore, as someone who was there, if Yang Guofa could provide a breakthrough and help reconstruct what happened that year, it would be a huge help.

On this point, Zheng Chengbao, who was in charge of contacting and negotiating with Yang Guofa, was quite optimistic.

Before they departed, he had spoken with Shen Xin and the others in the airport lounge and analyzed the situation.

He believed one point was key.

Yang Guofa had committed crimes in China, but there was no point in discussing that now.

The Ministry’s goal wasn’t to arrest him.

He had already obtained US residency, so he could just stay in the United States. As long as he didn’t return to China, he would be fine.

Under these circumstances, him explaining what happened back then would have no impact on him whatsoever.

Besides, he had torn up his passport long ago; he couldn’t go back anyway.

In fact, it would even benefit him.

He had chosen to flee and live under a new identity because he was afraid Lu Weihong would retaliate against him.

What if Lu Weihong hadn’t given up and still wanted revenge? What if he crossed the ocean to kill him?

Although that was unlikely, it was still a lingering threat.

Only by capturing Lu Weihong and seeing him convicted and sentenced could this threat be eliminated for good.

Therefore, Zheng Chengbao believed there was a high chance Yang Guofa would talk.

He had also prepared a Plan B.

The consulate arranged for someone to pick them up from the airport and settled the group in a hotel downtown.

The rules weren’t that strict. The team leader, a director from the Ministry’s Fugitive Affairs Office, had said they were free to move about.

But this wasn’t like the old days, when traveling abroad was a rare opportunity and one would want to go sightseeing.

With his mind full of the case, Shen Xin had no interest in that. He decided to stay at the hotel and familiarize himself with Yang Guofa’s file.

After arriving in New York, he had gone to Brooklyn’s Eighth Avenue.

The place was known as the "Min’an enclave." According to the consulate staff, going there was almost like being back in China.

The kind of place on the outskirts where urban and rural areas meet.

Few people there spoke Mandarin; almost everyone spoke the Feng City dialect.

Although Yang Guofa had spent some time in Min’an, as a native of Longzhou, it wasn’t easy for him to integrate into the Eighth Avenue community abroad.

He also had no legal status, so at first, he rented a single room in a basement on Eighth Avenue and worked various under-the-table jobs.

He didn’t have any particular skills, but he was hardworking and willing to work and learn.

Later, he slowly transitioned from being a general construction laborer into the renovation business, and now he was considered a skilled worker.

He met Jolinda when his company had a project over in Qiao Linna.

The two places were six or seven kilometers apart.

While on the job, he met Jolinda, who was working as a general helper at a coffee shop at the time.

No one else knows the details of their "love story," but Yang Guofa ended up marrying into her family.

He couldn’t afford to buy a house.

He lived in Jolinda’s house, squeezed in with her and their four sons.

In 2016, at the advanced age of 40, Jolinda even gave him a son.

Now, Jolinda no longer worked.

And according to Yang Guofa’s colleagues, he was now working like a madman. After finishing his construction job, he would drive to deliver food, working two jobs to support his family of six.

The next day, when the group went to Yang Guofa’s construction site and saw him from a distance, Shen Xin noticed that the 39-year-old Yang Guofa had graying hair and looked as old as fifty.

During the lunch break, an intermediary brought Zheng Chengbao and the leader from the Fugitive Affairs Office to meet with Yang Guofa.

Shen Xin watched from a distance.

Faced with two police officers from China, Yang Guofa was clearly flustered and nervous.

Certain memories, buried deep in his heart by a life of hardship, were reawakened, causing him to subconsciously deny that he was Yang Guofa. He tried hard to act calm and play dumb, saying that Zheng Chengbao and the others had the wrong person.

Zheng Chengbao had a very magnetic and approachable voice. He said with a chuckle, "Alright, alright, Qian Jincai it is. The name isn’t important. We just want to chat with you about something. Don’t overthink it; this won’t affect you in any way."

"By the way, I saw a ramen shop over there on my way here. Why don’t we go there and talk while we eat?"

They had found Yang Guofa through a hometown association, but they hadn’t contacted him beforehand. This was their first meeting.

Yang Guofa still shook his head, his face full of vigilance.

Besides being an interrogation expert, Zheng Chengbao was also a political commissar, whose job was to have heart-to-heart talks with people.

He walked forward naturally, waved for the other two men to leave, and smoothly offered Yang Guofa a cigarette. He smiled and said, "I know you might be overthinking things, that you’re scared, but there’s really no need. Besides, you should hear me out first. Only then will you know my true intentions. I’m sure you must be curious why we’re looking for you."

Zheng Chengbao’s repeated emphasis that this would not affect Yang Guofa’s current life clearly had an effect.

At this moment, Yang Guofa was surely panicking, but he was also curious as to why the police from China were looking for him and how they had found him.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yang Guofa nodded. He let Zheng Chengbao light the cigarette for him, took a deep drag, and then warily asked what Zheng Chengbao wanted to say.

Zheng Chengbao looked around, pointed to a secluded corner, and motioned for them to talk over there.

He wanted to give Yang Guofa what he would perceive as a safe environment.

Once they sat down, however, he employed a direct approach. One moment he was all smiles, and the next, he suddenly brought up Lu Weihong.

He said they had already tracked down Lu Weihong and now just wanted to clarify what had happened.

After receiving the assignment, Zheng Chengbao had carefully studied the investigation records since Shen Xin took over. Although he was shocked by Shen Xin’s method of using animals to solve cases, he had reached the same conclusion as the special task force.

Lu Weihong had a strong motive and was highly suspicious.

So, right from the start, he dropped the bombshell of Lu Weihong’s name and then quietly observed Yang Guofa’s reaction.

Upon suddenly hearing that nightmarish name, Yang Guofa’s eyes flew wide open, his face a mask of shock and terror.

Clearly, Zheng Chengbao had guessed right.