"It's not entirely without merit. At least we've now confirmed that Yu Zimo's testimony is unreliable. I also think this fellow might be a suspect. Given his medical history, it's possible he committed the murder and then fabricated all those stories." I analyzed.
"Right, then I'll have someone keep an eye on him!"
Liu Yuning immediately arranged for personnel. We had a meal at a nearby restaurant with He Qing, and then let him leave. As he was departing, He Qing apologized to us, "I'm sorry, I couldn't be of more help today."
"It's okay, He Qing, you've done very well. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known about Yu Zimo's memory issues! It would have been ridiculous if we had acted according to his account."
"En, I'll head back then. Brother, feel free to call me anytime you need me!" He Qing offered a remarkably sunny smile, his lips curving into a very attractive arc. I noticed Liu Yuning momentarily gazing at his smiling face with fascination.
I watched He Qing get into his car and leave, then turned to go. At that moment, Liu Yuning bumped my shoulder, "He Sheng, I wish I had a younger brother like him. Gentle, reserved, sensitive, and more importantly, handsome and strong!"
"Uh, are you trying to mock me?"
"No, I just feel like you two aren't born of the same mother, haha. I hope I'm not being too harsh, am I?"
I playfully raised my fist as if to hit her, though of course, I wouldn't hit a woman. We chatted about various things and returned to the provincial department.
Regarding Yu Zimo, we investigated his family relationships. We wouldn't have known if we hadn't looked. We discovered he had previously been to the Guangming City Central Drug Rehabilitation Center. During our review, we found that a toxic gas leak incident had occurred at the rehabilitation center years ago. Many people died then, but some criminals escaped in the chaos. Those individuals were reportedly never apprehended, though the news claimed they were caught, which was merely to appease the public.
Furthermore, we found that Fang Leshan and Yan Yeman had also been to this rehabilitation center. Unexpectedly, they were a drug-addicted couple. I wondered if the killer's motive was related to this drug rehabilitation center?
We asked He Xin to send us the location. When we found the rehabilitation center, it was indeed abandoned. We asked some people nearby. An old security guard who used to work there told us, "After the gas leak, everyone was relocated. There were probably dozens of drug dealers who escaped back then. Nobody knows where they are now. Some might have reintegrated into society, or perhaps been caught again for drug use!"
"Did you work at the drug rehabilitation center for many years?" Liu Yuning asked.
"Yes, I spent most of my life here. I'm quite familiar with the center's affairs. Ask me whatever you want to know; I'll tell you everything!"
"Alright, then do you remember a burly man?" I described some of the physical characteristics of the person we saw in the surveillance footage. As for his face, I didn't mention it, because Yu Zimo's description was inaccurate.
When the old man mentioned this person, he replied, "Yes, are you talking about Da Tong? This burly fellow is about 1.9 meters tall, but he's deaf, speaks very unclearly, and has a vacant stare. I heard his brain was damaged from a high fever. I don't know how he became addicted to drugs; perhaps he was harmed by someone. Anyway, when the anti-drug police caught him, he took down several officers before being subdued by many SWAT officers."
"Do you have his specific appearance and other identification details?" I asked.
The old man thought for a moment and asked us to follow him back to the old site of the drug rehabilitation center. In a security booth, he rummaged through some record books, saying, "We kept some backup files here!"
Liu Yuning and I were filled with hope and searched with the old man for someone named Zhang Da Tong.
This Zhang Da Tong could possibly be the burly man Yu Zimo mentioned.
If such a person existed, then Yu Zimo wouldn't be making up stories.
We searched for a long time, yawning repeatedly, and almost gave up. But judging by the old man's demeanor, he was certain the person existed. He didn't give up, and neither did we. Finally, around 9 PM, we found someone who matched his description exactly.
Zhang Da Tong, 37 years old, from Tong'an Town, Guangming City. He was brought to the drug rehabilitation center four years ago for drug use. Later, due to the incident at the center, he escaped with many drug dealers and his whereabouts have been unknown since.
I obtained Zhang Da Tong's photo. It was indeed somewhat similar to Yu Zimo's description, though he definitely didn't look like Wu Jing. He had a square face, a high nose bridge, very small eyes, a wide forehead, a bald head, and a burly build with stubble.
"Thank you, old man. Your help has been crucial to our investigation!" I exclaimed gratefully.
"That's good. Actually, I was a police officer when I was younger. Then, when I was over 50, I resigned for certain reasons and came here to be a security guard. But the drug rehabilitation center no longer exists!"
Speaking of this, the old man seemed particularly heartbroken, and tears welled up in his eyes. He must have had deep feelings for the drug rehabilitation center.
We returned to the provincial department. After obtaining Zhang Da Tong's information, it should have been easy to find him. However, things weren't as smooth as we expected. He Xin and Shao Zhengzhi both said that his phone had been switched off a few days prior, around the time of the incident. He must have done it intentionally.
The more mysterious he was, the more suspicious he became. However, he was now the obvious suspect.
The remaining tasks were how to apprehend him and whether he had someone directing him from behind.
Gao Mingqiang, who had been keeping an eye on Yu Zimo, called to report that the fellow left his home every evening to go to a nearby internet cafe. He returned home around the time of the incident, suggesting he truly witnessed the crime.
Gao Mingqiang said that Yu Zimo was playing games with a girl around 22 years old at the internet cafe, and they seemed quite close. After Gao Mingqiang confirmed the girl's identity, I discovered that she was none other than Li Letta!
We summoned her immediately. This time, finding her was quick. Yu Zimo was also called over.
When asked about the events of that night, Li Letta indeed replied, "Yes, I saw a burly man smash a couple's heads. I had found Yu Zimo's key and intended to return it to him when I saw that scene. Unexpectedly, I encountered this. I saw Yu Zimo standing at the edge of the alley not far away, peeking at the situation on the street. I also hid myself near a shop..."