kvmb Chapter 1401 Discovery of the Stolen Goods Distribution Point
Chapter 1401 Discovery of the Stolen Goods Distribution Point
The team then visited several of Chen Ershan's cousins and childhood friends, but obtained no valuable clues. Chen Liang, a childhood friend, recalled, "Ershan loved to steal when he was a child, so none of us played with him. After he left home at the age of 16, he never contacted us again. We don't know what kind of people he met in the city."
After returning to the city from Chenjia Village, Xiao Wang's team conducted a further investigation into Chen Ershan's social circle in the city. According to previous interviews with neighbors around Chen Ershan's rented apartment, Chen Ershan usually kept to himself and rarely interacted with others. Occasionally, a few slovenly-looking men would come to see him, but their identities were unknown. "Those men don't look like good people. They often come at night, stay for a while, and then leave. Sometimes we can hear them arguing inside, it seems to be about money," said neighbor Aunt Zhang.
The team reviewed CCTV footage from the area surrounding Chen Ershan's rented apartment and discovered that four men had repeatedly contacted Chen Ershan over the past three months. Through technical identification and interviews, they determined that all four men were unemployed. Three of them had prior convictions for theft and were "in the same line of work" as Chen Ershan, occasionally committing crimes together. However, they had all recently been detained by the police for other theft cases, providing clear alibis and thus ruling them out as suspects. The fourth man's identity was unknown. CCTV footage showed that his last contact with Chen Ershan was five days before the incident, and he had not been seen since.
"It seems Chen Ershan's core social circle still revolves around theft and selling stolen goods. We'll focus our investigation on the scrap yards and secondhand markets he frequents, especially the places where he sells his stolen goods; we're sure to find clues there," Xiao Wang said. Subsequently, starting with the "Dahai Scrap Yard," a place Chen Ershan used to frequent, the team members conducted a thorough search of scrap yards and secondhand markets throughout the city, asking if anyone knew Chen Ershan or had any conflicts with him.
The investigation lasted three days, visiting more than twenty scrap yards, but yielded no valuable clues. It wasn't until the afternoon of the fourth day that the team arrived at "Xingwang Scrap Yard," located on the outskirts of the city. The owner, Liu Xingwang, made a significant breakthrough in the investigation with his words. "Chen Ershan, I know him. He often comes here to sell stolen goods, mostly stolen wires and metal parts," Liu Xingwang said. "About two weeks ago, he got into a fight here, it was quite a big fuss."
"Mr. Liu, please tell me in detail, when did this happen? Who was he fighting with? And what was the reason for the fight?" Xiao Wang hurriedly asked. Liu Xingwang lit a cigarette and recalled, "It was about half a month ago, one afternoon. I can't remember the exact date. Chen Ershan brought a cart of scrap metal to sell, and he happened to run into another thief who often came to sell stolen goods, nicknamed 'Three Hands.' The two of them started arguing for some reason, and the argument got more and more heated until they finally started fighting."
Liu Xingwang stated that "Three Hands" was also a long-time thief, frequently operating in the northern suburbs. He and Chen Ershan were "in the same line of work," and the two had a long-standing feud over territories and the price of stolen goods. "That day, the two fought fiercely. Chen Ershan scratched 'Three Hands' face, and 'Three Hands' also bruised Chen Ershan's arm. In the end, it was me and a few of my buddies who separated them," Liu Xingwang said. "Before leaving, 'Three Hands' threatened to make Chen Ershan pay the price, but I didn't expect things to turn out this quickly."
This clue thrilled Xiao Wang and his team; "Three Hands" was a prime suspect! "Boss Liu, do you know 'Three Hands' real name? What does he look like? Where does he usually hang out?" Xiao Wang asked. Liu Xingwang shook his head: "I don't know his real name, I only know that everyone calls him 'Three Hands,' he's about 30 years old, about 175 centimeters tall, thin, and has a scar on his left cheek. He usually hangs out in the area around the mahjong parlors and internet cafes in the northern suburbs, and sometimes he goes to the convenience store next to 'Old Yang's Auto Repair Shop' to buy things."
After obtaining this crucial information, Xiao Wang immediately led his team back to the Criminal Investigation Detachment and reported the situation to Li Ming. Li Ming immediately decided to establish a special task force to investigate the true identity and whereabouts of "Three Hands." "Immediately retrieve surveillance footage from 'Xingwang Scrap Metal Recycling Station' and its surrounding area to search for 'Three Hands'; at the same time, conduct a comprehensive search of card rooms, internet cafes, convenience stores, and other places in the northern suburbs, focusing on finding a man with a scar on his left cheek and nicknamed 'Three Hands,'" Li Ming instructed.
The special task force acted swiftly, first retrieving surveillance footage from "Xingwang Scrap Metal Recycling Station" from over two weeks prior. The footage showed that around 3 PM that day, Chen Ershan and a man had a heated argument at the station's entrance, which escalated into a physical fight. The man did indeed have a noticeable scar on his left cheek, and his height and build matched Liu Xingwang's description. After enhancing the surveillance footage using technical means, the man's facial features were clearly captured.
Subsequently, the team members focused on the northern suburbs, conducting a thorough search of surrounding card rooms, internet cafes, and convenience stores. The card rooms and internet cafes in the northern suburbs were mostly chaotic, with high staff turnover, making the search extremely difficult. The team members divided into five groups and searched the northern suburbs for two days and two nights, finally obtaining a lead at a card room called "Good Luck."
The owner of the card and mahjong parlor recognized the man in the surveillance footage: "This is Luo Baojun, everyone calls him 'Three Hands.' He often comes here to play cards, he's dishonest and likes to cheat." The owner introduced Luo Baojun, 31 years old, registered in the suburbs of the city, unemployed, with multiple prior convictions for theft, having served a year in prison for theft, and just released a year ago. He usually lives in a rented room in an urban village in the northern suburbs, and frequently hangs out in card and mahjong parlors and internet cafes in the northern suburbs, making a living by stealing.
After confirming that the "three-handed" man's real name was Luo Baojun, the team immediately retrieved his household registration information and criminal record, verifying his identity characteristics: male, 31 years old, 174 cm tall, thin build, with a 3 cm long scar on his left cheek, perfectly matching the man in the surveillance footage. Meanwhile, the records showed that Luo Baojun had a volatile temper, a strong desire for revenge, and violent tendencies, further increasing suspicion of his involvement.
"Immediately investigate Luo Baojun's movements and pinpoint his hiding place," Xiao Wang ordered. The team retrieved nearly half a month's worth of surveillance footage from the northern suburbs and discovered that Luo Baojun had appeared near Chen Ershan's rented apartment three days before the incident. Two days after the incident, he also bought something at a small shop next to "Old Yang's Auto Repair Shop." After that, he never appeared on the surveillance footage again, leading them to speculate that he may have become aware of the police investigation and gone into hiding.