Beside me, Liu Yaning glanced at me, and then we entered the room to investigate. The house was quite nice, with four rooms and an area of about 140 square meters. I could tell that one room, although unoccupied, was very clean. This was likely the room of Yu Hao Han's son, and Huang Jia Qi had probably been tidying it up all these years, showing she still harbored deep affection for her husband.
However, I noticed she didn't seem to sleep here. Instead, she had moved to an equally well-appointed room next door. There were several pairs of women's slippers, an elegantly designed antique bronze dressing table, and a neatly made pale blue bed. There wasn't a single hair on the pillow. I ran my finger along the bedside table and found not a speck of dust.
Although we hadn't met Huang Jia Qi, her living habits revealed her to be a very clean and organized woman.
I went near the dressing table and opened a drawer. Inside were photos of Huang Jia Qi and her husband, Yu Guo An. They were young then, likely newly married. Both wore happy smiles, and it was clear Huang Jia Qi's abdomen was already protruding, suggesting they might have conceived before marriage.
Yu Guo An had straight, soft, dark hair with a shine. He had a bit of stubble on his chin, wore a pair of smart black-rimmed glasses, a well-tailored blue suit, and a yellow tie. He appeared to be gentle, refined, and intelligent.
He seemed to be holding a laptop in his hand. The background of the photo was the area outside their apartment complex. It was conceivable that after his death, Huang Jia Qi and her father-in-law continued to live here, also taking care of Yu Hong Bo. Investigators were already looking into the child at his school. He was currently in the third year of junior high, and if Yu Guo An had an accident 10 years ago, the child would have been about three years old when his father passed away.
I flipped the photo over and found a date. This was likely their wedding date, before the incident, so nothing seemed amiss. Nevertheless, I collected the photo in an evidence bag.
Next, I moved to a work desk where a laptop sat. I pressed the power button, but the computer was dead. I checked the power outlet and found the plug pulled out. Normally, a laptop on standby could retain power for some time. Laptops use lithium batteries, which have a self-discharge phenomenon. If left unused for too long, the battery could drain completely, effectively "starving" the battery. This is commonly known as "drying out." At this point, the battery is usually beyond repair. Lithium batteries, when stored for extended periods, should be removed and recharged monthly. Clearly, Huang Jia Qi hadn't paid attention to this, indicating she hadn't used this computer for some time.
I put the laptop away, deciding to let He Xin examine it later. Then, Liu Yaning and Gao Mingqiang entered. Yaning spoke first, "We investigated the old man's room. He needs some assistance with daily tasks, but otherwise, there's nothing. At this stage, it's understandable for the elderly. If we can't find his daughter-in-law, we might have to send him to a nursing home."
I nodded and looked at Gao Mingqiang. He immediately told me, "We found the black box. After investigation, it looks similar to the kind on an airplane – a black box. But we can't open this thing. It's too strange. We plan to smash it open when we get back."
"What's the status of the black boxes from the previous two cases?"
"Probably haven't been opened yet, otherwise Ma Biao would have told us. But it's good. We'll take the three black boxes we found back and smash them all together!" Gao Mingqiang said happily.
I ignored him and went into the living room to examine the black box myself. It was a square, palm-sized steel box. It reminded me of Jay's song, "Peninsula Iron Box," but this box seemed to have no lid. I turned it around and around, like a child playing with a Rubik's Cube, but eventually, like him, I couldn't find a way to open it.
At that moment, I wondered if the box was impossible to open at all, or perhaps it was solid inside?
I even considered the possibility of gem appraisal – if it couldn't be cut open, we'd just blow it up. I refused to believe there was nothing inside.
After the box was brought back, we had the elder gentleman come to the provincial department and registered it, then sent him back to wait for news. We then began a carpet search for Huang Jia Qi's whereabouts and social connections. The technical department, along with Yuan Hezhi, began investigating the data on the laptop. Some technical police officers, cooperating with He Xin, focused on Huang Jia Qi's mobile signal, dashcam footage, sky-eye surveillance, and ID card usage records, conducting a systematic core tracking investigation of this person.
Because satellite tracking equipment is now very advanced, as long as individuals aren't deliberately evading detection, the police can locate them quickly. However, during the investigation of Huang Jia Qi, we could only see her mobile signal disappear near a post office at her home. I immediately dispatched Xiao Yuande with some investigators to check the post office.
Then, we went to the forensic department. Numerous technicians surrounded the black box, fussing over it like doting parents. But they all looked perplexed, as if the black box before them was an incredibly hard fishbone, making them feel stuck and uncomfortable, no matter how hard they tried.
I went over to them and casually picked up a hammer. Several technicians stopped me, "Director He, what are you doing?"
"Just smash it!" Before they could react, I brought the hammer down with a bang. However, the black box showed no reaction, as if my strike had missed. Yet, I had clearly seen my hammer hit it squarely. Seeing me about to strike again, a technician grabbed me, "You'll damage the evidence like this!"
"You've been struggling with it for days and still have no solution. If we don't do this, do you want to keep dragging it out?"
Challenged by my words, they dared not object and watched as I repeatedly struck the box on a workbench. On the tenth strike, the black box finally cracked open.
Inside, there was indeed a black box! Exactly the kind needed to be found in an airplane crash!
I hadn't expected a black box to be hidden inside this outer casing. Wearing rubber gloves, I carefully picked up the black box. This item is originally called a flight recorder. Let me briefly explain why the "black box" is so crucial for accident investigation after a plane crash.