Chen Yang looked at the group of policemen who seemed to be facing a great enemy, and nervously hugged the two little ones in his arms.
In those days, it was rare for so many police officers to be mobilized collectively. It was likely that something major had happened. How could Chen Yang not be nervous? Lei Baoguo was not by his side now.
"Comrade, please show me your household registration book or letter of introduction."
The police officers checked everyone one by one. Although this was a bus from Qinghe, it was still possible that it was related to the case, and no one dared to be careless.
After all, this case was too vicious and had too serious an impact.
"Police comrade, I'm just here in Qinghe City for a wedding banquet. Here are my household registration book and letter of introduction."
Chen Yang handed the letter of introduction to the police officer. He would always ask the old village secretary to issue one when he went out. Although he didn't plan to stay in Qinghe, he was afraid of any unexpected trouble, so he brought everything with him.
"Comrade Chen Yang, please don't worry, we are just conducting routine checks. Everything is fine. You can go home later."
"Whose wedding are you attending, and when did you go?"
The police officer glanced at Chen Yang's household registration book and letter of introduction and asked casually.
"I'm attending my friend Zhang Weiyang's wedding. I left home at seven in the morning, took the 9 AM bus to Qinghe City, stayed at the Hongxing Machinery Factory canteen for the banquet, and returned on the 3 PM bus after the banquet."
"Look, my son and daughter even received red envelopes."
Chen Yang took out two red envelopes from the little ones, Naiwazi and Chen Hao. The police officer even took them to look, and only returned them to Chen Yang after confirming there were no issues.
After all the passengers on the bus had been checked, Qin Dawei and a few veteran police officers consulted carefully before waving to the police guarding the bus doors.
"Comrades, please do not spread the word about today's events after you go home. Keep it a secret."
"Thank you, comrades, for cooperating with our work."
Qin Dawei finished speaking to the people on the bus, then arranged for the police guarding the doors to let them go.
Although Chen Yang was very curious about what had happened, he knew that it would not be disclosed until the case was solved, so he didn't ask any more questions. Even if he did, they wouldn't bother with him.
Chen Yang, holding the hands of the two little ones, lost the desire to buy strong flour. He felt a vague sense of unease in his heart, and only felt truly at ease when he took the children home quickly.
Hurry home before it gets dark!
"Daddy, I can't walk anymore."
Naiwazi didn't know what was happening and was being pulled along by her daddy running so fast that her short legs couldn't keep up.
"Daddy will carry you. We're going home, and Mom made delicious food. If we're late, it'll all be eaten up."
Chen Yang pinched his little cotton-padded jacket's cheek, then simply picked up both children, one in each arm, and hurried towards the food factory.
Along the way, he felt that there seemed to be fewer people on the street than usual.
"Brother-in-law, it's not safe to travel in the dark. Why don't you come to my place to stay tonight and don't go back? Something big has happened today."
As soon as Chen Yang arrived at the food factory, his older cousin Zhao Wukang saw him and quickly grabbed his hand, whispering in his ear.
"What happened? What's going on? When I got off the bus just now, there were also police officers checking things."
Chen Yang was curious, and seeing Zhao Wukang's demeanor, it seemed he knew something.
"I heard that something big happened in Qianmen Village. A female hospital employee was on the night shift the day before yesterday. She was supposed to get off work at 1 AM and go home, but her husband woke up yesterday morning and she was still not home."
"At first, he didn't suspect anything, thinking she was working overtime temporarily. But when she still wasn't home today, he went to the hospital to look for her. The hospital said she had gone home after her shift the day before yesterday."
"She didn't come to work, so he thought something had happened at home."
Back then, it wasn't like today, when everyone had a mobile phone, which is why it took so long to discover the problem.
When everyone put their heads together, they realized something was wrong, and then they panicked and searched for her everywhere.
The female employee's husband followed the route from the hospital to their home, searching all the way.
Finally, he found her on the outskirts of the city!
The female employee's body was stuffed into a nearby bush. This place was less than two hundred meters from their home.
The female employee's husband collapsed on the spot.
He was still sleeping at home when his wife was murdered not far from their doorstep. How could he not blame himself!
If only he had noticed even the slightest disturbance, he would have risked his life to protect his wife!
Of course, what made him collapse even more was the cruel abuse his wife had suffered before her death.
When the victim's husband saw the body, there was hardly any intact skin left on her. If it weren't for the clothes discarded nearby, he might not have recognized her as his wife.
Looking at the wounds on her body, the victim's husband's heart bled. Every stab felt like it was cutting him.
He couldn't imagine the despair his wife must have felt being so brutally murdered less than two hundred meters from their doorstep.
She was so close to home, yet she was stabbed again and again until her blood ran cold.
He completely broke down.
Although public security was not as good as in later generations, there had never been such a vicious murder case in the entire Liuhe County.
The victim's husband even fainted on the spot, almost causing two deaths.
The victim's tragic state of death was so horrifying that even the forensic doctor who went to the scene found it unbelievable. It was no worse than the "lingchi" (death by a thousand cuts) of the old era.
If it weren't for the victim's husband identifying her based on her physical characteristics and the remaining pieces of clothing nearby, it would have been impossible to recognize her.
Finally, according to the forensic doctor's judgment, the knife wounds on the victim's body were not fatal. The real fatal wound was the stab to the chest that pierced her heart.
Before that, the murderer had tortured the victim in a manner similar to a thousand cuts, and only then ended her life with a single stab.
Imagine working hard all day, rushing home late at night, only to be dragged into a nearby bush as you were nearing home, and then being so brutally murdered. How desperate the victim must have felt in her heart!
It was precisely because of the killer's brutal methods that the police responsible for the case felt chills down their spines, which is why they were so cautious.
When the victim's husband discovered the body, it was daytime, and many people gathered to watch. By the time the police arrived, the news had already spread throughout Liuhe County.
Instantly, everyone was in fear.
A murderer this brutal was living among them. Who wouldn't be afraid?
That's why when Chen Yang went to the food factory, he noticed fewer people on the streets.
It was still daytime. It was estimated that by dusk, people wouldn't even dare to go out.
The entire Liuhe County Public Security Bureau was under immense pressure. If they didn't solve the case and apprehend the killer quickly, the people of Liuhe County would live in fear.
Therefore, they first sealed off the Liuhe County bus station to screen all suspicious individuals. Although the golden hour for apprehension had long passed, they still dared not be careless. What if the killer escaped at this very moment? No one dared to relax.