Grocery Store No.514 - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

~Brought to you by Cafe No. 20~

On February 19, 3021, Ling Hua’an had just sent Yan Yu and Lu Hao to the airport when he received a call from Jiang Chengyan. Without hesitation, he directly asked Zhang Mian to drive him to Liujiazhuang.

The village is not big, if something happens there, the whole village would like to know soon. Not to mention, the yard where Gao Mingqiang rented was surrounded by people watching the bustle scenes. The yard would be full of people if it weren’t for the police to stop the cordon. But it seems not to be an obstacle for them. If they couldn’t enter the yard, they would lean on the wall next door.

Zhang Mian looked at the wall of people in front of him and said with unease, “Mr. Ling, there are many people in front of you. Are you sure you want to go in?”

Ling Hua’an looked toward the noisy crowd. There was not the slightest abnormality, no resentment at all. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “I’ll make a phone call.”

Ling Hua’an called Jiang Chengyan, who parted the crowd and walked over in a hurry. Looking at the man with gold-rimmed glasses beside him, he asked, “Hua’an, who is this?”

“His name is Zhang Mian. He is a friend of Yanyu. Today I sent them to the airport, and he brought me here.  Zhang Mian is the head of the criminal investigation team, Jiang Chengyan, and my boyfriend.”  Ling Hua’an briefly introduced the two people and frankly stated his relationship with Jiang Chengyan.

Zhang Mian was stunned, then he greeted with a smile, “Hello, Captain Jiang, I’m Zhang Mian.”

“Hello, Mr. Zhang, thank you for sending Hua’an over.”

Ling Hua’an looked at Zhang Mian and said, “Zhang Mian, you can go back. I have something to do here.”

Zhang Mian hesitated and hesitated before Yan Yu left; he was instructed to be on call whenever Ling Hua’an called, which shows Ling Hua’an is really important to Yan Yu. As Yan Yu’s most trusted person, he must complete the tasks assigned to him. “Mr. Ling, before Mr. Yan left, he told me to take care of you. Do you really not need me anymore?”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

Ling Hua’an smiled helplessly and said, “there’s Captain Jiang here. You can go back.” 

“Well then, if Mr. Ling needs anything, call me directly. I promise to be on call any time.”

“Okay, I will.”

Zhang Mian turned around and walked away.

Jiang Chengyan took Ling Hua’an aside and asked softly, “Hua’an, did you see anything?”

“No, it’s clean. There’s nothing here.”

Jiang Chengyan frowned and said, “Is it really suicide?”

“Captain Jiang, what’s going on inside? Who died?”

Jiang Chengyan was taken aback, then returned to his senses and explained, “The deceased’s name is Gao Mingqiang. He is the suspect who killed Liang Yijun. Today we came to summon him, but only to find him hanged. A suicide note was left on the table in the room. A confession of him killing Liang Yijun.”

Ling Hua’an pondered for a while and asked, “Do you have any evidence that he is the murderer?”

“In the Yihe apartment surveillance video, Gao Mingqiang appeared at 10:05 pm on the night of the crime. He went up the stairs before returning downstairs at 11:00. Our people had already visited all the residents and claimed they didn’t know Gao Mingqiang. He probably only went to Liang Yijun’s home; so far, he is the most suspected. Moreover, colleagues from the trace inspection department also found a shoe print at Liang Yijun’s house, size 43, which matches Gao Mingqiang’s shoe size. The pattern of the pair of shoes on his feet is the same as the shoe prints found, so it can be presumed that Gao Mingqiang once entered Liang Yijun’s house.” Jiang Chengyan told Ling Hua’an the clues they had one by one.

“Listening to Captain Jiang’s tone, you seemed to have doubts that Gao Mingqiang was the murderer.” Ling Hua’an easily grasped the point of Jiang Chengyan’s words. 

Jiang Chengyan was startled, then smiled, “Hua’an, you really know me.”

“Captain Jiang, we are lovers. How many times we have ‘in-depth’ understanding, how can I be unable to guess it?”Ling Hua’an deliberately put emphasis on the word ‘in-depth’, even if Jiang Chengyan was slow, he would understand what he meant. Jiang Chengyan’s face reddened and retorted, “We’re talking about a case now, can you be more serious?”

“I’m serious. Captain Jiang,  let’s talk about it.” Ling Hua’an stopped before going too far.

Jiang Chengyan straightened his expression and said, “I always think the shoe print that appeared in Liang Yijun’s house is a bit deliberate. Under normal circumstances, if there will be a shoe print, there must be more than one, and even if it is incomplete, it will definitely leave a mark. But there is only one clear shoe print on the scene.”

“Did you find the murder weapon? Did Gao Mingqiang’s fingerprints found on the scene?”

“The murder weapon was Liang Yijun’s razor, which was thrown next to the bathtub. Except for Liang Yijun’s fingerprints, no one else’s fingerprints were left on it. There’s also no Gao Mingqiang’s fingerprints found in Liang Yijun’s house.”

“This is obviously weird. Judging from the situation at the scene, the murderer is very thoughtful and clearly prepared. It is impossible to leave such a clear footprint carelessly.”

Ling Hua’an looked in the compound direction and said, “In addition, it is too clean here, so I agree with Captain Jiang’s guess. The one who killed Liang Yijun should not be Gao Mingqiang.”

“Since it wasn’t Gao Mingqiang who did it, it doesn’t make sense for him to commit suicide. Could it be that he was silenced?”

“Besides being silenced, there is another possibility. Perhaps Gao Mingqiang really committed suicide.”

Jiang Chengyan’s brow furrowed into a lump and asked in confusion, “Hua’an, what do you mean by that?”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

“Gao Mingqiang appeared at the Yihe Apartment on the night of the incident and stayed there for an hour. Did Captain Jiang think about what he was doing during that time?”

Jiang Chengyan followed Ling Hua’an’s train of thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and said, “You mean he was faking the scene? Deliberately leaving footprints to mislead our sight and then committing suicide to take the blame?”

Ling Hua’an smiled and said, “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

Jiang Chengyan looked at Ling Hua’an more eagerly, and said, “Hua’an, you are so smart. If you’re the captain of the criminal investigation, you will definitely be better than me.”

Ling Hua’an approached Jiang Chengyan and said softly in his ear, “I, ah, am still a more suitable man to be with the captain of the criminal investigation.”

Jiang Chengyan’s face became hot. He gently pushed Ling Hua’an and said, “you can’t be serious. ”

The smile on Ling Hua’an’s face disappeared, and he said solemnly, “So Captain Jiang knows what to do now?”

Jiang Chengyan couldn’t help being amused when he saw this, “if your inference is correct, the person who killed Liang Yijun must have had a close relationship with Gao Mingqiang. We can find the clues if we check on the people close to Gao Mingqiang.”

“Captain Jiang, have you checked Wang Ran’s information?”

“Yes, she is missing.”

“Missing ah ……” Ling Hua’an remained silent for a while before saying, “Captain Jiang, I have always suspected that the resentful ghost around Sun Ting is Wang Ran. You should investigate further the relationship between the two. I always think that they are more than just friends.”

“I have sent someone to Bincheng, and this Gao Mingqiang is also from Bincheng.”

“Gao Mingqiang is also from Bincheng? That’s it. Maybe this is where their connection lies. If you ask your people to investigate the relationship between the three, they should be able to find clues.”

“But the scene has been deliberately cleaned up. Even if we have suspicions, we can’t find evidence.”

“Captain Jiang, take your time. Confirm our speculation first before talking about the rest. Sometimes we have to be patient.”

Jiang Chengyan was stunned. After investigating the case for so long, he had never complained so much. Every time he played the role of a stable captain, and now in front of Ling Hua’an, he even unconsciously felt like he wanted to rely on him. But this feeling of having someone you can rely on is really not bad.

The corners of Jiang Chengyan’s mouth rose and he said with a smile, “Hua’an, I’ll take you back later.”

“Where is your car? I’ll wait for you in the car.”

Jiang Chengyan reached out and grabbed Ling Hua’an’s wrist, took him to the side of the car, opened the door, and helped him sit in. Then he turned and returned to the scene.

Ling Hua’an took out his earphones and was about to listen to music when he suddenly sensed a wave of resentment. He turned his head to look through the car window. A powerful resentment rose to the sky. Familiar faces stood in the crowd, watching with cold eyes toward the compound.

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

Ling Hua’an pushed open the door and got out of the car, walking toward the female ghost. The female ghost quickly discovered his presence. Her eerie cold eyes looked over before walking in the opposite direction of him.

Seeing this, Ling Hua’an shouted, “Miss Sun.”

The female ghost’s actions stagnated for a while, and her eyes looking at Ling Hua’an became colder. The footsteps sounded immediately afterward from the opposite direction of Ling Hua’an, while the female ghost lunged straight toward Ling Hua’an.

The corner of Ling Hua’an’s mouth is slightly hooked. He took out the soul bell from his pocket and recited the incantation silently. His body suddenly rose a golden light shield, with an amulet flung straight to hit the female ghost. The female ghost’s movements were stagnant, followed by a shrill scream.

Ling Hua’an took her in control, turned around with a cane, and left. Rushing away according to the location of the surrounding wandering souls. The female ghost was injured and chased up without saying a word. All the people were watching the courtyard, and no one paid attention to the movements of a blind man at all.

The female ghost quickly caught up with Ling Hua’an, stretched out her sharp claws, and grabbed Ling Hua’an. Ling Hua’an ignored it and just ran ahead. He was sure that the female ghost would not be able to break through his shield. 

The female ghost didn’t give up attacking Ling Hua’an repeatedly, but she could never break through. When she hesitated whether to leave, Ling Hua’an took out a piece of paper talisman again and hit her while she was unguarded. The resentment toward the female ghost surged; it was scattered a lot.

The female ghost was completely enraged. After a shrill scream, the surrounding Yin Energy gathered, and the resentment that had just been dispelled gathered again. Ling Hua’an raised his hand and threw another paper talisman over to interrupt the female ghost’s movements, and the Yin Energy that had just gathered was scattered again.

“I want you to die!” The female ghost stared at Ling Hua’an with blood-red eyes, gnashing her teeth in hatred.

A man and a ghost, one desperate to attack, one carelessly running. They went outside the village and arrived in a wasteland.

Ling Hua’an stopped in his tracks, took out the paper talisman again, and recited an incantation. The female ghost subconsciously dodged. The paper symbol didn’t come but spontaneously ignited out of thin air. Immediately afterward, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and two figures, one black, and one white appeared in front of one person and one ghost.

Ling Hua’an arched his hand and said with a smile, “Happy New Year to the Two Lords.”

Hei Wuchang arched his hand and Bai Wuchang smiled, and said, “Good New Year, Mr. Ling.”

Ling Hua’an said bluntly, “Two lords, this female ghost has already devoured two souls. It’s inevitable that she is doing evil. That’s why I’m asking you two to come, please forgive me.”

“Mr. Ling, you are welcome. This is our duty.”

Seeing that the situation was not good, the female ghost turned around and wanted to run, but was stopped by Hei Wuchang. Without saying a word, he took out his chain and threw it at the female ghost.

~~~