Chapter 16 Traces

Shuangqiao Town on December 12th.

This is a small town in Cangnan County. An uneven road cuts the town into two pieces, and some 2-storey houses are built messily on the side of the road. Because it rained all night last night, the pits on the road were filled with rain. Whenever a car drove by, the mud and water splashed everywhere made the buildings on the road dirty.

Liao San walked out of the house happily with two mice. The cold wind blew towards him made his neck shrink. Although the rain had stopped, it was still cold outside the house, and the cold wind like a knife blew on the house and made a torn sound.

"This ghost weather!" Liao San looked at the gloomy sky and spitted on the ground.

The mouse in his hand was squeaking and screaming because of the cold wind. Liao San glanced at the mouse, opened his mouth and smiled.

"Liao San, what makes you so happy?" A policeman dressed neatly in front of Liao San.

Liao San looked up and his face changed, but immediately squeezed out a smile: "It's... Officer Ma, am I just happy? Is there something wrong?"

"Happy?" Officer Ma looked up and down at Liao San, and raised his chin at the mouse in Liao San's hand: "What is you holding in your hand?"

"What else can this be - a mouse." Liao San laughed with her, and took the mouse in her hand to Officer Ma and shook it.

"What are you doing with a mouse?" Officer Ma stared at the mouse in Liao San's hand with suspicious eyes.

"What are you doing," Liao San explained with a smile: "I plan to exchange it for a few dollars to spend it."

Can rats be exchanged for money? Officer Ma's eyes looked even more suspicious: "Who exchanged your rats for money?"

"Kang Huofeng." Liao Sanman asked a name indifferently.

"Kang Wanshan at the west end of the town?" Officer Ma was very surprised.

"Well, it's him." Liao San's eyes rolled and lowered his voice: "Officer Ma, why don't you catch a few mice too, I'll help you find Kang Tuobo to exchange money, anyway, he didn't say the quantity..."

Officer Ma smiled, laughing mockingly: "Liao San, if you want to fool me, do you have to make up the story? He is so poor that he can't even marry his wife, and he can't buy mice with money? There are rats everywhere, and he won't catch them himself?"

Liao San's face turned red and swore a swearing expression: "Heaven and Earth are consciences. If I, Liao San, will not die well. Kang Tuobo is indeed using money to exchange for rats. Several people in the town have caught rats and exchanged them. For one, 100 yuan, as long as it is alive, pay immediately."

Officer Ma saw that Liao San's expression was not as fake as he was, and he felt a little confused. This was actually true! But why did Kang Wanshan suddenly exchange money for rats? Is there anything else in it?

"Let's go to Kang Wanshan's house." Police Officer Ma waved his hand decisively.

Kang Wanshan lives in a dilapidated house west of the town. The house was made of earthen embryos more than ten years ago, and now many walls have cracks. A black old dog was lying in front of the house. When he saw Liao San and Officer Ma coming, he shook his fur and screamed twice with anger.

"Kang Huo-back!" Liao San stood in front of the house gate and pulled his throat and shouted: "Come out and change the mouse."

"Here, come," Kang Wanshan greeted him with a smile on his face as soon as the wooden door opened, and he was still smiling and scolding: "Liao San, are you so anxious, are you afraid that I won't give you money? Ah--"

Kang Wanshan's expression suddenly solidified. He looked at Officer Ma and said stammeringly: "Officer Ma! Why are you... here?"

Officer Ma smiled and said, "What? Not welcome?"

"This, how can you not welcome Officer Ma?" Kang Wanshan came to his senses, rubbed his hands and stood at the door, feeling a little at a loss.

"Don't you invite me into the house to sit?" Officer Ma looked very leisurely.

"Oh, please come in." Kang Wanshan swallowed helplessly and led Officer Ma into the room.

Officer Ma entered the main hall, glanced at him and saw an iron cage under the table in the main hall, with more than a dozen mice squeaking and screaming.

"Lisan said that you can exchange rats for money here. The price is not low, 100 yuan per piece. I don't believe it yet," Police Officer Ma pointed to the iron cage filled with rats and smiled: "Now I believe it, it seems that you have really bought a lot of rats."

"This...I..." Kang Wanshan held it in for a long time but didn't say a complete sentence. He just stared at Liao San with his eyes. However, Liao San was a person who was used to being shameless, and he looked gloating and laughed beside him.

"I was curious about when mice became so valuable, it cost 100 yuan per piece. Also, why did you, Kang Wanshan, become generous? It costs a lot of money to acquire mice in such a large number of dollars." Police Officer Ma looked at Kang Wanshan with a smile as if he was looking at a mouse under a cat's claw.

"Officer Ma, don't get me wrong. I am buying mice for others. They are using them for scientific research." Kang Wanshan quickly explained.

"Oh, that's it." Police Officer Ma nodded as if he had realized it and asked again: "What unit is this that uses rats for scientific research?"

"A Biological Research Institute," Kang Wanshan had a mysterious expression: "It's a big deal, but it's still a confidential unit."

"What's the name?" Officer Ma asked.

Kang Wanshan rubbed his hands and looked very embarrassed: "He is a confidentiality unit, so the name is not convenient to disclose."

Officer Ma stopped talking and slowly paced in the main room with his hands behind his back. Kang Wanshan looked at Officer Ma nervously, and a layer of fine beads of sweat oozed out of his forehead.

"Kang Wanshan!" Officer Ma suddenly shouted loudly.

Kang Wanshan trembled and asked stutteredly, "What...?"

"Since it is a regular research unit, why don't you acquire mice through normal channels and have to secretly go through private channels? Is there any shameful purpose?" Officer Ma asked sternly.

“…”

"Local rats are just a very common breed and have no characteristics. Why should they buy them at such a high price?"

"I don't know this." Kang Wanshan sneered: "Officer Ma, you know I don't have much education..."

"Not much culture?" Officer Ma sneered: "Then why would the research institution entrust you to acquire it? Wouldn't it be safer to find a more educated person?"

"I..." Kang Wanshan opened his mouth wide.

"Kang Wanshan, haven't you told the truth yet?" Officer Ma snorted coldly: "Do you have to ask me to go to the police station to give honest explanation?"

"Kang Tuofeng, please help me. Have you not tasted the police station enough?" Liao San said.

"I said, I said." Kang Wanshan sighed and lowered his head.

"Officer Ma, the one who commissioned me to buy mice was a group of strangers. They claimed to be researchers from a certain biology institute and purchased mice for scientific research purposes. The only requirement was to keep them strictly confidential and not disclose their identities, so I..."

"When did they come to you?" Officer Ma asked.

"The day before yesterday, on the 10th, there were 6 people who drove two cars into my second aunt's house, and then found me through my second aunt."

"Your second aunt?" Officer Ma thought for a while and asked, "Is it named Huang Lanfen, who lives in the most remote household in the south of the town?"

"Yes," Kang Wanshan nodded: "It's there."

Officer Ma pondered for a moment and asked again: "Do you know their true identities?"

"I don't know." Kang Wanshan hesitated for a moment and said, "Listen to my second aunt tell me quietly that there are a few of these people who are foreigners. My second aunt once heard them say something they don't understand."

"Foreigner?" Officer Ma frowned: "Do they still live in your second aunt's house?"

"It's here." Kang Wanshan nodded hurriedly: "They wanted to buy 100 mice before leaving. I have only sent about 50 mice, so they are still living in my second aunt's house."

Foreigners... acquire mice... their mysterious whereabouts...their real identities?Purpose? Officer Ma frowned and thought hard. Suddenly, a report of the investigation sent by the city police station appeared in his mind:

"……6 people, three of them held fake Thai passports and claimed to be staff of the Chiang Mai Institute of Biology in Thailand. They used cash to buy mice at a high price in Anchang Town, Ganshui County. Their destination is unknown. Characteristics: drive two black Mitsubishi off-road vehicles, with license plate numbers..."

This joint investigation notice was sent to the town police station the afternoon of the previous day. At that time, I just flipped it around casually and didn't care too much. Every year, there were too many joint investigation notices sent by local police stations. They were more useful for comparing the suspects after they were arrested. I didn't expect that I accidentally discovered the traces of this group of people!

"What car are they driving?" Officer Ma asked hurriedly.

"A good car, the tires are big and sturdy, the car is very grand, and there is a tire on the back of the car." Kang Wanshan described the description of spitting everywhere.

“What color?”

"black"

"What about the model? What kind of model?"

Kang Wanshan thought for a while and said, "I don't recognize the car model, but I just saw a triangle sign on the car."

The color and car models are all in line. With Kang Wanshan's explanation, Officer Ma is already 80% sure that these people are the suspects in the report. However, for caution-

"Do you still remember the license plate number?" Officer Ma wanted to verify further.

Kang Wanshan shook his head.

Officer Ma thought for a moment and said to Kang Wanshan: "Now you find an excuse to go to your second aunt's house immediately and write down the license plate numbers of the two cars. Remember, don't attract the attention of those people, keep them from staying at your second aunt's house. After recording the license plate numbers, go to the town police station to report to me immediately."

"Yes, yes." Kang Wan nodded like a pheasant pecking at the rice.

"Kang Wanshan, if you play with me, then you will be in trouble." Police Officer Ma sneered, Kang Wanshan's body trembled, and he said repeatedly: "I dare not, I dare not."

Officer Ma said in a Senran: "Let me tell you that these people are suspected of murder! If you let them escape again because of your informing information, you can consider the crime yourself."

40 minutes later, Kang Wanshan rushed to the town police station with sweating profusely and provided the license plate numbers of the two cars to Officer Ma. Officer Ma immediately compared the license plate numbers on the joint investigation notice, and the results were completely consistent!

It's time to close the net. Officer Ma hurried into the director's office with the assisted investigation notice.
Chapter completed!