Another case of brutal murder!
Lu Qingqing was wondering why Gao Liang had come in to notify her when she suddenly realized this was the competition between her and Tong Meng.
The three exchanged glances and walked out of the office together.
Tong Hua had already joined Tong Meng. Seeing Lu Qingqing approach, Tong Meng's eyes were filled with undisguised hatred.
This woman had not only snatched the man she loved but also the position she had coveted for a long time.
Looking at the man standing beside her, she felt even more displeased. His public support for her was truly a case of infatuation blinding him.
"What? You've come out with two men. I trust you haven't forgotten Director Qiao's words: this competition is about individual effort, and no one else is allowed to interfere."
Lu Qingqing glanced at Tong Meng, "To deal with you, I really don't need any help."
Tong Meng sneered, "Who knows? You can't be shut in a room with two men during the day for secretive activities, so who knows what you'll say in bed at night."
If Tong Meng had still maintained an image in the past out of consideration for Hu Jia, she had now truly torn off the mask.
Lu Qingqing was speechless, "Your mouth is for stating case facts, not for spreading rumors. If you don't want it, I'll donate it to a storyteller under the overpass."
"Whether I'm spreading rumors or not isn't up to me. If you have the guts, don't go home tonight." After speaking, Tong Meng turned to the crowd and announced loudly, "Everyone might not know yet, but this woman has already moved in with her superior. I wonder why Captain Hu is helping her so much; it turns out he's helping his bed partner."
A murmur went through the crowd.
Upon hearing this, Hu Jia was about to step forward to teach Tong Meng a lesson, but Lu Qingqing stopped her.
This was her own business, and she could handle it.
Seeing Lu Qingqing stop Hu Jia, Tong Meng became even more smug. "What? You can't refute it because I hit the nail on the head, can you? Tell me, how many times did you accompany Captain Hu before he helped you so much?"
Lu Qingqing smiled and held out her hand, "Look, what is this?"
Tong Meng sneered, "Five? Five times or fifty times?"
"Slap!" A heavy slap. Lu Qingqing shook her hand, "You were too busy counting. I wanted you to look. This is a slap, a reminder, yet you didn't dodge. You truly have no brain."
Tong Meng's hair was disheveled from the slap. Tong Hua saw this and was about to step forward, but Hu Jia quickly stood in front of him.
"Ah!" Tong Meng shrieked and lunged at Lu Qingqing. Lu Qingqing directly kicked her, "Originally, we were just competing to see who could solve the case. Now it seems we have to add combat skills. Oh dear, you've lost again."
Lu Qingqing said the most irritating things in the most nonchalant tone.
"Fine, you're very good." Tong Meng knew she was no match. "Then let's compete in solving the case. When you lose and have to return to Jiangjin, I will return this slap to you in full."
Who couldn't make empty threats?
Lu Qingqing didn't.
She believed in strength as the ultimate power.
Tong Hua glanced at Tong Meng with disdain, "Alright, alright. Let's talk about the case."
Tong Hua began to mediate.
"You want to be involved in this too?" Lu Qingqing looked at Tong Hua.
Tong Hua smiled, "I am the head of the Judicial Department now, so naturally, I need to understand the process of the case."
"Don't worry, my brother and I don't live together." Tong Meng seemed not to have been taught enough. Lu Qingqing gave her a look, and she shut her mouth obediently.
"I'm busy." Ouyang Wen voluntarily left.
"Deal with her!" Hu Jia left with a flourish.
Tong Meng's face was flushed with embarrassment.
Lu Qingqing chuckled. Even with Tong Hua's help, she wasn't afraid. Deal with her, then deal with her.
...
The deceased was found in a citrus grove by the Huangsha Creek. The body was severely burned, making it impossible to identify anything other than that it was a female.
Huangsha Creek, a small stream on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by tidal flats.
The river here was less than knee-deep and far from residential areas. Large areas of citrus were planted along the riverbanks and tidal flats.
And less than ten meters from the body, the police discovered two burning areas, one large and one small.
Gao Liang said the case was seemingly transferred from the local police station, but in reality, Qiao Huali had called everyone one by one to inquire.
"Deputy Director Qiao is lucky; he found this case after only a few calls."
Lu Qingqing gave Gao Liang a light rap on the head, "The person is dead, and you call this good luck?"
Gao Liang pouted to hide his embarrassment, "That's not what I meant."
Lu Qingqing was speechless, "I know what you mean. Be careful what you say next time. If outsiders overhear, the misunderstanding will be huge."
Gao Liang repeatedly agreed. Indeed, people capable of being leaders had such foresight.
Arriving at the scene in the accompanying vehicle, Lu Qingqing frowned as soon as she got out. She recalled an unwritten rule in the special forces: they accepted all cases except for those involving the burning of bodies.
Lu Qingqing hadn't fully understood it before, but after hearing that Mou Jixuan had been burned to death in front of Hu Jia, she seemed to understand.
Perhaps it was to prevent Hu Jia from being traumatized.
Clearly, Tong Hua was also aware of this. He looked at Lu Qingqing smugly, "It seems heaven is not on your side either."
Lu Qingqing pretended not to hear. Would she have asked Hu Jia for help if it wasn't a case of burning a body?
How pathetic!
Lu Qingqing and Tong Meng approached the crime scene. There was still a lingering smell that had not yet dissipated, even in the open space.
One large and one small burning area. The smaller one was closer to the body. Here, there were only a few charred pieces of clothing and nothing else.
A few meters away was another burning area. Here, more fragments of clothing were found. Among them, a red high-heeled sandal was particularly eye-catching.
The shoe was relatively new, and its size matched the foot size of the female victim.
Lu Qingqing looked around. There were many high-heeled shoe imprints, forming a wandering pattern. Moreover, shoe prints were also found on the opposite side of the river.
It was clear that the deceased had lingered here for a long time.
"Tch, what's the act!" Tong Meng was not to be outdone. She followed the high-heeled shoe prints and found another red high-heeled sandal on the riverbank.
She proudly reported her discovery loudly, as if afraid no one would know.
Lu Qingqing merely frowned slightly and ignored her.
"Has the identity of the deceased been confirmed?" Lu Qingqing asked the local constables. The local constables shook their heads, stating they were still searching, but due to the lack of any identification for the victim and the remote location, there had been no results yet.
Hearing the words of the local constables, Tong Meng became displeased. "Do you have any brains? Don't you know what precise searching is?"
Tong Meng pointed at the high-heeled shoes on the ground: "How many people can afford high-heeled shoes? How many people can afford high-heeled shoes but wear red ones? How many people wear red high-heeled shoes into these desolate mountains and forests?"
"How many?" Tong Meng's three questions left the other party dumbfounded.
"Go ask at the red-light district!" Tong Meng shouted.
Although Tong Meng's tone was unfriendly and her attitude poor, her judgment provided a good direction. Indeed, in this era, high-heeled shoes only appeared on the feet of city women. However, city women generally wore black leather shoes, and red shoes were not typically worn by ordinary people unless under special circumstances, let alone red high-heeled shoes.
The constable thought it made sense and ran off after thanking them profusely.
Tong Meng looked at Lu Qingqing with disdain, "Don't just think about asking others for results; you should learn to provide solutions to problems."
In Tong Meng's eyes, Lu Qingqing probably had never even worn high heels, let alone understood the demographics of those who did.