54: Chapter 54 Gene Locks and Fingerprint Keys

Zhao Yang originally didn't want to use the name of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection Supervision Group to pressure people; it felt a bit like flaunting powerful connections.

There was no time for a detailed explanation on the phone, and since matters were urgent, he had to act with expediency.

Over the phone, he seemed to hear the sound of police boots snapping to attention, followed by a deep male voice:

"Yes, I'll be right there!"

With a smile on his face, Zhao Yang returned the phone to Jiang Nan.

Jiang Nan curled her lip. "The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection Supervision Group—quite the show of authority!"

At that moment, He Yunqiao was in the next-door Special Investigation Team office.

Just as Jiang Nan finished speaking, a knock sounded at the laboratory door.

Zhao Yang opened the door, extended his right hand, and offered a sincere apology.

"Chief He, I apologize for using the name of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection Supervision Group."

He Yunqiao's strong, powerful hand gripped his firmly.

"Comrade Zhao Yang, if you need something, just say it. No need to be polite."

By then, the quick-witted Jiang Nan had already closed the door.

Zhao Yang gave her an appreciative look and then turned to He Yunqiao.

"Time is short, so I'll keep it brief."

"Comrade Jiang Nan used DNA testing on a suspect's hair to preliminarily identify a key culprit in the June 11 Case."

"Now we just need a fingerprint comparison to confirm that the suspect is the murderer in the home invasion rape and murder case."

He Yunqiao's expression changed rapidly.

From initial confusion to shock, and finally to ecstasy.

He gripped Zhao Yang's hand tightly and said excitedly,

"That's great! Where is the suspect now?"

Zhao Yang's right hand throbbed under the grip, and he grimaced.

"He's in my hands, right at the Century Sunshine Hotel."

He Yunqiao suddenly let go. "Good, I'm going to arrest him and bring him to justice right now!"

With that, he turned to leave, walking swiftly.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yang firmly held him back by the shoulder.

"Chief He, this person is heavily involved. The Commission for Discipline Inspection needs to dig up more clues from him before he can be handed over."

If the police handled the case according to the rules, there would be too many restrictions, and they wouldn't have nearly as much freedom as the Commission for Discipline Inspection.

A complex case might very well end as a simple home invasion rape and murder.

Zhao Yang didn't give He Yunqiao a chance to question him and immediately continued,

"What you need to do now is: one, fingerprint comparison; and two, help transfer the suspect to a safe location."

Since it involved a Commission for Discipline Inspection case, and one where someone from the provincial level had personally intervened, He Yunqiao naturally couldn't interfere.

In any case, the suspect was in hand; after being busy for nothing for months, waiting a few more days was nothing.

He immediately said, "Group Leader Zhao, please wait a moment. I'll go arrange the personnel right now!"

Zhao Yang reminded him, "Except for you and the two criminal police from the Provincial Corps, Captain Xu, Jiang Nan, and He Ping, I don't trust a single one of the remaining three!"

"I don't want a seventh person in the Special Investigation Team to know about this."

He Yunqiao looked at Zhao Yang in surprise, then suddenly gave a cunning smile.

"Group Leader Zhao, you certainly know the Tongan Municipal Bureau well!"

"Don't worry, those three have been taken to entertainment venues by Zhang Bin every day lately; they're all catching up on sleep right now."

The Zhang Bin he mentioned was a criminal police officer from the Provincial Corps.

This was equivalent to covertly placing the spies planted by the Municipal Bureau under surveillance.

This He Yunqiao appeared rough, but he was actually meticulous in every detail.

Zhao Yang nodded with a smile. "Very well. Change into plain clothes, no police cars. Let's go!"

He Yunqiao took the lead, opened the door, and turned to look at Jiang Nan.

"Little girl, you've rendered a great service! Don't hesitate to ask if you have orders in the future."

Zhao Yang said to Jiang Nan, "Go change your clothes. I'll head downstairs first."

He hadn't explained to He Yunqiao how the sample was obtained because he wanted to leave the credit to Jiang Nan.

He didn't want Jiang Nan to miss out on such an important scene that was to follow.

Three minutes later, He Yunqiao, Xu Yiming, Jiang Nan, He Ping, and Provincial Corps criminal police officer Jiang Peng quickly went downstairs.

The six of them split into two cars and sped toward the Century Sunshine Hotel.

On the way, Zhao Yang's phone rang again.

When the call connected, Gao Yan's voice came through.

"Zhao Yang, this Zhou Zhiqiang is throwing a fit. What should we do?"

"He dares to throw a fit at people from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection? Where does he get the nerve?" Zhao Yang asked back.

Gao Yan felt a bit wronged. "If you hadn't been so polite to him at the start, we would have started the interrogation long ago!"

Zhao Yang said, "Don't hold back on my account. Use reprimands, coercion, intimidation—whatever means necessary. I'll be there in ten minutes!"

Ten minutes later, Zhao Yang led the group to the door of the talk room on the second floor of Century Sunshine.

Zhou Zhiqiang was inside the room, shouting and screaming at Zheng Beichen and Gao Yan.

"So what if you're from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection! You can't just frame an innocent man for no reason."

"I have no obligation to prove my own innocence. Don't think I don't know the law!"

Zhao Yang could hear that the voice was blustering.

Zhou Zhiqiang was using outward toughness to mask his inner fear.

Zhao Yang opened the door and strode inside.

Zheng Beichen and Gao Yan looked at the group in surprise.

What was this guy Zhao Yang up to? Why did he even bring his girlfriend?

Found a beautiful girlfriend and wants to show her off everywhere, is that it?

Ignoring their puzzled looks, Zhao Yang walked directly toward Zhou Zhiqiang.

Behind him, He Yunqiao, Jiang Peng, Xu Yiming, and He Ping had already surrounded him, blocking any possible escape route for Zhou Zhiqiang.

Xu Yiming looked at Zhou Zhiqiang in surprise. "Director Zhou, I really didn't expect it to be you."

Seeing that the people surrounding him were all from the June 11 Special Investigation Team, Zhou Zhiqiang immediately panicked.

He lunged toward He Ping, trying to break through the weakest point to find a chance to escape.

Unexpectedly, He Yunqiao was quick and agile, pinning Zhou Zhiqiang's arms behind his back and slamming him firmly onto the ground.

Zhao Yang looked at the flustered He Ping.

"Officer He, don't panic. Please take the fingerprints and compare them immediately!"

Although He Ping was a technician with poor fighting skills, he had been a police officer for several years and quickly calmed down.

He took out a glass plate and pressed each of Zhou Zhiqiang's fingers onto it one by one.

Under a fluorescent light, the ten fingerprints clearly appeared.

He Ping then took out the fingerprint samples from the crime scene from his briefcase and carefully compared them with the ones on the glass plate.

A few minutes later, He Ping looked up and stated his conclusion.

"After careful verification, the fingerprints on the dressing table and the cash at the crime scene all belong to Zhou Zhiqiang."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhiqiang, who had been struggling violently, instantly went limp.

Zhao Yang crouched down and reached out to grip Zhou Zhiqiang's chin.

"How brazen. After committing such a major crime, you didn't even flee."

Zhou Zhiqiang looked down, neither arguing nor daring to meet his gaze.

His previous arrogance and slickness had completely vanished.

Zhao Yang stood up, pulled out a tissue, and carefully wiped his hands.

He seemed to be utterly disgusted by Zhou Zhiqiang's oily face.

Jiang Nan walked quickly to Zhao Yang's side and whispered,

"Should I call our... my dad?"

Her face flushed. Damn it, she had been led astray by this scoundrel.

Zhao Yang shook his head at her. "No, you don't need to get involved in this."

This was official business and could not be mixed with any personal relationships.

If Jiang Yunheng turned out to be unreliable, it was highly likely that Jiang Nan would be dragged down with him.

It wasn't that Zhao Yang didn't believe Jiang Nan's words, but rather that he was acting for her own protection.

He took out his phone and called the Executive Deputy Group Leader, Lu Zheng.

"Master, I've made a major breakthrough here and need your help."