7: Lei Zhen successfully became an auxiliary police officer

As soon as he said this, Wan Qiang, who was standing nearby, was stunned.

Zhao Gang then understood Lei Zhen's intention and said, "This child mentioned it to me before. The idea is quite good, but it's not that simple to put into practice."

Duan Changhong understood what Zhao Gang meant. Lei Zhen did not meet the two most important requirements for an Auxiliary Police Officer: one was his education, and the other was his past record of being detained.

"Then tell me, why do you want to be an Auxiliary Police Officer?" Zhao Gang asked.

Lei Zhen immediately said, "I don't want to be a street loafer. I want to serve the people and protect the peace of the region."

His answer warmed Duan Changhong's heart, reminding him that this was also his reason for choosing to be a police officer back then.

Although Lei Zhen's matter was a bit difficult to handle, he had, after all, helped them solve a major problem that had plagued them for seven or eight years, so it was indeed hard to refuse.

"How about this, I'll call Director Gu in front of you. As long as he agrees, this matter shouldn't be difficult."

Lei Zhen was overjoyed to hear this, and Gu Qingcheng was also very surprised that Captain Duan would actually consult her father for Lei Zhen.

Duan Changhong directly dialed Gu Wenhai's number, and the call connected quickly.

Initially, Duan Changhong reported the entire process of the murderer of the massacre case being apprehended to Gu Wenhai. It was clear that Gu Wenhai was also very happy, as solving this case added a lot to his political achievements.

"That's great. We must properly thank the young man who provided the lead."

Duan Changhong was waiting for this very sentence: "You know, he actually has something he wants us to help him with."

"What is it?"

"This child has a dream of becoming a police officer, but because he doesn't meet the conditions, he wants to join as an Auxiliary Police Officer as a second-best option. He says he's willing to do anything as long as he can serve the people. Seeing his sincerity, I wanted to ask if you could make an exception and give this child a chance, considering his meritorious service?"

Gu Wenhai on the other end of the phone paused: "I heard he provided the lead while in detention, is that right?"

"Hmm, I think so." Duan Changhong said, "I heard Director Zhao say it was because he was caught distributing small cards."

"Alright, I'll first ask Director Zhao about his specific situation and get back to you later."

With that, the other side hung up the phone.

Lei Zhen was quite excited at this moment; it seemed things were looking up.

Duan Changhong put away his phone and smiled at Zhao Gang: "Director Zhao, the rest is up to you."

Because of Lei Zhen's meritorious service, Qinghe had a good chance of receiving a collective third-class merit. At this moment, Director Zhao looked at Lei Zhen like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law, finding him pleasing in every way, and he would naturally go all out to help him.

Soon, Zhao Gang's phone rang.

"Yes, yes, yes, Lei Zhen was indeed detained before, and more than once, but they were all minor issues. This child is a good person; I can guarantee it."

Lei Zhen was so moved by these words that he almost cried.

Director Zhao actually vouched for him with his own character. He decided that once he became a police officer, he would help Director Zhao earn several more third-class merits.

In fact, at this moment, Zhao Gang himself did not know that this would be the most crucial phone call of his life.

With Director Zhao's guarantee, Gu Wenhai immediately gave his answer, agreeing to Lei Zhen's request to become an Auxiliary Police Officer and even arranging for him to directly join the Qinghe Police Station.

"Okay, okay, I understand. I'll handle it now." Zhao Gang hung up the phone and said with a chuckle to Lei Zhen: "Comrade Xiao Lei, from now on, you are a member of our Qinghe Police Station!"

Gu Qingcheng was completely stunned at this moment, her head buzzing.

Lei Zhen actually became an Auxiliary Police Officer, and even her colleague!!

With the matter settled and the debt of gratitude repaid, Duan Changhong immediately took Chen Wankang back to the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team to prepare for a second interrogation.

Wan Qiang was also planning to go back with him but was stopped by Zhao Gang.

"It's not easy to come all this way, how can you leave so soon? Let's have dinner together later; it's been a long time since we two brothers had a drink."

Indeed, everyone had been quite busy with work these past two years, and gatherings were rare, so Wan Qiang agreed.

After completing the onboarding procedures, Zhao Gang asked Gu Qingcheng to get a set of Auxiliary Police Officer uniform for Lei Zhen from the warehouse. Lei Zhen was incredibly excited when he received the uniform.

His first step in the police force was finally complete.

Although the position of Auxiliary Police Officer is very low, it is at least a member of the police system, because according to regulations, if an Auxiliary Police Officer performs meritorious service, there is a full opportunity to be promoted to a regular police officer.

And Lei Zhen now had the system, what he lacked was not opportunities for meritorious service, but the crucial position of Auxiliary Police Officer.

It was a pity that he provided the lead for the massacre case as a civilian; otherwise, he might have even earned a third-class merit.

However, Lei Zhen was not in a hurry. The Eye of Sin still had three months of use, so there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

After receiving the police uniform, Zhao Gang also specially called all the police officers and a dozen Auxiliary Police Officers on duty at the station for a simple meeting.

By this time, the news of Lei Zhen providing a lead to solve the massacre case had spread throughout the station, and everyone reacted with nothing but surprise.

No one expected that this guy, who would come in and stay for a few days every now and then, would suddenly transform into their colleague!

Lei Zhen, due to his meritorious service, was also invited to dinner, but it wasn't the "Parfait Feast" that Director Zhao had mentioned earlier, but a Chinese restaurant.

Gu Qingcheng also went along, while Zhou Sheng did not attend due to other commitments.

Because Lei Zhen had performed a great service for the station and was now a colleague, everyone's attitude towards him had improved significantly.

However, Wan Qiang was melancholic all evening, and through their conversation, Lei Zhen learned more details about the 615 case.

It must be said that the case remained unsolved for so long not because Captain Wan was incompetent, but because the culprit was too cunning. He not only precisely chose the crime location and time but was also extremely cautious throughout the entire process.

Wan Qiang sighed, "Under normal circumstances, the scene of a rape case is very messy, and the perpetrator will more or less leave something behind.

But this guy, let alone leaving fingerprints or footprints, didn't even leave half a strand of hair. We've investigated for so long, and we don't even know his age."

"Could he be bald?" Lei Zhen interjected.

"Huh, that's a rather peculiar idea." Wan Qiang suddenly paused: "You know, it's not impossible."

Lei Zhen said, "After listening to you for so long, Captain Wan, would you like to hear my thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Qiang once again scrutinized the handsome young man in front of him.

Although Lei Zhen had just helped the station catch the serial killer, everyone believed it was a coincidence, and not due to Lei Zhen's personal abilities.

Zhao Gang immediately laughed, "Comrade Xiao Lei, Captain Wan is the head of the Special Task Force, a renowned criminal investigation expert, when has..."

He was interrupted by Wan Qiang before he could finish: "It's fine, let Comrade Xiao Lei speak, it's just casual chat anyway."

Lei Zhen then sat up straight and said, "Captain Wan, you must currently believe that the perpetrator committed indiscriminate crimes, right?"

Wan Qiang said, "Yes, we carefully investigated the three victims, and they had absolutely no connection with each other, didn't know each other, and hadn't offended anyone. Moreover, they weren't carrying money when they were killed, so we've ruled out revenge killings and robbery-murders."

"You mean the killer was solely after sex? And the targets were chosen randomly."

"That's our current assessment," Wan Qiang said.

Lei Zhen pondered for a moment: "But the killer specifically chose to commit the crimes before a heavy rain, which clearly indicates meticulous planning."

"I think this is because the killer has a very strong anti-reconnaissance awareness. He chose to commit the crime before a heavy rain to wash away his traces. This does not contradict his indiscriminate targeting."

Lei Zhen nodded: "Alright, but I believe the killer did not commit indiscriminate crimes; the possibility of a revenge killing is extremely high instead."

"Why?" Wan Qiang immediately put down his chopsticks and looked at Lei Zhen.

"Perhaps it's intuition." Lei Zhen said, "Don't you find the killer very strange? Since it was planned in advance and specifically for sexual assault, there should be requirements for the targets.

But the three people he killed were a teenage girl, a disabled woman, and an eighty-year-old grandmother.

I can understand the little girl, and I can accept the disabled woman, but the eighty-year-old grandmother is a bit illogical. Why would he plan for so long and choose such a target?"

"So?" Zhao Gang interjected.

Lei Zhen continued, "Let's put the grandmother's matter aside for now. I also found a photo of the disabled victim online. That woman was only 1.5 meters tall, and her appearance was truly indescribable. Although what I'm saying is a bit offensive to the deceased, it's the truth!"

Wan Qiang also had to agree with Lei Zhen's statement: "Indeed, the vast majority of sexual offenders choose targets with some allure. Cases like the 615 case are very rare nationwide."

Lei Zhen then asked, "Was the victim first raped and then killed, or first killed and then raped?"

Wan Qiang said, "The first victim, the little girl, was first raped and then killed. The disabled woman and the grandmother were the second type."

Lei Zhen's speculation became even firmer after hearing this: "This shows that his sexual assault of the latter two victims was not about venting animalistic desires at all; it was about revenge. His purpose in doing so was to 'insult the personality' of the deceased, equivalent to slandering them."

Wan Qiang said, "We also suspected that, but as I said before, none of the three victims had offended anyone, and they had absolutely no connection with each other."

"What if there was a connection that just hasn't been discovered?" Lei Zhen proposed a hypothesis.

"Go on," Wan Qiang was clearly interested.

Lei Zhen said, "Two of the victims lived in the suburbs of Qinghe Town, and one lived in the neighboring town. This indicates that their activity areas overlapped, so even if they didn't know each other, they very likely had a connection, and it's even possible they inadvertently offended someone at the same time."

Wan Qiang was startled: "But we checked carefully and didn't find any crucial information."

Lei Zhen said, "Perhaps the investigation wasn't thorough enough?"

"Comrade Xiao Lei, that's enough," Zhao Gang felt that Lei Zhen's words were a bit disrespectful and quickly reminded him.

Wan Qiang, however, waved his hand: "It's fine, everyone is just discussing."

Although Lei Zhen spoke with conviction, he was not even a formal police officer, and his experience was non-existent. So, while his views seemed plausible, they were at most the wild guesses of an amateur.

As a Criminal Investigation Team Captain who had solved hundreds of major cases, Wan Qiang naturally adhered to his own judgment and therefore did not take Lei Zhen's words too seriously.