Chapter 155 Contradiction

The first vehicle was a black sedan with license plate Lu B 41F32.
The second vehicle was a white SUV with license plate Lu B 3G546.
The third vehicle was a white sedan with license plate Lu B 7D14C.
All three vehicles passed across the Tongan Bridge at night, moving at speeds significantly slower than other traffic.
The distance from the T-junction on the south side of Tongan Bridge to the restaurant 300 meters north of the bridge was only six to seven hundred meters. The first vehicle took five minutes, while the second and third vehicles both took seven minutes, far exceeding the average crossing time for vehicles on the bridge.
The video surveillance on the north side of Tongan Bridge had not yet been restored. Even if the technical team managed to recover some footage, major blind spots remained within the surveillance coverage, making it uncertain whether the cameras captured what the three vehicles were doing.
Li Hui pulled up the detailed records of these three vehicles from within the police system.

First vehicle, license plate Lu B 41F32:
Owner: Song Zhanjun
Brand: Hyundai
Appearance: Black sedan
Mobile number: 13400576xxx

Second vehicle, license plate Lu B 3G546:
Owner: Wang Xueping
Brand: Volkswagen
Appearance: White sedan
Mobile number: 13824XXXXXX

Third vehicle, license plate Lu B 7D14C:
Owner: Zhao Xu
Brand: Hyundai
Appearance: Black SUV
Mobile number: 1381xxxxxx

After reviewing the data, Li Hui pointed at the computer screen: "Captain Zheng, there is a discrepancy with the information on the third vehicle. It appears to be a vehicle with cloned plates."
Zheng Kaixuan compared the details. The surveillance showed the third vehicle as a white sedan, but when he entered the license plate number into the police system, the registered information listed it as a black SUV.
"Captain Zheng, the third vehicle is highly suspicious," Li Hui said, a look of excitement on his face.
"The first two vehicles are also somewhat suspicious and must be investigated just the same," Zheng Kaixuan replied.
"Captain Zheng, now that we have found suspected vehicles involved in dumping the body, can we apply to Director Dai for dredging operations around Tongan Bridge?" Wei Zimo asked.
Zheng Kaixuan hesitated slightly. After a brief pause, he turned to look at Han Bin beside him: "What do your instincts say?"

"I agree with Zimo's proposal. If we can recover the victim's head, that would naturally be the best outcome. If the dredging yields nothing, it means our investigative direction might be mistaken, allowing us to pivot our strategy in a timely manner," Han Bin said.
Zheng Kaixuan lit a cigarette and took a couple of puffs: "Alright, I will go apply to Director Dai. The rest of you shouldn't sit idle—Han Bin and Li Hui, investigate the first suspect vehicle; Wei Zimo and Sun Xing, investigate the second suspect vehicle."
"Captain Zheng, what about the third suspect vehicle? That cloned vehicle carries the highest suspicion," Li Hui pressed further.
"Hand it over to Team One. Let Li Zhan坤 handle it, saving them from running around like headless flies looking for the source of the corpse," Zheng Kaixuan said.
Earlier that morning, all members of Team One had been dispatched to investigate leads regarding the victim's identity.
"Captain Zheng, whoever is driving that cloned vehicle is most likely the person who dumped the body. By doing this, aren't you handing the credit over to Team One?" Sun Xing asked somewhat reluctantly.
"We are all part of the same precinct; why draw such rigid lines?" Zheng Kaixuan smiled, implying a deeper meaning: "Besides, having a lead doesn't guarantee a breakthrough. It all depends on their competence."
...
The team split up to carry out their respective assignments.
Han Bin and Li Hui were responsible for investigating the first suspect vehicle.
The vehicle owner was named Song Zhanjun. Through their investigation, Han Bin and the others discovered that he operated a tea shop in Qindao.
Han Bin and Li Hui drove directly to locate him.
In the car, Li Hui could not help asking: "Binzi, why do you think Captain Zheng handed the most crucial lead over to Team One?"
"Because the movements of that cloned vehicle are extremely difficult to trace. At least until the dredging at Tongan Bridge is completed, we probably won't be able to track down the owner's genuine identity. Once the victim's head is recovered, the primary credit will still belong to our Third Team," Han Bin explained.
The cloned vehicle first appeared in the footage captured by the surveillance camera of a restaurant 300 meters north of Tongan Bridge. Afterward, it crossed Tongan Bridge and passed the T-junction. Over an hour later, it returned along the same route, appeared in the restaurant's surveillance once more, and then vanished completely.
Han Bin surmised that the vehicle likely merged into a county highway from a village road and then escaped through another village road. Village roads lacked skynet surveillance. Even if nearby commercial surveillance happened to capture the suspect vehicle, the footage had likely already been overwritten, with very little possibility of recovery.
Take the surveillance footage sent by Han Bin and his team to the technical team, for instance: out of more than a dozen surveillance videos submitted, only the footage from the restaurant was successfully restored, highlighting the immense difficulty.
Furthermore, it was a cloned vehicle; as long as the license plates were swapped again, the difficulty of the investigation would escalate exponentially.
Since the bone was tough to chew, they handed it to Team One. If Team One managed to crack it, it was a testament to their skill, and it wouldn't delay the progress of the case. If they couldn't crack it, it saved Han Bin and his team from wasting time.
Zheng Kaixuan's approach was both reasonable and prioritized the bigger picture.
...
Half an hour later, Han Bin and his team arrived at the Yuqian Tea House.
The tea house was modest in size. The shelves on both sides were lined with various teas, while the shelves behind the counter displayed teapots and tea sets.
A middle-aged man was busy playing on his smartphone. Seeing the two men enter, he stood up and asked: "What kind of tea are you two looking for?"
"Song Zhanjun?"
"It's me. Who might you be?" The middle-aged man looked puzzled.
Han Bin produced his police badge: "Police."
"Officer, what brings you here to see me?" Song Zhanjun asked with a puzzled expression.
Li Hui took out a carbon pen and a notebook, asking: "Have you been near Tongan Bridge recently?"
"I have."
"What were you doing over there?"
"My hometown is in Haozhuang. When leaving the urban area and taking the 308 bypass, you have to pass by Tongan Bridge. Taking that route is faster and avoids traffic jams," Song Zhanjun explained.
"When was the last time you passed through Tongan Bridge?"
Song Zhanjun tried to recall: "It seems to have been September 1st."
"That was so many days ago, how do you remember it so clearly?" Li Hui asked.
"That day was quite unlucky. My car broke down near Tongan Bridge; the front tires locked up automatically. I stopped to check, and when I touched the front tire, it was scorching hot. It broke my heart," Song Zhanjun rubbed his nose.
"Was anyone else in the car with you that day?"
"No."
"Where is the car now?"
"Parked in the residential complex where I live."
Han Bin frowned and pursued the questioning: "You mentioned your car broke down that day. Can anyone verify that?"
"I returned to the city the very next day and dropped the car off at a repair shop." Song Zhanjun rubbed his nose again.
"Where is the repair shop? Take us to have a look."
"Officer, what is this all about? I'm the only one running this shop, I can't just walk away," Song Zhanjun hesitated.
"We suspect you are involved in a murder and corpse-dumping case. Please assist the police with our investigation," Li Hui said.
"What? A murder and corpse-dumping case!" Song Zhanjun shuddered, his eyebrows lifting, eyes widening, and mouth opening slightly.
In micro-expression analysis, this was a textbook expression of astonishment.
Han Bin frowned. Earlier, Song Zhanjun rubbing his nose was a relatively common physical manifestation of lying.
This indicated that Song Zhanjun harbored a certain degree of suspicion.
However, the moment Li Hui mentioned the murder and corpse-dumping case, Song Zhanjun displayed a look of genuine shock, proving that he had been unaware of it beforehand.
Han Bin muttered to himself inwardly, this is getting interesting.