Zhang Deben dragged his sled through the streets of the County, the biting cold wind unable to extinguish the warmth in his heart.
Arriving at the entrance of the Steel Factory again, he gritted his teeth and shoved the entire pack of cigarettes into the gatekeeper's cotton-padded coat pocket.
"Hey, what are you doing?" The old gatekeeper was slightly embarrassed by Zhang Deben's generosity.
He had been a gatekeeper for seven or eight years, and honestly, there wasn't much money in it. He belonged to the Steel Factory's Security Section and usually just watched the gate.
Occasionally checking if off-duty workers were stealing anything was just for show.
At most, workers would greet him when entering or leaving the gate; no one had ever given him any gifts.
Zhang Deben's pack of cigarettes moved the old man almost to tears.
He readily let Zhang Deben into the factory area and didn't even look at what he was pulling on the sled.
Anyway, he wasn't taking things out, so why bother?
It was similar to last time, lunch hour again.
Zhang Deben squatted under the large tree outside the Steel Factory canteen, smoking his pipe, his eyes scanning everyone entering and leaving. He was determined to find Director Li today.
He truly envied the Steel Factory workers; look, they even ate lunch!
He only ate three meals a day during the busy farming season; in winter, it was always two.
It was unclear whether Zhang Deben was too lucky or Li Gu was too unlucky, but before he finished his pipe, Zhang Deben spotted Li Gu who had finished eating.
He dashed forward like an arrow and grabbed Li Gu's hand without a word.
He bent slightly, revealing a fawning smile, and ignoring the look of disgust, he said, "Director Li, I took the wrong thing last time. Please come with me and take another look!"
Li Gu, whose wrist was being held, said impatiently, "What exactly do you want? I don't think we're familiar with each other, are we?"
"I don't want your things, just leave!" As a workshop director, Li Gu completely looked down on gifts from a villager.
He also guessed this person wanted him to do something, but who blocks people at the canteen entrance to give gifts?
Thinking he should just get rid of this person quickly, Li Gu was still dragged under the tree by Zhang Deben.
Zhang Deben pointed at the sled and said, "Look! Director Li, have you ever seen a fish nearly two meters long?"
"Oh?" Li Gu suddenly became interested. He really had never seen such a large fish!
Seeing Li Gu was interested, Zhang Deben smiled proudly and said, "I caught this in the big lake! One fish weighs seventy or eighty catties!"
Li Gu's eyes widened, and he was inwardly astonished. If it was really that big, helping him with something wasn't out of the question.
Looking left and right, Li Gu whispered to Zhang Deben, "Follow me!"
Li Gu walked in front, and Zhang Deben dragged the sled behind him, arriving at a secluded, deserted corner.
The sun was bright at this time. The Steel Factory workers, having finished lunch, were strolling on the road outside the canteen to aid digestion, or sitting on stones basking in the sun, feeling drowsy.
Suddenly, a piercing scream came from behind the workshop!
"Ah!"
Immediately after, Li Gu rushed out with a look of terror, frantically running into the crowd.
Zhang Deben followed closely behind, also stumbling out.
The workers quickly helped him, asking one after another, "What's wrong, Director Li?"
"Call the Security Section! Call the Public Security Bureau! Damn it, someone's been killed!"
"What?" The workers exploded into an uproar, "Someone's been killed?"
There were Security Section personnel in the crowd, and they immediately rushed out and surrounded Li Gu.
Li Gu pointed at Zhang Deben and shouted, "Arrest him!"
He was so angry he was going crazy. In broad daylight, under the clear sky, this old guy openly dragged a corpse into the factory?
It was certain that from now on, he would be the laughingstock of the entire factory, no, the entire County!
Someone actually used a corpse as a gift for him!
Zhang Deben on the side was already scared out of his wits and was pressed to the ground by several Security Section officers in a daze, his hands twisted behind his back.
These Security officers were all veterans and were skilled. Any one of them could hold down a Zhang Deben with one hand.
However, at this moment, three people were on top of Zhang Deben. If they weren't afraid of crushing him to death, some who were eager to join would have already pounced as well.
Several other brave workers rushed behind the workshop, and what met their eyes was a corpse lying on the ground with a small, horizontally penetrating hole in its neck.
Just now, Zhang Deben had intended to show the big fish to Li Gu. He untied the rope, pulled the blanket violently, and a male corpse rolled from the sled onto the ground with a thud.
The frozen-stiff Wang Fang had his eyes wide open and his mouth agape, his face still bearing the expression of terror and unwillingness from before his death.
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
Several people immediately vomited their lunch. Anyone who saw a corpse with a pierced neck lying so vividly on the ground would have to vomit!
Soon, the County Public Security Bureau received the news, and over a dozen police officers, led by the deputy chief, sealed off the scene.
The deputy chief squatted on the ground looking at the corpse and said to his subordinate beside him, "Why does this person look a bit familiar?"
Several criminal investigation officers gathered around were also looking at the corpse. One of them touched the wound on the corpse's neck and said, "This is a penetrating wound caused by a triangular military bayonet."
"The killer was standing in front of the deceased, holding the bayonet with their dominant hand, like this!"
Saying this, he gestured on the corpse with his hand: "Pierced through in one go!"
"The technique is very professional; they must have been trained!"
"Chief, isn't this Wang Fang?" a young criminal police officer suddenly exclaimed.
"Wang Fang? Which Wang Fang?" The deputy chief hadn't reacted yet and asked doubtfully.
"The fierce bandits Erlang! Chief Qi went to Xiangyang Forest Farm with Captain Chen and the others early this morning, saying that Erlang were killed by the Forest Ranger there!"
"Ah!" The deputy chief suddenly understood. "No wonder they looked familiar; photos of these two are hanging in your criminal investigation office!"
"Weren't the bodies of these two supposed to be at the forest farm? How did they end up here?"
The deputy chief stood up, looked at the corpse, and said, "Send it to the Hospital morgue first. Go to Xiangyang Forest Farm and report the situation to the Chief!"
After speaking, he walked up to Zhang Deben and Li Gu and asked, "You two come back with us!"
Li Gu gritted his teeth in hatred, yet dared not flare up in front of the Public Security Bureau officers. He truly wanted to beat Zhang Deben, that old guy, to death right now!
Soon, Qi Dawei, Chen Hai, and their group received the news: the corpse theft case that had just happened before their eyes was actually solved almost simultaneously at the Steel Factory in the County!
They quickly returned to the County. Also brought back were Liu Guixiang and Zhang Shengli. Zhao Kaishan, as the Production Team Captain, also followed them to the Public Security Bureau.
After an investigation, Zhang Deben's family admitted to accidentally stealing the corpses. The family wept together in the Public Security Bureau, and after being criticized and educated by the Public Security Bureau, they were handed over to the Production Team for handling.
Liu Guixiang shivered uncontrollably at the thought that she had actually stolen two corpses last night.
Returning to the Production Team, Zhao Kaishan's face was ashen. He slammed the table furiously and shouted into the microphone, "Tomorrow morning, everyone, meeting!"