Chapter 302: Chapter 299 Difficult Evidence Collection _1
Upon hearing the sound of knocking, everyone’s expressions tensed up a little except for Nie Zhenbang and Zheng Gensheng. Gao Wei and the others, in particular, reacted as if they were facing a formidable foe.

At this moment, Gao Wei deliberately positioned himself in front of Grandpa Hong. From the door, he could effectively obstruct the line of sight. He signaled to Xiao Zhao next to him, and Xiao Zhao also called out, “Who is it?”

Outside, Xiao Zhang’s voice came, “Brother Zhao, it’s me.”

Hearing it was Xiao Zhang and Bai, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. At this moment, Gao Wei stepped over to Nie Zhenbang’s side and whispered, “Brother Nie, doing disciplinary work is sometimes like doing underground party work. If they have already entered the double regulation procedure, it’s not as bad. They usually stay in the military district guesthouses or military hotels, ensuring the independence and fairness of the investigation. But covert investigations are the most dangerous. Those investigated might become desperate and take drastic measures. So, during such investigations, everyone has to be very careful.”

Nie Zhenbang nodded. He understood Gao Wei’s meaning, which was to impart wisdom. Disciplinary work is not as simple as gathering evidence and then transferring it. More important experience lies in how to overcome numerous obstructions and deceptions during the investigation process, to bring the corrupt officials to justice.

The moment Xiao Zhang and Bai entered, they immediately closed the door. At the same time, one person stood by the door. Xiao Song stood up and drew the curtains of the guest room. Nie Zhenbang was very satisfied with these details.

Nie Zhenbang was never a jealous person. The more capable his subordinates were, the more he liked them. That way, he could be more relaxed.

At this moment, Xiao Zhang spoke in a low voice, “Director Nie, Chief, according to several clues provided by Grandpa Hong. Today, Bai and I visited several victims’ homes. Two of them have moved away with their entire family, and we have no idea where they went. One girl has completely gone mad. It seems her family also feared us. They denied everything when we arrived. Also, three families didn’t let us in at all. As soon as we mentioned this matter, they drove us out, claiming it was all lies and their daughters were married. Someone deliberately spread rumors.”

Upon hearing this, Gao Wei and Nie Zhenbang frowned. The clues seemed to have completely stalled here. Grandpa Hong didn’t possess substantial evidence, and the other victims were discovered through his thorough investigation and searches.

As for Grandpa Hong’s granddaughter, at the time, no evidence was left at all. The corpse was promptly cremated by Feng Dabiao and his son, and no residual evidence was left. As for other aspects, Nie Zhenbang didn’t know how to pursue them. Any action required a reasonable cause; it’s not possible to just display your identity as a disciplinary officer and then demand searches and investigations. In this case, the disciplinary committee would be supreme. Any leader could be investigated by the disciplinary officer if they didn’t like them, wouldn’t that create chaos?

In impoverished areas, a woman’s chastity is held in higher regard than life itself. Otherwise, Grandpa Hong’s granddaughter wouldn’t have taken her own life.

Similarly, we can understand the families who vehemently deny the accusations. Being violated by Feng Tianbao was a calamity that had to be endured in silence. This attitude further fueled Feng Tianbao’s arrogance.

After a period of silence, seeing the hopeful gaze and helpless look of Grandpa Hong on the side, Nie Zhenbang stepped forward and spoke softly, “Grandpa Hong, do you have any other evidence?”

Grandpa Hong shook his head, which disappointed Nie Zhenbang. But it was inevitable. As a retired veteran who didn’t even receive a civil servant’s retirement treatment or subsidy, let alone any benefits, being a common farmer and having gathered so much information was already quite impressive.

After some contemplation, Nie Zhenbang decided to tell the truth. In front of people like Grandpa Hong, official rhetoric and platitudes were fake and insincere. Grandpa Hong, at his old age, had seen through all sorts of people after years of running around for his granddaughter’s case. At this time, lying and fooling him was just brushing him off. Nie Zhenbang didn’t want to hurt the feelings of an old veteran. He then said solemnly, “Grandpa Hong, I will tell you the truth. The current situation of the investigation is a bit challenging. There is no direct evidence on your granddaughter’s side. The other parties involved refuse to come forward to accuse Feng Tianbao. This case is somewhat tricky. However, please rest assured, Grandpa Hong. We will definitely find evidence and bring Feng Dabiao and Feng Tianbao, this father and son, to justice.”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Grandpa Hong didn’t show any disappointment. He knew perfectly well the situation. During all those years of making appeals, even the secretary of the Dameng Region Party Committee and the delegate of the Executive Office avoided him. Grandpa Hong understood that this problem couldn’t be solved immediately.

He then nodded and said, “Comrade Nie, I thank you. You are sincere and not fooling an old man like me. I believe you. I will wait for you. I’ll wait for an explanation from the state. When you can’t resolve this, I will grab my Type 38 Rifle and kill this beast. Even the Japanese were terrified of my bayonet. I don’t believe that I can’t get justice for my granddaughter even if I sacrifice my old life.”

Grandpa Hong’s words startled Nie Zhenbang. This old man was fierce. At this time, gun control was not so strict. In some poverty-stricken remote mountainous areas, many households had hunting guns. It was quite normal for people like Grandpa Hong, who had lived through the Anti-Japanese War, to have a Type 38 Rifle at home. It would be pretty good if the old man didn’t keep a submachine gun or a pistol.

Dameng County, about 5 miles away from the county town, is part of the jurisdiction of Dongjiao Village in Chengguan Town of Dameng County.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang, Zheng Gensheng and Xiao Zhang are here, while Gao Wei and Bai are heading to a more remote township.

Dongjiao Village, although close to the city, shares the same poverty. The whole village is scattered around the outer edge of Dameng Mountain. Here, though not in deep forests, it’s situated among hilly areas. Dongjiao Village is dispersed along several small hills of two to three hundred meters.

On the hillside, the family lives here. Their daughter is the one who had the incident three months ago, the one where their child went mad.

The house is a trilogy of low mud huts. It’s not bricked out of clay but made from compressed mud walls. This type of house is quite low. Nie Zhenbang, being 1.83 meters tall, can touch the eaves of the mud wall when he walks underneath it.

The light inside the room is very dim. The roof of the kitchen and utility room is covered with thatch and felt. Only one main room has been changed to have black small tiles. In the middle, two bright tiles let some light in.

Inside the house, Nie Zhenbang and his two companions, all sit on stools. On the side, a man squats on the ground, dabbling incessantly with his pipe, billowing smoke through the room.

Xiao Zhang, having worked in disciplinary inspection for two years, conducts his duties professionally. The family they were visiting, their surname is Ling.

Looking at Old Ling squatting silently on the ground, Xiao Zhang understood that he was in ideological struggle, which was a good phenomenon. To investigate Feng Tianbao, this is the biggest breakthrough point. After all, the incident only happened two or three months ago. Many pieces of evidence are still there.

Subsequently, Xiao Zhang slowly began, “Old Brother Ling, please trust me, trust the government. We came here to investigate Feng Dabiao and his son. If you all become afraid and recoil, if you don’t stand up, we won’t have any evidence. How can we bring Feng Dabiao and his son to justice? Have you thought about whether more girls will be victimized if you don’t stand up?”

Xiao Zhang’s words left both of Old Ling’s husband and wife silent. Nie Zhenbang, on one side, abruptly stopped Xiao Zhang. In working ideologically, he was very experienced. Disciplinary inspection work was something he might need to learn, but in this domain, he was more adept than Xiao Zhang.

In this situation, it was necessary to give Old Ling and his wife some room to consider and struggle. Pressing too hard might have the opposite effect. Then, Nie Zhenbang also smiled, saying, “Brother Old Ling, let me introduce myself, my name is Nie Zhenbang, and I’m Xiao Zhang’s leader. I’m the one who led the team this time. Old Brother Ling, I think your child, Ling Ya, isn’t severely ill. She needs to be treated in time. If you agree, I can help you connect with a hospital in Jingcheng, and you both can take the child there for a consultation. Such a good child went mad, it’s a pity.”

His words touched the soft spot in the hearts of both Old Ling and his wife. To the rural couple, they may not understand much about the big principles. Who’s injured, who isn’t, they might not have a concept about these things. But hearing what Nie Zhenbang said, they couldn’t refuse it.

Looking at the man leading the group, with a warm smile on his face, Old Ling gritted his teeth and pointed at his wife, instructing her, “Woman, bring Ya’s underwear to the leader.”

Hearing this, there was a gleeful expression on Nie Zhenbang’s face. Xiao Zhang was even more excited, clenching his fists. The underwear meant there was evidence. There were sure to be some remnants left on it, such as body fluids, hair, and so on. With these and Ling Ya here, the breakthrough was open. Further excavation would not be a problem

Nie Zhenbang then stood up and directed the person next to him, “Old Zheng, contact Liu Kun immediately and tell him to make arrangements for the hospital. Have someone escort Ling Ya and her family to Jingcheng for treatment. We should move on to the next family to spread the word. This way, the weight of evidence will be heavier.” (To be continued. If you like this novel, you are welcome to vote, donate at Boxnovel (boxnovel.com). Your support is my greatest motivation!)