I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 70 Curiosity Killed the Cat

Zhang Beichuan, who had just arrived at the front door, peeked through the crack in the door at Lu Ya, who was wearing an olive green police uniform. He was a little curious about what she was doing here tonight.

Lu Ya smiled as she watched the door open.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late. The bureau is currently conducting a unified registration of permanent residents' information. We just finished the door-to-door registration for your area, and it's your department store's turn now."

Lu Ya waved the register in her hand, her tone sounding casual, like that of an acquaintance.

Zhang Beichuan was slightly taken aback, then stepped aside to make way.

"Please come in, please come in. Comrade Lu Ya, you've worked hard, still working so late."

Lu Ya stepped into the store and quickly scanned the surroundings.

The storefront in front wasn't very big, only thirty or forty square meters, with lighters, watches, nylon stockings, and other goods displayed on the glass counters and shelves.

"It's not hard work, it's our job. We have time constraints, so we can only work overtime." Lu Ya said, taking a pen out of her bag. "How about we find a place to sit down and register in the backyard?"

The area in front is where she operates her business. Even if Zhang Beichuan were hiding something, she wouldn't hide it there. Her goal was simple: to get to the backyard.

"Okay, then come with me."

The two sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. Lu Ya opened the register, took out a pen, and began to ask questions.

"Name."

"Zhang Beichuan".

"age."

"Twenty-six years old."

.......

The noise outside quickly attracted Huang Zhenjiang, who was hiding in the storage room, too afraid to move.

He slowly crouched down and, through the crack in the door, managed to make out the two people in the yard. His heart skipped a beat.

Police? Why would the police come to our door?

Large beads of sweat dripped from Huang Zhenjiang's forehead. He listened carefully for a while, and then his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

It looks like they're doing population registration; they should be leaving soon.

The questions were asked one by one, and Zhang Beichuan answered them fluently.

The registration process seemed ordinary, but Lu Ya subtly steered the conversation toward the case from a few days earlier.

"By the way, Comrade Zhang Beichuan," Lu Ya looked up, her gaze falling on his face, "no one has bothered you since last time, right?"

"No, no, I'm doing fine lately."

"That's good. When opening a shop and doing business, it's best to be cautious to avoid attracting envy and causing trouble."

Zhang Beichuan nodded; those words reminded him.

Thinking to myself that the business of Beichuan Department Store is getting better and better every day, and that we will be starting to sell high-value items such as televisions soon, I need to be careful.

"Okay, I'll definitely keep that in mind." He had barely finished speaking when he remembered Zhao Xueming and the others. "By the way, how long will it take to get a result for Zhao Xueming's case?"

These words were exactly what Lu Ya wanted to hear. As she wrote in the register, she said this intentionally or unintentionally.

"It's strange, but I heard from the criminal investigation team that Zhao Xueming and the others mentioned some... well, unusual things during the interrogation."

"What's going on?" Zhang Beichuan's voice was calm, but a hint of alertness flashed in his eyes.

"He said," Lu Ya looked up and stared directly at Zhang Beichuan, "that you and Lan Baojun seem to have some special methods that can make someone faint instantly."

Zhang Beichuan was startled, but his face immediately showed a wry smile.

"Comrade Lu Ya, you actually believe that? Who is Zhao Xueming? A robber! What wouldn't he say to get away with it? If I really had that kind of ability, would I have let them break into the store?"

His tone was sincere, carrying the grievance of being wronged.

"I sprayed them with pepper spray that night, and that's clearly stated in the statement. As for the claim that they collapsed at the slightest touch, that's pure nonsense."

Lu Ya observed his reaction, her expression natural, her tone firm, revealing no obvious flaws.

"But," she changed the subject, "Qiang and Haozi also mentioned something similar, saying that when you were near them, your whole body went numb and you couldn't move."

Zhang Beichuan was secretly alarmed, but his mind raced.

"Qiang and Haozi?" He frowned, as if trying to remember. "Let me think... Oh, you mean the two of them? I don't know either. I just pushed them and then I collapsed. Maybe it's low blood sugar? Or maybe there's something wrong with me?"

Lu Ya nodded thoughtfully. Zhang Beichuan's statement seemed reasonable, but the probability of two people having an attack at the same time should not be that high.

If we continue to press him, it might make him suspicious.

"Hmm, that makes sense." Lu Ya stood up, but didn't leave immediately. Instead, she looked around the courtyard. "Speaking of which, we're friends, and this is my first time visiting your Beichuan Department Store. Would it be convenient for me to take a look around?"

Zhang Beichuan's heart skipped a beat, knowing that Lu Ya wanted to take this opportunity to check if there was anything suspicious.

But the stun gun is charging in the rented house in 2026, so she's not worried about checking.

"Hi, feel free to look around." Zhang Beichuan gestured for him to come in. "You can take a look first, and I'll go boil some water and make you some tea."

Thank you for your trouble.

"You're welcome."

After saying that, Zhang Beichuan went to the kitchen to boil water, but he was thinking to himself that the matter of the stun gun must have been suspected.

Although I didn't use the stun gun to do anything heinous, I really couldn't take it out; the circuit board inside was too conspicuous.

Otherwise, if the police really start watching him, it will be a problem for him.

Lu Ya walked around the courtyard for a few steps, her gaze sweeping over the open doors of several rooms before finally settling on the tightly closed storage room diagonally opposite.

She walked toward the storage room. Huang Zhenjiang, who was hiding behind the door, felt his heart leap into his throat as he listened to the approaching footsteps.

He held his breath and silently recited in his mind.

"I only want money, I don't want to kill anyone anymore, so please don't come in!"

But what you fear most is what comes to pass.

With a creak, the old wooden door was pushed open by Lu Ya. It was dark inside, and she couldn't see anything.

She reached out to the wall and snapped the light switch on.

Almost simultaneously, Huang Zhenjiang, holding his breath and tensing his body, took advantage of the moment when Lu Ya raised her hand to adjust to the change in light, and suddenly raised his hand to strike the back of her neck!

Lu Ya felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, her vision went black, and her body went limp and fell down.

In order not to disturb Zhang Beichuan in the kitchen, Huang Zhenjiang quickly supported her limp body, his heart pounding, and pulled her behind the door and set her down against the wall.

He pricked up his ears, listening intently to the sounds outside.

The sound of pots and pans clattering slightly came from the kitchen, but Zhang Beichuan didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

After boiling the water, Zhang Beichuan came out of the kitchen, looked at the quiet courtyard, and then at the storage room with the light on.

I was a little curious. There was nothing in this storage room, so why did they have to stay there for so long?

With a touch of curiosity, Zhang Beichuan strode towards the storage room. As soon as he entered, the cold metallic touch instantly pressed against the skin of his neck, making his hair stand on end.

"Don't move! I'll kill you if you make a sound!" A hoarse voice rang in his ear.