Chapter 24: The Mysterious Family Massacre (8)

Han Changlin frowned deeply. This knife was their only physical evidence linking You Shenghua to the crime. He picked up the report and read it multiple times before questioning, “Didn’t we confirm that the knife matches the wounds? Could he have cleaned it thoroughly?”

Wang Wei held up the transparent evidence bag. “Look at this—it’s a wooden-handled knife. If it had been soaked in blood, no amount of cleaning would remove all traces. But our tests found no blood whatsoever.”

“So… does this mean he isn’t the killer?” Han Changlin found it hard to believe.

“Not necessarily,” Wang Wei hesitated before adding, “He could have switched the weapon, disposing of the real one and leaving behind this clean knife. But I’m not sure why he would do that. If he intended to destroy evidence, why not just get rid of the knife completely?”

Han Changlin pondered this for a moment before tucking away the forensic report. “Okay, Xiao Wang, thank you for your hard work.”

“Just doing my job, Captain Han.”

Back in the interrogation room, Han Changlin halted the questioning and ordered that You Shenghua be placed under detention.

In the office, Han Changlin stood in front of the crime board with his arms crossed, staring at the dense array of information, unable to make sense of it all.

Meng Siqi put down her notebook and looked up to see Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan walking over to Han Changlin. No one spoke, and their silhouettes seemed heavy with disappointment.

She understood the reason behind their mood. The physical evidence against You Shenghua was missing. A mere motive was not enough to convict him.

If they did not find new evidence within twenty-four hours, You Shenghua would be released without charge.

Standing up, she moved closer to the crime board, joining them from behind. She carefully examined the information written there. They had investigated every possible lead—was it really possible for a criminal to appear and disappear without a trace?

After a long silence, Tang Xiaochuan finally spoke. “Captain Han, is it possible that You Shenghua isn’t the real killer?”

Although no one wanted to believe it, the evidence seemed to suggest this was the case. You Shenghua’s motive for murder was too obvious. If he had planned the crime in advance, he would not have mentioned it to people in his village. If it had been a crime of passion, he would not have executed it so flawlessly.

Han Changlin finally turned around and gave instructions. “Regardless, let’s make one last effort over the next two days. Go back and thoroughly search every place in the city where You Shenghua has been.”

Even if You Shenghua had destroyed the real murder weapon, Han Changlin was determined to dig it up no matter what.

*

After an intense day and night of searching for evidence, Han Changlin leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the crime board.

Meng Siqi was updating the board with the latest findings from the past twenty-four hours. In reality, these clues only tracked You Shenghua’s movements—they did not directly prove that he had committed the crime.

With only two hours left before You Shenghua’s release, there still seemed to be no breakthrough.

“Captain Han!” A police officer ran into the office, his voice urgent. “There’s been a murder in a residential area near Cangyun Road!”

Meng Siqi’s hand, holding the chalk, paused midair. Han Changlin nearly jumped out of his chair and asked, “What happened?”

“A man and a woman, possibly a couple, were found dead in their home. The forensic team is already on-site.”

Han Changlin clapped his hands together, his previous frustration vanishing. “Everyone, wake up! We’re heading to the scene now.”

Apart from Tang Xiaochuan, the entire Second Unit was present. Zhao Leiting drove straight to the residential complex.

The news had not yet spread, so there were not many onlookers at the scene. Some residents were still asking what had happened.

As they pulled into the apartment complex’s parking lot, Han Changlin was the first to step out. A section of a residential building was already cordoned off with police tape.

As they approached an apartment on the first floor, the scent of blood became noticeable but not overwhelming.

While putting on shoe covers and gloves, a young forensic examiner who had arrived earlier briefed Han Changlin. “Captain Han, the scene inside is quite gruesome. You should take a look.”

Meng Siqi followed the group into the apartment. The living room appeared untouched, with no signs of a struggle. Several forensic specialists were already collecting evidence.

The forensic examiner led them straight to the bedroom door. As Han Changlin and Feng Shaomin stepped inside, Meng Siqi’s eyes fell on the crime scene.

What she saw left her in disbelief.

The deceased man and woman were completely naked, except for a single sock on the woman’s foot.

The floor was stained with a large pool of blood. The man was lying on his back, his legs still partially draped over the bed and entangled with the woman’s. His chest and face were covered in blood.

The most horrifying detail was that two small fruit knives had been stabbed into the man’s face—one piercing directly into his left eye and the other positioned slightly lower on the right side.

The woman was lying on the bed, face up. Her neck was a bloody mess, and the bed sheets were soaked in red.

The bedroom was small, and the floor and bed were strewn with disheveled clothing. There were no obvious signs of struggle. The bedside table remained untouched, and a pack of contraceptives was still neatly placed there.

One of the forensic examiner was collecting a torn condom wrapper.

Meng Siqi held her breath while examining the crime scene. Ever since she experienced the last family massacre, her psychological threshold had increased. This time, she did not feel physically ill, but an unsettling sense of unease crept over her.

After observing the details, she took a few steps back toward the door. The strong scent of blood was overwhelming, and she was not sure how long she could endure it.

She finally understood why the forensic examiner had used the word “gruesome.” The victims had likely been in the middle of an intimate act when they were suddenly ambushed and brutally murdered.

Chen Jierong was examining the woman’s wounds. She turned around and reported to Han Changlin, “The female victim likely died from massive blood loss caused by a severed carotid artery. There are no other significant injuries. As for the male victim, preliminary analysis suggests he died from severe internal damage to his organs. The murder weapon was likely a long, single-edged blade. Captain Han, I have a feeling that this weapon is similar to the one used in the Zhu family murder.”

Everyone at the scene tensed up immediately. Could this be the work of a serial killer?

Han Changlin asked, “Can you confirm that?”

“I need to conduct a more thorough autopsy to be certain.”

Han Changlin continued, “What about the knives in the victim’s face?”

Chen Jierong replied, “These two knives appear to have been inserted postmortem. The forensic team found the knife block in the kitchen—two knives are missing, and the slots match the size of the ones in the victim’s face.”

Han Changlin frowned in thought. “So, the killer stabbed the victims to death, then went to the kitchen, grabbed two knives, and deliberately stuck them into the man’s face. Why would they do that?”

“That’s a mystery,” Chen Jierong admitted.

“Can you estimate the time of death?”

“Preliminary estimate is between 11 PM and midnight last night.”

As the team continued discussing the case inside the bedroom, Meng Siqi with her nose covered, stepped out. After steadying herself, she wandered through the rest of the apartment. Other than signs of a typical lived-in space, nothing seemed particularly suspicious.

Just as Chen Jierong had pointed out, the knife block in the kitchen had indeed been moved. Two small slots were empty, indicating the missing knives matched the ones found in the male victim’s face.

She carefully examined the marks on the knife holder. At that moment, a forensic technician walked in and said, “No fingerprints. We couldn’t find any in the entire apartment.”

Meng Siqi nodded. The killer in this case was just as meticulous as the one in the Zhu family massacre. Every step of the crime was carefully planned, leaving no trace behind.

As she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw Han Changlin and Feng Shaomin standing by the living room window. Han Changlin, wearing gloves, was running his fingers over the windowsill. “The suspect must have entered through the window,” he said.

Outside, Zhao Leiting stood on the lush grass and called out, “Captain Han, no visible footprints. The suspect must have taken precautions to avoid leaving any traces before climbing in.”

This was the first floor. Possibly due to it being a rental, the deceased had not installed any security measures on the windows. Additionally, there were no valuable items in the room worth stealing.

After inspecting the scene, the team gathered at the entrance. A uniformed officer flipped open his notebook and reported, “Captain Han, I checked with the property management. The male victim’s name is Qi Xiaowei. He was unmarried and worked at a printing shop. He was renting this apartment. However, the female victim is not his girlfriend, or at least she wasn’t registered as a resident here.”

“Who discovered the crime scene?” Han Changlin asked.

“The landlord. The rent was overdue, so he came to collect it and found this. He immediately called the police.”

Standing at the door, Han Changlin gave orders, “Old Feng, take Xiao Zhao and Xiao Meng to investigate the neighborhood and surrounding areas to see if you can find any clues. Focus on checking the print shop where the deceased worked and the landlord.”

“Got it.”

However, after an entire afternoon of investigation, they found nothing useful. The landlord had a solid alibi for last night. He also claimed he didn’t have a spare key, which meant that it was more likely that the murderer climbed through the window.

At the printing shop, Qi Xiaowei’s colleagues confirmed that he had the day off. None of them knew about the crime until the police informed them.

They described Qi Xiaowei as a hardworking and introverted person who rarely talked about his personal life, let alone had any known enemies.

In cases where a man and a woman are murdered together, investigators often consider the possibility of a crime of passion.

But the strange part was that not a single one of Qi Xiaowei’s coworkers knew he had a girlfriend.

A woman that no one had ever heard of appeared in Qi Xiaowei’s home and was murdered alongside him. What was the real story behind this? The only way to find out was to identify the woman.

The next day, back at the office, the case once again hit a dead end.

The forensic team reported that the murder weapon closely matched the one used in the Zhu family massacre. Both were single-edged knives with a 13 cm blade length and a 3 cm width. However, this similarity alone wasn’t enough to confirm the same killer. Such knives were common and widely available.

Feng Shaomin suddenly spoke up, “Captain Han, could this be a copycat crime?”

At that suggestion, Han Changlin’s expression darkened. His fists clenched tightly.

Meng Siqi realized that Han Changlin must hold deep resentment toward journalist Wen Huizhi from Jinyang Evening News.

Since Zhao Leiting had previously brought up the Jack the Ripper case, Meng Siqi had done some research. The term “copycat crime” originated from that infamous case, where later criminals mimicked the modus operandi, creating a ripple effect of similar murders.

A copycat killer mimics the details of an existing crime scene, causing confusion for investigators. This tactic buys the real culprit more time to escape justice.

The details of the Zhu family massacre were highly classified within the police department. The only known leak came from Wen Huizhi’s news report.

“Where’s the newspaper?” Han Changlin demanded.

“I have it,” Zhao Leiting quickly retrieved the newspaper and handed it over.

Han Changlin skimmed through it, then slammed it onto the desk, gritting his teeth. “I swear, I want to punch her.”

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy. No one spoke for a long moment.

Finally, Zhao Leiting hesitantly said, “Captain Han, the photos in the article don’t seem to reveal the murder weapon.”

The newspaper featured images of Zhu Gongyou and You Meihua’s bodies. Though some areas were pixelated, key details were still exposed. However, Zhu Gongyou had been stabbed in the chest and was found lying face down, making it difficult to see the weapon. You Meihua had a slit throat, but her wounds also didn’t clearly indicate the type of knife used.

Feng Shaomin picked up the newspaper and skimmed through the article. “No, the article does mention a ‘common fruit knife’ as the weapon.”

Han Changlin frowned. “How did Wen Huizhi know the weapon was a fruit knife?”

“Maybe she overheard the forensic team talking at the crime scene,” Feng Shaomin speculated.

Everything suddenly made sense. Meng Siqi couldn’t help but agree with the new theory. This meant their investigation had just become even more complicated.

“Wait a second.” Just as frustration settled over the room, Han Changlin spoke up again. “Why didn’t the female victim in Qi Xiaowei’s case have any additional injuries?”

Meng Siqi understood his point. In both cases, the victims’ bodies had been subjected to brutal post-mortem mutilation. However, in Qi Xiaowei’s case, only the male victim was disfigured, while the female victim remained untouched.

Han Changlin’s question opened up a new line of thought, but no one had an answer yet.

“This might be exactly what the killer wants us to think—a copycat crime,” Han Changlin said. “That could be the intention behind leaving the female victim untouched. We still need to treat this as a linked case to buy ourselves more time. We must identify this woman as soon as possible.”

His tone was firm. The entire team nodded in agreement.

Their focus shifted to uncovering the woman’s identity. However, even after another round of intensive inquiries, they found no leads. Their only hope was for someone to report her missing.

Finally, a day later, a missing person report came in. A young woman from a hair salon reported that her friend, Ning Xiangjuan, had gone out the previous night and never returned.

The missing woman worked at the same hair salon. She had received a call around 9 PM, went out alone, and never came back.

Now, everything was starting to make sense. The female victim was likely a sex worker who had gone to Qi Xiaowei’s place that night, only to meet a tragic fate.

Over the next few days, the team conducted another round of investigations on everyone connected to the two victims. However, the clues they gathered remained vague and inconclusive.

During this time, Meng Siqi noticed that Han Changlin spent his days staring at the crime board with a troubled expression. Although the board was nearly filled with information, there seemed to be very few useful leads.

Since the second case happened while You Shenghua was still in custody, it became increasingly unlikely that he was the killer. If the same person committed both crimes, then You Shenghua was almost certainly not the culprit. As a result, the investigation into him was gradually abandoned.

Inside the director’s office, Han Changlin once again faced criticism from Director Liu.

Director Liu spoke sternly, “Han Changlin, what is going on? I won’t even mention the fact that crime scene details were leaked to the press. But this case has caught the attention of the provincial department. Do you realize how serious the public impact is?”

“Right now, the people of Jinyang are living in fear. Their safety is in your hands. Are you really going to let a third tragedy happen?”

Han Changlin’s eyes turned slightly red. “Director Liu, I’m sorry. I will definitely…” His voice was slightly hoarse from exhaustion.

Director Liu sighed and softened his tone. “I’m not trying to put unnecessary pressure on you. But if you can’t solve this case, I won’t be able to keep my position either. Do you need extra help? How about letting Lu He assist you for a few days?”

“Director Liu, Lu He hasn’t solved the Red Makeup Serial Murder case either!” Han Changlin blurted out, unsure where he found the courage to talk back.

“…”

Director Liu tapped his finger firmly on the desk. “So now you’re talking back to me? Fine. Tell me, how many days do you need to solve this case?”

Han Changlin had no real confidence. But he couldn’t afford to be unsure. Just as Director Liu had said, the safety of Jinyang rested on his shoulders. Was he really going to admit defeat, give up his position as the captain of the Second Unit, and let Lu He take over?

That was impossible.

“Director Liu, I can’t guarantee anything. But give me ten days. If I can’t solve the case in ten days, you can fire me!”

His voice was filled with determination. Director Liu’s expression finally softened a little. “Alright. I’ll hold you to your words. If you fail, I’ll request assistance from the provincial department.”

Jinyang wasn’t a large city. Within Haijiang Province, it wasn’t even particularly well-known. The eight counties under its jurisdiction were generally poor. If a major case happened in a county, the local police station had to report it to the city bureau, which would then take over. Similarly, if a case within the city remained unsolved for too long, the provincial department would send experts to assist in the investigation.

Unlike before, when Director Liu mentioned Lu He just to provoke him, this was a direct command.

Han Changlin understood this clearly. If the provincial department intervened, he would lose his authority over the case.

As he walked back to his office, his legs felt weak. He was just acting on impulse. Ten days? Who the hell was the murderer?

*

Seeing the anxious expressions on Han Changlin and the other members of the Second Unit, Meng Siqi also felt uneasy. The application for her official employment status, which she had kept in her drawer, remained unsubmitted. At this moment, handling such matters felt particularly inappropriate.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, she focused on reviewing every detail of the case, carefully going through all the notes and records.

There were no overlooked clues. She meticulously annotated each detail with her pen. However, her hand suddenly stopped on one particular section.

She had always been able to visualize certain key moments in the case. But why had she seen nothing this time? What could be the reason?

Her pen rested on the notes from the crime scene at Zhu family’s house. She suddenly realized that she had never actually seen the body of Zhu Gongyou’s daughter, Zhu Xinting.

Quickly closing her notebook, she strode toward the forensic lab. The chief forensic examiner, Chen Jierong, had performed the autopsy. Meng Siqi believed she would be able to learn something from her.

After explaining her request, Chen Jierong readily agreed to let her examine Zhu Xinting’s body.