Chapter 108

The distant sky finally began to brighten, transitioning from a deep indigo to a light blue. It seemed that within just a few minutes, the world suddenly lit up, and the entire city awakened.

The sun was about to rise, dispersing the darkness and bringing warmth.

Lu Siyu squatted down, carefully examining the condition of the female corpse.

Song Wen also glanced over and remarked, “The murderer blindfolded the victim. Does this seem like a gesture of remorse?”

In criminal psychology, there’s a theory that if the victim and the perpetrator are acquainted, or if the perpetrator feels remorse, they may sometimes turn the body over so that it lies face down, or cover the victim’s face, especially the eyes, with cloth, a handkerchief, or clothing. This phenomenon is more common with female victims, children, and the elderly.

“Most theories in criminal psychology describe it this way, but it’s also possible… that this is simply the signature of the killer.” Before the forensic expert arrived, Lu Siyu crouched down to act as a forensic examiner. He had a hunch that this type of homicide might not be the first.

“The murderer’s method was clean and precise. There are ligature marks on the neck, the hyoid bone is likely fractured, there’s cyanosis on the fingertips, indicating death by strangulation, approximately two hours ago. The murder weapon is…” Lu Siyu licked his lips as his slender fingers touched the girl’s neck, beginning his examination.

The pale body still retained a barely perceptible warmth. The ligature marks on the girl’s jade-like neck were clear and distinctive, with some areas wider and others narrower, indicating they were made by an extremely elastic object. After careful observation, he asserted, “Stockings.”

The mention of this murder weapon carried additional implications.

Since stockings were introduced in 1937, these thin, soft accessories have continually been at the forefront, even becoming a symbol of modern female sensuality. Some people are obsessed with them, to the point where they have overshadowed lingerie. In many serial killings targeting women, stockings have become a weapon.

With the weather getting colder, stockings are undoubtedly one of the choices for warmth and beauty, especially in some service industries where stockings have become standard attire.

Song Wen couldn’t help but touch his own neck. Then he looked down at the neatly dressed body and asked, “So… was the murder weapon brought by the killer or was she wearing it before?”

After taking photos of the body as evidence, Lu Siyu gently lifted the corner of the girl’s clothes, exposing her waist. Various bruises adorned her smooth skin, and it was covered in dirt. It seemed that the clothes were arranged after the assault. He replied to Song Wen, “The stockings were removed from the victim’s body. The killer likely derived pleasure from the victim’s struggle; this was their thrill point, which they wouldn’t skip. And upon closer inspection, it’s confirmed that the stockings are missing from the scene. They are likely a trophy, possibly taken by the killer.”

The various marks on the female corpse hinted at the severe torture she had endured in life. Sex, in the world, is the most beautiful thing, yet also the source of evil.

Assaulted, violated, then strangled—this was a relatively lengthy process. She struggled desperately on the grass until death. The scene wasn’t particularly bloody, but it sent chills down one’s spine. A coldness seeped through every vein, straight to the heart.

Song Wen furrowed his brows deeper. “There are signs of assault and injury… but why dress her again?”

Having seen various crime scenes, most female victims were found disheveled, yet this victim’s clothes were neat. Such actions were clearly illogical, and it was the first time he had seen such a scene.

“Not only that…” Lu Siyu spoke, using his gloved fingers to gently lift the clothing covering the deceased’s face, gesturing for Song Wen to look at the girl’s face.

In the sunlight, the girl’s eyes were open, and under the morning light, her long eyelashes cast distinct shadows. Her pupils were pitch black, enlarged due to death. Her mouth was slightly open, tinted with plum-colored lipstick, and her entire face was powdered lightly, giving her a delicate appearance. As the clothing was lifted, the sickly sweet scent in the air became more pronounced.

People couldn’t help but notice the abnormalities of this corpse. Unlike a body that had suffered greatly, there were no tear stains at the corners of her eyes, and her hair was neatly arranged…

Lu Siyu took a deep breath. “He may have touched up her makeup…”

Fu Linjiang, who had been collecting scattered items belonging to the victim, couldn’t help but feel indignant upon hearing this. “This guy is truly sick!” Besides “sick,” he didn’t know what other word to use to describe the killer. Faced with a body that had been meticulously dressed, his heart felt even more uncomfortable.

The young policeman who had arrived at the scene initially said, “We… we just found some traces over there. There are a few used tissues nearby, and a piece of bloody gauze. There are signs of dragging and struggling in the grass, possibly the primary crime scene.”

Hearing this, Song Wen raised his head and asked, “Bloody gauze?”

There were no obvious wounds on the girl’s body, nor any traces of bandaging. He quickly realized that this might have been left by the killer. “Linjiang, go take a look. The killer might be injured and dropped the gauze during the struggle.”

Following the direction, Fu Linjiang searched and found a palm-sized piece of gauze with a ring of bloodstains on it, as if it had been injured or bitten by something. He carefully placed the gauze in an evidence bag. Finally, he picked up an ID card discarded in the grass nearby and compared it with the deceased. “The victim’s identity is confirmed.”

Song Wen took a look and remembered the girl’s name, Wang Xiaopei. He said, “Call Zhu Xiao and check the victim’s information.”

Fu Linjiang responded and made a call nearby. After a while, he turned around and reported, “The victim was a waitress at a hotpot restaurant. Her workplace has been notified, and Zhu Xiao is informing the victim’s family.” As he spoke, his eyes reddened. “She’s only 22 years old and died so tragically… The killer is truly a beast.”

Song Wen patted his shoulder to offer comfort. For family and friends, the sudden demise of a young woman is undoubtedly a terrible blow, especially considering the tragic nature of her death.

As they were discussing, another police car arrived by the roadside. Lin Xiuran got out of the car with an investigation kit in hand. He adjusted the cuffs of his suit and said, “I slept at the funeral home last night, never expected another case to occur this morning…” The funeral home was somewhat diagonal from this area in the suburbs, so he arrived slightly later than the others.

“Yeah, we arrived not long ago,” Song Wen waved at him as he spoke. Lin Xiuran nodded, put on his gloves, and bent down to examine the deceased girl. His expression gradually became solemn, and he took a deep breath of cool air. “Was she covered with this clothing?”

Song Wen nodded. “Yes, that’s how we found her.”

Lin Xiuran straightened up. “This is the third case in the past six months. It’s a serial murder.”

Song Wen turned to ask, “Which team handled the previous two cases?”

Lin Xiuran replied, “Both were handled by Team Two. Do you remember the female salesperson Li Ling I mentioned to you? She was the first victim. Later, a 28-year-old female teacher was also murdered. Team Two has been pursuing these two cases while investigating other matters, but didn’t expect the killer to strike again.”

Song Wen remembered. It was when he, Lu Siyu, and Lin Xiuran went to Luning before, Lin Xiuran mentioned a female homicide case. He frowned. “What are the commonalities in these three murder cases?”

“They’re all women, killed at night, strangled with stockings, and their faces covered with clothing,” Lin Xiuran glanced at the body. “The bodies in the first two cases weren’t arranged as neatly, but they were also cleaned up. They could be consolidated as one case.” He looked around the environment, then added, “In the previous two cases, the killer also made efforts to conceal the bodies, so they were found after some time. This time, it seems like he gave up.”

“What about the time and location of the crimes?”

“The first was by the river near Lianhua Hall over three months ago, and the second was at the garbage dump behind Xixing Street half a month ago.”

Although these three locations were all in the eastern part of Nancheng, they were somewhat distant from each other. The professions of the victims were completely different, indicating that the killer randomly chose victims that suited his preferences.

After hearing Lin Xiuran’s explanation, Song Wen pondered for a moment. “The victims are getting younger, the interval between crimes is getting shorter, and the killer is becoming more audacious… “

Everyone present became solemn. It had been years since Nancheng had seen a serial murder case, especially one as heinous as this, targeting women.

Once such a series of crimes began, if not solved, the perpetrator might strike again, posing a threat to more people.

“The cooling-off period is shortening,” Lu Siyu thought for a moment and then asked, “What about the time of the murders? Is there any pattern?”

Lin Xiuran answered him, “The first was around ten o’clock at night, and the second was around eleven…” Then he lowered himself and lifted the girl’s hand, which still had some warmth. “This body was killed only a few hours ago, probably around four in the morning.”

After hearing this background, Fu Linjiang hesitated. “Then it seems like we should consolidate this with Team Two’s cases. Should we still investigate?”

The City Bureau regulations stipulated that once it was confirmed to be the work of the same perpetrator, the cases would be consolidated and assigned to the team that first took the case. Nevertheless, they still had to inform the bureau to avoid misunderstandings among colleagues.

After looking at the girl’s body on the ground, Song Wen made a decision. “Let me make a call to Commissioner Gu first and ask.”

After half a minute, Song Wen hung up his phone. “Commissioner Gu said to treat this case as a recent special priority case. He asked us to team up with Tian Ming’s team and establish a special task force for joint investigation.”