Chapter 114

After questioning the eyewitness, Song Wen and Lu Siyu went together to the forensic office on the second floor of the City Bureau. Recently, due to this headache-inducing serial murder case, the forensic department had also started working overtime, especially since the case that occurred early this morning. By the afternoon, the autopsy reports were already out.

Now, Lin Xiuran and the other forensic experts were out on duty, leaving only Duan Wu to look after the office.

Song Wen didn’t hesitate to pick up the autopsy reports of the three cases and laid them out in a row. Then, he opened the photos one by one and compared them. He had seen these pictures during the morning meeting, but now he intended to go through them again carefully.

Lu Siyu also picked up the documents of the first case and sat quietly on the side, watching.

Duan Wu had just finished eating lunch at this point, slurping down a bowl of pig liver noodles on the side, filling the entire forensic office with the smell of food. Seeing Song Wen and Lu Siyu engrossed in their work, he pulled up a chair and sat down beside them. “Captain Song, I’ve always been interested in your detectives’ solving cases. Your team always solves cases quickly and accurately. Could you teach me too?”

Song Wen didn’t even lift his head, continuing to organize the materials in his hand. “It’s not that difficult. You can try asking Lin Ge later to see if he’ll let you go.”

“Ah, I was just kidding.” Duan Wu cautiously glanced around to make sure Lin Xiuran wasn’t suddenly coming back before continuing, “Captain Song, these victims all died from suffocation, and the cause of death is straightforward. The bodies were examined by Director Lin himself. These materials have been gone over by Captain Tian many times before, and even the corners are wrinkled, but nothing new has been found.”

Song Wen flipped through the documents. “If you can’t find anything, it’s because he’s not smart.”

“No… what I mean is, can the case be solved by going over these again?” Duan Wu asked his inner question.

Finally, Song Wen looked up at him. “Do you know what it means to read a book a hundred times and its meaning will become clear? I’m looking at the materials now because we didn’t visit the crime scenes for the first two cases. If we had, a lot of scene information would have been imprinted in our minds. Now, we can only rely on reviewing the materials. To solve a case, you need to memorize these basic details.”

At this point, Song Wen nudged Lu Siyu beside him, his voice unconsciously lowering in volume and softening. “Take a look at this photo. I think the first victim is different from the other two.”

Lu Siyu turned to look, and Duan Wu also leaned over curiously.

It was a detailed image of the neck injuries of the first victim. Song Wen pointed to the bruises on the victim’s neck. The pale, swollen neck had a large number of red bruises, looking more severe than the second and third victims.

“Well, the reason for this is that the body of the first victim was left for two days. By the time we arrived, it was swollen and decomposing…”

Before Duan Wu could finish his sentence, Lu Siyu interrupted. He took the photo and examined it carefully, nodding to Song Wen. “Exactly. The first case does seem different.”

Duan Wu suddenly felt like his face had been slapped, but even when he widened his eyes, he couldn’t see anything unusual. “So… where’s the difference?”

Lu Siyu explained, “Overall, the ligature marks are deeper, wider, and more uniform compared to the other two cases. These injuries might not have been caused by a single strangulation but by multiple instances. Each time, the force was not significant, and coupled with the body’s swelling at the time, it wasn’t very obvious.”

In other words, those red marks were not just one or two, but multiple, all linked together. Therefore, the resulting bruises were wider and more obvious.

Duan Wu flipped through the other two case files, and indeed, as Song Wen had said, he didn’t expect to find these two people so quickly in the previous files. He couldn’t help but compliment, “Captain Song, your observation skills are really impressive…”

Song Wen didn’t have time to respond to Duan Wu’s compliment. He was discussing the case with Lu Siyu. “This indicates that the first victim likely didn’t die from a single strangulation but may have been strangled into unconsciousness several times. The perpetrator treated her like a toy, playing with her after she passed out, and then when she woke up, he attacked her again. This behavior probably occurred three to four times, so relatively speaking, the perpetrator was much more adept in the second and third cases.”

This kind of murder method is undoubtedly prolonged and torturous. The victim is repeatedly harmed, feeling incredibly desperate and unable to break free, as if trapped in an endless hell. It might be even more agonizing than just killing her directly.

“It may not necessarily be intentional,” Lu Siyu blinked and bit his nails as he speculated, “Perhaps, initially, he didn’t intend to kill the victim; perhaps, he was enjoying the thrill of cat and mouse; perhaps, something about the first female victim reminded him of someone or triggered his urge to commit the crime; perhaps, there are other reasons we don’t know about yet.”

Indeed, the first case was somewhat special. Who exactly was this perpetrator, so cruel and twisted? Lu Siyu became increasingly interested. He closed the case files and said, “I want to go see the scenes of the first two incidents.”

Song Wen and Lu Siyu left Fu Linjiang to guard the police station, and the two of them drove out in a police car. They arrived first at the location where the first woman was killed, by the small river at Lotus Temple. The surroundings were well-vegetated, and though called a river, it was just a small ditch about two meters wide.

Several months had passed since then, and the traces by the river had been smoothed over by wind, sun, and rain. During the day, people passed by from time to time, and it seemed quite peaceful.

Upon arrival, Song Wen took out the crime scene photos and compared them, confirming that this was indeed the location.

The two of them walked around the area, and Song Wen asked Lu Siyu, “Any discoveries?”

Lu Siyu licked his lips, “I’m pondering a question. Why was the first victim relatively older…” He pondered for a moment, then wrote it down in his notebook and answered himself, “Perhaps… it’s related to the perpetrator’s subconscious maternal affection.”

Then Lu Siyu made a note. They conducted a simple simulation at the scene, calculating the time of the crime and the route. Next, they drove directly to the second crime scene. The two locations weren’t too close or too far apart, taking about twenty minutes by car.

Afterwards, they went to the third location, which they believed was the small park behind Zeng Minyi’s residential area. This incident had occurred last night, and they had also collected evidence this afternoon. The ground still bore some messy signs of struggle and one or two bloodstains, all matching Zeng Minyi’s testimony.

Finally, they visited the fourth location, where Wang Xiaopei was killed, which they had visited in the morning.

Four victims, four crime scenes.

After driving around this district following the perpetrator’s route, they finished their busy day, approaching 6 p.m.

Back in the car, Song Wen started the engine, “Let’s go home. You haven’t rested much today either.”

Lu Siyu nodded, still studying the map intently, “The perpetrator should be quite familiar with this area, often moving around in these places. So, although the locations seem random, they are actually quiet places at night. He may have lurked nearby for some time, waiting for victims who fit his preferences to enter his attack range.”

Then Lu Siyu began searching for the perpetrator’s starting point between these locations, “Assuming the perpetrator left from home, then he needed to commute, especially yesterday when he failed in the first attack around 11 p.m., then bandaged his dog bite wound, and appeared at another location to attack another victim around 3 a.m. I’m considering what mode of transportation the perpetrator used to move between these locations.”

Song Wen thought for a moment, “Based on the descriptions from previous eyewitnesses, the perpetrator likely has calluses on his hands, indicating he’s engaged in physical labor, and his attire is very ordinary… I’m inclined to believe he doesn’t have access to a car or other means of transportation.”

Lu Siyu nodded in agreement, “Tian Ming searched through surveillance footage for a long time. If the perpetrator was driving or taking a taxi, it would have been noticed, leaving traces… So, that leaves us with options like bicycles, late-night public transportation… After being bitten by the dog, judging by the size of the wound, he was seriously injured, which would make mobility difficult. Walking and cycling can be largely ruled out.”

He furrowed his brow, “And then there’s his suspected accomplice. Zhuang Yi’s theory from before, I feel like parts of it make sense, but there are also some issues.”

Song Wen continued driving, “Let’s just follow these leads for now. I think the resources at the municipal bureau might not be sufficient. I’ll talk to Commissioner Gu later and request a search of the nearby areas.”

After pondering for a moment, he added, “We need to retrieve surveillance footage from late-night public transportation, pay attention to nearby 24-hour clinics, the investigation will take time, but there may be some results. However, the surveillance footage from late-night public transportation isn’t very clear and has blind spots, so it’s worth checking, but with caution.”

Lu Siyu then drew a circle on the map. It seemed the perpetrator wasn’t a “roaming attacker” but rather a “waiting predator.” According to the “criminal circumferential hypothesis,” Lu Siyu mapped out the locations. There was a high likelihood that the perpetrator lived within this range.

The criminal circumferential hypothesis is where the straight line connecting the two geographically farthest points of a series of cases is taken as the diameter, and the midpoint of the line as the center, forming a circle.

But the area was still too large…

As Song Wen drove, Lu Siyu contemplated the case, looking out the window. The two fell silent for a moment.

Outside, dusk was approaching, the peak time for getting off work and dining. Adults were finishing work, children were leaving school, and the elderly were preparing for square dancing. Ordinary people were enjoying life’s pleasures, and the entire city exuded a peaceful atmosphere.

Many were unaware that a serial killer was now present in this city. He consumed the same food, drank the same water, breathed the same air as them.

He might be lurking in some corner of this city, perhaps a street vendor selling fruit, perhaps a construction worker moving steel, or perhaps just a man sitting on the roadside.

Three women had already died at his hands, and soon, there might be more victims…

Both Song Wen and Lu Siyu were burdened by the case, feeling the heavy weight on their shoulders. Song Wen couldn’t help but ask Lu Siyu, “So, what… do you want to eat tonight…”

“Whatever you feel like?” Lu Siyu casually replied, “Beef stew? Gastrodia chicken soup? Eggplant stir-fry? Ramen with pork bone broth and soft-boiled egg?”

“Anything works.” Song Wen nodded eagerly, feeling his mouth watering. He added, “The case hasn’t been solved yet, so don’t stress too much. Let’s just have something simple tonight. Today, Commissioner Gu mentioned that we’ll receive Zhu Xiao’s information tonight, so we’ll need to investigate that too.” He paused and added, “Anyway, as long as it’s made by you, I’ll love it.”

Lu Siyu responded with a “Hmm,” saying, “When the case is solved…”

As the two parked the police car in Lu Siyu’s residential area, Fu Linjiang’s call came through. Song Wen put it on speaker, and Fu Linjiang’s voice came through, “Captain Song, we have a situation over here. The parents of the latest victim, Wang Xiaopei, just identified the body this afternoon, and then… they told the reporters about their daughter’s murder. A group of media just rushed in here to interview them about the case.” He paused for a moment, “And, what’s worse, someone posted the theory about the two perpetrators that we suspected on the internet…”

Song Wen furrowed his brow. All this was still under investigation, especially the theory of multiple perpetrators. Although they had Zhuang Yi’s theory now and a vague testimony from a witness, it couldn’t be used as conclusive evidence. How did this information leak out?

Song Wen asked, “How is Commissioner Gu handling it?”

“Seeing that the situation couldn’t be contained, he just called a meeting at the bureau, Zhuang Yi was there too. After discussing it urgently, Commissioner Gu came up with a plan. He heard that Zhuang Yi will be recording a program soon. In the program, he wants Zhuang Yi to publicly disclose information about the case and release a composite sketch of the suspect to the public.”

Song Wen immediately felt this was too risky, “This could lead to unforeseen complications. It might also cause public panic.”

Fu Linjiang agreed, “Yes, Professor Zhuang initially didn’t agree either. He said his previous analysis was purely theoretical and lacked further evidence to support it. It shouldn’t be made public just because of some speculation.”

Song Wen understood this line of thinking and asked, “And then?”

“Commissioner Gu said the online discussions are getting heated, and the media already knows. Instead of letting them speculate wildly, it’s better to inform them of some of the situation. Publicly disclosing criminal profiles is a common tactic used in domestic and international criminal investigations. Media exposure puts pressure on the perpetrator. There have been some cases in the past where this approach was taken. For example, in the nationally shocking case of the male dormitory murder and the college student matricide case, some information was disclosed to the media early on, which played a positive role in subsequent manhunts based on public reports.”

“Did Professor Zhuang agree to it?”

“In the end, Commissioner Gu persuaded him,” Fu Linjiang continued, “Anyway, it’s basically settled now. The higher-ups have also given their approval. Commissioner Gu asked me to inform you.”

Song Wen responded with an acknowledgment and exchanged a few pleasantries before hanging up the phone.

“Now that the situation has escalated, hiding and concealing won’t work,” Lu Siyu remarked softly on the side. At this point, the more hesitant they were, the more counterproductive it would be. “Since we can’t stop it, let them go ahead. Besides, it’s actually a good thing. If the public becomes vigilant, it can also reduce the occurrence of homicides.”

Song Wen nodded, “I understand. Making the information public will be beneficial for investigations. We can open a tip hotline, offer rewards, and see if we can gather more leads. But I’m still worried about provoking the perpetrator.”

Overall, this situation had its pros and cons. However, disclosing the information would introduce many unstable factors. At this point, they could only take a gamble.

“You don’t need to worry too much,” Lu Siyu reassured him. “Whether the information is made public or not, the perpetrator won’t stop killing. Once it’s out there, regardless of whether the perpetrator acts or not, they’ll be on the defensive. But I can’t help but feel…”

He trailed off.

“What do you feel?” Song Wen sensed there was more to what he was saying.

“I feel… leaking case information to the media, revealing details of the police investigation, seems intentional,” Lu Siyu murmured softly. It was just a vague feeling he had, without any concrete evidence. It seemed like someone wanted to amplify this case online, in the media.

Song Wen furrowed his brow slightly. Was someone deliberately manipulating things behind the scenes?

The public’s memory and attention are limited, and this case quickly overshadowed previous incidents like the Wushan Nursing Home and the Christmas Eve accident.

There’s nothing that grabs public attention more than a sudden appearance of a serial killer.

So, is someone behind this, trying to divert the public’s attention?

Was Zhuang Yi’s appearance coincidental?