Murder in the Bathroom

Mo Lin was calmly pressing the remote control for the PPT in his hand, as the photos of the crime scene rolled on the screen.

He walked to the last row, found a comfortable spot, and sat down.

“Let’s first look at the scene of death. The deceased’s head was tilted back 45 degrees, with a look of fear on her face.”

“This expression reveals a lot of information. She wasn’t just scared, but also shocked.”

“We can infer that before the victim died, the killer was standing right in front of her.”

“The distance from the toilet to the opposite wall is 60 centimeters, and from the victim’s angle, the killer’s height should be around 175 centimeters.”

“No alcohol was detected in the victim’s stomach, so why was there a large amount of alcohol in her blood?”

“Our forensic doctor has explained this point. It’s hypothesized that the alcohol in the victim’s body was injected, and the killer skillfully found a vein with one shot.”

“Based on this, it’s not hard to deduce the killer’s profession.”

“There were no defensive wounds on the victim, proving that she was either unconscious when attacked or she completely trusted the killer.”

“By analyzing the killer’s psychological activities during the crime, we can infer that the killer is male.”

“The killer labeled the victim as ‘cheap,’ revealing his motive for murder.”

“According to the victim’s neighbors, she often brought different men home overnight.”

“After the killer found out about this, he was enraged and killed her. The killer might be one of those many men.”

The scene instantly erupted into a heated discussion.

“Mr. Mo, I have a question. How did you determine that this murder case and the serial killings were not committed by the same person?”

“That’s a good question!”

Mo Lin flashed a smile that could charm countless young women.

“Before coming here, I had already learned about the serial killings in Lianchi City and had some understanding of the killer.”

“In the serial killings, the killer is someone who pursues perfection to an extreme degree.”

“The tools and process of the crime are completely different.”

“Although both used printed text in wax blocks, you can still see the fundamental difference in their mindsets.”

“One is creating what he considers an artwork, while the other is merely venting anger.”

“So in the end, it all comes down to talent…” someone in the crowd murmured.

Gu Yuan leaned against a wall, separated from Mo Lin, listening to the discussions in the crowd.

Everyone has emotions, even corpses have their own emotions, but for Gu Yuan, it’s difficult to feel these emotions.

Because of his shortcomings in this area, he can’t guess other people’s thoughts and often offends others without realizing it.

Sometimes he feels like an emotionless machine, only capable of mechanically dissecting corpses.

Gu Yuan didn’t major in forensic medicine.

In college, he studied clinical medicine and was supposed to become a regular doctor after graduation.

However, due to his emotional barriers, he couldn’t handle doctor-patient conflicts smoothly, so he had to accept his mentor’s suggestion and pursue a master’s degree in forensic medicine.

The moment he picked up the scalpel and cut through the skin of a corpse, he truly found his place.

Perhaps he was meant to be a forensic doctor.

But soon, he discovered his fatal flaw.

In criminal profiling, he barely passed.

By reading various books on criminal psychology, he managed to cover up his shortcomings well, but only he knew where his weaknesses lay.

He had been receiving psychological counseling since college, but the results were unsatisfactory.

After graduating with a master’s degree, he chose to return to his home country and work in his hometown.

*

With the criminal’s profile, the criminal investigation team immediately launched a search. Based on information provided by the victim’s family, they quickly focused on one person.

“The victim had a friend named Li Zheng, who was from the same hometown. After graduating from junior high, he went to a medical school and became a nurse. He is currently an ICU nurse at Yunshan County Hospital. He frequently traveled between Yunshan County and Yan Hai City over the past year. Three days ago, he took the high-speed train to Yan Hai City and returned to Yunshan County yesterday afternoon.”

Xiao Ze: “This person is very suspicious. Get him to talk!”

The next day, Li Zheng sat in the interrogation room, looking haggard and vacant. When asked about Zhou Yun, he only gave brief responses.

In the interrogation room, Gu Yuan collected Li Zheng’s DNA for testing. Mo Lin sat behind him, observing that Gu Yuan’s brow never relaxed after entering the interrogation room, and there were tiny beads of sweat on his forehead.

Mo Lin: “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Mo Lin put the pen back into his suit pocket: “Let’s take a break.”

“What’s going on, aren’t we interrogating?” Li Meng asked through the electronic device to the police officer responsible for recording in the interrogation room.

The recording officer was also confused.

They had only been interrogating for ten minutes, why take a break?

Gu Yuan finished collecting the DNA and turned to leave. There was an open-air balcony next to the lab corridor, and Gu Yuan wanted to get some fresh air. He didn’t expect Mo Lin to follow him.

“Mind if I smoke?”

Mo Lin stood behind him, pulling out a pack of niche cigarettes from his pocket.

Gu Yuan: “I mind.”

Hearing this, Mo Lin’s narrow eyes showed a hint of amusement: “Doctor Gu seems hard to please.”

Gu Yuan: “You can smoke somewhere else.”

Mo Lin put the cigarette back: “I like to smoke in open spaces.”

“Do you really need to pick a place to smoke?”

“Of course, you can’t just enjoy yourself and disturb others. Do you get what I mean?”

“I don’t understand, and I don’t need to.”

Mo Lin: …

Mo Lin looked at Gu Yuan with some helplessness: “Aren’t you going to the lab? Hurry up, don’t miss lunch.”

Gu Yuan checked the time on his phone: “I think you should be more concerned about the progress of the case.” With that, he put one hand in his pocket and carried the investigation box towards the lab.

Mo Lin watched Gu Yuan’s departing figure with interest and made a phone call: “I’ll have lunch at the bureau, don’t wait for me.”

After hanging up, he saw that the phone screen showed there was still an hour until noon.

He returned to the interrogation room, sat in front of Li Zheng, and his narrow eyes hid a sharpness: “Was it satisfying when you killed her?”

Li Zheng suddenly looked up: “How many times do I have to say it, I didn’t kill anyone!”

Mo Lin just smiled at him, saying nothing.

Li Zheng felt a strong aura emanating from the person opposite him, as if his gaze was telling Li Zheng: You can’t escape, you’re the killer!

“Do you have any evidence?”

Mo Lin smiled without answering, instead asking: “Do you recognize these people?”

Mo Lin laid out four prepared photos on the table.

The previously calm Li Zheng finally showed a reaction: “I don’t know them.”

“Since you don’t know them, let me introduce them to you.”

“The first one is Yuan Qiang, Zhou Yun’s first boyfriend in college. They stayed in touch after breaking up.”

“The second person is Ni Bin, a rich second generation, Zhou Yun’s current boyfriend.”

“The third man is Hong Zhi, a gym coach, caught on surveillance entering the same changing room with Zhou Yun, indicating a close relationship.”

“The fourth person is Tang Ning, who had no idea Zhou Yun was dead and sent a message to her phone yesterday saying: ‘Let’s go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get our marriage certificate the day after tomorrow.’”

At this point, Li Zheng could no longer control his emotions, his fists clenched tightly.

“A month ago, you accompanied Zhou Yun to a gynecology appointment in Yan Hai City. You already knew she was pregnant. Did Zhou Yun tell you who the father of the child was?”

“Does it matter?”

“On a side note, we can find out who the father is with a DNA test.”

Li Zheng suddenly became nervous: “Did you find out?”

Mo Lin shook his head with a look of regret: “Unfortunately, none of these four men are the biological father of the child.”

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng froze on the bench, as if time had stopped.

Mo Lin suddenly leaned closer to him: “Do you think the child could be yours?”

“Impossible! We only did it once, how could it be my child? That cheap woman was fooling around outside, there must be other men!”

“Didn’t you say you were just friends? How come you know her so well and even had a relationship?”

“We… that time we drank too much, both lost our minds…”

“Did you both drink too much?”

“Yeah…”

“Did you notice anything unusual about her?”

“What unusual?”

“For example, her body turning red, especially her neck, showing a clear flush from drinking, then her heartbeat speeding up, the veins in her neck pulsing…”

Li Zheng seemed to see a scene before his eyes, entering a state of recollection. Suddenly, his body shuddered, his pupils contracted, and he made a blocking gesture.

“Did her blood splatter on you? How did it feel? Watching her die bit by bit, you picked up the weapon in your hand, bringing it close to your neck…”

Sweat covered Li Zheng’s forehead, his face turning pale.

Mo Lin suddenly pulled down Li Zheng’s turtleneck sweater, revealing a rough, dark red knife scar on the right side of his neck. The wound wasn’t deep but looked fresh.

“This scar and Zhou Yun’s wound were caused by the same type of blade. Do you think Zhou Yun’s DNA might be in there?”

Li Zheng’s defenses completely collapsed. He gasped for air, cold sweat streaming down his cheeks.

After a long time, he looked up: “I killed her.”

He began to recount his past with Zhou Yun:

Zhou Yun and I have known each other since childhood, living on the same street, but we didn’t interact much. I’ve had a crush on her since elementary school. She was beautiful, with good grades, and always had many boys pursuing her.

I wasn’t good-looking, my grades were poor, and my family had a heavy burden, with a younger brother and sister to support.

I always felt I wasn’t worthy of her.

She got into a second-tier university, while I only went to a medical school, never leaving the county. In her first year, she brought a boyfriend home, had a big fight with her parents, and cried on the street.

That was my first close encounter with her. She told me her boyfriend wanted to break up over a 50,000 yuan dowry. I comforted her, saying that for a girl as pretty as her, I’d pay any dowry.