Chapter 4: The Female Corpse in the School Building (4)

Meng Siqi hailed a cab and returned to Zhou Jieli’s school. According to regulations, officers were not allowed to act alone at a crime scene, especially a trainee like her. She was supposed to be accompanied by a senior officer.

But she planned to make it quick. She had to confirm if the image in her memory was real.

Pretending to act under Han Changlin’s orders, she explained the situation to the officer guarding the scene and walked straight into the crime scene. Everything remained untouched except for a chalk outline marking where Zhou Jieli had been found.

Lacking forensic investigation skills, she could only observe the scene in a cursory manner.

On the table lay a photograph of Zhou Jieli. She examined it closely. Zhou Jieli was undeniably a beauty, with a keen sense of style that made her look radiant and striking.

After walking around the room, she found nothing new. Everything aligned with the forensic report. There were no signs of damage or forced entry, and no objects had been moved or disturbed.

It was hard to believe this wasn’t the work of someone familiar with the victim.

Mu Zhiquan and Zhou Jieli were not strangers. Earlier that day, Mu Zhiquan mentioned that Zhou Jieli often greeted him. If he had approached her during his patrol, she would likely have opened the door. Similarly, since Zhao Guanghui was Zhou Jieli’s husband, she wouldn’t have refused him entry if he had come knocking late at night.

So, who was the real murderer? One of these two men was lying. Was the killer among them?

Without evidence, everything was mere speculation.

Meng Siqi’s steps finally stopped in front of the chalk outline. That morning, when she passed by this spot, she had a vivid and strange vision. She suspected it was triggered by some kind of magnetic field.

However, after standing in the same spot for a long time, nothing happened. She began to doubt whether it had been just her imagination.

As she pondered, a gust of wind blew in through the window, sending a chill down her spine. The room suddenly felt eerily cold. She quickly stepped outside.

Taking a taxi back to the station, she realized that Han Changlin and the others hadn’t returned yet. Had something unexpected happened during the arrest?

The bumpy ride worsened her motion sickness. After splashing cold water on her face in the restroom, she returned to the office just as the landline rang.

She picked up the call—it was Zhao Leiting.

“Meng Siqi, pack up some essentials for me and Old Tang. I’ll come by to get them later.”

Meng Siqi hesitated. “Aren’t you out on an arrest?”

“Don’t even mention it,” Zhao Leiting grumbled. “When we arrived, Zhao Guanghui was in the middle of attempting suicide by drinking poison!”

“Suicide?”

“He was shouting that he wanted to die with her. If the poison hadn’t expired, he’d probably be dead by now. He’s currently in the hospital getting his stomach pumped. We’re staying overnight to keep watch.”

Zhao Leiting then added excitedly, “But we found something big at his house—a divorce agreement signed by Zhou Jieli. That could be the real motive for the murder. Anyway, gotta go.”

“Alright, I’ll get your stuff ready.”

After hanging up the phone, Meng Siqi fell into self-doubt again. Zhao Guanghui’s motive seems too obvious. He must have been unwilling to let Zhou Jieli go, which led him to kill her in a fit of rage. The divorce agreement practically confirmed his guilt.

Since the team often spent nights at the station, their necessities were all there. Meng Siqi packed up Zhao Leiting and Tang Xiaochuan’s things.

Just then, a woman in a white uniform entered the office. She was in her late twenties. Meng Siqi recognized her immediately—they had met that morning. It was Chen Jierong, the forensic doctor.

Meng Siqi studied her for the first time. Chen Jierong was about the same height as her, tall and slender. Her long black hair flowed down her shoulders, framing a delicate oval-shaped face. Her bright, dark eyes shone with intelligence. She carried an air of elegance that made it hard to believe she worked closely with corpses every day.

Chen Jierong held a report in her hand. “Is Captain Han here?”

“He should be at the hospital right now,” Meng Siqi replied.

“The stomach content analysis report is out. Make sure he gets it when he returns.”

Meng Siqi took the report and, unable to suppress her curiosity, asked, “Did you find anything new, Dr. Chen?”

“We detected trace amounts of benzodiazepines in her stomach contents,” Chen Jierong said.

“Benzodiazepines?”

“This type of drug has hallucinogenic effects and can cause memory impairment.”

Meng Siqi immediately understood. The killer had used a sedative, which explained the lack of struggle or resistance at the crime scene. This provided strong evidence for why Zhou Jieli hadn’t fought back, though it didn’t directly point to the murderer’s identity.

Eager to report the findings to Han Changlin, she quickly made a request before Chen Jierong could leave. “Dr. Chen, Captain Han asked me to gather more evidence. Can I take a look at the victim’s body?”

“Of course.”

Following Chen Jierong into the autopsy room, Meng Siqi was hit by a piercing chill. She was deeply uncomfortable in such an environment, but she forced herself to endure it.

Zhou Jieli no longer looked frightening—perhaps the forensic team had prepared the body to appear more presentable. Her eyes were closed, and despite death, her eyelashes still held a hint of defiance.

Meng Siqi maintained a small distance, observing the body from head to toe. Aside from the ligature marks on her neck, there were no other visible injuries. The forensic report had already stated this clearly.

Under the influence of the sedative, Zhou Jieli had been unable to resist.

Staring at the lifeless body, Meng Siqi felt an inexplicable sense of sorrow. She had seen Zhou Jieli’s photo—a beautiful woman full of life. Now, she lay here, motionless. An urge rose within her to reach out and comfort her cold hand.

“She was really assaulted?” Meng Siqi finally asked. She found it hard to believe that Zhao Guanghui would do such a thing to his own wife.

“It was an attempted assault,” Chen Jierong clarified. “Or rather, the killer tried but didn’t succeed.”

Meng Siqi didn’t ask further and continued examining the body closely.

Then she noticed something—on the victim’s neck, near the ligature mark, was a faint, small red impression. It wasn’t very obvious, as if it had been pressed into the skin by a small, hard object.

“Dr. Chen, what’s this small red mark?” she pointed at it.

Chen Jierong leaned in for a closer look. “We noticed it earlier. It could have been caused before death, possibly by a button or some piece of clothing pressing against the skin.”

Could the mark have been made by a button on the suspect’s sleeve? Meng Siqi didn’t dwell on the thought for long. Her gaze lingered on Zhou Jieli’s face, her loose hair cascading around her. She noticed the small piercing on Zhou Jieli’s earlobe, which appeared slightly darkened.

She could imagine how stunning Zhou Jieli must have looked when she wore earrings. But something felt off, as if something was missing.

What exactly was missing?

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over Meng Siqi, and a familiar yet fleeting vision reappeared before her eyes.

In the vision, a pair of emerald-green earrings were being carefully and nervously removed from a woman’s ears. A rough, calloused hand then placed them inside the back cover of a flashlight.

This time, she didn’t miss any details. On the back cover of the flashlight, she clearly saw a crudely carved character—“Quan.”

As the vision faded, her breathing became rapid, and her chest rose and fell with intensity. However, unlike the first time, she remained much calmer.

Chen Jierong seemed to notice something was off and asked with concern, “Xiao Meng, are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Meng Siqi forced a smile. “I just rarely get this close to… a body. Thank you, Dr. Chen. I have something to take care of, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“Alright.”

Ten minutes later, Meng Siqi rushed back into the office, panting. Just as she was about to call Zhao Leiting, he walked in. She tried to remain calm but couldn’t hide her excitement. “Zhao Leiting, we’ve found the evidence! The evidence that proves who the murderer is!”

“What evidence?”

“It’s too complicated to explain in one sentence. Get in the car—I’ll tell you on the way.”

As the car sped toward the high school, Meng Siqi sat in the passenger seat and explained, “Earrings. Zhou Jieli’s earrings are missing. If we find them, we’ll find the real killer.”

“You’re saying the murderer took Zhou Jieli’s earrings after killing her?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know Zhou Jieli lost her earrings?”

“A woman’s intuition.”

“Intuition?”

“Not entirely. Zhou Jieli had a photo where she was wearing a pair of earrings, but they weren’t found among her belongings.”

Zhao Leiting glanced at her briefly before returning his focus to the road. “Then, how can you be sure that Mu Zhiquan is the killer?”

Meng Siqi hesitated. She couldn’t reveal that she had seen the carved “Quan” character in her vision. After thinking for a moment, she fabricated an explanation. “Think about it—Zhao Guanghui claims he never went to the school, while Mu Zhiquan says he did. One of them must be lying. And the liar is the murderer. Now, who do you think is more likely to have taken the earrings?”

“Whether it was greed or some other motive, Mu Zhiquan does seem more suspicious.”

Meng Siqi nodded emphatically, pleased that Zhao Leiting was convinced so quickly.

As they drove, Meng Siqi asked, “Should we request a search warrant from Captain Han? We need to search both Mu Zhiquan’s workplace and his home.”

Zhao Leiting smirked. “At the end of the day, this is all just your theory. If we’re wrong, you know how Captain Han is… Let’s check the security office first. If we don’t find anything, we’ll head to the hospital.”

Before long, the car arrived at the school’s security office. The high school was old, and the security office was small and rundown, with peeling walls outside.

The school was already under lockdown, with police officers stationed at the entrance, while the security guards had been sent home.

After explaining their purpose, the two entered the security office. The room was sparsely furnished, with a conspicuous metal cabinet standing in the corner.

On the table sat a long-handled flashlight. Meng Siqi’s heart skipped a beat. She turned her gaze to the back cover of the flashlight, where the carved character “Quan” immediately came into view.

The earrings must be inside the flashlight. However, she deliberately hesitated, pretending she hadn’t noticed anything.

Without hesitation, Zhao Leiting grabbed the flashlight and smashed it against the lock of the metal cabinet. With a few loud cracks, the cabinet door swung open.

Meng Siqi swallowed hard, afraid the earrings might have been damaged.

Inside, Zhao Leiting found a notebook, some identification documents, a few receipts, and a metal box about the size of a soap container.

He gave the box a gentle shake, and a crisp jingling sound came from within.

Zhao Leiting glanced at her, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He pried open the lid with his fingers.

The moment he saw inside, the light in his eyes instantly dimmed. The box contained nothing but a few coins and a single glass marble—no earrings.

Returning the items to the cabinet, Zhao Leiting searched through the remaining contents, but there was nothing else of interest.

Next, they conducted a thorough search of the entire security office. The space was small, containing only the cabinet, a desk, and a few chairs.

Zhao Leiting checked every possible hiding place, but he still didn’t seem to realize he had overlooked the flashlight.

“Did he take the earrings home?” he asked with certainty.

Meng Siqi felt the need to steer him in the right direction. “Are you sure we haven’t missed anything?”

Zhao Leiting scanned the room again, eventually resting his eyes on the landline phone.

Meng Siqi raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think the earrings are hidden inside the phone, do you?”

The desk phone had already been inspected earlier. Unless they took it apart, it was unlikely anything was inside. Zhao Leiting picked up the receiver. “Maybe we should call Captain Han and request a search warrant for Mu Zhiquan’s house.” But after a moment’s thought, he put the phone back down, frowning. “Let’s go to the hospital first and discuss it with Captain Han.”

Just as Zhao Leiting stepped toward the door, Meng Siqi called out, “Wait a minute.”

She picked up the flashlight lying silently on the table and shook it. “We haven’t checked this yet.”

It was an old-fashioned flashlight that used large batteries. Meng Siqi believed that if the earrings were hidden inside, they would have easily gone unnoticed.

She tried twisting off the back cover, but due to the earlier attempts to break the lock, it was now tightly sealed. Zhao Leiting understood immediately and took the flashlight from her, exerting force as he twisted.

With a sharp creak, the back cover finally loosened.

Inside, the large battery remained firmly in place—but something else seemed to be stuck inside.

Even though Meng Siqi had been guided by her vision, she wasn’t completely certain the evidence hadn’t been moved. Her anticipation grew as she watched anxiously.

Zhao Leiting’s hand trembled slightly as he pulled out the battery. A sharp scraping sound echoed, like something metal being dragged against another surface.

As the battery was removed, an earring slipped out and landed in Zhao Leiting’s palm. His mouth fell open in shock, wide enough to fit an entire egg.

A jade-green earring, shaped like a delicate droplet, shimmered under the sunlight filtering through the window. It was nearly identical to the one Meng Siqi had seen in her vision.