Chapter 7: 7 Chapter 06

◎Urgent Shift in Investigative Direction◎

Hearing those words, Xu Jinyao turned around, her eyes filled with puzzlement.

She stared directly at Xia Xun. There was no hatred in her eyes, no love, no familiarity.

In those sharply contrasting black and white eyes, aside from puzzlement, there was only indifference.

The tone of her voice was as cold as her gaze.

“Miss Xia,”

[She used to call me Xiaxia.]

“A normal person wouldn’t mistake someone’s identity time and again. You might—”

[Impossible.]

Xu Jinyao raised two fingers and tapped her temple, speaking flatly, “need to see a doctor.”

Her words were followed by a deathly silence.

Xia Xun’s heart lurched, as if she were back on that sinking ship again.

The Mortuary had been packed, filled with every kind of weeping. All that crying had drowned out her own tears. She had hurried frantically through the crowd, stumbling several times because her swollen eyes couldn’t see the path clearly.

She had pushed through the people ahead, lost, muttering something all the while. The overwhelming cries had swallowed everything, including the sound of her own voice. Only later did she realize her throat had long been ruined by the smoke. From start to finish, she hadn’t made a single sound.

Someone had grabbed her from behind, telling her to calm down.

Without looking back, she’d shoved that person away, struggling to push through the crowd ahead. Immediately, more hands reached out to grab her, blocking her path, pinning her to the ground. She had screamed with all her might, fighting desperately, biting the arm blocking her way. She couldn’t see who those people were, but she could smell the blood.

A pervasive scent of blood had filled the surroundings, forcefully invading her nostrils.

Uncontrollably, her mind had flashed back to the debris and severed limbs floating on the ocean surface. Her stomach had churned again; she wanted to vomit, but there was nothing left in her stomach to expel. Her stomach was empty, her heart was empty, and as she gradually stopped struggling, stopped resisting, her soul seemed to wrench free from her body, hovering toward the ceiling.

The Corridor of the morgue had been cold, deathly silent, just like right now.

She came back to her senses, blinked extremely slowly, and let out a soft snort of laughter.

“Sorry, Captain Xu, I was just joking,” she said, stepping closer with a smile on her face. “You didn’t take it seriously, did you?”

Xu Jinyao lowered her hand, her gaze flickering across Xia Xun’s face. “In front of a police officer, you’d best watch your words and actions.”

Xia Xun’s smile faded, and she nodded repeatedly. “Alright, alright, I’ll remember that.”

Xu Jinyao retracted her gaze, turned and walked away. Sensing Xia Xun was still following, she stopped and turned back. “Why are you following me?”

Xia Xun blinked. “Didn’t you say I’m suspected of assaulting a police officer and disrupting traffic order? Either detention or a fine, gotta face one of them, right?”

Xu Jinyao: “You’re surprisingly self-aware.”

“Of course, abiding by the law is everyone’s duty.”

Xu Jinyao gave a cold scoff.

–

Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Ding Wenxin had just sent the completed autopsy report to the Special Task Force. She stood up to stretch her stiff body and glanced at her wristband.

It was already past midnight, well beyond quitting time.

She changed her clothes, pocketed her phone, grabbed her bag, and walked out of her office.

Leaving the office building, she could see from afar that the CID Headquarters was still brightly lit.

Without lingering, she headed toward the parking lot.

It had been raining continuously recently. A car had skidded and damaged the automatic barrier in the underground parking lot, making manual registration necessary for entry and exit. To save trouble, she’d been parking above ground the past few days.

Just as she opened the car door and was about to get in, she caught sight of a vehicle pulling in from the corner of her eye.

Not an official vehicle, but a private one. She looked twice. Of the two people getting out, she recognized Du Chang first.

She’d heard the New Captain transferred from the Provincial Public Security Department was arriving in Lan City tonight, and he’d been assigned to pick her up. She hadn’t expected him back with her only now.

The distance was too far; Ding Wenxin couldn’t make out the new captain’s appearance. Only after the two entered the office hall did she retract her gaze and get into her own car.

At the same time, Du Chang led Xu Jinyao into the Major Crimes Unit office.

The interior was divided into several areas. No one looked up at the door; everyone was focused on their work.

Each member of Major Crimes was busy with different cases. Typically, personnel were only shifted around when backup was needed. This serial case had monopolized the majority of the police force, with many team members out on field assignments, which explained why the office area looked so empty.

Half an hour ago, Xu Jinyao had instructed Du Chang to assemble the main leads of the Special Task Force for a Meeting. The time was now, and the individuals were already waiting in the Conference Room.

When Xu Jinyao pushed open the door, the conference room lights were off. The nearby projector was on, displaying a sharp image on the distant screen—crime scene photos of the third victim.

Everyone turned their heads in unison.

She shook hands with those present, concise and direct. “Special Task Force Leader, Xu Jinyao.”

The others introduced themselves briefly as well.

When Lin Zhiqing introduced herself, Xu Jinyao’s gaze lingered for two extra seconds.

She had heard this name before and knew something about her. Lin Zhiqing also glanced at her and gave a polite nod.

This meeting was primarily for Xu Jinyao. Being new, she couldn’t grasp the real-time progress of the investigation just from documents. Therefore, except for the Medical Examiner, every other lead from the Task Force took turns presenting their updates.

Xu Jinyao listened while flipping through the third victim’s autopsy report.

Once everyone had finished, she set down the files, raised her head, and scanned the room. “So… you all believe the Killer has developed a taste for this, that a fourth victim will appear soon, and we need to increase patrols, add more officers, and continue investigating the victims’ social circles. Is that correct?”

She had summed up every team’s conclusion in a single sentence, but the tone of her summary sounded distinctly sarcastic.

A long silence followed before she spoke again. “I believe this is a complete waste of time.”

One of the leads responsible for interviewing and investigating retorted, “The perpetrator’s first attack was two weeks ago, the second was last week. The first two victims both died on a Saturday, exactly seven days apart. The second and third were only six days apart. Doesn’t that indicate something? The killer is choosing victims according to the weather.”

Xu Jinyao replied flatly, “I checked the weather for the past few days—all rainy. The sudden downpour in the early hours yesterday was unexpected. If the killer truly follows the weather, why didn’t they kill on any of the preceding rainy days?”

“That…” the man said, “Perhaps because the rainfall wasn’t enough? A torrential storm is more fitting for murder.”

Xu Jinyao’s tone remained perfectly calm. “A police officer’s greatest taboo is jumping to conclusions. What we can see might be exactly what the killer wants us to see. Only what remains hidden is the real clue.”

The lead in question shot to his feet, raising his voice. “So, you’re saying everything we’ve been investigating all these days was for nothing?”

“Not exactly.”

The man scoffed heavily. “Well then, why don’t you enlighten us? Don’t keep us in suspense.”

Most of those seated were elite talents from various regions; stubbornness in their own opinions was common. Moreover, a new Team Leader arriving and immediately dismissing everything, her words seemingly implying the investigation’s lack of results was due to the team’s incompetence, naturally ruffled feathers.

“The increased patrols, adding officers, conducting interviews and canvassing you mentioned—these are the basics. As for a potential fourth victim appearing, that’s likely correct. However… are you not being too hasty in identifying the killer as a single individual based solely on the method of killing?”

Another person explained, “The Medical Examiner’s autopsy report and murder weapon simulation analysis all point to the killer being a woman, around 170 centimeters tall, with a slender build. The wounds on all three victims originated from the same weapon.”

Xu Jinyao smiled. “That’s not enough.”

“Not enough for what?”

Lin Zhiqing interjected, “Not enough to prove there’s only one killer.”

She looked at Xu Jinyao and continued slowly, “The killer could also be different women of the same height and build.”

“This is a serial case, not an impulsive killing! If it were truly different killers, why are there so many commonalities between each crime?”

Xu Jinyao: “As I said, don’t jump to conclusions. Saying there might be more than one person is just proposing a possibility based on the current clues.”

The man pressed on. “Fine, let’s set the number of killers aside for now. What about the crime scene locations?”

“Based on the three current crime scenes, the killer doesn’t choose a fixed location. They decide the murder site based on the victim’s movement trajectory prior to death. This suggests the killer is familiar with the terrain near the crime scenes and possesses a certain ability to predict the victim’s movements. From the first case to the third, the killer is noticeably more adept. Even if they aren’t the victim’s acquaintance, they’re at least someone they know. That’s why we focused heavily on investigating the victims’ social networks, and you’re calling that a waste of time?”

Xu Jinyao nodded. “Aside from the rainy night, there must be another reason for the timing of the murders. According to the weather forecast, the next rainy night is in ten days. Within these ten days, we must pinpoint the next crime scene and the Suspect. Investigating the social circles of three victims—we simply don’t have enough time. Only by changing our investigative direction now can we try to prevent a fourth case from happening.”

The man said angrily, “Fine! Then tell us how to change it, how to investigate!”

At this, Xu Jinyao paused. She pulled out her phone, opened a photograph, and projected it onto the screen. “I received a tip from an Informant. All three victims visited the same bar, a bar hidden in an underground parking lot here in Lan City. I just came from there not long ago.”

The photo showed the interior of the bar. Judging by the angle, it was clearly taken covertly.

“I suspect the deaths of these three victims may be connected to this bar. Discovering why they went to this bar might lead us to why they were killed.”

Saying the latter half, she swiped to the next photo—a kindly-looking middle-aged woman.

“Isn’t that the wife of the third victim, Huo Zhi?” someone immediately recognized the woman in the photo. “You suspect her?”

Xu Jinyao said coldly, “Before the true culprit is caught, I suspect everyone, including the seemingly innocent Victim’s family.”

The man frowned but didn’t press further, easing back into his chair.

The others silently understood the same thing: this parachuted-in team leader indeed had some real skills.

She’d only been in Lan City for a few hours, yet she already had informant tips, had called an emergency meeting to shift the investigation focus, and regardless of anything else, her operational efficiency was truly remarkable.

“For the next ten days, the investigation will focus on four main areas: the reasons the victims went to the bar, the suspicion against the victims’ families, pinpointing the probable location of the fourth crime, and the origin of the murder weapon. Within ten days, even if we cannot identify the suspect, we must at least determine the location of the next crime.”