The Brain Science Case 36

Chapter 36: The Body That Vanished in a Bloody Foam – 2

“You sent Jinglin to Linsen North Road!”

Chen Huomu, having been yelled at, was both innocent and confused. “Uh, is that not okay?”

“It’s not…” Realizing his overreaction, Fang Zijun’s attitude quickly softened. “You’re sending a woman to a place like that. It’s too awkward, isn’t it?”

“But Little Zhou didn’t refuse.”

“Of course she wouldn’t refuse if her senior gave her a job. You know what Jinglin’s personality is like.”

Chen Huomu’s face stiffened, and he reluctantly lowered his head. “I’m sorry…”

“Oh, forget it. Maybe with a female officer, those hostesses will lower their guard.” Fang Zijun smiled to ease the tension, then turned and unexpectedly met Tang Yingli’s probing gaze. “Teacher… what’s wrong?”

She smiled faintly and shook her head. “Nothing. I was just thinking… Chief Fang seems to be especially concerned about Officer Zhou.”

“It’s rare to have a capable and driven female detective. How could I not treat her like a treasure?”

“Oh, I see.”

“Let’s focus on the case.” Fang Zijun skillfully changed the subject. “What are your thoughts on this body?”

“The culprit clearly premeditated the crime. Whether it’s the weapon, the time of the crime, or the various signs at the scene, it’s clear they came prepared. From the luring to the crime, and all the way to leaving the scene, almost no flaws were found, and the process was extremely meticulous… I wouldn’t be surprised if he had committed a similar major crime before.”

“Similar… you mean this might not be his first time?” he asked, stroking his chin. “I heard you simulated the crime at the scene, Teacher?”

“Yes, to deduce the culprit’s approximate build.”

He turned to Chen Huomu. “Has Ah Wei found any suspicious individuals yet?”

“I asked him. Not yet.”

Fang Zijun pursed his lips in frustration. “If the suspect used S&M to lure the victim, then it must be a man.”

Tang Yingli walked closer, her black-painted nails tapping the close-up of the fatal wound. “The victim died of excessive blood loss. This kind of seppuku-style stabbing would have allowed the victim to live for five to ten minutes at most… He deliberately caused the victim to suffer before death. From this point of view, it could be a crime of passion.”

Fang Zijun’s face tensed. “Love turned to hate? But even so, it’s too…”

“Yes… the method is brutal. And he also took the used toothbrush and left no fingerprints in the room. He’s a tough one.”

“What a headache. A meticulous and psychopathic killer?” He pinched the bridge of his nose.

However, Chen Huomu was staring intently at the close-up of the wound. “Wait… this wound…”

“Do you have any thoughts, Officer Chen?”

“Not really a thought.” He gave a quick smile and said to Fang Zijun, “Chief, don’t you think this wound looks a little familiar?”

“Familiar? Does it?”

“The female corpse case under the Civic Boulevard. The same cut down the middle of the stomach, intestines spilling out… it was at the beginning of the year.”

Fang Zijun moved closer. “Now that you mention it, I remember… it does look very similar.” A sense of unease crept into his mind. He said urgently, “Ah Mu, go to the archives and find the file for that case.”

“I’ll go right now.”

The tension in the room instantly rose. Tang Yingli raised an eyebrow. “What case was that?”

“A murder case that happened under the elevated highway at the end of January this year.”

It was now the end of October, almost a year later. From his embarrassed expression, it was clear the killer had not been caught.

Chen Huomu returned quickly, and the three of them focused on the file.

The first thing they saw was a photo of the body. “Look, Teacher…”

“I see it.” Even the usually calm Tang Yingli couldn’t help but change her expression. She looked up, comparing the wounds on the two bodies. “The location and method of the cut are almost identical. The only difference is that the second victim’s death was a little neater.” At least her intestines hadn’t been pulled out.

“And here, the victim’s profession,” Chen Huomu said, pointing to the data column.

In the first case, the victim’s profession was clearly written—club hostess.

Fang Zijun’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at Tang Yingli. “It can’t be a coincidence…”

“It’s definitely not.” Tang Yingli looked away, her index finger pressing firmly against her glasses.

“The perpetrator in both cases is the same person.”

**

From the moment the club opened tonight, the owner of “Starry Night” had had a twitching eyelid.

But the busy business had left her no time to worry—until the detectives came to investigate, and the ominous feeling that had been hanging over her all night finally had an answer.

“How could that be?” Hearing that one of her hostesses had been brutally murdered, even a seasoned veteran like her couldn’t help but scream. “Milk Tea, she…”

Lu Tingfeng nodded. “We want to know which clients were in the habit of requesting Miss Cui. The more detailed, the better.”

The matter was serious, and the owner quickly agreed to cooperate. “Okay, I understand… the club has records. Follow me.”

At 9:30 in the evening, business at “Starry Night” was booming, and almost all the private rooms were full. While following the owner to check the records, Lu Tingfeng happened to see a wall covered with photos of the hostesses. Cui Jiajia was among them.

“Ah Gui,” he said in a low voice, “take a picture of this.”

“Got it,” Jian Minggui answered quietly, adjusting the hidden camera on his chest.

Meanwhile, Jinglin was waiting alone in the service vehicle, her phone in hand, keeping an eye on the entrance of “Starry Night.”

She had originally been prepared to go in and investigate with them, but in the end, she had been left to watch the car.

But she felt a sense of relief.

This was the red-light district of Linsen North Road, a place with which she had a deep connection, but which she deliberately avoided.

In terms of familiarity, Li Yuejiao was certainly far more knowledgeable than she was. Perhaps if she just went to any club and mentioned Li Yuejiao’s name, she could even command a certain level of respect from some of the veteran owners or hostesses.

But Jinglin had only heard rumors of her mother’s influence here. Not only did she not want to bring it up, but she would never use Li Yuejiao as a card to solve a case.

This was a tacit understanding between mother and daughter. She could not, and did not want to, get involved in her mother’s past.

A message notification pulled her back to reality—‘When are you coming home for dinner?’

“Oh, I was just thinking of you,” she said with a wry smile, quickly replying, ‘I don’t know yet… we just got the report this evening, and we’re still investigating.’

‘A murder case?’

Her fingers hesitated for a moment, but she still typed honestly, ‘Yes.’

‘Then you get back to work. I’ll wait for you.’

It was always like this. Li Yuejiao was concerned, but she never pried. Jinglin smiled and wiped the screen.

A short while later, a message popped up in the work group. It was a photo from Jian Minggui, nicknamed “Ah Gui.” All the women were dressed to the nines.

“Is this… the hostesses at the club?” There were fifteen photos in total. Some of the other detectives teased them for looking at women on the job, but Ah Gui only replied with three words at the end, “For the file.”

The waiting was agonizing, especially since Jinglin was not a patient person. She went to the entrance of “Starry Night” and happened to run into a hostess who was coming out.

The hostess was heavily made up and wearing a high-slit cheongsam. She only glanced at Jinglin before lighting a cigarette to satisfy her craving.

But Jinglin was struck by her dark green hair, and especially by the rings in her eyebrow and nose.

Wait, the photo… She went back and carefully compared each photo. Finally, she confirmed the hostess’s identity.

“You’re Tina, right?” she asked quietly.

The hostess, whose stage name was “Tina,” blew a smoke ring and finally looked at her properly. “Who are you? How do you know me?”

Her tone was not that of a hostess, but more like a debt collector. “We came here with a client before.” She secretly stuck out her tongue and pulled her jacket tighter, pretending to be an office worker.

“A client? Which one?” Jinglin casually mentioned a construction company, and the hostess nodded, a disdainful smirk on her face. “Oh, so you’re Mr. Chen’s secretary? You’re so pretty, I thought you were here to apply for a job.”

Jinglin was a little unhappy, but she still forced a smile. “Business is good tonight, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I barely have time to take a break.” Tina glanced at her a few times and then went back to her phone.

“Who did our manager request tonight? Milk Tea? Or Butterfly?”

“Are you an idiot? Milk Tea is on leave, and she works the early shift anyway.”

“Sorry, I’m not that familiar with your schedule.” She suppressed her anger and continued to ask in a pleasant tone, “Tina, are you and Milk Tea close?”

She put down her phone. “That bitch… whoever is close to her is unlucky. She acted like a little lamb when she first came, all innocent, and then she went and stole my clients, giving them blowjobs and handjobs, it’s disgusting.”

“You hate Milk Tea?”

“Duh. I just said all that. Of course I hate her.” She narrowed her eyes. “Hey, are you really a secretary? You’re so clueless.”

Jinglin’s face tensed, and she silently moved to the other side.

A moment later, there was more movement at the entrance. Lu Tingfeng came out first, followed by Jian Minggui, who had sent all the photos. Behind them was a slightly older woman. Tina, who had been so arrogant a moment ago, immediately hid back inside when she saw the owner.

Jinglin quietly approached and heard Lu Tingfeng say, “…Let us know if you have any more news, especially if there are any other clients we missed.”

“There won’t be any. Everyone who has ever requested Milk Tea is on this list, unless the killer wasn’t a client at all.”

He forced a smile. “That’s not impossible.”

“Milk Tea was very daring, and she was beautiful. It’s a shame to lose her… but our other hostesses still have to work. I’ve been as cooperative as I can be.” The implication was that they should not come back, no matter what.

“We won’t deliberately cause you trouble when you’re cooperating with a police investigation.” Lu Tingfeng smiled and nodded, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her. “Little Zhou?”

“Senior Big Head.” She approached, her eyes meeting those of the owner of “Starry Night” for a moment.

The owner’s expression changed slightly, and her eyes were locked on Jinglin’s face as if she had seen an acquaintance.

“What are you doing here?”