The Brain Science Case 52

Chapter 52: The Lonely Killer – 1

#I know very well that this is a slow suicide.

**

It was a rainy evening.

With a flashlight, he and a large group of police officers were searching in the tall grass, almost clueless.

“Found it.” Someone shouted, and to his ears, it was like a judge’s gavel.

His heart suddenly beat so fast it felt like it would burst from his chest, and he ran with everyone else in the direction of the shout.

A lot of police officers were already gathered by the drainage ditch. He met the gazes of a few of them.

“Mr. Cai…”

In that instant, he understood what they meant. He gritted his teeth and pushed through the crowd.

“No, don’t let him through… stop him.”

Hands reached out to stop him, but he pushed them away and finally reached the drainage ditch. A body bag was already prepared, and they were about to zip it up and pull the body out.

Her hands and feet were tied, and her whole body was bloated… her disheveled appearance was the most tragic thing he had ever seen.

A wave of nausea washed over him. He shed a tear and looked up, crying out in pain—

**

To Fang Zijun, any case that couldn’t be solved was a hassle.

But compared to those inhumane, society-shaking major cases, what he didn’t want to take on were cases that came with the pressure of personal connections.

And as luck would have it, there was one right in front of him.

“Amber has never run away from home. She has always been an obedient, good child.”

Facing the tearful woman, Fang Zijun racked his brains, trying to say something to comfort her. “Mrs. Ou, I can understand how you feel. Please calm down…”

The man next to the woman was in a police uniform, his brow as furrowed as Fang Zijun’s. He held his wife. “Alright, alright, don’t panic. How can Chief Fang investigate the case if you’re like this?”

“Director, can we first confirm your daughter’s basic information? Including her age, her class, her school, and her appearance?”

In short, what they were facing was a missing person case. The girl who had suddenly gone missing this morning was named Ou Anpo. She was a second-year student at the First Girls’ High School, with excellent grades and good conduct. She was also a class officer and had won many awards both inside and outside of school. She was an extremely outstanding child.

Not only that, but she was also the beloved daughter of a precinct director in Taipei.

Originally, missing person cases were not directly handled by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, but because they had recently solved several criminal cases, which had brought a lot of credit to the Criminal Investigation Division, and on the other hand, there was the aforementioned “pressure of personal connections.” Director Ou had once been the head of the Criminal Investigation Division, and it could be said that Fang Zijun’s succession to this position was partly due to him.

Facing a direct request from his former chief and senior, Fang Zijun found it hard to refuse.

“As for a photo… this one.” Mrs. Ou, suppressing her grief, opened her phone. “It was taken recently, at the national music competition last week.”

She was even pretty.

Gazing at the girl with shoulder-length hair and a sweet smile on the phone, Fang Zijun slowly nodded.

“And who is the one next to her?”

“My younger daughter, Ou Xinrui.”

The two of them were smiling and leaning against each other, and they seemed to be very close.

“Next, about your daughter’s detailed movements before she went missing,” the digital recorder was already in place, and Fang Zijun held a pen, ready to jot down any suspicious points, “please tell us as much as you can.” He looked at the couple.

“Any detail will do.”

**

The sensor lock chimed, and Tang Yingli pushed open the door to the archives, holding a small cardboard box.

The magnetic card around her neck was her exclusive access pass. When Fang Zijun had given it to her, he had said a lot of sentimental things, such as “thank you for your help all this time, Teacher,” and “we couldn’t have solved the case without you,” as if she were about to leave at any moment. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

In any case, she had earned the right she wanted with her performance.

After filing the Qian Hanliang case, she pushed up her glasses and searched inward according to the index tabs. Soon, the air around her became heavy, and there was even a faint smell of mildew.

The further in, the older the files, and most of them were cold cases, including major cases that had shocked society at the time, such as the murder of a local official or the murder of a female councilor in a taxi. Yingli searched by year and finally found the file box she was looking for.

It was covered in dust, and it seemed it hadn’t been touched in a long time. She lowered her head, her fingers tracing the file name—the Gan family massacre.

In the eyes of the police, it was indeed a massacre.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the box. Inside was a faded folder and several evidence bags.

Opening the first page of the folder, Yingli felt as if she had been hit hard. She covered her mouth and forced herself to look at the photos of the crime scene, including the subsequent autopsy reports and other information.

After a quick review of the entire file, Yingli closed her eyes, almost on the verge of a breakdown, as if she were reliving the ordeal from many years ago. She gritted her teeth and, using her phone, took pictures of the contents of the folder, then put everything back in its original place.

As for the evidence, it included a bullet, the victim’s jewelry, and other items.

There was only one bullet, from a .38 caliber gun. Yingli carefully observed the rifling marks on it and took a picture as evidence.

Another evidence bag contained a blood-stained black hair tie, an accessory the female victim had been using when she was killed. Even a few strands of hair were still attached. She gazed at it, almost mesmerized, as if she were remembering how its original owner had used it.

The last piece was a shattered ceramic artwork with a bright red glaze. She mentally pieced together its approximate original form… it should have been a red ox.

“This… where was this placed?” she squinted, searching her blurry memory, but she couldn’t remember where this ceramic ornament had been.

Realizing she had been in the archives for too long, she let out a breath and put all the evidence back in the box.

Returning to her seat with unsteady steps, she felt as if all her strength had been drained. Her hands trembled as she recalled the strange faces that had flashed before her eyes all those years ago, the countless questions, and the cruel truth she had only come to know much, much later.

From that moment on, she was alone.

And after the incident, she had been quickly adopted by the Tang family, given a new identity, new parents, and a brother who doted on her. At that time, they had desperately needed a new member to soothe their heartache, and she had also craved another warm love.

Although it was a matter of mutual need, it could also be said to be a good fit.

But Yingli still couldn’t help but imagine, if none of this had happened, what would she be like now?

“Teacher… Teacher?” The desk was knocked on.

She looked up and met Zhou Jinglin’s gaze. “Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

“Oh, oh, I’m fine. I just went to the archives.” She gave a wry smile and waved the new ID card around her neck. “The air in there… isn’t very good.”

“Oh, you got it. The chief really did everything he could to keep you.” She reached for it and stared at the ID photo. “When was this taken?”

“When I graduated from grad school, four years ago. I’m right here, don’t keep staring at the photo.” Yingli reached out to block it and held her hand. “By the way… you’re finally back at work. Are you used to it?”

The fact that she was staying at Yingli’s house was only known to Fang Zijun in the entire division, so most of her colleagues thought she was staying at a hotel. “You weren’t here yesterday, and almost everyone asked about you. Even now, some people are still talking carefully.” She had a “can’t stand it” expression on her face. “But I’ll prove I’m fine soon.” She held up the file in her hand. “I’ve already found a target to focus on.”

“What’s this?”

“My mom’s test report.”

At the mention of a “test report,” Yingli’s heart skipped a beat. “I don’t know why I can’t access it on the computer, so I got it from Dr. Tao. I plan to follow the trail and investigate this afternoon, at least to find out who revealed my mom’s whereabouts.”

“You’re planning to… investigate on your own?”

“Yes, finding the truth is a detective’s responsibility,” Zhou Jinglin said with certainty. “I’ve seen Qian Hanliang’s interrogation. I don’t believe what he said, and… I have every reason to believe that my mom’s ex-boyfriend played a very important role in this case. Why did he move my mom? Why didn’t Qian Hanliang mention this person at all, and who killed my mom…” She bit her lip and turned away, unable to hold back a sob.

“Officer Zhou…” Yingli gently held her hand. She was emotional, and her palm was hot enough to burn.

“I’m fine.” She forced a smile. “In any case, I will not let this case be closed. I have to find out the truth that’s being covered up.”

But what if the covered-up truth is exactly what the “deceased” doesn’t want you to get involved in? Looking at the determined Zhou Jinglin, Yingli almost blurted it out.

“I understand how you feel.” She pursed her lips and deliberately changed the subject. “By the way, about the brain scan I mentioned before, as long as you give the word, I can have my brother arrange it for you anytime.”

“I don’t need it right now.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “I can still control my emotions.”

Yingli sighed. “That’s not what I meant…”

“Besides, I have you by my side, don’t I?”