Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ran Tao was with Zhao Yu when they solved the Headless Female Corpses Case and the Devil Case. At this moment, he was trying to control the car and converse with the others at the same time.
Suddenly, he exclaimed, “This is crazy! When we wanted to investigate the yellow notebook cases, we were always distracted by other tasks. But now, an important clue has emerged from a non-notebook case again! What an unbelievable thing!”
Miao Ying smacked her lips, then asked, “So… Wu Fangfang’s death is related to the Ziliu Case? That’s strange… Yang Zebiao has been missing for 13 years, but came out of hiding now? Why? Did he have some deep hatred for her?”
“Yes… What a coincidence! Zhao Yu frowned, then said with a confused look, “The winter is cold in Jizhou, so the murderer must have been wearing layers of clothes. So, how could he have left DNA under Wu Fangfang’s nails?”
Miao Ying immediately said, “It’s possible! I’ve investigated similar cases before.”
She then pressed on Zhao Yu’s neck and pointed to his face. “It would have been left on these places! Don’t forget that the murderer strangled Wu Fangfang’s neck before he killed her!”
Miao Ying then analyzed the situation, saying, “When the murderer was behind her, Wu Fangfang must have struggled out of a survival instinct. She might have grabbed the murderer’s cheek or neck, which would explain the DNA evidence!”
“That makes sense,” Zhao Yu said.
But, he soon shook his head and said, “But, if the murderer had planned to kill her, he wouldn’t have made such a mistake, where the police could identify him so easily! That just doesn’t make sense!”
Miao Ying agreed with him and raised a question, “If it was a murder on the grounds of provocation, why would the killer strike her head with a hammer? The murderer’s behavior is really very strange!”
Zhao Yu placed his fingers on his temple. He had a raging headache! He didn’t expect that Wu Fangfang’s case would bring them such confusion from the very beginning!
Although the DNA came as a pleasant surprise to him, and he had almost the same experience in some cases before, Zhao Yu still had deep doubts about this case.
He looked at his system interface and saw the Kun Kan hexagram that he had opened yesterday morning still hadn’t ended yet! This meant that this hexagram was still in effect!
Undoubtedly, the Kan represented the dead Wu Fangfang. But, Zhao Yu wasn’t sure what the Kun represented yet. Judging from the present situation, the Kun might not only refer to the unexpected death of Wu Fangfang, but also to the Ziliu Case.
Although the hexagram was clear, Zhao Yu was still unwilling to believe that the DNA was really just a coincidence! As he shook his head, he carefully recalled the first two major cases.
Whether it was the clue from the Headless Female Corpses Case that he got from Tao Xiang or the clue from the Devil Case that he had received from Han Kuan, Zhao Yu could see that there was a logic to it all, even though the instances looked like coincidences.
But, the DNA that they had found under Wu Fangfang nails really threw him for a loop. In Zhao Yu’s current opinion, a simple coincidence alone couldn’t explain it.
Zhao Yu pressed his temple and thought carefully, but his thoughts were not clear. Although he thought of many things, he could not come up with a suitable explanation.
Before Zhao Yu could think of anything useful, Ran Tao had driven the police car into the courtyard of the Changming Police Station. Knowing that Zhao Yu was coming, the local police leaders and many policemen had been waiting at the entrance for a long time.
As they all met, they exchanged greetings. Although Zhao Yu was a casual person, his experience as the special investigation group leader had taught him a lot of official courtesies, so he could handle such social events quite well now.
After their initial pleasantries were exchanged, Zhao Yu immediately wanted to discuss the case with them. The Changming criminal police captain took Zhao Yu to the forensics department and introduced the case and their investigation progress in detail to Zhao Yu.
The criminal police captain was a female, and her name was Wang Yongxia. Although she was tall and a bit older than Zhao Yu, she was well dressed and had a special charm about her.
Captain Wang said, “Officer Zhao, thanks to last night’s effort, we have found some suspected targets from the cameras near the park! Now, we are checking them one by one, and we should have some results for you soon!”
She smiled as she continued, “Also, we have learned what Leader Wu had done just before she was killed. She came here by high-speed rail from Jinghai on the morning of the incident. She carried the lilies with her all the way. When she left the high-speed railway station, she took a taxi directly to Changming Martyrs Memorial Park.”
She paused for a moment, then continued, “We have checked all of the footage of her travel from our various surveillance cameras in the district, but we found nothing suspicious. Um… And… We also contacted the Jinghai side and asked them to assist in the investigation.”
Zhao Yu nodded a bit absentmindedly. He was still thinking about the Ziliu Case.
“And…” Captain Wang added, “We have arranged a special office for your special investigation group to work within, and the case materials have been placed there according to your request!”
“Good job!” Zhao Yu nodded and smiled.
He then said earnestly, “Remember that I am cooperating with you, not commanding you. So, you can continue to investigate the case following your routine procedures. Just remember to inform us of any changes in the situation at any time!”
“Oh… Of course.” Captain Wang nodded repeatedly.
During the conversation, they had arrived at the forensics department’s office. Unexpectedly, Gao Facai was pacing back and forth in the doorway. He had clearly been waiting anxiously for Zhao Yu to arrive!
The minute he saw Zhao Yu and the others, he rushed everyone into the office. Because there had been a major change in the case, Zhao Yu did not let Captain Wang and the other Changming police officers come in.
“There’s blood under her nails!” As soon as Zhao Yu entered the office, Gao Facai said eagerly, “I have tested everything twice! It is definitely Yang Zebiao’s blood under the victim’s nails! Zhao Yu, it’s time to report these findings to your leaders! This is a big deal!”
“Yes, I’ll definitely report this. Calm down now, and just tell me more about it.” Zhao Yu was obviously much calmer than Gao Facai because he had gone through many big cases already.
“The cause of death for Leader Wu was that her occipital bone was struck by a blunt object!” Gao Facai picked up the test report on the table as he spoke. “Based on the fracture marks, the murderer struck her head at least six times, quite ferociously!”
He then pointed to the photo on the report and said, “And… Judging by the marks on her neck, the murderer first attacked her from behind, then strangled the leader’s neck, this rendering her unconsciousness. And only then did he strike her with a heavy object!”
Gao Facai then said, “Judging from the marks on the ground, although there was a short struggle, it did not last long. This shows that the murderer must be a very strong person!”
Zhao Yu shook his head, then said, “I once had a fight with Leader Wu. Although she was not necessarily robust, she was no weakling either! It was a difficult thing to beat her, and I am quite strong!”
Gao Facai nodded, then said, “It is precisely because Leader Wu knew how to fight and knew the importance of DNA evidence that she scratched the murderer’s skin, thus leaving us the evidence we need! So, you must catch the murderer!”
Ran Tao suddenly scratched his head as asked, “Do you think that Leader Wu might have known the person who attacked her? Did she and Yang Zebiao have a history?”
“Well… Wu Fangfang is a special investigation group leader… And Yang Zebiao is a wanted criminal…” Miao Ying muttered.
Then, her eyes suddenly lit up. “Hey? Wu Fangfang has been in the special investigation group for many years. Has she ever investigated the Ziliu Case before? Or, maybe she had already obtained some evidence pertaining to it?”
Upon hearing this, Ran Tao took out his phone and said, “I’ll call Chen Ke to check on this!”
However, someone knocked on the office door before Ran Tao had time to make the call.
“Come in!” Gao Facai said.
Then, Captain Wang pushed opened the door and reported to Zhao Yu and the others with an anxious look, “Leader Zhao, I just received news from the Jinghai police station. There was a break-in at Leader Wu’s house!”
