Chapter 78: Complicated Case

  Seven police officers led by Captain Ko gathered around the body, listening as Dr. Yen briefed them on the new leads they had discovered.

  Qin Lang had not yet approached when he recognized Bai Wu's elegant and refined figure among the crowd of police officers.

  From his perspective, Bai Wuxia's eyebrows were furrowed and her face was filled with anxiety, obviously worried about the case.

  It's not just Bai Wuxia, almost all the police officers who have caught his eye are wearing a uniform look of anxiety, among whom Captain Gao is the most severe, as if he has fallen into an unprecedented predicament, with a face full of worry.

  This murder case seems very serious!

  Qin Lang suddenly realized this point, and couldn't help but shake his head. If things continued like this, Captain Gao's two or three hours would soon be up, and it was likely that they would leave. He remembered that these police had been stuck here for a whole day, unable to crack the case, and it was impossible for them to easily give up and go back. Immediately, he had the idea of leaving first.

  However, Bai Wuxia had already spoken to him and left just like that, seemingly somewhat disappointing the girl who had desperately defended him.

  After some deliberation, he decided to discuss it with Bai Wuchuang first.

  Bai Wuxia was fully immersed in the case and didn't notice Qin Lang approaching quietly.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I have completed the preliminary examination of the deceased, and it can be basically confirmed that it was done by the same perpetrator. Moreover, this may not be the first crime scene. Of course, this is only a preliminary examination of the body, and more specific and detailed examinations will have to wait until the body is sent to the autopsy room for dissection." Standing beside the corpse, forensic doctor Yan Fa said thoughtfully.

  As the forensic team and academic leader of the entire province, Yan Fa has organized and undertaken hundreds of provincial procuratorate-sent, major and extremely difficult cases of forensic medical examination and appraisal work, with great authority in the field of autopsy.

  Due to the serial murder case, it has had a very bad impact. The superior has issued an order to crack the case within a limited time. Because the difficulty of cracking the case is too great, reluctantly, the Ping'an City Criminal Police Brigade specially applied to the superior to transfer Yan Fa from the provincial capital to assist them.

  The team leader originally wanted to transport the body back for autopsy, but after analyzing the case, forensic doctor Yan decided to go to the scene of the crime to investigate and rushed over from afar without stopping.

  Within just over two hours of arriving at the scene, she discovered evidence that others found difficult to detect with her professional skills.

  "Hmm, what have you found out? Tell me specifically." Captain Gao said solemnly.

  "Just like the three recent murder cases, except for the way the killer killed the victim, there is one thing that is exactly the same!" Dr. Yan frowned tightly.

  She was about to continue, but was interrupted by Bai Wuxia's indignation, "All of them were killed after being raped, without leaving any seminal stains or fingerprints? This is simply outrageous and too cunning. If we don't catch him, I'll have him torn apart by five horses and executed by slow slicing. I won't be able to close my eyes in death!"

  Looking at Bai Wu's inexplicable angry expression, a group of police officers suddenly stared at her with their eyes wide open.

  Qin Lang, who was slowly walking closer, also heard this and was taken aback for a moment.

  Bai Wuxia's words were truly shocking, and the intense anger she displayed made it seem as if she was a relative of the deceased.

  However, Qin Lang knew that Bai Wuchan was so dedicated and devoted to the case because of his strong sense of justice. He couldn't be compared with the likes of Wu Yong and his ilk.

  It seems inappropriate to disturb her at this moment, so let's talk about it later! Qin Lang sighed and stopped a few meters away from Bai Wuchang.

  He also wanted to hear what kind of perverted murderer would commit such an atrocious murder.

  "Hold on, don't get so excited. You also suspected earlier that this might not be the first crime scene. Why don't we listen to what Dr. Yan has to say and then discuss it?" Captain Gao said soothingly.

  "Sorry, Dr. Yan, please continue..." Bai Wuxia gradually regained her composure.

  Dr. Yan nodded and continued, "What Officer Bai said is exactly what I wanted to say. The killer was indeed very cunning and didn't leave any evidence behind. As for why I suspect this isn't the first crime scene, there are two reasons. Firstly, I've searched the area and found no signs of struggle or fighting."

  Secondly, the deceased's hair still maintains a high water content and is very wet. It is unlikely that it was wetted by dew, as dew contains very little water and evaporates quickly. The most likely possibility is rainwater. I have contacted the local meteorological bureau and they confirmed that there has been no continuous rainfall in this area for many days. I also immediately sent someone to inquire with nearby farmers, who also verified this statement.

  Third, from the photos of the corpses you took when you first arrived here, I can see that the deceased was lying on his back with his body stiff and straight. Fortunately, you did not move the corpse, which is a very good thing, allowing me to obtain evidence that this is not the original crime scene, and it's very conclusive evidence!

  Captain Gao was taken aback, looking at Dr. Yan's gaze as if he had seen a lucky star, placing all his hopes on her, and excitedly asked: "Dr. Yan, quickly tell us, what else have you discovered?"

  Gao Feng was transferred from the county to the city less than two years ago. Two years ago, he was still managing a branch team in a lower-level county. All along, the local customs were good, and even if there were major cases, they would be taken over by the municipal or provincial authorities, so it wasn't his turn to participate. He rarely came into contact with difficult cases, and it can be said that he had very little practical experience. If he hadn't gotten on well with Director Huang and received his promotion, he wouldn't have been able to sit in this position at all.

  This time, due to Qin Lang's hijacking case, he was also implicated and received some credit. His superiors assigned the case to him, and if he could crack it, his future prospects would be boundless. If he couldn't, as the head of the criminal police team, although he wouldn't lose his official position, the halo that had just been placed on his face would also disappear completely.

  It can be said that the bigger the official hat, the harder it is to get off the tiger's back. It describes his current predicament.

  "Really, Doctor Yan, what did you see?" Bai Wuxiao also asked with a puzzled expression.

  Today she has seen the body thousands of times, and almost all the clues that can be seen or thought of have been recorded, but still can't find a breakthrough.

  The rest of the people's expectant gazes also fell on Dr. Yan's face.

  "Look... " Dr. Yan squatted down to the ground, pointing at the shallow pit from the shoulder to the lower part of the head of the corpse, "The key is this pit!"

  This made everyone even more curious, and they all leaned in, almost sticking their eyes into the hole.

  The forensic doctor continued: "The deceased's shoulder, neck and head just fell into this pit, her head and neck were stiff. After a person dies, the first thing that appears is not rigor mortis, but rather the relaxation of all muscles in the body. If the position where the deceased is currently lying is indeed where she took her last breath, then due to the phenomenon of muscle relaxation after death, her head and neck would inevitably fall into this pit due to gravity."

  When the muscles of the corpse enter a stiff state from a soft state, the head that has already fallen to the ground still maintains its posture leaning back. The deceased's head is stiffly suspended in this pit, obviously, the place where the deceased is lying now is not where he was lying when he died. The first scene of death must be a flat surface, and this corpse was moved here after rigor mortis had already set in!

  Taking all these points into consideration, I firmly believe that the first crime scene was somewhere else. The time of death of the corpse did not exceed twenty hours, so it is highly likely that the murderer moved the body here during the period from 3 am to dawn!

  In fact, she also discovered a phenomenon that made her wonder: since the body had been stiff from the moment it was found, why did it remain so clean even after nearly eight hours had passed without any special treatment, and there wasn't even any abdominal distension due to decay?

  She has been engaged in forensic medicine for many years and it is still the first time she has seen such a phenomenon.

  But she didn't express this confusion, and instead treated it as a small question that was suppressed in her heart.

  Everyone listened to Yan Fa's words and suddenly realized that this kind of professional work was still most suitable for a forensic doctor. If the body is taken away today, then the evidence in this pit may be buried forever.

  "In that case, we should go find the scene of the first case immediately, there's no need to waste time here!" someone suggested.

  Captain Gao nodded thoughtfully, his tightly furrowed face still not relaxing despite the new evidence discovered by Dr. Yan.

  "Has the last place where the deceased was seen been investigated?" asked Dr. Yan Fa again.

  "I sent the deceased's photos back for verification at the first time today, and so far, only the identity of the deceased has been confirmed. The last place to go out has not been investigated yet, and colleagues on the other side are rushing to investigate." Bai Wuxiao replied.

  At this time, another police officer raised a question, "This last appearance place and the first case discovery scene seem not to be an equivalent relationship. Don't you think the murderer might have taken the victim hostage somewhere else before committing the crime?"

  "Right, even if we found the last place where the deceased was seen, it wouldn't be of much use. Taking us as the center point, within a radius of about five hours by car, bicycle or motorcycle, all vehicles are included in the route calculation. It's highly likely that any one of them could be the first crime scene. To determine the exact location of the first case is like looking for a needle in a haystack! It's too difficult! Captain Gao's face was gloomy, he had jumped out of one pit only to fall into an even bigger one, leaving him frustrated and anxious."

  "The only thing we can do is use this as a lead for investigation. I neither deny nor confirm it."

  Bai Wu Xiu sorted out his thoughts and said to Captain Gao in a righteous tone: "Combining the methods and ways of committing crimes in these several murder cases, although we have confirmed that they were committed by the same perpetrator, why did the first few times discover the body at the scene of the first case, but this time, the perpetrator moved the body?"

  The cunning and resourcefulness of the murderer have already been deeply experienced by us. I suspect that the first case discovery site is very likely to be a place where the murderer often appears, even hiding, fearing that our police will find him, so he would move the body to another location, thereby diverting our attention. If we find the first case discovery site this time, it's highly likely that we'll also find the murderer!

  "This task is extremely urgent, and with only three days left to crack the case, I've investigated and found that over the past decade or so, there have been several cases with the same modus operandi, but they all ended up as unsolved mysteries. My intuition tells me that these similar cases were likely committed by the same person!"