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墨書 Inktalez
A few people nodded, shaking off their drowsiness, and then headed towards the forensic department. The sack of items that Liu had brought back that evening now lay quietly in the office. The corridor was silent, with only the sound of our footsteps echoing. When we opened the office door, we saw that the items had already been sorted and placed in evidence bags.
Among them was the crucial piece of evidence: several fragments of bowls, which were now contained in a single bag. Judging by the shapes and sizes of these fragments, it was clear that they did not belong to just one bowl; it seemed likely that these pieces could be reassembled into several bowls.
I glanced at everyone and then at the fragments. "Let's see if we can piece them together and find out what we can make of them."
Without hesitation, everyone began to work. We put on gloves and carefully took out the fragments, slowly starting to fit them together. I held the pieces gently, aligning them according to their patterns. Fortunately, the fragments were relatively large and intact; they hadn't shattered into countless tiny pieces. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to reconstruct anything.
Due to their size, the fragments could independently form a bowl shape without any adhesive. As long as there were no significant vibrations, they could maintain their balance. We managed to assemble three bowls, but when we attempted to create a fourth one, we realized that one piece was missing.
We were certain that we had used all the fragments from the bag. At this point, there were only two possibilities: either Liu and his team had not retrieved this particular fragment from the sewer, or Liu had brought it back but subsequently removed it.
Gu Chen looked at the assembled bowls and spoke softly, afraid that even a slight movement might cause these delicately balanced bowls to shatter again into a pile of fragments. "What can I discern from these bowls? They look like ordinary bowls to me, albeit a bit old. In fact, some of my family's bowls are as old as I am."
I held my breath and examined the bowls closely. From their appearance alone, I couldn't detect any issues. Although these bowls were somewhat aged, I could still make out various animals painted on their surfaces. It reminded me of when I was younger; our family’s bowls also featured such distinct designs.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that these bowls likely belonged to a set because they depicted different animals: a rooster, a rat, a dog, and a pig—altogether four bowls. The missing fragment belonged to the rooster bowl.
I scrutinized the edge where the fragment was absent and noticed that the edges showed very little wear; they appeared quite new with minimal oxidation. This indicated that this fragment had only recently been broken. Given this observation, it suggested that these bowls had been preserved for a long time.
The bowls bore some chips and scratches consistent with regular use, showing considerable wear over time. However, looking inside the bowls revealed they were relatively clean compared to what one would expect from items found in a sewer.
These bowls were not filthy; while there were some stains present, they could easily be wiped away with a gentle touch. This indicated that the stains had not been there for long but had only recently accumulated. Liu must have deduced from this detail that these bowls were left behind by the murderer.
We had encountered the murderer unexpectedly in the sewer; naturally, there hadn’t been enough time for them to remove everything from there. After more than an hour later, Liu had raided the sewer and conducted an extensive search for quite some time. By then, even if the murderer wanted to retrieve anything from inside, it would have been impossible.
I gently wrapped one of the bowls and checked its bottom for any inscriptions or markings. Upon inspection, I discovered that this bowl dated back several years—over a decade ago. The reason these four bowls remained usable after so many years was simply because someone had taken great care in preserving and collecting them.
And those bowls belonged to the murderer.
I began to understand Liu's thoughts.
These bowls, which had been preserved for such a long time, must hold special significance for the Murderer; otherwise, why would they be kept? Moreover, judging by the scope of the actions, it seemed that the Murderer had carried these bowls with them. This was likely why they had not been contaminated.
Looking at the bowls, I spoke up, "Mary, is it possible to find out where these bowls were produced?"
I handed the bottom of one bowl to Mary for her to examine. She looked at the inscription and said, "Produced by Moulin Rouge? That name seems quite old. I'll do my best to look it up, but given how long ago that was, I'm not sure if the factory still exists."
I gave Mary a gentle shoulder rub and replied, "That would be great, Mary. I believe there must be a reason why the Murderer kept these bowls; they could hold significant meaning for them. If we can find out who bought these bowls over a decade ago, we might just uncover the identity of the Murderer."
Mary glanced back at me and smiled, "You don't need to worry about that. Since we're investigating the Murderer, I'll be even more diligent than you. However, it will take some time. I'll start by looking into Dongxing City from that year and then check other time periods."
With that, Mary nodded at us and said, "In that case, I'll head back to investigate this matter."
Just as Mary's words fell silent, we heard footsteps approaching from outside. Moments later, several familiar faces appeared before me. It was none other than Team Leader Li along with Liu and a few team members. I hadn't expected both groups to meet here in the middle of the night.
I looked at Team Leader Li, who was also looking back at me.
After a moment, Team Leader Li remarked, "It's late at night and you're still here investigating evidence. You all are working quite hard."
I glanced at Team Leader Li and replied, "Aren't you here personally investigating as well? I assume you must have made some significant progress; otherwise, you wouldn't have come all this way. But if you ask me, it's still a bit early for an investigation."
Team Leader Li snorted coldly and said, "That's not something you need to worry about. Liu, verify your thoughts. If everything checks out, we'll start deploying right away. When the Murderer makes their move, we must capture them."
Liu nodded and walked over to examine the patterns on the four bowls. After a careful look, he solemnly nodded and said, "There's no doubt about it; it's most likely those people behind the Murderer. However, capturing them all at once will take some time."
"That's good to know," Team Leader Li said with a smile. But upon seeing me, his expression darkened immediately. He added, "Alright then, let's go arrange and deploy our plans. By the way, it's already four in the early morning; there's really nothing more for you all to do now. You should head back and get some sleep. When your Captain Shao wakes up, remind him that we're close to catching the Murderer."
Liu glanced at us but said nothing as he followed Team Leader Li out.
I spoke up, "Liu, there's something I really need to tell you, or rather, just you. If what I ask you next is correct, then your assumptions must be wrong, so you need to answer seriously."
Team Leader Li and Liu both stopped in their tracks and turned to look at me. I knew Liu's personality; he was the type who was extremely cautious and wouldn't overlook any clues. He was also the kind of person who wanted to understand every detail related to the case. Even if Liu didn't necessarily believe me, he would certainly be willing to listen.
"There's a crucial piece missing from this," I said to Liu. "And that piece from the bowl was taken by you. All four bowls have their fragments intact, except for one. This means that this piece wasn't just lost; it was taken by you for testing, right?"
Liu remained silent, but Team Leader Li looked at me with interest and asked, "Is that so? So the fragment did go for testing. What's the problem with that?"
I shrugged and replied, "Then my first guess is correct. My second guess is that the reason you specifically sent this fragment for testing is because it has traces left by the murderer. A person as cautious as the murderer rarely leaves behind evidence; the first semen-stained bedsheet would have been nearly impossible to find without careful observation. So the traces on that fragment wouldn't be fingerprints, right?"
"I'll give you that one," Team Leader Li said, clasping his hands behind his back.
I nodded and continued, "That’s my second point confirmed. Now for my third point: there must be blood from the murderer on that fragment you sent for testing. When I encountered the murderer, he clearly didn't expect anyone could trace him down here, so in his panic, he accidentally chipped a bowl."
Team Leader Li's brow furrowed like a mountain; he seemed taken aback by how I had guessed this information that should have been confidential to their team.
"How do you know all this?" Team Leader Li's tone became serious.
I tapped my head with my finger and whispered, "I know it from here! Not only that, but I also know exactly what you found on the fragment."
"Oh?" Both of them voiced their confusion in unison.
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