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墨書 Inktalez
"Li the Tiger" was right. Although the "Special Investigation Team" had only been established for a short year, this way of life had already seeped into our bones. No matter how we tried to disguise it or evade it, it was an undeniable fact—something that could not be changed. It felt as if we were born to fight against the darkness, destined to contend with the "Killer."
"Don't forget your promise, and don't forget the thing hanging at your waist," "Li the Tiger" pointed at the charm I wore, left by Xiaocao.
I nodded heavily.
"Li the Tiger" patted my shoulder and said, "In that case, I have a mission I can assign to you all in the 'Special Investigation Team.' Tonight, we just received orders from above that a case must be handed over to you. It's not just because of the strong request from the 'Vice Minister,' but more importantly, this case occurred in the city where 'Yan Junde' lives."
A bad premonition stirred in my heart; I felt this case must be related to "Yan Junde." Otherwise, "Li the Tiger" wouldn't have called me out in the middle of the night. Sure enough, "Li the Tiger" continued, "We received news tonight that a murder occurred in 'Cangtai City.' A fat man was found dead hanging from a utility pole. He was tied up high, about five meters off the ground, and his body was covered in blood inscriptions."
"'Uphold Justice,' it is our duty—'Enforcer Liu,'" "Li the Tiger" said. "At the same time, 'Yan Junde' and his mother are missing. There are suspicions that 'Yan Junde' acted out of resentment to take revenge. This is all we know for now; no further information has come through yet."
"'Yan Junde?'" I said with a firm tone. "Impossible. It absolutely cannot be 'Yan Junde.'"
"I believe it can't be 'Yan Junde' either," "Li the Tiger" replied. "But can we really say that 'Yan Junde's' disappearance has nothing to do with this case? I think not! This is why the 'Vice Minister' strongly requested that this case be handed over to your special team; the Minister is very concerned about it. If it truly is 'Yan Junde,' then the nature of this case would be too heinous!"
"It absolutely cannot be him," I reiterated firmly. "He comes from a family of police officers; he has no reason to do such a thing."
"Exactly," "Li the Tiger" said, gazing into the distance. "So if 'Yan Junde' is not the 'Killer,' then you must find out who the real 'Killer' is and clear 'Yan Junde's' name. The timing of this incident coincides almost perfectly with 'Yan Junde's' disappearance. If he is not the 'Killer,' then..."
I frowned and said, "Then he is in great danger!"
"We leave day after tomorrow. Do you have any objections?" "Li the Tiger" asked. "It's already three in the morning; today is your big day, and I should wish you a happy wedding."
"If someone is using 'Yan Junde's' name to commit murder, then he is indeed in danger," I reiterated my point and added, "We need to head to 'Cangtai City' right away; I'll call Mary immediately."
"How about 'Yang Xiaojuan'?" "Li the Tiger" shook his head.
We fell into silence. Today was supposed to be our joyous occasion; " Juan Juan " had been waiting for this day since she turned twenty-five. But now that it had finally arrived, everything had suddenly changed. How would " Juan Juan " react if she knew about this? What would our relatives who had already come to 'Yuzhou City' think?
But at that moment, I had completely lost any desire to get married. It felt wrong to stand at my wedding smiling when I knew that "Yan Junde" might be in danger—I couldn't do it. " Juan Juan, I'm sorry," I silently thought.
After a long pause, I spoke up: "Director, let's not tell ' Juan Juan' about this matter. I'll contact Mary right now and head to 'Cangtai City.' This will have to count as my apology to her."
"Li the Tiger" patted my shoulder again and said, "At this point, perhaps that's all we can do. However, on your wedding day, if the groom doesn't show up..."
"I am following my heart's choice."
Half an hour later, I arrived at the airport. I dialed Mary's number and asked, "Mary, where are you now?"
"Brother Shao?" Mary's cheerful voice came through, and then she said, "You're so anxious! I just got off the plane and I'm about to find Sister Juan."
"That's good. I'm at Gate D. Come find me right away; the Special Investigation Team is about to take action!" I said in a stern tone.
There was a noticeable pause on the other end before Mary replied, "Special Investigation Team member Mary reporting for duty."
We met at Gate D, where Li the Tiger had already arranged everything. As we boarded the plane, Mary looked puzzled to see only the two of us. I explained the situation in detail, and only then did Mary understand what had happened and why I was so anxious.
Mary rested her chin on her hand and said, "Yan Junde could never be the Killer; I'm absolutely convinced of that. But what about Sister Juan? Are you really not going to say anything?"
"She's been waiting for this day for a long time, and honestly, I don't know what to say," I sighed. "I’m afraid that the more I explain, the more confused it will get."
"Special Investigation Team; it's just the two of us now," Mary murmured.
Two hours later, we arrived in Cangtai City. The sky was just beginning to brighten, and a fresh scent filled the air. The City Public Security Bureau was already aware of our arrival, and some city leaders were present as well. Without much time for pleasantries, Director Zheng of the City Public Security Bureau said, "The events that occurred last night have had a terrible impact; at that time, a group of elderly women were returning from dancing in the square, and nearly a dozen people witnessed it."
"It hasn't been long since it happened, and people are practically breaking down the doors of the police station," Director Zheng continued as we walked quickly forward. "The major news outlets are making a big fuss over it. If we don't catch the Killer soon, losing our positions won't matter, but causing panic among citizens would be unacceptable."
I nodded and asked, "Have they identified the victim? Does he have any criminal record?"
"We've found out who he is—Alley! Alley, come over here," Director Zheng called out. "You need to fully cooperate with the comrades sent from above; do you understand? Hurry up and explain the situation."
Through Detective Captain Alley’s account, we gained a rough understanding of the case. The victim was named Liu Sanxi; he had no prior criminal record but was seen by his neighbors as a ruffian. He was known for being aggressive and often bullied others, flirted with their wives, and took things from them without permission. He engaged in all sorts of despicable behavior; if you crossed him, life would become miserable. He would even defecate in front of people's houses or block children after school.
The police station had tried multiple times to educate him without success. When neighbors heard he had been killed, they were practically celebrating like it was New Year’s. Not only did they lack any leads on the Killer, but even if they knew who it was, they likely wouldn’t say anything. Alley told us, "The Killer carved 'Uphold Justice—Law Enforcer' into Victim's body; this is clearly a provocation against our police force. We believe the Killer will continue to commit crimes."
"However," Alley added, "we've been informed that they already have a suspect in mind. It’s someone who previously worked with our bureau—Yan Junde—who is also part of your Special Investigation Team... Currently, we haven't found more leads, but given his disappearance, we suspect it was premeditated."
"Let's examine the body first and then look for clues at Yan Junde's house!" I said.
During our conversation, my phone vibrated continuously in my pocket. Pulling it out revealed numerous missed calls and messages asking where I had gone. They all mentioned that I needed to pick up the bride soon; it wasn't just that the bridesmaids hadn’t arrived yet—the groom himself seemed to be missing.
Feeling helpless, I could only send Li the Tiger a text asking him to help out over there.
We arrived at the Mortuary, where a corpse lay on the cold table. The person appeared to weigh at least two hundred pounds, with excess flesh spilling to one side. On the chest and stomach, bloody characters were still clearly visible, with the skin and flesh having been brutally carved out, revealing just how viciously the Killer had struck.
An elderly forensic expert informed us that these wounds had been inflicted while the victim was still alive. During the autopsy, the expert discovered something quite shocking. Inside the victim's stomach, he found remnants of various foods, indicating that the person had gorged himself before death.
The Forensic Expert stated, "We analyzed the food remnants and found that they consisted of snake, rat, and toad meat. This means that before he died, someone forced him to consume these things."
"Why would the Killer do this?" Alley asked, having just learned this information and feeling puzzled.
"I can't say for sure," the Forensic Expert waved his hand dismissively and continued, "However, it wasn't just these items we found in the victim's stomach; we also discovered a USB drive!"
Now it was not just Alley who was shocked; we all gasped at the Forensic Expert's revelation.
I pondered for a moment before speaking. "While it’s understandable for someone to eat rats or snakes, consuming a USB drive is perplexing. The Killer left markings on the victim's body and also placed something inside him. This USB must contain something the Killer wants us to see. This Killer knows our investigation procedures and understands that we would perform an autopsy..."
"So this Killer is very familiar with our internal workings!" Alley added quickly.
"The USB drive!" I said. "Let's open it and see what’s inside."
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