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墨書 Inktalez
The waves raged beneath the cliff, churning into layers upon layers of foam. In Kong Anping's final moments, he had jumped from this very spot, seemingly pulled into the depths by a whirlpool. Retrieving a body from such a place would be nearly impossible; even knowing that Kong Anping had leaped here, it would be difficult to find him.
Like a specter in the dark night, a vengeful spirit was something that should not exist. He had completed his revenge, leading himself toward destruction.
Jiang He could not understand the emotional mechanisms behind such actions because, in Jiang He's view, each person is an independent entity and does not need to be destroyed because another individual has been harmed.
He stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down.
Where could there possibly be a body among the crashing waves?
Xu Yiman appeared despondent. After a long pause, she turned to Old Shao beside her and said, "Is the world truly this dark? Someone can violate others and use their power to silence victims. With money, one can act recklessly and even have others assist them. Even if the police are called, Qin Qingxue has been ruined, while Zhuang Ziming faces no real consequences."
Listening to Xu Yiman's words, Old Shao fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he spoke against the sea breeze. "Zhuang Ziming will receive his due punishment, but he is not the only accomplice."
Xu Yiman's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean there are more accomplices?"
Old Shao nodded heavily. "This society is Zhuang Ziming's greatest accomplice. The reason Qin Qingxue does not dare to report it is largely because she cannot face most people in society. Has her life been ruined just because she was raped? Is she forever tainted? Clearly not. But if we are honest with ourselves, do men care nothing for her past when they date or marry her? Do women not gossip about her having been violated?"
"Emotional cruelty is also a form of murder."
When Xu Yiman heard Old Shao say this, she saw a weariness on his face that was starkly different from the spirited man she had always known. She watched Old Shao's somewhat unsteady figure and his words drifting through the air—this society still had a long way to go.
After a simple meal, the special investigation team began examining the evidence they had brought back. By evening, all the evidence had been analyzed.
First of all, during the murder, Kong Anping had been very cautious. As a good student, he must have known that every person's fingerprints are unique in this world; therefore, he must have worn gloves while committing the crime. However, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws; for some unknown reason, he left a fingerprint on the locker in the biological evidence room.
Based on the fingerprint comparison with the back of the phone, it was confirmed that the fingerprints belonged to Kong Anping. This was an extremely important piece of evidence.
The red skirt brought back from the seaside house was tested against the red thread found under Shih Wenshan's nails, and it was discovered that both materials were consistent, confirming they came from the same garment. When Xu Yiman conducted a Rumino chemical reaction on this red skirt, the bright color astonished everyone.
The skirt was almost entirely soaked in blood, as if it had been dyed with it. Blood analysis revealed three different blood types, belonging to Zhuang Ziming, Song You, and Shih Wenshan. It appeared that someone had worn the skirt while dismembering bodies, raising questions about whether this was a hobby or a sign of a twisted mind.
A hammer with a shortened wooden handle also bore blood from all three individuals, but only Song You's DNA was found on the saw marks.
To be thorough, Xu Yiman compared shoe prints and found them identical to those on the impression.
Thus, all evidence pointed to Kong Anping as the murderer.
With physical evidence in hand and Kong Anping's testimony available, it could be deduced that Kong Anping had indeed proposed a trip out of town shortly after Qin Qingxue's suicide, providing ample opportunity for the crime. The motive for murder was clear—Kong Anping killed out of love. Furthermore, Kong Anping possessed the capability to carry out such a method of killing.
However, Old Shao still intended to review the case from beginning to end by himself to see if there were any oversights.
Jiang He seemed about to say something when a police officer knocked and entered: "A leg has been found."
"Oh?" Old Shao turned to the officer. "What was it packed in?"
The officer replied, "It was found in an old backpack and discarded in a garbage pile in Tongyang District. The body part was discovered by an elderly scavenger."
"Then I'll go check the DNA," Xu Yiman said as she stood up.
The officer shook his head: "While you were in the meeting, the forensic doctor at the City Bureau already conducted an identification; it indeed belongs to Song You."
Xu Yiman sat back down: "According to Kong Anping's notebook, it was cut into six pieces; now four parts have been found. Only the torso and one arm remain. I wonder what Kong Anping is thinking—playing hide and seek with body parts."
The detective spoke again, "However, you need to come out for a moment. Zhuang Ziming's parents have rushed back from out of town and are now preparing to identify the body. We need your signature. If there are no issues, we will let them take the body."
"Let's go take a look," Old Shao said.
Xu Yiman and Old Shao moved, but Jiang He remained seated, motionless in his chair. If it weren't for the fact that Jiang He still had his eyes open, they might have thought he was asleep. Seeing that Jiang He had no intention of getting up, they decided not to bother him.
Upon arriving at the Autopsy Room, they found two people already standing at the entrance. The man wore a large gold chain and watch, with a big belly and small eyes. The woman was dressed in stockings and high heels, her face heavily made up. Judging by their expressions, impatience seemed to outweigh anxiety.
"You must be the ones in charge," the man said as Old Shao approached. "Can you hurry it up? I refuse to believe my perfectly healthy son just died like that. My son is tough, just like me. Back in my day, I survived five knife wounds without dying."
As Xu Yiman opened the door, she shot back at the man, "No matter how tough you think you are, if your son chooses to court death, no one can stop him."
With that, Xu Yiman stepped into the room.
The man was angered. "What kind of woman talks like that..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Xu Yiman pulled open the body drawer, revealing a highly decomposed corpse before the man and woman.
Both were taken aback by the sight of the body. Old Shao noted disgust and disdain on their faces. This was already a cleaned-up version of the corpse after Xu Yiman's autopsy; there were no maggots or bodily fluids left. Even so, the woman continued to step back in horror.
The man glanced at the body and said, "No way, my son wasn't this fat."
Xu Yiman took some documents and shoved them into the man's arms. "No need to look any further; it’s impossible to tell from its appearance at this stage of decomposition. But this is your son. DNA will confirm he is your direct blood relative—either it's your son or your father. You can figure it out yourself."
The man pondered for a moment before muttering, "Is she insulting me? Is she insulting me?"
Xu Yiman was filled with pent-up frustration and finally let it out: "Yes, I am insulting you! If you had been able to manage your son properly, many lives wouldn't have been lost. Good people who should have had beautiful lives wouldn't have died unjustly in sorrow and anger. Take the body and never come into my sight again."
Old Shao had never seen Xu Yiman this angry before.
The man, scolded by Xu Yiman, was at a loss for how to respond.
A woman beside them spoke up, "Is he really your son? It stinks! Hurry up, will you? Our son is still home alone."
The man frowned. "He is my son, isn't he? I'll make a call and arrange for someone to take the body back and bury it."
"Why not just burn it?" The woman was a bit annoyed. "Why go through all this trouble? What time will it be when we get back?"
The man suddenly fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "He's still my son. His mother left early..."
Finally, the body was taken away. Watching their hurried departure, Xu Yiman felt an inexplicable sense of helplessness wash over her.
Old Shao patted Xu Yiman on the shoulder and comforted her, "That's just how the world is; there are all kinds of people. Zhuang Ziming may be her biological son, but he probably can't compete with the whispers in her ear. People are selfish. To Zhuang Ziming, this stepmother is undoubtedly an Evil Person, but to her biological son, she might just be the mother who loves him most."
"Human nature," Old Shao sighed.
Xu Yiman sighed as well and followed Old Shao back.
Old Shao asked, "By the way, have you notified Shih Wenshan's parents?"
Xu Yiman nodded. "Yes, I've contacted them, but they haven't given any response and haven't come to identify the body. They're just too busy with their business. Now there's no news at all; I can't reach them."
For some reason, Xu Yiman suddenly recalled a famous saying: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
As they entered the conference room, they saw Jiang He still sitting in the same position as before they left. He sat there dazedly in his chair, staring blankly ahead, his eyes heavy with dark circles that didn't even blink.
Xu Yiman walked over and waved her hand in front of Jiang He’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Did someone put you in a trance?”
Jiang He, however, remained unresponsive.
Suddenly, Xu Yiman had an idea and playfully pinched Jiang He’s cheek.
Old Shao looked at Jiang He and said, “Do you feel like something is missing in this case? Like there’s something off?”
Jiang He suddenly grabbed Xu Yiman’s wrist and said sharply, “That’s right. There are many points that can’t be explained.”
A faint smile appeared on Old Shao’s lips. “It’s still too early to conclude the case. We need to visit Kong Anping’s house to verify my suspicions.”
“More doubts?” Xu Yiman felt like her brain was already overloaded.
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