Chapter 493: Resentment

This discovery was quite surprising. The trauma to the back of the head was the only significant injury on the victim’s body and was clearly the cause of death. The killer had used a different method of murder after six years.

Peng Si Jue held the victim’s head, observing calmly. Then he pried open the victim’s lips. Generally, a significant impact to the back of the head causes bleeding in the mouth and nasal cavities, and the victim’s teeth were covered in blood.

He used his gloved hand to probe the teeth, finding that some of the front teeth were loose. He asked an assistant to pass him a metal ruler.

Inserting the ruler between the victim’s teeth to pry them apart, Peng Si Jue said, “Several teeth are loose. There’s wear on the teeth and bleeding on the gums… someone forced her mouth open.”

Then, using a flashlight, he inspected the victim’s mouth. Chen Shi watched beside him and saw that the victim’s oral mucosa was damaged, suggesting that something hard had been forcefully inserted.

“Could forcing the mouth open be to find something?” Chen Shi speculated.

“Scissors!”

They moved the body onto a waterproof sheet. Peng Si Jue cut open the victim’s clothes from the neckline. Beneath the dress, the victim was naked, but there was an indentation on her chest indicating she had been wearing a bra. This suggested the killer had stripped her and redressed her after killing her.

When he reached the abdomen, everyone gasped. There was a long vertical incision, but since the victim was lying down, there wasn’t much blood, and the red dress concealed it from the outside.

Peng Si Jue opened the abdominal wound, revealing bloodied internal organs. Concerned about contaminating the body during examination, he decided to stop and ordered the body to be bagged.

“Wait!”

Lin Dongxue came over and checked the numbers on the victim’s hand. Having seen six bodies, she was familiar with the handwriting, which matched the previous ones. “It’s strange. The handwriting and numbers are the same, but the killing method has changed.”

“Maybe something unexpected happened,” Chen Shi said, staring at the victim’s face. “Does she… look familiar?”

“She does seem familiar.”

“Cai Tingting!” Lin Qiupu said. Everyone turned to him. “The second victim in 2014.”

“It does look like her,” Chen Shi agreed, recalling the photos he had reviewed the previous night.

“It can’t be the same person. The body back then was cremated,” Lin Dongxue said. “On closer inspection, this woman looks older and heavier. Could it be… I remember now, Cai Tingting had a twin sister!”

Lin Qiupu immediately called to verify. Sure enough, the victim was Cai Tingting’s twin sister, Cai Yating. He sent someone to investigate her residence.

Back in the car, Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, “Did you go to the scene of the first murder this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Was anyone there paying respects?”

“A security guard said a man comes every year to burn paper offerings. Based on his description, it should be Zhang Jinlei. Yue Chao wasn’t lying.”

“Not only wasn’t he lying, but he’s also not a suspect. This victim was killed around 10 PM last night, and Yue Chao was already in custody. Here, listen to what he said earlier.” Chen Shi played a recording for Lin Dongxue.

After listening, Lin Dongxue said, “I didn’t expect there would be such hidden details. Our investigation back then was indeed not thorough enough.”

“Not necessarily. It’s just that after so many years, some people no longer keep secrets… Should we go see Zhang Jinlei?”

“Is it necessary? Why are you so focused on the first case this time?”

“Because these six… no, seven serial murders are identical. I think the first case is the origin. If we dig deeper, we might find clues.”

Lin Dongxue smiled. “So you’re admitting you don’t have a suspect in mind yet?”

Chen Shi shrugged and smiled. He didn’t have a clear suspect yet, so he decided to investigate the first murder more thoroughly.

Lin Dongxue said, “Lin Qiupu gave us three days for this case. If we don’t make a breakthrough, it’ll be postponed again until next year… I hope we solve it this year. It’s heartbreaking to think of these young girls being killed.”

Zhang Jinlei was now a freelance illustrator. They went to his studio and knocked on the door. Seeing Lin Dongxue’s badge, Zhang Jinlei silently let them in and returned to his easel by the window.

Chen Shi noticed many of his artworks on the walls. They depicted beautiful women whose bodies were partly skeletal, creating a chilling contrast. The predominant color was red.

As they admired the paintings, Zhang Jinlei said coldly, “That’s a series called ‘Withering’.”

“I’m not an art expert, but I can sense the emotion in them,” Chen Shi complimented.

Zhang Jinlei sneered without looking up from his painting. “Just commercial illustrations. Nothing highbrow.”

“I remember you weren’t an art student. You majored in finance. Why this career change?” Chen Shi asked.

“I never went to college. The incident hit me hard. I got depression and attempted suicide several times. My family fought with me and forced me to study, so I ran away and worked odd jobs. Those years were painful. I always thought of her. I hated the police for their incompetence and myself for being powerless. I had extreme thoughts. Then I found that painting calmed me down, so I kept painting and made it my career.”

His voice carried a deep-seated resentment. Lin Dongxue tried to console him, “It’s good that you found a way to move on…”

Zhang Jinlei snapped his brush in half and glared at Lin Dongxue. His face twisted with rage. “I never moved on! Every day I think about what happened. Every time I paint, the paper bleeds. All I see is her dying face! You police are just bystanders to others’ misfortunes. Don’t think you can judge our lives from your high perch. You’ve never considered the lifelong pain your ‘excellent work’ leaves us with.”

Lin Dongxue stepped back, startled.

Chen Shi sensed the deep resentment emanating from Zhang Jinlei. The once sunny, energetic boy in the files was now a gaunt, hollow-eyed man with long, disheveled hair.

His appearance reflected the torment he had endured over the years.

Chen Shi said gently, “Don’t get agitated. We’re on the same side. We want to bring justice for Yan Qilin. We hope you can provide some clues.”