Chapter 1: Ride-Hailing Murder Case

He knelt in a pool of blood, desperately trying to wake the dead man, until he was startled by sudden footsteps.

He picked up the handgun from the blood and pointed it at the intruder. “I’ll kill you!”

But no matter how hard he pulled the trigger, the gun remained silent. The intruder mocked him, “Ha, Detective Song Lang, killing your own boss and partner with your own hands. Tomorrow’s headlines will be quite something.”

Rage threatened to tear Song Lang apart. He threw the gun aside and lunged at the criminal who had trapped him. The man suddenly pulled out an iron rod from behind and struck Song Lang on the head. Song collapsed to the ground, blood soaking his temples.

The iron rod hit the ground with a chilling clang.

“Listen, from now on, there’s no Song Lang. If I catch even a whiff of your comeback, I’ll return and take everything from you again. Ha!” With that, the figure disappeared into the darkness…

Chen Shi woke up abruptly, his sweaty face in the rearview mirror looked unfamiliar. Despite his efforts to forget, that blood-stained night always haunted his dreams, torturing him.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from the glove compartment, shook it, and found it empty. Frustrated, he tossed it back.

Damn, soaked in sweat again. Although it was autumn, the lingering heat was relentless. The changing season made it easy to catch a cold, and as a cab driver, he couldn’t afford a few days in bed.

He glanced at the time, it was already 2 a.m. Time to head home for a hot shower and some sleep.

His phone beeped with a new ride request. The passenger was just a kilometer away.

Seeing that the passenger’s destination was on his way home, he thought he might as well make a bit of extra cash. He skillfully accepted the ride and started the car.

In the headlights appeared a graceful figure. Chen Shi tidied his messy hair with his hand. Long, slender legs moved elegantly to the back seat, and as the woman bent down to get in, Chen Shi eyed her through the rearview mirror… at least a D cup, he estimated.

“Where to, pretty lady?”

“Didn’t you see the order? To Fengzhi Lin Hotel!” she snapped.

Once driving, the woman took out a pack of cigarettes from her bag. Chen Shi extended two fingers, “Give me one. Forgot to buy smokes, and the craving is killing me.”

She rolled her eyes in disdain and put the pack back.

“I gotta say,” Chen Shi continued, “heading to a hotel alone this late? Your boyfriend isn’t picking you up? That’s irresponsible.”

“Just meeting a friend,” she replied.

“Ha, the universal excuse. This late, what if you run into trouble?”

“Trouble?” She sneered, “Bad guys don’t have labels on their faces!”

“Well, not necessarily. I’m not boasting, but if a murderer got in my car, I could probably tell.”

“Oh? What do murderers look like?” she asked, clearly uninterested.

“Murderers, you see, usually have shifty eyes, are on guard, and get irritated easily. They often avoid talking about themselves.”

She snorted, “You sound like you’ve seen one.”

Feeling the conversation had gone far enough, Chen Shi brazenly asked, “Hey, add me on WeChat?”

“Why?”

“Just to know each other, no need to be so guarded.”

“Sorry, I don’t think there’s any need to know someone like you.”

“Alright, forget I asked.” Chen Shi backed off.

After a period of silence, the woman pulled out her phone, glanced at Chen Shi in the rearview mirror, and typed, “Honey, this driver talks too much, so annoying!”

========

“On the morning of September 11, a female body was found near the riverbank about a hundred meters from Anfu Road Bridge. The deceased was around 25 years old, slim, and attractive. Her clothes were torn, and there was a strangulation mark on her neck. Preliminary forensic analysis indicated she was strangled from behind and had sexual activity before death. We found her discarded bag 300 meters downstream, containing her ID, phone, and other items. After investigation, we confirmed that the victim had 1,000 yuan on her which was taken. The phone, water-damaged, was later restored, revealing the last two messages she sent to her boyfriend: ‘Honey, this driver talks too much, so annoying,’ and ‘Just got off the car, seems like someone is following me.’ We are currently in contact with the ride-hailing platform to investigate the driver.”

Captain Lin Qiupu of the city’s criminal investigation team read the case summary in a calm voice. The room, previously silent, began to stir.

“Another ride-hailing driver murder case?”

“Are all these drivers so low-quality? I think we should shut down this chaotic platform.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. There’s no evidence yet that the driver is the killer.”

“Based on the time of death, around 3 a.m., the area around the bridge had little traffic. The driver being the killer is highly possible.”

Lin Qiupu knocked on the table to quiet the room. “Ride-hailing, rape, murder, young female victim—these keywords have reappeared within a month of the last ride-hailing murder case. If this case gets exposed, it will have a significant social impact. Thus, our superiors are highly concerned and have ordered us to solve it quickly. I’ll handle the pressure from the higher-ups and the media. Cancel all leave for the next two days, and reduce sleep from seven to five hours a night. We aim to get results within 48 hours! Do you have confidence?”

Despite the severity of his words, Lin Qiupu’s firm and ruthless demeanor carried a sense of command that even made some female officers starry-eyed as they looked at him.

The male officers could only sigh at their infatuated colleagues. Comparison is indeed a killer!

“Yes, sir!” The task force responded in unison.

“Good, let’s assign tasks. Xiao Qi, take your team and re-examine the scene…”

As officers left the conference room, Lin Qiupu organized his notes but sensed a gaze from behind. He paused slightly before continuing his work without turning around. “Aren’t you leaving?”

“Why did you assign the task of investigating the victim’s social circle to me? It’s trivial!” a female officer demanded.

“Trivial? In my book, nothing is trivial. Every task is a vital part of solving the case. Just follow orders!”

“Hmph, easy for you to say. It’s always like this. I never get the dangerous or challenging tasks. Do you still see me as that little girl? I didn’t spend four years at the police academy to experience life here!”

Lin Qiupu finally turned to face her accusing eyes, his expression softening. “Sister, I…”

“Captain Lin!” she cut him off sharply, “Is it appropriate to call a subordinate so intimately in the bureau?”

She stopped at the door. “Brother, I’ll prove to you that I can achieve something this time!”

Watching her leave, Lin Qiupu’s face showed a hint of a bitter smile.