Chapter 473: The Dismemberment Case

On August 4th, a pet dog broke free from its owner’s leash and began greedily eating something at a sewer grate in a residential area.

The owner found the dog and saw it gnawing on a red, bloody mass. She scolded, “Doudou, what are you eating now? You’ll get sick and the vet bills are expensive. Why can’t you just behave?”

An elderly man walking by noticed and said, “What’s that the dog’s eating?” Soon, more and more onlookers gathered, all trying to figure out what the mysterious meat was.

“Who dumped this ground meat here? It doesn’t even smell bad.”

“It looks like pork belly, a mix of fat and lean.”

“But it doesn’t really look like pork. Could it be lamb?”

“No, it doesn’t smell like beef or lamb, and it doesn’t look like chicken or duck either.”

“Could it be… human meat?” someone joked. This suggestion sent a chill through the crowd. They exchanged uneasy glances and started to discuss calling the police.

By 7 PM, detectives arrived. The crowd had grown to sixty or seventy people, some of whom hadn’t even had dinner yet, drawn to the scene out of morbid curiosity. Among them, a person wearing dark sunglasses and a baseball cap watched with an inscrutable smile.

Detective Peng Ke looked at the results from the hemoglobin test and nodded to Lin Qiupu, who understood and stood up. “Alright, everyone, disperse. There’s nothing to see here. Please go about your business and let us do our job. Thank you!”

“Officer, is it human meat?” someone asked.

Lin Qiupu didn’t confirm but his actions spoke louder than words. He ordered the area to be cordoned off with police tape, making it clear to the crowd that it was indeed human remains.

Lin Qiupu took statements from the initial discoverers and sent officers to knock on doors in the building.

Peng Ke called for more personnel and protective gear, preparing to retrieve the body parts from the sewer.

Half an hour later, an officer called from upstairs, “Captain Lin, we’ve checked all the apartments except one. No one’s answering the door.”

“I’m coming!” Lin Qiupu hurried upstairs and tried the door. When no one responded, he expertly picked the lock with a hook and needle.

Inside, the living room was covered in newspapers and reeked of something foul. They instinctively drew their guns. In the bathroom, the light was on. A meat grinder covered in bits of flesh sat next to a blood-red bathtub filled with greasy, foul-smelling water.

Several officers couldn’t handle the sight and ran outside to vomit.

It was a gruesome crime scene. Lin Qiupu called Peng Ke for evidence collection. Peng Ke arrived and suggested they get buckets to scoop out the contents of the bathtub.

Standing in the bathroom, Lin Qiupu shook his head, “I haven’t seen something this brutal in a long time. This case is going to be big.”

Peng Ke replied, “I’m used to it. The forensic lab is like this every day.”

“Not everyone has your nerves of steel. Should we…”

“I’ve already called him.”

“What!? You knew I was going to suggest calling Chen Shi?”

Peng Ke nodded, “This case is likely going to need his expertise. Better to have him here from the start.”

“Alright… fine.”

Half an hour later, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived. Seeing Lin Dongxue dressed casually, Lin Qiupu suspected they were out having fun and felt a pang of annoyance.

Lin Qiupu said, “Don’t come in. There’s blood everywhere. You’ll ruin your clothes. Let Chen come in alone.”

“What?” Lin Dongxue raised an eyebrow. “Captain Lin, do you see me as Chen’s sidekick? I’m here to work too, you know. Why can’t I go in?”

“That’s not what I meant. Fine, come in if you want.”

Seeing the scene in the bathroom, Lin Dongxue’s face turned pale. She regretted insisting on coming in. The sight was horrifying even in pictures, let alone in person.

Chen Shi took a quick look and then backed out. Lin Qiupu asked, “Not going to take a closer look?”

“It’s too disgusting. I trust Peng can handle it.”

“You have a cowardly side too?”

“Stick to your expertise. I’m not a forensic scientist. All I can do is shout ‘Wow’.”

The other officers retreated to the hallway, smoking to escape the stench. To Chen Shi, who had quit smoking months ago, the scent of nicotine was strangely pleasant.

Even Lin Dongxue, who usually disliked smoke, found it better than the smell of blood.

Chen Shi examined the newspapers on the walls. Lin Qiupu briefed him, “The landlord is working abroad and rents the place out through an agency. The agency is still being contacted. Residents said there were heavy rains a few days ago, causing blockages in the sewer, which is how the ‘meat’ surfaced and was found by the dog. Otherwise, this case might not have been discovered.”

“Gruesome but effective. Grinding up the body and dumping it in the sewer is a common method in many murder cases. Seeing it in person is quite impactful.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Why are there so many newspapers in the living room? I couldn’t find any bloodstains.”

Chen Shi explained, “Judging by the tools left behind, the killer didn’t act on impulse. The living room might have been intended for the murder, but something changed, or it was prepared for another victim. This is a typical murder workshop. Do the newspapers have any pattern?”

“The most recent is two years old, the oldest five years old, mostly from the Long’an Evening News. They’re all crumpled, some stained with oil.”

“Could be from a recycling center. We can follow that lead.”

Lin Dongxue noted this down. Lin Qiupu observed, impressed with his sister’s growing investigative skills. Being around good influences indeed made a difference.