Chapter 622: The Low-IQ Killer

That night, Chen Shi received a call and drove to the crime scene.

It was a large courtyard. The killer had broken in and smashed the head of a middle-aged man who lived alone. The victim lay on the ground, clutching a phone, his head severely deformed, with a pool of radial blood splatters and body tissues scattered around, reminiscent of a hammer smashing a head.

The lower half of the victim’s body was propped up by an overturned chair. The killer had likely kicked the door open, swung the hammer at the victim sitting and talking on the phone, and then delivered another blow, cracking the head like a coconut.

The victim’s clothes were also lifted, exposing his waist.

“The victim is a 48-year-old male from Tiantai,” Peng Siyue reported after examining the documents found on the victim.

“Another Tiantai native?” Chen Shi was shocked.

Unable to stomach the sight after having Mapo tofu for dinner, he stepped outside. Several eyewitnesses were being questioned in the courtyard—there were a mother and child hugging and crying, and a frightened young woman who had wet herself.

Their accounts were similar. About an hour ago, they heard a bang and then a thud. When they came out, they saw a man with a bloody hammer walking away, and old Li’s door was open. They looked inside and saw him lying on the ground.

A neighbor almost went mad at the sight and hadn’t calmed down since.

“Old Li was a good man, didn’t bother anyone. He divorced his wife, and his son is studying abroad. We just heard him talking to his son on the phone. How could this happen?” a neighbor lady said.

“What did he do for a living?”

“He worked for the Grain Bureau, a civil servant.”

Hearing “Grain Bureau,” Chen Shi immediately checked his phone map. The courtyard was named after the Grain Bureau, just a street away from the Grain Bureau itself. Zhou Xiao’s alternate personality had been here before, and the victim was from the same hometown as the hospital director.

Chen Shi asked the neighbor, “Your accent isn’t local, is it?”

“I’m from Tiantai.”

“So everyone in this courtyard is from Tiantai?”

“Yes, we’re all fellow townsmen. The landlord is from Tiantai too, so we look out for each other.”

“What’s the landlord’s name?”

The name wasn’t the one Chen Shi wanted. He asked, “Has there been anyone named Qin Wanmu living here?”

“Yes, Old Qin used to live there but moved out.”

“When was that?”

“About half a year ago. Why, does this have something to do with Old Qin?”

Chen Shi had a sudden realization. He called Lin Qiupu and Lin Dongxue aside. “The killer is after Qin Wanmu.”

“Qin Wanmu, the director of that mental hospital?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Yes! The man who died on the 11th was from Tiantai and was arguing with his girlfriend when he was killed. Old Li was also from Tiantai and was on the phone when he was killed. They were both talking when they died, and Tiantai accents are quite distinct.”

“Chen Shi, are you suggesting the killer mistook them for the director?”

“Exactly!”

“This is absurd. If he wanted to kill someone, wouldn’t he first make sure?”

“Normally, yes, but this killer is different. He has a low IQ and may only remember the director’s accent.”

Lin Qiupu had a headache. He remembered something, “By the way, the police station called today about an incident a month ago. The killer attacked an officer. He was wearing a trench coat and carrying a hammer wrapped in newspaper. When the officer asked for his ID, he knocked the officer down and ran off. This shows that the murder on the 11th wasn’t a coincidence. He’s been looking for targets. When he heard the victim arguing in a Tiantai accent that night, he killed him.”

Chen Shi said, “Tiantai accents are loud and fast, like arguing.”

Lin Dongxue said, “How did he find this place? If Qin Wanmu hadn’t moved, he might have succeeded tonight… At this rate, how many innocent people will suffer?”

“Zhou Xiao told him. More accurately, Zhou Xiao’s alternate personality did. They met on the night of the 11th, and Zhou Xiao gave him this address. Zhou Xiao had been here before, and his alternate personality was also looking for the director.”

“That means he’s guilty of inciting murder?” Lin Dongxue hoped it wasn’t true.

Chen Shi also didn’t want it to be true. Zhou Xiao’s alternate personality hadn’t surfaced, so they couldn’t get information from him. Lin Qiupu said, “He’s now a suspect in inciting murder. We should detain him or send him to a mental hospital for psychological help.”

“That’s too extreme. Zhou Xiao hates mental hospitals, inside and out. It would only make him more rebellious.”

“But he incited murder…”

Lin Dongxue promised, “If we find evidence of incitement, I’ll arrest him myself.”

“Fine. Keep a close eye on him. He seems very suspicious.” Lin Qiupu’s impression of Zhou Xiao was based on a few comments from Lin Dongxue in meetings. He naturally didn’t have a good impression of a witness with the same name as a serial killer.

At the scene, a piece of paper was found. The tech team put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Lin Qiupu. The three looked at it—it was a crude map with a few lines indicating a route. Lin Qiupu ordered it to be sent for analysis. Chen Shi said, “Wait!” and took a picture with his phone.

Processing the scene took three hours. As before, the killer generously left plenty of evidence and surveillance footage before disappearing in an alley. Chen Shi doubted he had any anti-surveillance skills. He guessed the killer was homeless, wandering the city mostly at night like a ghost, making him hard to find.

Chen Shi hoped that when they found him, it wouldn’t be after another murder.

The next morning, everyone was out investigating. Chen Shi sat in the conference room, spreading several identical city maps on the table, marking them. Lin Dongxue came in, “Old Chen, what are you doing?”

“Reconstructing the route on that map to figure out where the killer started.”

“Ah, so we can find his residence!”

“This route is the most accurate…” Chen Shi pointed to a map. “The starting point is the first murder scene, meaning Zhou Xiao gave him a route from there to the Grain Bureau courtyard.”

“Do you think he lives near Zhou Xiao’s place?”

“I don’t think so…” Chen Shi had marked many points on the map, indicating where the killer was spotted on surveillance or by witnesses. “The killer’s low IQ means he probably couldn’t follow a map properly. That’s why it took three days for the second murder. He was wandering around looking for the place…”

Chen Shi pondered, “Let’s check the surveillance around the crime scene!”