Chapter 679: “Yizhi”

After a brief silence, Chen Shi asked, “Were the scratches in the victim’s vagina severe?”

Peng Jue replied, “They were typical signs of rape, indicating penetration without protection. However, because the body had been stored for a long time, some details were no longer visible. I searched thoroughly but didn’t find any traces of semen on the victim, suggesting the assailant didn’t ejaculate. Another discovery is that the killer might have been strangling the victim while raping her, continuing the assault even after she died.”

Chen Shi pondered, “Could it be him?” He stood up and said to the captain, “Excuse me, can I use your computer and fax machine?”

Chen Shi contacted Lin Qiupu, and soon a file was faxed over. It was an old case from a few years ago, involving a serial rapist and murderer nicknamed “Yizhi,” who had committed multiple crimes around Long’an and was still at large.

This man had two distinctive features: first, his right thumb was transplanted and constantly infected due to rejection, evidenced by traces found at crime scenes.

The second, even more bizarre feature, was that this man lacked a penis and used a strap-on made of rubber or plastic to commit rapes.

When this hypothesis was first proposed, it was met with shock and disbelief. How could a rapist without a penis derive any pleasure from his crimes? Yet, as more evidence emerged, this hypothesis was confirmed.

Criminal psychologists believe that Yizhi’s gratification came from his desire to conquer women. Due to his physical condition, he probably felt inferior around his partner, or his marriage had already broken down. Unable to satisfy his sexual desires through prostitution or dating, he was in a state of constant frustration, leading to his twisted behavior.

Yizhi especially enjoyed forcing the victims’ partners to watch the assaults as a way to demonstrate his “manliness,” and he would always kill the partners afterward.

Lin Dongxue flipped through the fax and said, “This case was never solved. How do you know about it?”

“Of course, I heard about it. It was a big deal back then.” Chen Shi smiled faintly. There was an inconspicuous signature on the file—Song Lang.

At that time, Song Lang had just graduated from the police academy, and his mentor, Li Mu, was in charge of this case. The hypotheses in this case had greatly intrigued Song Lang, inspiring him to delve into criminal psychology and abnormal psychology.

Lin Dongxue suggested, “Since this guy has such a noticeable disability, shouldn’t we be able to track him through medical records? Why hasn’t he been caught yet?”

Peng Jue shook his head. “He didn’t go to a proper medical facility, so there are no records… I was involved in this case back then too.”

“Why did you say ‘too’? Who else was involved? My brother?” Lin Dongxue glanced at Chen Shi suspiciously.

Realizing his slip, Peng Jue quickly covered it up by naming a random colleague. Lin Dongxue didn’t mind much, as she was focused on another detail. “Chang Juan mentioned the killer had a transplanted finger. This detail couldn’t be known by just a witness.”

“Not necessarily. Maybe she knew the killer was Yizhi and then learned about this detail. It’s possible the person behind her is a relative of a past victim,” Peng Jue suggested.

Peng Jue asked, “Yizhi disappeared for five years and then resurfaced. There must be a reason.”

“He’s likely not young anymore, probably in his forties or fifties…” Chen Shi’s eyes lit up. “I think his disappearance might be due to health reasons.”

“Let’s check the hospitals then,” Lin Dongxue proposed.

“No, no, no, there’s no rush. Let’s study this a bit more first…” Chen Shi’s stomach growled, and he said, “Why am I so hungry? Oh, it’s nine o’clock. Let’s go eat!”

The captain, who had been dozing off, suddenly jumped up. “Finally done talking! Let’s go eat.”

Peng Jue dreaded dining with unfamiliar colleagues. He had dodged it at lunch but couldn’t avoid it now. He signaled Chen Shi for help, who reluctantly made an excuse to the captain, ending the meal plans.

Outside, Peng Jue asked curiously, “What excuse did you use to get out of it so quickly?”

“I said, ‘Captain Peng is too shy to ask, so I’m doing it for him.’ Wasn’t that convincing?” Chen Shi laughed.

“At least come up with a better excuse next time.”

“How about I say you’re practicing fasting?”

It seemed they would spend the night here. Over dinner, they discussed the case. Since the suspect might be Yizhi, they needed to investigate locally. Lin Dongxue suggested that Peng Jue and his team return tomorrow while she and Chen Shi stayed to look for clues, as Yizhi might have connections here.

Lin Dongxue said, “Old Chen, do you think that girl knows more?”

“Maybe. We should interrogate her thoroughly tomorrow. Since she admitted she wasn’t channeling spirits, it proves her ‘mentor’ has valuable information. This is already a serial murder case, which is hard to crack. Any help is welcome. I want to catch Yizhi soon to prevent more victims.”

“I saw in the files that Yizhi often broke into homes and killed couples. I wonder if…” Lin Dongxue paused. “What were Chang Juan’s parents’ names?”

“Hmm, I forgot.”

Suddenly, they heard a loud crash and an alarm. Chen Shi rushed out, followed by everyone else, realizing someone had tampered with their cars.

When they arrived, they saw Chen Shi moving his car out of harm’s way, shouting, “Hurry up! Something happened!”

There was no parking lot, so they had parked in an open space behind the street. Lin Dongxue saw that a brick had fallen on the hood of a police car, severely denting it, likely thrown from a height.

Chen Shi’s first reaction was to move his car to safety, which impressed Lin Dongxue. She said, “Who dares to smash a police car? What guts!”

“Dongxue!” Chen Shi called, pointing upwards. “I got here first, and no one has come down from this building. The suspect might still be up there.”

They secured all exits of the building, and several officers went to investigate. They soon found a suspicious man in the stairwell. Lin Dongxue asked, “What are you doing here?”

The man, looking flustered, said, “I… I didn’t smash the police car!”

She asked him to show his hands, revealing brick dust, catching him red-handed.