Chapter 724: Hazardous Waste

On April 6th, Chen Shi received a text from Lin Dongxue and rushed to the scene. The text was brief: “Xiao Wei is dead, and it’s gruesome.” Xiao Wei was one of those nine men who had visited the bureau just a few days ago.

When Chen Shi arrived, the place was already swarming with police, and some curious neighbors were standing outside. The crime scene was in an old communal apartment building. Chen Shi made his way through the crowd, saying “Excuse me” as he approached the door. The first thing he noticed was numerous bloody handprints on the wall and a man lying on the floor, his right leg completely severed. Blood had pooled and dried around him.

The victim’s head was facing the door, and the bloody handprints were in the opposite direction. There was a lot of blood on his body and hands, but the handprints didn’t seem to match his hand shape.

“Don’t look too closely at the handprints; they’re fake. The blood is real, though. It looks like the killer used a woman’s glove filled with a blood-soaked sponge to stamp the prints,” Peng Siyue, who had already examined the scene, explained.

“A woman’s glove? Are they trying to make us think it’s Duan Lin’s revenge? Could the killer be the one who dismembered her?” Chen Shi speculated.

“We just found the body. Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Lin Qiupu said.

“Then why call me here?”

“I wanted you to see the scene firsthand so you wouldn’t ask later.”

“Fine, I won’t draw any conclusions yet.”

Chen Shi believed that Peng Siyue was more professional in on-site investigations, and Lin Qiupu always insisted on thoroughness. With these two on the scene, he felt he could just observe.

Peng Siyue measured the length of the bloody handprints and compared them to a photo on his phone. “The handprints match Duan Lin’s hand shape almost perfectly.”

“It really is related to Duan Lin,” Chen Shi nodded.

Forensic officers were busy taking photos of the body, which had several contusions and a scrape on the forehead that seemed to bear a shoe print. The right lower leg was severed at the knee, and the preliminary cause of death was determined to be blood loss. If someone doesn’t receive medical attention within fifteen minutes of such an injury, they will die.

Judging by the cut, the killer used a saw to sever the leg, which is a gruesome task. The knee has a patella and cartilage underneath, making it hard to cut from the front. The killer had to saw from the back, tearing the soft tissue in the joint before finally ripping the lower leg off.

However, the severed leg was nowhere to be found at the scene.

Chen Shi asked, “Did the neighbors hear anything?”

Lin Dongxue replied, “We questioned them. They only heard a thud last night and thought something fell, so they didn’t pay much attention.”

“Who discovered the body?”

“This morning, some school kids were playing ball and saw the body through the window.”

Chen Shi looked at the body and suddenly said, “The killer is a man.”

“Huh? Of course, it’s a man. A woman wouldn’t have the strength for this,” someone commented.

“No, I mean, he wouldn’t bring a woman home. That would ruin his image. Look at his clothes…”

The victim was wearing a tank top with a fertilizer company logo, faded shorts, and there was leftover food and a cheap beer on the table, along with a pack of five-yuan cigarettes.

Previously, Xiao Wei’s social media was full of posts like, “Strive, restrain, become a better self,” “Had lunch with the CEO of Youji; turns out he’s a Harvard alum too,” “Bought a new BMW 335i, love the sound of the turbocharged L6 engine,” and “Post-gym nutrition meal, only $19.7.”

“He wouldn’t meet a woman looking like this. The killer is likely a man,” Chen Shi concluded.

“Or maybe it was someone he knew…” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“Yes, that’s possible too…” Chen Shi suddenly thought of something. “Where’s his phone?”

“We didn’t find it anywhere,” Lin Dongxue shrugged.

“Duan Lin’s phone was also missing. If the killer is avenging Duan Lin, why take the phones? It’s contradictory. The phones must have clues about who killed Duan Lin. This person dismembered Duan Lin and sent parts to nine people to get the police’s attention, right?”

“Hey, your thinking is all over the place, assuming the killer and the dismemberer are the same?” Lin Dongxue commented.

“Let’s assume that for now and consider the possibility they aren’t the same later.”

Lin Dongxue pondered this and then compared her hand to the bloody handprint on the wall. “My hand is almost the same size. Most women have small hands. We can’t rush to the conclusion that this is about avenging Duan Lin. Xiao Wei probably harmed many other women.”

“That’s a fair point,” Lin Qiupu nodded. “Let’s not link it to Duan Lin’s case yet. The analysis isn’t done.”

“Alright, I won’t say anything more.”

Chen Shi had another thought about the method of death. Killing someone doesn’t need to be this complicated. A knife would do the job. Why sever the leg? Duan Lin was dismembered into nine parts too. Is this a sign?

Looking at the bloody scene, Chen Shi had a feeling that even more gruesome things were about to happen.

Just then, as Peng Siyue bagged the body, a phone fell out of the victim’s shorts. Everyone was shocked. The phone was placed into an evidence bag for examination.

As they drove away, a man in a yellow vest suddenly flagged down the police car, looking panicked.

It turned out he was a nearby waste supervisor. He had found someone had thrown wet garbage into the hazardous waste bin. Lin Qiupu said, “Um, about that…”

“Look, it’s right here!” The waste supervisor pulled out a bag. The police immediately tensed up at the shape of the bag. Upon inspection, they found a severed leg inside.

“I was so scared! Luckily, I saw your police car passing by. Thank goodness!” the waste supervisor exclaimed.

“You call this wet garbage!?”

“Isn’t it?”

Looking at the bloody leg in the bag, Lin Qiupu conceded, “Well, it is wet garbage.”

“That must be the victim’s leg?” Chen Shi asked from the car.

“We’ll need to confirm it,” Peng Siyue replied.

“Why bother with an analysis? Just compare it,” Chen Shi suggested.

Peng Siyue rolled his eyes. “Next time, just come after the analysis is done.”

Chen Shi seemed excited. “Throwing a severed leg in the hazardous waste bin is symbolic! I’m now 100% sure the killer is the dismemberer!”