Chapter 735: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Corpse

Due to the narrow alley, the police cars that arrived later couldn’t drive in. Peng Sijue and the technical team carried their investigation kits and walked in.

The sex worker at the scene was awakened. Due to the anesthetic, her mind was still foggy. When asked about what had happened, she only remembered that the TV was on when she entered, the noise was loud, and she subconsciously looked at the TV. Suddenly, someone pricked her neck, and before she could feel the pain, she lost consciousness.

Chen Shi tried to reconstruct the process and found that the perpetrator used their left hand. Without a doubt, it was the same person.

Other details, like the perpetrator’s clothing and appearance, she couldn’t recall at all. The woman was temporarily sent to a nearby hospital for a check-up, and they planned to take a detailed statement once she was fully conscious.

As she was being taken away, she suddenly remembered something and shouted, “You’re not arresting me, are you? I haven’t even made a deal with that guy yet.”

One thing was missing from the scene: the bloody handprint that had appeared in the previous two cases. There was a cigarette ashtray with some human tissue on it, slightly cracked, suspected to have been used by the perpetrator to knock out the victim.

This time, there were some improvised elements in the case. The perpetrator seemed a bit rushed since Zhang Xiao coming out alone was a rare opportunity.

Peng Sijue found some fibers at the scene. Based on their color and length, they appeared to be from a wig, which supported Chen Shi’s theory that the perpetrator might have disguised as a woman to lure Zhang Xiao here.

Lin Dongxue came up the stairs and said to Chen Shi, “I checked the registration information of the perpetrator. There really is someone named Li Xiangran, from Hunan.”

“This might be a lead,” Chen Shi glanced around the messy room. “Having avenged Duan Lin, what do you think this person will do next?”

“Will they run away?”

“I don’t think so. They don’t know what conclusions we’ve drawn. From the start, by sending the bodies, they’ve created a cover for themselves, placing themselves among the victims. The three murders were done cleanly and efficiently, so they have enough confidence to think they haven’t been exposed yet.”

“They indeed haven’t been exposed… Do you know who they are?”

Chen Shi shook his head. “I still don’t understand why Da Niu had to die.”

“Could Duan Lin be a distraction, and they were avenging someone else? We might need to look into this Li Xiangran.”

At this point, the technical officers carried the body bags out, and Peng Sijue followed. Chen Shi asked, “Did you find the victim’s phone?”

“No. By the way, in Da Niu’s case, we found trace particles from the first crime scene. The missing organs were found by local police in a nearby sewer.”

“Nothing of value,” Chen Shi smiled bitterly.

“Whether it’s valuable depends on how you use it. My job is just to examine.”

Taking one last look around the room, Chen Shi remembered something. Xiao Si had mentioned that Zhang Xiao’s dream was to have a threesome without paying. Zhang Xiao brought a sex worker in, and there was another “woman” waiting for him inside. This suggested someone used this dream to lure him here.

The perpetrator took the phone, further confirming this. Their communication might have been through social media, which couldn’t be traced through call records.

This place was in an old district, with no surveillance around the inn. The perpetrator intentionally chose this spot to kill Zhang Xiao.

Such small inns are unlikely to be found online. Chen Shi mentally reviewed who among the remaining people lived nearby, only a man named XX.

The perpetrator’s outline was becoming clearer in his mind, just missing that final, crucial detail.

The two returned to the station by car. Lin Qiupu held a case discussion meeting, classifying this as a serial murder case. Although Zhang Xiao was dead, they couldn’t rule out the possibility of the perpetrator continuing to kill.

Someone suggested that at this critical juncture, they should detain the remaining suspects and investigate their recent activities and contacts.

Chen Shi felt it wasn’t the time to tighten the investigation circle yet. The perpetrator was experienced and possibly had a criminal record. They were very dangerous. Previously, the police suspected someone closely related to Duan Lin, not among these nine people. Switching focus to them suddenly could alert the perpetrator.

“If we’re going to investigate, do it discreetly. Don’t directly ask for alibis,” Chen Shi said.

“Or we could bring them in one by one. Don’t reveal Zhang Xiao’s death and see how they react,” suggested Lao Zhang.

“Who is Li Xiangran?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“Oh, I just called the Hunan police. She’s a regular village teacher. I asked about these nine people, and she doesn’t know any of them,” Lin Dongxue said.

“The perpetrator couldn’t have randomly picked a fake ID number. Even if the name is different, they must have lived there… Do any of these nine have a Hunan accent?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“No,” answered a police officer.

“Right!” Chen Shi said. “Did Duan Lin’s father say anything? He should have had contact with the perpetrator.”

Lin Qiupu shook his head. “He’s detained at the station. When questioned for over an hour, he only said the person was avenging Lin Lin and he wouldn’t betray them.”

“There should be call records on his phone with that person, right?”

“Checked, none.”

“Flawless.”

“We’ll start with the remaining people. When questioning, make sure to keep two points in mind: don’t reveal Zhang Xiao’s death and make them think we’re suspecting someone else outside the group,” Lin Qiupu announced.

“I suggest showing them a photo of Duan Lin’s father before questioning, asking if they’ve seen him, to mislead them,” Chen Shi said.

“That’s despicable!” Lin Qiupu rolled his eyes. “Just find a random wanted photo to create a diversion.”

After the meeting, Chen Shi rubbed his tired face, thinking the perpetrator had great stamina, killing last night and again today.

Lin Dongxue called him to investigate the case. As they left the meeting room, a trainee forensic pathologist frantically said, “The body is missing!”

Police officers gathered around. The trainee kept repeating this. Finally, they all ran to the autopsy room, finding only an empty autopsy table.

“The body was just here. I went to wash my hands, and it was gone!”

“Is this some kind of joke?” Peng Sijue uncharacteristically stern, looked at his subordinates. “This isn’t funny!”

“Who would dare joke about this? Where could you hide a hundred-pound body?”

“Hey, there’s blood on the floor,” Chen Shi pointed out. Everyone looked down, seeing faint blood traces, not drops, but smears.

Lin Dongxue had a flash of suspicion. Could it be the perpetrator? But that didn’t make sense; they discarded the head, why risk stealing a heavy body?

Speaking of heads, Zhang Xiao’s head was still in a metal tray.

The atmosphere in the autopsy room grew eerie. After a chaotic discussion, they agreed to check the surveillance footage.

As they stepped out, a sudden scream came from the street…