Chapter 81: Bodies in the Cave

Chen Shi said, “Whoever this is, they’re really lucky. The lottery jackpot hasn’t been won for three consecutive draws.”

Lin Dongxue said, “Wow, twenty million. If I had that much money…”

“You wouldn’t give me a bit?”

“Sure, for the sake of our friendship, I’ll give you a million.”

“Seems like our friendship isn’t that deep… Thanks in advance.”

The car stopped outside Lin Dongxue’s apartment complex. She was already tired and stretched, saying, “I have to get up early for work again tomorrow. I just want to sleep for a whole day.”

“Life never stops. Stop complaining and get some rest.”

The suspect in the previous case was soon handed over to the judicial authorities to await trial. At a brief commendation meeting at the station, the chief handed out bonuses to the meritorious officers and then took out an envelope of cash, saying to Lin Qiupu, “I heard that you have a very capable special consultant who has helped your team solve several major cases.”

Lin Qiupu saluted and received it with both hands, saying, “He didn’t accept the consultant position.”

“Hmph, that guy!” The chief chuckled. “Give him the bonus later. He deserves some thanks for his efforts… I hope everyone continues to work hard. Long’an City gets over a hundred alarm calls every day, and there are criminal cases almost every day. The burden on your shoulders is heavy, and your work is more strenuous than most other jobs, yet the rewards are quite meager compared to the effort. You are the immune system of this city, the most solid defense for the people’s safety. Criminals will tremble at the sight of you. Our efforts and sacrifices ensure the security and stability of this city. Please stay vigilant and ready at all times.”

The officers all saluted in unison. Some muttered internally that the chief seemed to be talking more than usual today.

Lin Dongxue threw herself back into intense work. After a week, they cracked a fairly straightforward case of a husband fleeing after killing his wife. One morning, Lin Dongxue received a call from Lin Qiupu, telling her to dress warmly because they were going mountain climbing today.

Excited, Lin Dongxue said, “Brother, is our team having a team-building event?”

“Team-building? No way. Two bodies, a man and a woman, were found on the mountain in Caoji. Come over as soon as you can.”

Though it was another case, the mention of mountain climbing got the officers excited. At least they could change their mood. Lin Qiupu arranged for a bus company to rent a bus and took everyone to the outskirts.

Caoji is a small county town southwest of Long’an City. Over a decade ago, the surrounding barren mountains were developed for tourism, but few people visited, so they ended up contracting the mountain land to timber merchants while keeping the struggling tourism business.

At the end of November, the weather was very cold. Everyone wore coats and down jackets for the climb, but Peng Sijue still wore his suit, only adding a scarf.

When they saw the person who reported the case, they realized how amateurish their outfits were. The reporters were a group of university students who came for mountain climbing, all dressed in grass-green jackets with professional equipment.

They found the bodies yesterday and were arranged to stay at the local police station for the night. When they saw the criminal police arrive, they excitedly started talking all at once.

The bodies were found in a cave halfway up the mountain. A man and a woman, wearing matching climbing gear, both had their faces smashed by rocks. The murder weapon, a blood-stained rock, was found nearby. The two held hands, seemingly a suicide pact.

“Who smashes their own face in a suicide pact?” Lin Qiupu said. “Who knows the climbing route?”

The university students nominated a senior boy to lead the way, accompanied by a local official and two police officers.

The mountain path was long and steep. Looking up from below, the slope was almost vertical. By the time they reached halfway up and looked back, they felt dizzy. Everyone quickly became breathless, except for Xu Xiaodong and the student leading the way.

Exhausted, Lin Dongxue sat on a gentle slope, gasping for breath. Xu Xiaodong threw her a towel from above, saying, “Dongxue, wipe your sweat. You’ll catch a cold if the mountain wind blows on you.”

“Thanks.”

“I can’t go on, let’s rest for a bit!” another officer said.

They took a break, and Lin Dongxue thought she had been climbing for half a day, but when she checked her watch, it was only 9 AM. At this moment, Chen Shi sent her a funny message. Lin Dongxue snapped a picture of the mountain scenery and sent it back.

After a while, Chen Shi replied, “Team activity?”

“Investigating a case in the mountains, so tiring.”

“Keep it up!”

After resting enough, Lin Qiupu called everyone to continue. When they finally reached the top, many felt relieved, almost wanting to kneel and shout at the sky.

The student said, “We need to go down from the south side. The cave is halfway up.”

“Why didn’t we climb up from the south side?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“The south side is too steep. There’s a small path from the top that leads into the cave.”

“How did you know this route?”

“We’ve been here before. The cave is relatively flat and sheltered from the wind. We planned to camp there but were scared off by the bodies.”

“Everyone rested enough? Let’s go!” Lin Qiupu called out.

Dragging their heavy feet, they continued along a sloping path on the south side, quickly reaching halfway up. A rock jutted out there. Although the rock and the path were only half a meter apart, crossing it at such a height was truly nerve-wracking.

Finally, they reached the destination. For the first time, Lin Dongxue felt happy to see corpses. Two bodies lay side by side in the cave, wearing thick climbing clothes. Their faces were damaged, making it hard to discern their gender. The body on the left had long hair and slender hands.

Exposed to the elements, their skin was pale as paper. Fortunately, there were no wild animals around.

Peng Sijue and his team marked and photographed the bloodstains and debris scattered around. Lin Qiupu said, “We can’t come here twice. After photographing, collect everything… Old Peng, any thoughts?”

“Murder, definitely murder.”

“The bodies are so neatly arranged. There are drag marks on the ground, obviously placed by the killer afterward… Trying to fake a suicide pact? Too clumsy.”

Peng Sijue checked the victims’ pockets, finding keys, loose change, gum, and throat lozenges, but no phones or IDs, likely taken by the killer.

The killer damaged the victims’ faces, clearly not wanting their identities known, and took other identifying items.

Examining the male victim’s face, Peng Sijue said, “This is an ante-mortem injury, while the female’s is post-mortem.”

“Captain, we found a footprint here.”

“Photograph it!”