Insights Chapter 155: Cross Scars

Chapter 155: Cross Scars

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

In Changxi County, afternoon, Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci found a quieter place and dialed Su Hui’s phone. A cold voice of a man came from the other end, “Hello, I’m Su Hui.”

Shen Junci briefly explained the situation, then handed the phone to Gu Yanchen. Gu Yanchen detailed the entire case to him.

After listening, Su Hui said, “Please send me all the information, and I’ll contact you after reviewing it.”

Gu Yanchen summarized all the relevant materials, including photos from the two previous cases, testimonies, and their recent observations, and sent them to Su Hui.

About ten minutes later, Su Hui called back via video. Shen Junci opened it, revealing a handsome man with a teardrop mole at the corner of his eye. Shen Junci hadn’t seen Su Hui for two years. The teacher Su seemed unchanged, very slender, with distinct hand bones visible in the video.

Su Hui was on his day off, at home. The phone was placed on a stand, and Su Hui sat in a swivel chair at the desk, holding a tabby cat in his arms, stroking its back as it purred and slept.

Su Hui greeted them, “Hello, medical examiner Shen, Captain Gu. My hearing isn’t very good, so when you speak to me, please raise your voices a little.”

Video calls were different from phone calls; sometimes Su Hui couldn’t hear clearly and was afraid of missing information.

Gu Yanchen greeted him back.

Su Hui then asked some questions.

Gu Yanchen answered them one by one.

After the communication, Su Hui had an overall understanding of the case. He began his analysis with an emphasis, “Firstly, I want to clarify that Criminal Minds can only assist you in the investigation, providing some references. Don’t follow my thinking entirely. It’s essential to focus on various clues and the actual situation.”

Shen Junci knew this was something Su Hui always emphasized before each class.

Gu Yanchen nodded, “Understood.” Then he asked his own question, “Su Hui, do these cross-shaped wounds have any special significance? Like religious symbols?”

Su Hui shook his head, denying, “Firstly, I don’t believe these are religious symbols.”

Then he explained in detail, “The way a killer commits a crime is closely related to his upbringing, environment, and education. Changxi is a very traditional place, with no churches or other dominant sects in the entire county.”

“Secondly, the reason I say this is because the cross-shaped wounds on the chest are not standardized crosses. Some wounds are offset, and some horizontal lines are longer than vertical ones, and the angles are not standard ninety degrees. A devout believer wouldn’t make these mistakes.”

Here, Su Hui added, “Of course, this is just my speculation. I can’t completely rule out this possibility. Nowadays, many underground sects are prevalent in some closed areas, which cannot be seen in the data. If you have doubts or other clues, you can investigate.”

Gu Yanchen made a note.

Su Hui continued, “The cross is an ancient totem symbolizing reproduction, the sun, and other meanings. Don’t focus solely on the meaning of this shape because, from the photos, I see more than one cross-shaped scar. I think the meaning of this shape needs to be considered, but it shouldn’t be the focus.”

“Many serial killers may leave marks, such as symbols of Satan, but most of them do it after the crime. Few people cover the victim’s body with special marks.”

“In summary, I suggest you keep it simple. From the perspective of the killer, committing a crime is often done in a tense situation, and the scars left behind are his most instinctive thoughts.”

“The killer repeatedly left scars on the girl’s body but didn’t commit any sexual assault. According to some studies, this could also be a substitute for sexual behavior.”

Su Hui’s analysis was solid, his reasoning clear, as if he were teaching a class.

Su Hui stroked the cat in his arms, “Also, I think the accurate term for these wounds isn’t cross-shaped wounds but overlapping wounds. When you see those wounds, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I want an instinctive, unthinking answer.”

Gu Yanchen said, “Those wounds are deep, the perpetrator is cruel.”

Having seen photos of the corpse and the actual scene, the wounds were ghastly, resembling gaping mouths.

Su Hui turned to ask, “What about medical examiner Shen?”

Shen Junci replied, “Difficult to stitch up.”

That was his perception from the perspective of a medical examiner. Cross-shaped wounds were much harder to stitch compared to straight-line or other shapes.

Su Hui nodded, “From the perspective of the victim, such wounds are the most painful, the most panic-inducing, and the most difficult to heal. This is also one of the goals the perpetrator hopes to achieve.”

He paused briefly and then gave an example, “Let me give you an example, like whip marks. Rarely are whip marks in one direction; most whip marks overlap, with the assailant striking from different directions, eventually forming a mesh-like wound because these wounds are the most painful. They can bring the victim the greatest pain and give the assailant the greatest pleasure.”

“These cross-shaped scars may, in the perpetrator’s subconscious, be a form of punishment, a manifestation of whipping.”

Punishment?

Gu Yanchen remembered what Zhao Xiaoyin said, “But I haven’t done anything wrong.”

So, did the deceased girls do something considered wrong?

Inspired, Gu Yanchen lowered his head in thought. Previously, they had looked at the case from the perspective of investigators, but Su Hui was guiding them to consider these questions from the perspectives of both the criminal and the deceased.

Then he thought about the scars on those children and on Teacher Zhao. Gu Yanchen asked, “Is it possible that the perpetrator was subjected to beatings or abuse during childhood?”

Su Hui replied, “Very likely. If the perpetrator was subjected to beatings during childhood, he would mirror these beatings and abuse onto the victim’s body.”

Gu Yanchen asked another question, “And one more thing, the first victim was late, and the second victim had an argument with her mother and was going to her father’s house. These seem like random events. Could these two cases be random acts?”

Su Hui considered for a moment and then said, “I don’t think they’re random. Sometimes cases may appear random on the surface, but they’re carefully planned with underlying reasons.”

Shen Junci had a sudden realization, “There’s another possibility. Jing Yunxi and Wen Qiaoqiao might have been under the perpetrator’s surveillance for a long time, and he was waiting for the opportunity to strike.”

Gu Yanchen also said, “I understand. It’s possible that they had been watched for a long time until they were alone before they were attacked.”

Su Hui concluded with a final reminder, “You can search for related cases again. I looked at the scene photos of Jing Yunxi; the perpetrator’s technique is very mature, not like a first-time crime. Those cases might not necessarily be local; they could have happened elsewhere.”

“Also, I want to remind you about that box. Don’t forget its existence because the evidence in that box led you here. Whether it was sent by the perpetrator or someone else, there must be a purpose behind it.”

“Before finding out the truth, even if it seems absurd, don’t dismiss any clues.”

“In any case, what we see is just the point of the crime. There must be a line passing through this point. The future is its extension, and the past is its cause. As police officers, we need to clarify both ends of the line and reconstruct its trajectory.”

These words provided a lot of theoretical basis for the investigation, and Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci suddenly saw the light.

Gu Yanchen noted down the key points Su Hui mentioned.

Su Hui said, “That’s all I can help you with. I wish you good luck and hope you solve the case soon.”

Gu Yanchen said, “Thank you, Su Hui. Your analysis has been very helpful to us.”

Shen Junci added, “Su Hui, we’ll treat you to a meal to thank you in the future.”

They courteously waited for Su Hui to end the video call first.

Unexpectedly, Su Hui didn’t get up to end the video call. Instead, there was the sound of a door opening from his end.

The cat suddenly woke up and jumped out of Su Hui’s arms to greet the newcomer.

A bag was placed on the table, and then a man’s voice sounded, “I finished early today, so I came back early. I brought your favorite strawberry cake.”

“Thank you.” Su Hui stood up, and someone reached out and hugged his waist…

Let’s stop here for now.

The two “students” in front of the screen were petrified, as if they had been hit by a massive blow.

Shen Junci reacted quickly and hastily closed the video, “Su Hui’s eyesight isn’t very good… probably thought we had already ended it.”

To ease the embarrassment, Gu Yanchen stood up and looked elsewhere, changing the subject, “I have some investigative ideas now.”

Shen Junci said, “I’ll cooperate with you.”

With the information on the case sorted out by Su Hui, their thoughts became much clearer.

As they walked back, Shen Junci said, “I remembered something strange about Zhao Jianghai.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “What’s strange?”

Shen Junci thought for a moment and explained, “Although Zhao Xiaoyin is from the Zhao family, the other two girls also have some connection to the Zhao family. So why is he so concerned about finding today’s perpetrator, but before that, he seemed indifferent to those murders?”

Gu Yanchen lowered his head, lost in thought.

In the afternoon, Gu Yanchen and Shen Junci first went back to the police station. Gu Yanchen was surprised, “Why hasn’t she been transferred to the detention center yet?”

Xiao Yang explained, “The detention center said their transport vehicle is under maintenance and won’t be available until after 10 pm to pick her up.”

Gu Yanchen acknowledged, “Then let her stay here for a while. It’ll also be convenient for me to ask her again if anything comes up later.”

Gu Yanchen felt the police station was crowded and wanted to excuse himself to conduct further investigations, excluding those people.

He called the City Bureau and collected the necessary files from the police station, then moved a printer and several stacks of printing paper to the hotel office.

Then he divided the officers into two teams: one to gather information outside and the other to assist the City Bureau in reviewing the data.

Shao Zhen’en coordinated with the police officers at the City Bureau to retrieve various surveillance footage and information, cooperating from multiple angles.

Shen Junci, coughing slightly, prepared autopsy reports, then began assisting several detectives in reviewing the relevant data sent from the City Bureau.

The officers were busy, everyone giving their all.

Solving a case is a painstaking process. All the information is like fragments, and they need to sift through a large amount of useless information to find what’s useful.

First, they searched the criminal case database for several severe cases. The officers handed the files to Gu Yanchen, “These cases involved overlapping wounds.”

Gu Yanchen glanced through them, and his hand suddenly stopped. A suspect in one case looked remarkably like Zhao Zhiyuan, whom he had seen before, but the man wasn’t wearing glasses. The perpetrator’s name was Zhao Zhixin, and he hailed from Changxi County.

He passed the file to Shen Junci, “Take a look at this one.”

Shen Junci took it and flipped through it.

It was a case that happened five years ago near Jiangmao. The perpetrator was named Zhao Zhixin, who killed his ex-girlfriend’s family. The ex-girlfriend had multiple cross-shaped wounds on her body.

This Zhao Zhixin was of similar age to Zhao Zhiyuan whom Gu Yanchen had met before and bore some resemblance.

Everything seemed to fit the profile of the perpetrator they were looking for.

Shen Junci flipped to the end, “The perpetrator is deceased, and the case is closed?”

Gu Yanchen said, “Take a look at who signed the verification.”

Shen Junci glanced at it, “The last name is Zhao…”

In a small place, if someone wanted to falsify records, such as with a corpse, it could be done. An anonymous corpse could be easily replaced.

Suddenly, Shen Junci remembered something, “I found half a fingerprint on Wen Qiaoqiao’s corpse before. Although it can’t be used for a search, it can be compared.”

He retrieved Zhao Zhixin’s information from the database and compared it with the half fingerprint he had obtained recently.

The fingerprint matched Zhao Zhixin’s thumbprint perfectly.

The perpetrator they were looking for was like a ghost, possibly a dead person on record.

At that moment, they received a message from Shao Zhen’en’s team.

“Captain Gu, after an afternoon of investigation, we finally found the person who took the relics out of Changxi County.”

Jing Yunxi’s relics wouldn’t have ended up on Felin’s courier shelf for no reason.

Someone must have taken those things out of Changxi County.

The items were left on the shelf for four days before being taken by Flin. They could accurately determine the date of placement.

In the afternoon, Gu Yanchen called Shao Zhen’en and asked him to have his team search for all vehicles that passed through the tunnel from Changxi County to the city during that time period. Among those vehicles, there must be one that carried the relics.

Shao Zhen’en didn’t check out as many incoming and outgoing vehicles as they thought.

After exclusion and screening, Shao Zhen’en found a man wearing a hat and carrying a box from the intercity bus surveillance footage.

The box he was holding was exactly the same as the one opened in the live broadcast room.

At one point, the man took off his mask and took a breath.

Shao Zhen’en did a restoration and produced a clear video clip.

Shen Junci leaned in to take a look, “Is this… Zhao Zhixin?”

He still remembered the photo of the suspect he saw earlier, and the screenshot in front of him looked somewhat similar.

Gu Yanchen shook his head, “No, this person is the teacher, Zhao Zhiyuan.” He pointed to the screen of the surveillance footage, “Although he’s not wearing glasses, there are marks on the bridge of his nose left by the glasses. He’s squinting and looking out the window.”

Upon closer inspection, there were some differences between Zhao Zhixin and Zhao Zhiyuan.

Gu Yanchen had just met the teacher in person today, and he wouldn’t make a mistake. Moreover, Gu Yanchen remembered that when the children were drawing, they said the man they saw had a pale complexion, likely due to lack of sunlight. Over the years, Zhao Zhixin might have been hiding somewhere after his supposed death, and he could very well be in this county.

Many people here were aware of this, which explained the eerie scene when Gu Yanchen showed the composite sketch last night.

Gu Yanchen felt he was getting closer to the truth and the answers. He stood up, “It seems like I need to have another chat with this teacher Zhao.”

Shen Junci went to get his coat, “I’ll go with you.”