Insights Chapter 49: On Site

Chapter 49: On Site

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

In the basement, two medical examiners wasted no time in examining the corpse. Shen Junci immersed himself in his work, showing no signs of hangover fatigue. While he reviewed, Qi Yi’an diligently transcribed notes despite the audio recording.

“The deceased male, around 35 years old, approximately 1.72 meters tall, weighing about 130 catties, hair length 4, with a wide range of injuries, fresh purple-brown subcutaneous bleeding, multiple wounds visible on the body surface caused by various weapons, estimated blood loss of 500 milliliters… The victim drank alcohol before death, shoe size is 44…”

Shen Junci carefully examined the man’s shoes, then exclaimed, “There’s some gray-white powder on the deceased’s shoes.” He used his gloved fingers to feel it, “It doesn’t feel like lime or talcum powder. There’s no scent, so I can’t determine what it is.”

The powder adhered to the surface of the man’s leather shoes like a layer of dust, almost imperceptible if not for Shen Junci’s attention to detail.

Qi Yi’an approached to take a look. “There’s very little of this white powder,” he frowned. “Could it have been picked up while dragging the body into the room?”

Shen Junci lamented, “There’s not much. I’m not sure if we cAn Nanalyze it.”

Next, Shen Junci inserted a thermometer into the corpse, later withdrawing it to carefully read, “Corpse temperature is 31℃, room temperature is 29℃. Considering the current season and humidity, the estimated time of death is about four hours ago, around two in the morning.”

“For specific injuries…” Shen Junci flipped through various parts of the corpse, “There are signs of a glass bottle hitting the head, extensive subcutaneous bleeding, skull fracture, a scratch behind the ear, stick and whip marks on the back, and binding marks on the wrists and ankles.”

He spoke quickly, causing Qi Yi’an to struggle to keep up. “Teacher, could you slow down a bit?” he requested.

Shen Junci paused, then glanced at the back of the corpse’s neck. “There’s an electric shock mark on the neck. This could be the reason he was subdued.”

After examining the scene, Gu Yanchen squatted down to inspect the corpse. “Bai Meng, take some people to nearby areas and inquire if any surveillance captured how the perpetrator brought the victim here.”

It was only seven in the morning, still early. Yet, the officers knocked on neighbors’ doors, startling many who were still groggy, unaware of the crime near their homes. Gu Yanchen also questioned a few neighbors to gather information.

Qi Yi’an photographed all the bloodstains, marking each one for further analysis. With the basic work done, he helped Shen Junci place the corpse into a body bag. “Teacher, this corpse has suffered severe damage. Was this a case of torture and murder? Is the perpetrator some kind of sadist?”

Before he could finish, Shen Junci interrupted, “The perpetrator is not a sadist, nor does he derive pleasure from this. On the contrary, he’s very calculating.”

Qi Yi’an was puzzled. “With the victim being so brutally beaten, what’s the plan?”

Shen Junci pointed to the plastic sheets hanging on the wall. “To leave no traces behind, he even hung these bedsheets and plastic sheets. Have you ever seen a sadistic killer so ‘calm’?”

Qi Yi’an hadn’t considered this, looking at the bedsheets around. “True, he hung plastic sheets to avoid leaving traces. But if he wanted to completely erase traces, why didn’t he remove or burn these plastic sheets?”

If they removed the corpse and these plastic sheets, the crime scene would disappear. But the perpetrator didn’t do that; instead, he left everything behind.

Shen Junci speculated, “Plastic isn’t like a wall; even if sprayed with blood, it wouldn’t leave clear traces, making it difficult for bloodstain reconstruction. Usually, we can infer the perpetrator’s height, build, and dominant hand from bloodstain patterns, but in this case, it’s almost impossible.”

Qi Yi’an suddenly understood, nodding in acknowledgement.

Listening to their conversation, Gu Yanchen chimed in, “This corpse appears to be destroyed and chaotic, but upon closer inspection, we can see that the perpetrator switched between multiple weapons. Why would he carry so many weapons and change them systematically?”

The perpetrator chose an ‘unfamiliar’ location but meticulously arranged the scene. This detail seemed illogical. The body bag was heavy. Gu Yanchen called a few auxiliary police officers to help lift it into the car.

Shen Junci said, “Captain Gu, I’ll head back to the City Bureau for the autopsy.”

Gu Yanchen replied, “When you get a chance, see if you can quickly identify the corpse.”

Shen Junci understood, removing his mask. “I checked earlier; the victim’s fingerprints are intact. Once we’re back at the City Bureau, we’ll compare them, and I’ll send you the results immediately.”

Gu Yanchen nodded, seeing the medical examiners off, then approached the landlady, Fu Meng. Fu Meng was only 1.6 meters tall, while Gu Yanchen stood at almost 1.8 meters, casting a shadow over her. She felt a bit intimidated, turning her head to the side.

Gu Yanchen asked her, “Were these plastic sheets, chairs, and ropes originally in this basement?”

Fu Meng hesitated before replying, “The plastic sheets were stored by me in the basement. The chairs and ropes were also mine. I’m not sure about the weapons. I also don’t know this man.”

“Where were you from eleven last night to two this morning?”

“During that time, I was naturally at home sleeping.”

“We didn’t find any signs of forced entry at the door,” Gu Yanchen said. “Have you ever lost your keys to this house?”

Fu Meng shook her head. “I’ve never lost them. I was surprised when I heard that the door was open. There are stories online about people who can unlock doors with a simple flick.” She repeated, “I really don’t know him.”

Gu Yanchen, seemingly casually, remarked, “Then you must have carefully looked at this man’s face, right?”

“What do you mean?” Fu Meng didn’t understand. 

Gu Yanchen pointed out, “With the state the body was in, completely disfigured, I doubt even if I knew this person, I’d recognize him right away.”

Fu Meng hesitated, “I didn’t dare to look. I judged based on body size. This person isn’t someone from nearby, and I hardly interacted with men, so I’m certain I don’t know him.”

Her words were lies. They had just spoken with nearby neighbors, and they revealed that Fu Meng loved playing mahjong and frequented large mahjong parlors with hundreds of people. She seemed like a social butterfly, acquainted with quite a few men. She hadn’t really looked closely at the corpse; this woman must know something.

Gu Yanchen then questioned her again in detail about the discovery of the corpse. As an ordinary woman and the landlord of the crime scene, Fu Meng’s reaction lacked two important elements: fear and anger. These were typical responses of ordinary people. When ordinary people encounter such a situation and call the police, they would be terrified. They would develop a dependency on the police, hoping to be proven innocent and for the truth to be uncovered. However, Fu Meng seemed to have been mentally prepared for everything, repeatedly emphasizing that she didn’t know the deceased man.

After understanding the situation, Gu Yanchen went outside. He didn’t release Fu Meng but signaled for Lu Ying to come over. “Take her to the City Bureau, interrogate her thoroughly, and take another statement. Ask our colleagues at the bureau to check her information and don’t let her leave before noon.”

At the moment, the police had no leads on the case. This female landlord was a lead they currently held. While she might not be the mastermind, she might have been involved in this bizarre murder. But Fu Meng was short and frail, not seeming like a perpetrator. Gu Yanchen hadn’t figured out what role this woman played in the case. At this moment, there were people on duty at the City Bureau. Within five minutes, Fu Meng’s information was sent to their team.

This woman was 38 years old. She got married at 22 and had a son who was currently studying abroad. Her husband was an alcoholic who got into a car accident due to drunk driving two years ago. He left her three houses in the countryside; she rented one out, lived in one, and the remaining one was this house, which was mostly empty.

Bai Meng conducted an investigation and before 7:30 AM, sent two clips of CCTV footage to Gu Yanchen. The footage was from around 11:40 PM last night, taken from the entrance of an alley. A taxi entered the alley, and about ten minutes later, it left. The second clip was from after 2 AM, showing a person in black clothes leaving the alley.

At this time, this person was very likely the culprit. The mysterious figure provided no clues, but fortunately, the taxi’s license plate was clearly captured in the footage. Gu Yanchen called the taxi company and soon got in touch with the driver, transferring the call. A woman’s voice greeted him on the other end.

Gu Yanchen identified himself, gave the address to the woman, then asked, “What happened with the fare last night?”

After a moment of consideration, the driver began to recount, “Around 11 PM last night, I picked up a fare. There was a man lying on the side of the road, and a woman in black clothes was hailing a cab. I stopped the car, and she said her friend was drunk. The man seemed heavily intoxicated, unconscious. I helped lift him into the back seat. I dropped them off and helped her get the man out. Then I drove off.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “Did they pay with cash or scan for payment?”

The female driver thought for a moment. “Cash. They came from South Bridge and it was a total of 48. They gave me a fifty and didn’t ask for change.”

“Is the money still with you?” Gu Yanchen inquired.

The female driver replied, “I took another fare to the airport later and gave the change then.”

Gu Yanchen continued, “When they were in the car, did you notice anything unusual?”

“No.” The female driver paused and added, “I’m a woman, and it was late at night. I didn’t linger too long.”

Gu Yanchen pressed on, “Do you have a dashcam or any device that recorded them?”

The female driver said, “No.”

Gu Yanchen lowered his head for a moment, contemplating the entire process. The female driver’s responses were very fluent, with almost no pauses or hesitation. He felt that this case exuded all sorts of strangeness. Gu Yanchen was direct with the female driver, “The passenger you picked up last night has since passed away. Please come to the Penang City Bureau and cooperate with us to give another statement.”