Insights Chapter 84: Search

Chapter 84: Search

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The next morning, the Special Criminal Division held a meeting. Gu Yanchen still chaired the meeting. While Bai Meng was setting up the projection equipment, she sneakily glanced at Shen Junci. Early that morning, Gu Yanchen specifically helped him pick out a pillbox with a timer. Later, he didn’t have time, so he called his mom to help pick out a good chair for him, and it was sent over by express delivery.

Mother Gu expressed concern, “Son, is your back hurting?”

Gu Yanchen explained, “It’s for a colleague whose health isn’t great. The chairs in our interrogation room are cold and hard, so I thought of buying one for him.”

“Oh, I see. Don’t worry, Mom’s got it handled,” Mother Gu understood.

Gu Yanchen now looked at Shen Junci and noticed that medical examiner Shen looked energetic today, with a bright complexion and rosy lips, completely unlike the sickly appearance from yesterday. Gu Yanchen confirmed he was okay and then turned his attention back to the case.

There was some progress from last night’s work; the police had already mapped out Jin Yuewen’s social network and conducted a round of investigations. Then they searched for various information about Song Ran.

Song Ran’s colleagues all said he was left-handed, which added to his suspicion. While his phone wasn’t on for long, it seemed like he wasn’t planning to discard it. The security dormitory of the Qingwang Mansion had cameras installed to prevent theft. Bai Meng received surveillance footage from the security team, studied it last night, and was now reporting the results at the meeting.

“I watched several hours of surveillance footage yesterday, and my eyes almost went blind. This Song Ran, currently, there’s no suspicious behavior detected. He mostly stayed in the dormitory, while other security guards smoked and drank, he didn’t participate, nor did he engage much in conversation with others.”

This was consistent with the testimonies of those security guards and was more objective since seeing is believing.

Qi Yi’an asked, “So, what does he usually do?”

“Eat, sleep, be on duty, patrol. When there’s no night shift, he goes to bed at eight every day, curling up under the covers. At first, I thought he was playing with his phone or doing something illicit, but when he turned over, I saw he was reading.”

“Reading?” Qi Yi’an repeated, somewhat surprised, “Why read under the covers?”

Bai Meng nodded, “Yes!” Then she played a snippet of the video she had extracted. “Probably to avoid disturbing others or feeling inappropriate.”

Lu Ying squinted at the screen, “The cover, is that from ‘New Concept English’?”

Qi Yi’an frowned, confirming, “Looks like it’s the fourth volume.”

Being able to persistently study in the security dormitory, if it weren’t for the fact that this person was their prime suspect in the current investigation, Qi Yi’an would almost sigh and comment on what a dedicated young man he was.

Gu Yanchen pondered; perhaps because of this, Song Ran was seen as an outlier by the other security guards?

Then Bai Meng presented Song Ran’s expense list. He spent very little, with no expenses on cigarettes, alcohol, or takeout. Occasionally, he bought books, and most of his salary was sent back to his hometown, with a small portion saved for himself.

Lu Ying then reported on the investigation results, “We asked several of Song Ran’s fellow villagers, none of them knew where he had been recently. People from his hometown were also unaware of his whereabouts, and messages sent to him received no replies.”

Gu Yanchen looked at the number that communicated with Song Ran the most. Registered as Zhou Ru, he circled it and asked Bai Meng, “Who is this Zhou Ru?”

Bai Meng explained, “We’ve investigated this person. Zhou Ru is Song Ran’s fellow villager and works at a massage parlor. Song Ran has been very caring towards her these past few years, but Zhou Ru denies they are boyfriend and girlfriend, saying Song Ran treats her like a younger sister.”

Gu Yanchen looked through the communication between Song Ran and Zhou Ru. Song Ran almost always readily fulfilled Zhou Ru’s requests.

Gu Yanchen said, “Let’s go meet this Zhou Ru first. See if we can locate Song Ran through her.”

After the meeting adjourned, the detectives continued their work, while the medical examiners returned to the medical examiner Center. Shen Junci sat in the office, lighting incense. Qi Yi’an, however, seemed restless and got up to the washroom several times.

Seeing him get up for the fourth time, Shen Junci couldn’t help but speak up. He felt he should show some concern for this young apprentice, “Are you feeling unwell today?”

Qi Yi’an sighed, “Teacher, I’ve realized you were right. When dealing with heavily decomposed corpses, wearing two pairs of gloves is a must.”

Shen Junci said, “Didn’t you wear them?” He remembered cautioning Qi Yi’an about it.

Qi Yi’an painfully held his head, “I took off one layer when cleaning the autopsy room last time. Today, I’ve been feeling like there’s a smell on my hands.”

Qi Yi’an didn’t expect that the smell of the corpse had penetrated through that layer of gloves. He washed his hands countless times last night, used various shower gels and cleansers, and his hands were now peeling, yet that nauseating smell persisted. Qi Yi’an regretted deeply now, very deeply. He now understood the saying ‘not listening to the words of the elders will lead to misfortune’ very profoundly.

Shen Junci sipped his tea, “It’s alright, take it easy. Give it about a week, and the smell will naturally fade away.”

“A week?!” Qi Yi’an almost felt like crying upon hearing this, “Teacher, I have a handshake event scheduled for the weekend, and it was hard-won!”

He spent a third of his salary on this handshake ticket, and it was luck that he managed to get a chance to purchase it. If he missed this opportunity, there would be no chance again. Imagining shaking hands with his idol while his hands emitted this odor, with his hands peeling, Qi Yi’an felt like he was going to die of embarrassment.

Shen Junci looked at him sympathetically, then pushed the pot of mint in front of him forward, “Just washing won’t work. How about picking some mint leaves and rubbing them?”

Only then did Qi Yi’an realize that Shen Junci had another use for growing mint. Looking at the pot of fresh, green mint, he nodded. In an instant, he felt like a terminally ill patient suddenly receiving a miracle drug and hurriedly plucked a few mint leaves, rubbing them between his palms. After a while, upon smelling it again, the scent of mint covered the previous odor, indeed much better.

Qi Yi’an finally understood why Shen Junci could perform so many autopsies and still smell so good. The mixture of mint and incense was like top-quality aromatherapy, dispersing the odor of the corpse completely. After a while, Qi Yi’an had crushed all the leaves into bits and reached out to pick a few more.

Shen Junci pulled the mint back, “Don’t be so hasty; there weren’t many leaves to begin with, and you’ll pluck them bare soon.”

Qi Yi’an complained, “Teacher, I only picked a few; you’re being too stingy.”

Shen Junci said, “I’m just providing you with a method. Go to the market later and buy a jin of cilantro; rub it slowly, and the smell will disappear after.”

Qi Yi’an said, “Teacher, I hate cilantro the most.”

Shen Junci continued directing him, “I remember there’s a florist near the south gate of the City Bureau; go check it out, but remember not to buy anything fragrant, buy herbal ones.”

Qi Yi’an eagerly responded, “I know, mixing scents makes it worse.”

Shen Junci looked at him with even more sympathy, “You’ve tried it before.”

Qi Yi’an, as if wearing a mask of pain, said, “Yes…”

Feeling helpless last night, he bought a small bottle of perfume outside and sprayed it on his hands. After spraying, when Qi Yi’an smelled his hands, he almost vomited. The perfume mixed with the odor of decay, became more volatile, and even more pungent. It felt like practicing a poisonous palm technique. He reported an outdoor task and went downstairs. After twenty minutes, he came back with a small pot of basil.

“The boss said there’s no mint left, only this, which smells quite nice.”

Shen Junci glanced at it, “Alright, just make sure not to delay the autopsy report.”

So, that morning, Qi Yi’an wrote the autopsy report while rubbing his hands with basil leaves. By noon, he smelled his hands, and the odor had finally dissipated, leaving a herbal fragrance, faintly emitting a green hue. But this was already bearable for him.

Feeling accomplished for solving the problem, Qi Yi’an’s mood improved significantly. As it was nearing noon, Qi Yi’an went to the logistics department to pick up some items.

Detective Yu Shen happened to be standing behind him in line, and he leaned over to sniff, “medical examiner Qi, you smell so nice.”

Qi Yi’an knew it was the basil working and felt quite pleased.

Yu Shen took another whiff, “The scent of basil! Did you secretly go to a Hong Kong-style tea restaurant for three-cup chicken?”

Qi Yi’an’s face turned greener than his palms, and he didn’t want to say anything at all.

Yu Shen kept on asking, “My nose is quite sensitive; which place did you go to? I’ll order there too.”

If this were a chat group, Yu Shen would probably see the message: Your friend, medical examiner Qi, has left the chat.

.

The detective team was still searching for Song Ran’s whereabouts. As noon approached, Gu Yanchen led a team of people out. They first went to the massage parlor and chatted with a woman named Zhou Ru for a while. It would be more appropriate to call her a girl than a woman. She was very young with fair skin and chubby cheeks like a baby. She spoke with a slight rural accent.

According to Zhou Ru’s description, although Song Ran came from a poor family, he was very honest and had never done anything out of line.

“Brother Song Ran used to be very good at studying and worked hard. However, his family didn’t have much money, so he stopped studying after high school. His mother got sick, so he came to the city to work and earn money. At first, he tried other jobs and even worked at construction sites. Later, he found being a security guard more stable. The food and resting conditions were better, and they even provided uniforms, so he became a security guard. He was very kind to me, but my family thought I was too young. We’ve never been in a relationship; I just treated him like a brother. But whenever I had any trouble, he would come to help. Every time I moved, I would trouble him.”

Gu Yanchen glanced at Zhou Ru’s record sheet. This girl had just turned eighteen. If she were a city girl, she would still be in school, but she was already working to earn money and supporting her parents and younger brother.

When Zhou Ru paused and asked, “Can I ask, what did Brother Song Ran do to be investigated?”

Gu Yanchen didn’t go into too much detail. “He’s involved in a case of intentional injury.”

“Intentional injury?” Zhou Ru’s eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing this. Then she lowered her head and said, “Brother Song Ran is usually very kind. When kids fought when I was little, he was always the one trying to stop them. If there were injured stray cats or dogs in the village, he would take them to see a doctor. How could he possibly hurt someone?”

“Did he mention his plans after resigning?”

“He told me he wanted to take an exam…”

“What exam?”

“The adult college entrance examination.” Zhou Ru pursed her lips. “He said being a security guard was stable, and if he didn’t have to work nights, he could use the spare time to study.”

This testimony was completely different from those of the other security guards, but upon careful consideration, it wasn’t contradictory to their descriptions. Gu Yanchen felt that none of them were lying. It was like the A and B sides of a cassette tape, different people seeing different things and understanding them differently. But when pieced together, it formed a complete picture of a person.

The police asked some more details, and finally, with Zhou Ru’s consent, they let her try to arrange a meeting with Song Ran. For real-time monitoring, Bai Meng was monitoring Zhou Ru’s software on the police computer.

Zhou Ru hesitated with her phone and asked, “How should I arrange the meeting?”

Gu Yanchen said, “Arrange it the way you usually talk to him. The more natural, the better.”

“I’ve asked him to help me move twice because of job changes in the past. Maybe I should ask him again.” Zhou Ru lowered her head and whispered, “Am I helping him this way?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “Yes, you are helping him. If he’s innocent, we will find out the truth.”

Zhou Ru called Song Ran, but it was quickly hung up. He called again, but this time, Song Ran responded, sending a message saying, “Can’t talk on the phone right now.”

This was the first response from Song Ran recently, and Bai Meng suddenly became alert, urging Zhou Ru to talk more with him. After some thought, Zhou Ru sent a voice message to Song Ran, “Brother, I have an urgent matter here. The landlord of my second house owes rent and is kicking us out. I have to move again. Can you help me?”

After waiting for ten minutes, Song Ran’s phone sent another message, short and to the point, “Where are you moving to?”

Zhou Ru replied, “Meet me at the shop, and I’ll give you the details. Can you come by noon? I want to treat you to lunch.”

Bai Meng reminded Zhou Ru, “Tell him the address again. Hint that you two can be alone.”

Zhou Ru said, “I’m at the shop on Dongyuan Road, Dongyuan Road Guoshou Massage Parlor. Everyone else at the shop will be out for lunch at noon, and I’ll be here.”

After a while, Song Ran replied, “I’ll come find you.”

The plan proceeded smoothly. Gu Yanchen quickly made arrangements, pulling in manpower from the nearby police station. Plainclothes police were stationed along the street, waiting for Song Ran to appear and arrest him.

Bai Meng sat in a police command vehicle parked by the roadside, feeling like a hunter waiting for prey. On the computer screen in front of her, real-time monitoring showed Song Ran’s phone signal clearly moving toward Dongyuan Road. Excitedly, Bai Meng said to Gu Yanchen sitting beside her, “Captain Gu, we’ve got him.”

However, Gu Yanchen frowned and shook his head. “Something doesn’t seem right.”

Bai Meng asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s too smooth,” Gu Yanchen analyzed. “Song Ran should know the police are looking for him. His phone isn’t turned off, yet he keeps avoiding calls. It’s a bit strange.” Even the text messages he sent earlier were consistent.

Overall, Song Ran’s evasion wasn’t very effective, yet he couldn’t be found. Moreover, so far, apart from being related to the property owner and the security guards, he hadn’t found any other connection between Song Ran and Jin Yuewen. The motive of killing for money didn’t seem very plausible to him. According to the security guards, Song Ran was a bit of an oddball, and according to Zhou Ru’s testimony, he didn’t seem like a ruthless killer.

Gu Yanchen finished going through Song Ran’s recent communication records and chat apps, but he didn’t find any signs of criminal activity.

After looking at Bai Meng’s screenshots this morning, he realized the security guards’ living conditions were poor, with eight beds in one room and not even a chair to sit on. Gu Yanchen couldn’t help but think of Song Ran studying New Concept English under his blanket. A person studying hard in a rented room shared with security guards, planning to take an exam—how could he be motivated to murder and suddenly become rich overnight?

Deep in thought, Gu Yanchen lowered his head and interlocked his fingers. He had a bad feeling. It was highly likely that Song Ran had already…

Bai Meng, however, remained optimistic. “Captain Gu, anyway, he’s already on his way here. We’ll question him when we catch him.” Just as she said that, Bai Meng turned to the screen. “He’s almost here!”

Perhaps he was coming by car. Based on the time of his response, the dot representing Song Ran on the screen had already moved near Dongyuan Street. Gu Yanchen couldn’t think about anything else and quickly contacted the detectives on the ground through his earpiece. “Target spotted, proceed with the search.”

A reply came through the earpiece. Bai Meng switched the camera feed, and they could see the surveillance installed on the officers on site. These officers and auxiliary police were a handful, some pretending to be pedestrians, some pretending to be roadside vendors, and others sitting by the roadside resting.

Previously, everyone had seen photos and videos of Song Ran, ensuring they would recognize him immediately. They were like hunters, setting up a trap and waiting for their prey to appear.

Everyone was searching earnestly, and Bai Meng was nervous to the point of sweating palms. Her gaze was fixed on the monitoring screen when suddenly she exclaimed, “He stopped!”

They saw the dot pause on the screen and not move forward anymore.

Gu Yanchen asked, “What about Zhou Ru? Did she receive any messages?”

As he spoke, an incoming message popped up on the software Bai Meng was logged into. It contained only one line, “I suddenly have something to do, won’t make it.”

After that, the phone was switched off, and the tracking signal on the screen suddenly disappeared. Bai Meng frowned. “What’s going on? Did we get exposed?”

“He just arrived nearby…” Gu Yanchen suddenly thought of a possibility. “The person holding the phone might not be Song Ran at all.”

Suddenly, everything clicked into place for him, and he said to Bai Meng, “Do you still have the video copied from the property management office yesterday?”

“It’s still here…” Bai Meng cooperated and opened the folder. She had backed up all the data from yesterday onto a portable hard drive.

Gu Yanchen opened the video of the raincoat person entering and leaving Jin Yuewen’s villa, displaying both videos side by side on the screen.

One showed the person entering wearing a raincoat, and the other showed them leaving similarly attired. Although Gu Yanchen had watched this video several times before, he now examined it frame by frame more carefully. This time, he suddenly noticed something peculiar. “The shoes don’t match!”

Gu Yanchen remembered the security guards saying that Song Ran only had an old pair of white sneakers, whose color had faded. Despite the heavy rain and the person in the surveillance footage having their back to the camera and being under the night-vision infrared, it was still apparent that the shoes weren’t white but rather dark.

Gu Yanchen enlarged the screenshot. The raincoat person was wearing a pair of sneakers. Upon closer inspection, he noticed slight differences in their strides and the way they swung their arms while walking. It was only because of the darkness and rain, combined with the short duration and blurry footage, that they had made the assumption that the person entering and exiting was Song Ran.

In reality, the person in the raincoat had likely switched. Song Ran entered, but the real culprit might have been the one who exited.

Gu Yanchen hurriedly spoke into his earpiece, “Change of plans. The person is a young man, similar in height and build to Song Ran. He’s not Song Ran; he’s holding Song Ran’s phone.”

The cameras on the officers rotated, and everyone tried their best to find the target. However, with so many pedestrians and vehicles on the road, they couldn’t discern the target.

After a few minutes, they still had no success.

Bai Meng turned back and asked, “Captain Gu, should we continue searching?”

Gu Yanchen knew this operation would be fruitless. He decided not to waste any more effort. “Operation over, return to base.”

Bai Meng still couldn’t fully accept this fact. “If the person holding Song Ran’s phone right now is the murderer, is this person an accomplice? There’s only one road leading to the villa; how did he enter the villa? And where could Song Ran be now?”

Gu Yanchen replied, “Let’s go back to the Qingwangfu District.”

—

Just past noon, Gu Yanchen led a team back to the crime scene in the neighborhood.

The afternoon sunlight shone brightly in the neighborhood, and it was still Captain Chen, the head of security, accompanying them.

A day later, the Qingwangfu District was much quieter, with fewer media and mourners. Jin Yuewen’s villa was deserted.

Lu Ying remarked, “It’s good there aren’t many people here today.”

“That’s right,” the security captain wiped his sweat. “Four families moved out overnight, and there are still several houses with ‘for sale’ signs. But they can’t sell them at all.”

The news of the murder had spread to the media overnight. In just one night, this neighborhood had become a notorious haunted area. The wealthy residents didn’t want to stay here anymore and began to move out. There were some scattered flowers and candles on the ground, but all the showy mourners had disappeared without a trace.

This morning, a celebrity gossip broke out, diverting people’s attention, and no one cared about how the philanthropist had died anymore. For the police, this was a good thing. Without interference, they could focus on their investigation.

Gu Yanchen asked Captain Chen for the neighborhood’s architectural map. He also had two police dogs brought in to carefully search around the villa, hoping to find more clues. Jin Yuewen’s villa was located in a corner of the entire neighborhood. There was only one road leading here, and the surveillance camera was at the side end of this road. The perimeter of the courtyard was planted with three-meter-high thorny bushes, making it impossible to pass through.

Not far behind the villa was a four-meter-high wall, electrified at the top.

This time, the search expanded to the entire neighborhood. Gu Yanchen walked to the center of the neighborhood and looked at the pond outlined on the map. It was a landscape feature in the courtyard, with winding paths and some lotus flowers planted inside, along with some faintly visible stepping stones. The water wasn’t clear, and you couldn’t see the bottom. He suddenly realized that this pond wasn’t just a simple water feature but a flowing stream.

Gu Yanchen suddenly thought, if the road was impassable, could they use the waterway? He followed the waterway, and at the entrance to Jin Yuewen’s courtyard, the waterway was covered, paved with green stones, appearing just like any other road. But there should be a water channel underneath.

Gu Yanchen asked Captain Chen, “Where does this waterway lead to?”

Captain Chen replied, “It leads to outside the neighborhood, sourced from a flowing stream.”

It was a high-end neighborhood, originally designed to have a small bridge and flowing water style, so a waterway was specially built to come in.

“How deep is it?”

“About two meters.”

“Is there any protection?”

“There must be. When the waterway was built, iron mesh was installed. It’s impossible for anyone to come in from outside.”

Gu Yanchen couldn’t believe him. He walked along the stone path in Jin Yuewen’s courtyard, lifting one stone at a time. Suddenly, he found one that was loose. Gu Yanchen lifted the stone, revealing flowing water underneath. This part was connected to the outside water.

Gu Yanchen measured it. This was about seven to eight meters away from the courtyard wall. He tried to lift other stones ahead, but none of them could be moved except for this one, which could serve as an entrance. In any case, this was a significant discovery. If someone had good swimming skills, they could likely enter through here by bypassing the surveillance.

Gu Yanchen said, “Do we have swimming goggles? Who among you is a good swimmer? Go down and take a look.”

Lu Ying volunteered, “Don’t bother. I’ve swum in murkier wild lakes before. I’ll just need some eye drops afterward. Let me check it out.”

Gu Yanchen stopped him, “No, this area is covered with stones, and the waterway is narrow. If it’s a dead end, you could easily get trapped inside.”

Lu Ying still wanted to slack off, “I’m a good swimmer. I can turn around and swim back even underwater. Swimming a dozen meters is no big deal.”

Gu Yanchen said, “You’d better go around to the outside of the courtyard and see if you can come in through the water flow. Tie a rope around yourself for safety and exit immediately if something’s wrong.”

Only then did Lu Ying respond and went with two auxiliary police officers.

The stream outside entered the courtyard wall. Lu Ying had good swimming skills, and after reaching the edge, he submerged himself.

After a while, Lu Ying emerged from the open gap in the green stone, wiping the water from his face. “Damn, someone’s…

Captain Chen, seeing more and more problems arise, paled, muttering to himself, “How is that possible?”

Bai Meng reached out to pull Lu Ying ashore.

Gu Yanchen asked, “How big is the opening?”

Lu Ying shook his head, “About a meter, only one person can pass through; even a chubby one won’t fit.”

They finally found the way in.

Gu Yanchen reviewed his thoughts again. On that night, the murderer might have entered through the waterway, while Song Ran arrived wearing a raincoat. Who came first? What happened afterwards that night? Why did the murderer impersonate Song Ran and leave wearing a raincoat?

Gu Yanchen looked toward the villa again, realizing it was such a small area. Yesterday, their search range was near the villa; today, it expanded to the entire neighborhood. Every place without surveillance was meticulously searched. The trash bins were checked, but they weren’t big enough to hold a person. There were only two corpses in the villa… Gu Yanchen took a few steps and caught a whiff of a foul smell. The stench from the villa’s corpses had been so overwhelming that they had overlooked the smell here.

Gu Yanchen noticed an iron manhole cover on the vacant land behind the villa. He turned to Captain Chen and asked, “Is this a sewer? Where does it lead to?”

Captain Chen hurried over, “It’s not a sewer; it’s the neighborhood’s own. It leads to the septic tank behind the neighborhood, serving as a maintenance access point. It hasn’t been opened for a long time.” He pinched his nose. “This place usually smells bad, but it seems worse now. Could it be…”

Gu Yanchen said, “Let’s lift it up and take a look.”

He began to pull the pull rings on the manhole cover, and Lu Ying also came over to help. The iron cover wasn’t large, with two pull rings on top. An adult’s strength could easily lift it. As soon as they lifted it, a pungent stench hit them.

Gu Yanchen crouched down and looked inside. With the light from the flashlight, he could faintly see some short hair on a man’s head. Captain Chen also leaned over to take a look, and they were shocked to find a dead man squatting in the well. He was startled and sat directly on the ground.

That night, it wasn’t just two people who died; it was three.

The murderer was extremely ruthless, and Song Ran hadn’t even left the courtyard. It was the murderer who took Song Ran’s phone, wore his raincoat, and recent phone activity and replies were all part of an act to make them believe Song Ran was still alive.

Gu Yanchen took out his phone and called medical examiner Shen. “Medical examiner Shen, we finally found Song Ran.”

Shen Junci wasn’t quite clear about the situation and thought their stakeout had paid off. “Have you questioned him? Do you have any clues?”

“He’s already dead. As for what clues he can provide…” Gu Yanchen glanced at the half-decomposed male corpse stuffed in the sewer. “I’m afraid you’ll have to come and ask him yourself.”