Insights Chapter 85: The Real Culprit

Chapter 85: The Real Culprit

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

It was past two in the afternoon when a medical examiner’s car arrived at the City Bureau. Shen Junci drove the car directly into the courtyard with Qi Yi’an. As they got out of the car, two medical examiners stood by the manhole, squatting down to inspect the situation. This was the sewage system used for maintenance by workers, with many pipes leading to the residential area’s septic tank.

The smell inside was a mixture of corpse stench, but fortunately, it had been somewhat mitigated by yesterday’s heavy rain. Qi Yi’an found the smell surprisingly tolerable. The space beneath the manhole was about four meters deep, with some accumulated water inside due to the recent heavy rain, and the corpse was in there.

Shen Junci lowered his head and put on rubber gloves. The fingers of the gloves stuck together, so he blew into them, causing the gloves to inflate like balloons. He then sealed the opening with his mouth and pressed down with his hand, stretching out each finger.

Putting them on skillfully, he calmly said, “Take photos first, then prepare for recovery.”

Qi Yi’an picked up the camera and took a dozen or so photos before starting to prepare various tools and equipment, also bringing out the body bag.

Gu Yanchen walked over and asked, “Did you bring the ropes and baskets?”

The forensic department had a set of equipment specifically for recovering corpses, sturdy and practical, easy to disassemble, which Director Ding had only approved after investing heavily. This set of equipment could also be used for rescue operations, whether underground, in crevices, or in small mines.

Shen Junci replied, “We brought them. I’ll go down and check the situation.”

Gu Yanchen frowned upon hearing this, reaching out to grab his arm. “Let me go instead.”

Considering Shen Junci’s current condition, Gu Yanchen felt like sticking a fragile label on him. How could he dare to let him do such a dangerous task?

Shen Junci went to fetch the protective suit. “No, you detectives are not familiar with the procedures. You might cause secondary damage to the corpse. It’s also possible to miss clues and information, which would make solving the case difficult later on.”

His tone was so natural, as if he had forgotten what had happened yesterday.

“But the well is quite deep.” Gu Yanchen exerted force on Shen Junci’s arm, not letting go, and lowered his voice to remind him, “There’s only one set of equipment. If you faint down there, it’ll be troublesome to rescue you.”

Shen Junci hesitated for a moment, “But in order to preserve the corpse, we still need the medical examiners to go down.”

Gu Yanchen turned to look aside, “Qi Yi’an, can you do it?”

Qi Yi’an had been preparing all along and had no idea what these two leaders were arguing about. He was taken aback when his name was called but eagerly accepted this daunting task, “Sure, I’ll go down and take a look.”

Shen Junci reminded him, “Did you forget your handshake event?”

Qi Yi’an hesitated for a moment, then became more determined, “It’s okay, work is more important. I’ll forget about the handshake event for now.”

Indeed, there was no one more suitable for the job on site than him. Shen Junci then called Qi Yi’an over and instructed him on various aspects of the investigation. Qi Yi’an was a good boy. He listened while nodding, absorbing the instructions. Although he was ready to give up the handshake event, he still learned from his lesson and proactively wore double-layered gloves. It was his first time participating in a corpse recovery, and he had been entrusted with a heavy responsibility. He was too preoccupied to dwell on his disappointment about missing the handshake event.

Shen Junci helped Qi Yi’an put on the full-body protective suit, covering his feet with rubber shoes, his face with a gas mask, and attaching a light to his forehead. Gu Yanchen found several detectives to install the hoist and the basket. Then Qi Yi’an fastened his safety harness and climbed down along the handrail.

The entrance was a bit narrow, and it was pitch black inside, with stagnant water about ten centimeters deep below. It wasn’t spacious inside. After Qi Yi’an descended, there was hardly any place to stand, so he carefully moved his body, keeping a distance from the corpse. It was cool and not warm down in the well, and there was no panoramic view like yesterday’s.

Qi Yi’an wore a gas mask and couldn’t smell too much of the unpleasant odor. The lighting inside was insufficient, pitch black, with only the light on his head illuminating a small area in front of him. Being alone in an unfamiliar dark environment, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Shen Junci asked, “Have you reached the bottom?”

Qi Yi’an replied, his voice echoing in his ears, “Yes, I have.” 

“Is your breathing okay?” Shen Junci asked again. 

“No problem.” Qi Yi’an answered, he looked up, tilting his head to see the opening above, which was bright. Qi Yi’an suddenly remembered a phrase, “Sitting in the well and watching the sky.”

Shen Junci asked, “What?”

Qi Yi’an’s voice echoed as he spoke, “Sitting in the well and watching the sky.”

Shen Junci looked down at him sympathetically, “Are you implying that you’re a frog?”

Tears filled Qi Yi’an’s eyes, “Teacher, pretend you didn’t hear that.”

When no one spoke, the well suddenly fell silent. Qi Yi’an took two steps forward through the water. With each movement, his breathing became heavier. He finally reached the side of the corpse, lowering his head to focus on the body in front of him.

Qi Yi’an first opened the monitoring device on him, which was connected to Bai Meng’s computer, allowing the people above to see the real-time situation below. Then he picked up the camera, switched to night vision mode, and took several photos. Based on the hairstyle and clothing, he confirmed that the person in front of him was likely Song Ran.

There was no direct sunlight here, making it much colder. Because of the lower temperature, the corpse hadn’t decomposed severely. Compared to the two giant phenomenon corpses before, there wasn’t as much impact. At most, it could be considered an ordinary decomposed body, falling within his expertise for handling. However, being alone with the decomposed body in the dark and confined space still tested his nerves.

Song Ran’s corpse seemed to have been thrown in from above, as days had passed, his skin had taken on a grayish-white hue, with veins visible. His face was somewhat swollen, pale, eyes closed, eyelashes drooping, appearing serene as if in a peaceful sleep. The upper body of the corpse was wearing an old white T-shirt, stained dark red with blood, and a pair of jeans with many messy bloodstains.

The whole corpse was curled up inside, with not too many maggots. However, the feet and knees were submerged in wastewater, noticeably swollen, with some marks of rat bites on the body. Working alone, Qi Yi’an couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat quicken. The corpse was both icy and heavy, like a big piece of dead meat. Wearing a gas mask down in the well made one feel suffocated. Qi Yi’an was breathing heavily, only managing to move the corpse a bit.

Shen Junci’s voice came from above, “Is everything going smoothly? If you feel any oxygen deficiency or dizziness, make sure to inform us in advance. Don’t rush.”

There had been cases in the past where medical examiners had fainted during the recovery of corpses. If the gas mask came off, it was also possible to inhale harmful gasses, and if the personnel felt unwell, they might need to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Because of these concerns, Shen Junci didn’t insist on going down the well himself, but he still couldn’t help but worry about Qi Yi’an’s lack of experience.

“I’m fine!” Qi Yi’an consciously felt that his breathing was normal at the moment, just a bit panting. He responded loudly to Shen Junci, also encouraging himself, “I can do this!”

Following Shen Junci’s instructions, he checked the pockets and various parts of the corpse first, then tied plastic bags around the corpse’s hands, feet, and head to avoid dropping important evidence during the lifting process. Then he used ropes to tie the armpits and groin of the corpse separately, ensuring that the force was evenly distributed and wouldn’t damage the skeleton or wounds of the corpse.

Finally, Qi Yi’an finished his work. He shook the ropes and said, “You can pull it up now.”

The detectives above exerted force. With the help of a simple device with pulleys, lifting became much easier. Before long, the corpse was pulled up, and several detectives carried the corpse away, laying it flat on the plastic sheet that Shen Junci had already laid out.

While the corpse had been recovered, Qi Yi’an’s work wasn’t done yet.

Shen Junci shouted down, “First use your feet to explore, then touch with your hands, be careful of any sharp objects causing injuries.”

Qi Yi’an didn’t have much experience. Many murderers would discard the murder weapon along with the body. If not careful, in unknown underwater conditions, personnel could easily get injured. The sewage was like thick ink, pitch black. Qi Yi’an carefully felt around with the flashlight on his head. The monitoring device couldn’t provide a clear view either.

Qi Yi’an’s muffled voice came from below, “It seems there are bricks underwater.” After a while, Qi Yi’an said again, “I’ve confirmed, they’re not bricks, but several books, quite thick ones.”

Shen Junci quickly instructed the detectives to send down a small basket again.

Branches, stones…They didn’t know how they fell down. After a while, it was confirmed that there was indeed a weapon. Shen Junci didn’t rush to look at the corpse. Instead, he helped Qi Yi’an take off the heavy protective suit first. In just a short time, Qi Yi’an felt like he had taken a trip to the underworld and had only just returned to the mortal realm.

Seeing that he was okay, Shen Junci said, “Well done.”

With praise from his Teacher, Qi Yi’an suddenly felt more motivated. Then Shen Junci and Gu Yanchen checked the recovered items together. As expected, the murder weapon was a serrated knife, almost twenty centimeters long. The killer could be said to be extremely cruel and vicious. The knife had been soaking underwater for a long time, and it might be difficult to collect fingerprints from it now.

Gu Yanchen said, “This knife is a controlled weapon. Check to see if you can find its source.”

Lu Ying hurriedly nodded, recording the shape and brand. There were also several books, some in English and some literary works, with the thickest being a dictionary. Some of the books had been wetted by water, while a few were left above the water surface, still dry.

Shen Junci put on gloves and opened one of the books, finding several pieces of paper tucked inside. He handed them to Gu Yanchen. Gu Yanchen looked down and saw it was a letter. It was a letter from Jin Yuewen to Song Ran.

Song Ran:

Hello!

I first met you when I saw you wearing a security guard uniform, reading in the gazebo in the yard. I went over to chat with you and learned that you wanted to go to school. I offered to support you, but you refused my help.

“You said you wanted to change your fate on your own. In you, I saw a spirit that many people don’t have, which reminded me of my youth.

I, too, was a child from a poor family. I lived in an urban village when I was young and suffered a lot. At that time, I thought, if someone could help me, I could surely avoid many detours and live a different life. Later on, with my own efforts, I gradually became wealthy.

So, later on, I had the idea of ​​helping more people. I helped those children who couldn’t afford to go to school, and families who fell back into poverty due to illness, as if I were helping my own past self. I don’t expect them to repay me, I just hope that they will give back to society in the future and help more people.

Over these years, I’ve been constantly lending a hand, but now, I’m a bit tired, and I’m gradually feeling powerless. I often feel anxious because I can’t help everyone.

Recently, some things have happened, and I’ve started to reflect. Is the help I give really what they need? Have I truly helped the people who really need it? Are they really at their wits’ end and need my help?

It’s your refusal that woke me up. Perhaps I shouldn’t change the lives of some people.

I am a kind person, but kindness shouldn’t be misplaced. I need to learn to respect their fate. I also need to understand that not everyone is worthy of my help. Not everyone will have good intentions and feel grateful. I may save them for a moment, but I can’t save them for a lifetime.

But I know it’s a bit too late for these truths. Some people are like greedy snakes. Warming them in my arms will only bring me snake bites.”

“You reminded me that there are always many unfortunate people in this world, and many who, even in adversity, are striving, just like you.

I heard you’re leaving, so I only have these old books to give you. I wish you a bright future. I will also try to think about how to use my kindness in more appropriate places. I hope that tomorrow will be better than today.

—Jin Yuewen

After reading this letter, there was a moment of silence between the two. Lu Ying also came over to take a look, then turned to look at the corpse beside them, “Song Ran… How old was he?”

Bai Meng checked the file and said, “Nineteen, he would have turned twenty this month.”

“Damn,” Lu Ying cursed under her breath, “He’s just a kid. When I find that killer, I really want to beat him up first.”

This letter wasn’t a crucial piece of evidence, but it circulated among the detectives, finally reaching the forensic side, where it was carefully preserved. By now, they had figured it out. That night, Song Ran had gone to Jin Yuewen’s house to pick up some books and say goodbye. He may have crossed paths with the killer.

When Song Ran walked not far from the villa, he heard screams, turned back, and encountered the killer. Without hesitation, he rushed forward. Song Ran wanted to stop the killer, but was cruelly killed by the killer.

To avoid being discovered, the killer stuffed his corpse into the nearby manhole cover, took his phone, took off his raincoat and put it on himself. Those books were thrown down the hole by the killer. The killer only hid his corpse, but didn’t touch Jin Yuewen’s corpse. One reason was to avoid suspicion that Song Ran hadn’t left the area according to the surveillance, and the other was to frame the blame on this young security guard.

If the police hadn’t found these, they might have missed the opportunity to arrest the killer, and Song Ran’s corpse would continue to decompose here. With everything sorted out, the whole scene fell silent for a moment.

Qi Yi’an stood aside, his eyes reddening. He whispered, “Why did the killer encounter him? It’s so sad.”

“In this world, there are many such things inherently. If you feel it’s unfair, try to change it. We’ll catch the killer as soon as possible, it’s the best consolation for the deceased,” Shen Junci coughed lightly, “Let’s start examining.”

They squatted down to conduct a post-mortem examination. Due to the outdoor operation, the smell had improved slightly and wasn’t too unbearable. Qi Yi’an took out the examination form from the survey box and squatted down. He happened to see this pair of white sneakers, Song Ran’s feet soaked in water, and those shoes almost bursting. Shen Junci carefully removed the plastic bags that Qi Yi’an had wrapped earlier. Qi Yi’an was also busy.

Shen Junci asked him, “Were you scared down there?”

Qi Yi’an said, “I was a little scared at first, but then I got used to it. Now I’m not afraid anymore. He’s a good person.” He looked at the decaying corpse and continued, “I’m not afraid of good people. Even dead, decaying good people are still better than many living bad ones.”

Shen Junci nodded in agreement, his tone becoming serious, “Name: Song Ran, male, height 175 cm, time of death was six nights ago, the corpse was soaked by rainwater, especially the feet, severely decomposed. The fatal wound was in the chest, a single stab wound to the heart. The hands of the corpse…”

Shen Junci’s examination of the corpse stopped suddenly at the hands. He noticed that the left hand of the corpse was tightly clenched, which was not common. Even after being in the well for many days and decomposing, the hand still didn’t let go.

Shen Junci’s expression became serious. After so many days, rigor mortis had long since disappeared. He carefully opened the hand of the corpse. In the pale, scarred palm, there were a few short strands of hair. Fortunately, Qi Yi’an had been very careful during the recovery process, and this evidence had not been lost.

Shen Junci used tweezers to pick up the hair and observed it against the sunlight. The length and color of the hair were different from Song Ran’s, so it couldn’t belong to him. It was likely the killer’s. If there were hair follicles, the killer’s DNA could be tested.

Qi Yi’an became nervous as he squatted beside Shen Junci.

After staring at it for a moment, Shen Junci lowered his eyelashes and judged, “There are hair follicles, more than one, not contaminated. It’s likely that these were pulled from the killer’s head during a struggle.” He carefully put the hair into an evidence bag, sighing, “To hold on until the end, it’s really admirable.”

After he said that, Qi Yi’an finally realized being stabbed in the chest would cause immense pain and massive bleeding. The instinctive reaction for most people would be to cover the wound with their hands, especially the left hand near the heart, but this decaying corpse…

.

Soon, the tips about reporting Zhao Meng’an kept pouring in.

“I went to the same high school as him. At that time, his grades were okay, but I never thought he would do something like this.”

“This guy was my classmate in college. He was always up to no good.”

“He often skipped classes to play games in internet cafes. He spent money recklessly. Also, it seems like he’s associated with some shady people and always says strange things.”

Gu Yanchen brought in detectives from the Special Criminal Division to filter out invalid leads. Eventually, all the clues pointed to a dilapidated building near Chang’an Building.

“I’ve seen the person on the wanted list. He lives near Block 30 of Chang’an Building. I saw him smoking at the window when I was taking out the trash downstairs.”

“There’s a woman in that house, named Xin Xiaomei, she always has different men coming over. Recently, there’s one who looks like a gigolo living there. He might be the person you’re looking for.”

“That woman hasn’t left the house in the past few days. I don’t know if she’s also been killed by him.”

The police conducted investigations and then closed in on the suspect.

Gu Yanchen gathered information and led a team fully armed to arrest the suspect.

A few Special Criminal Division officers needed to lead teams, each following a different car. Gu Yanchen got on the last one, and beside him sat a young police officer with short hair.

This car was prepared for transporting the captured suspect. It had no communication with the front, and two other officers sat in the front seats. In the back compartment, there were only the two of them. The young police officer seemed nervous, constantly swallowing saliva and touching his gun at his waist.

Gu Yanchen found him somewhat familiar and suddenly remembered where he had seen him.

A few days ago, Director Ding had consulted him for a meeting to discuss increasing the staffing of the Special Criminal Division due to the recent increase in cases. After sending internal emails, several resumes from young police officers were submitted voluntarily. This person was one of them.

Gu Yanchen still remembered his name, Yu Shen. The resume showed enthusiasm, and his performance in the police academy was excellent. Gu Yanchen recalled Lu Ying mentioning something about his family.

Seeing him sitting beside him, Gu Yanchen asked, “Yu Shen?”

Yu Shen nervously nodded, “Captain Gu.”

Gu Yanchen asked, “How many times have you been on arrest operations?”

Yu Shen replied, “Three times.”

Gu Yanchen nodded. He was still a rookie, so it was understandable that he was nervous. The experienced Captain Gu comforted the young police officer, “Don’t be nervous, I’m here.”

Yu Shen was startled for a moment, straightened his back, and said, “I’m not nervous because of the operation, I’m nervous because you seem a bit nervous, Captain Gu.” He paused and explained in a low voice, “It feels like being interviewed in advance.”

Gu Yanchen took out his file, they hadn’t reached the interview stage yet. Hearing Yu Shen say this, he said, “An early interview is good, it saves time.”

There was no interview that could provide a deeper understanding like a real arrest operation.

Gu Yanchen asked a conventional and classic question, “Why did you want to become a police officer?”

Yu Shen didn’t expect Gu Yanchen to ask him this here, “It’s because of my family situation. My parents have been missing for more than ten years, and they haven’t been found. I thought that since I’ve grown up, I might as well try to find them myself. I can also help more people.”

Then Gu Yanchen asked him some questions about the police academy and the profession. Overall, he was quite satisfied with this kid.

Gu Yanchen had met many family members of victims, many of whom either collapsed or became suspicious. In them, you could clearly feel a sense of distrust towards others. But Yu Shen seemed sunny and answered questions normally.

After chatting for a while, Gu Yanchen nodded slightly, “You’ve done well to come out of it.”

Yu Shen lowered his head candidly, “I was actually lost for a while.”

At that time, his parents had been missing for many years, and there was no news. He was bullied in school and pointed at. He had doubted the incompetence of the police, vented his emotions on the internet, hung out with some unsavory characters, learned to smoke and drink, skipped exams, and even thought about falling into depravity. He never thought that one day he would wear this police uniform.

Gu Yanchen remembered hearing Lu Ying’s story about him. It seemed there was such a period.

Thinking of this, Gu Yanchen asked, “How did you pull through?”

Yu Shen smiled and looked down, “Because I met someone. When I met him, it was the most difficult time for me. I felt like the surrounding was pitch-black, like a dark night, exhausted and unable to see any light. It was that person who told me that it’s not enough to rely on myself alone. We must gather together like fireflies to have the power to dispel darkness…”

Thinking of that person, Yu Shen felt a warmth. That person illuminated the direction in his pitch-black life. Like a flickering light in the eternal night. Gu Yanchen listened to this and suddenly thought of Lin Xianglan. He lowered his eyelashes, “I also had a mentor who guided me a lot.”

Just as they were talking about this, the car passed through a rough road, jolting them, then stopped. They had entered the Chang’an Building area. Here, there were numerous buildings, but no complete residential compounds, let alone any compound walls. Various makeshift lofts sprouted up in the sky.

The yard was crowded and noisy. As soon as the car window was opened, a mixture of smells filled the air, completely different from the perfume scents in office buildings.

Gu Yanchen glanced outside, “We’ve arrived. Get out of the car and prepare for the arrest.”