Criminal Investigation Notes

Chapter 30:

Lu Junchi led Su Hui out and they walked into the adjacent Appraisal Building, then went up to the forensic room.

Today was unusual as Director Shang was present. Director Shang led the two of them into the autopsy room.

After the two bodies were brought in, they were dissected for the second time.

The temperature in the autopsy room was always set to be low, and the room was completely sealed with no natural light. Equipped with two extremely powerful ventilation systems, even bodies with a heavy odor could be made to smell slightly lighter here.

At this time, two white bodies were placed on the two autopsy tables, illuminated by the top lights, and every detail was clearly visible.

The bodies were a man and a woman, precisely the victims of the recent murder, Lu Qin and Ye Zhixue.

Lu Qin's hair was messy and her eyes were slightly open as she lay on the autopsy table. Ye Zhixue had long been dead, and his body was a pale color.

Just a few days ago, this couple lived together in a happy and harmonious life.

But now, they were already cold and had Y-shaped autopsy scars on their bodies.

Su Hui put on gloves and approached to take a closer look. Several wounds were knife wounds, located on their thighs, arms, and chest. Due to excessive blood loss, there were almost no rigor mortis marks on the two bodies.

Shang Qinghan had been a forensic doctor for many years and had seen all kinds of bodies. He adjusted his glasses and said, "The man's head has two blunt force injuries, and both victims have marks on their hands indicating they were bound. Their mouths were also previously gagged, which could prevent them from speaking but also prevent them from screaming loudly. After they were injured and weakened, the robbers cut off these bindings."

Lu Junchi asked, "What is the time of death?"

"According to the contents of the stomach, the exact time of death for the two individuals was before and after midnight, meaning that the killer tortured them for three hours," replied Su Hui, his expression still calm as he carefully examined the two bodies. "The killer's motive wasn't robbery, but primarily murder," he added.

Agreeing with Su Hui, Director Shang nodded and said, "The initial stab wounds were in non-lethal areas such as the legs and arms. The fatal wound was delivered with the last stab."

"Indeed, the last stab was like an execution," Su Hui grunted. He could even feel the killer's sense of pleasure from the perfectly neat wound on Lu Qin's body.

Director Shang continued, "According to the report from the precinct, the victims' colleagues discovered that they did not report for work, which led to the timely discovery of the two bodies, preserved in good condition. These wounds were inflicted while the victims were alive, with no traces of post-mortem tampering. Once a wound appears, there will be bleeding, oxidation, and infection. If there is a time interval between wounds, the order of the wound formation can be determined based on the amount of bleeding. I can arrange the order of the wounds for you."

With that said, Director Shang marked the wounds with some labels. Knowing the order in which the wounds were inflicted would help them piece together the events of that night.

Su Hui furrowed his brows, studying the sequence of the wounds. The progression of the injuries indicated that the killings were methodical, with the wounds on the limbs occurring before the chest wounds.

Looking at the autopsy report beside him, Lu Junchi thanked Director Shang and asked, "What other details have you discovered, Director Shang?"

Director Shang was the top-notch forensic expert in the bureau, with far superior basic skills and insight than the younger forensic examiners. If he could provide more details, they would gain a better understanding of the killers.

"I found some unusual details that differ from ordinary cases. These two victims were almost simultaneously murdered by different killers," Director Shang explained.

Su Hui's brows furrowed even tighter at this revelation, and Lu Junchi stopped what he was doing and turned to look at Director Shang.

Director Shang further elaborated, "The killers thought that by disposing of the knives and leaving no fingerprints, they could eliminate all traces of the crime. However, they did not realize that the wounds on the bodies reveal a wealth of information. Each person's technique for using a knife is different, such as whether they hold the knife with their left or right hand, whether their thumb is turned out or in when gripping the knife, how much force they use, and the direction of the cut. All of these factors will affect the wound's appearance."

Lu Junchi nodded in agreement. "Therefore, even if different killers use the same weapon, the wounds they inflict will be different. I heard that experienced forensic experts can discern the similarities and differences."

Shang Qinghan was pleased to hear the phrase "experienced forensic expert" and continued to explain to them, "The knife marks made by a skilled killer can be identified like fingerprints. Take the wounds on these two bodies, for example. The cut on the woman's body is sharp and deep, while the one on the man's body is shallow, with saw-tooth and friction marks caused by repeated force."

Liu Junchi bent down and indeed found some differences in the marks on the wounds.

Shang Qinghan summarized, "Therefore, based on the wounds on these two people, I can boldly speculate that different people killed them. The murderer of the man may be a female killer or a juvenile killer, while the murderer of the woman is a male middle-aged killer."

Liu Junchi nodded, "According to the on-site investigation by the forensic team, the bodies were found in different rooms without any signs of movement. The eyewitness of another case also said that there were three robbers."

Su Hui recalled a lot of information. In organized crime involving multiple people, there is usually a clear division of labor for criminal activities. For example, women are often involved in more meticulous work, while men are mostly involved in violent activities. With two bodies like this and the circumstances of their deaths, this case became even more confusing.

Looking at these two bodies, Su Hui could feel a kind of pain that came from those wounds, from their unwillingness.

What exactly happened that night...

"In any case, these are the main pieces of information the bodies can provide. I've written down the rest in the report." Director Shang looked at Liu Junchi and said, "The remaining secrets are what you, as detectives, need to investigate."

It was the end of the afternoon, in the Xinmao community of Huadu, Auntie Zhang was buying groceries as usual.

She met a short-haired woman at the entrance of the community. Auntie Zhang had seen this woman twice before when she was taking out the trash. She knew that the woman was a new neighbor who moved in across from her.

At this moment, the two of them entered the community together, and Auntie Zhang greeted her warmly, "Ah, you just came back from buying groceries too."

The short-haired woman seemed surprised that Auntie Zhang spoke to her and paused for a second before replying, "Yes, Auntie."

Seeing that Auntie Zhang was carrying two bags of groceries, the woman took the initiative to offer, "Auntie, you bought so many things? Let me help you carry them."

Aunt Zhang did have a hard time carrying the bag here. When she mentioned it and offered to help, Aunt Zhang gave her a bag. ''Oh my, you're so kind. If my daughter had half your filial piety, I wouldn't be so busy all the time,'' she said.

The woman just smiled shyly and helped her carry the things into the community.

"Hey, girl, what's your name?" Aunt Zhang asked.

"My last name is Mi, and my name is Shu. Mi Shu."

"Oh, that's an uncommon surname."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a programmer."

"Oh, it's not common for girls to work in this field. It must be stressful..."

"It's okay. I'm used to it."

"I see you get off work early..." Aunt Zhang asked, gossiping.

"Oh, I recently quit my job. My son is studying art and has a tutor in this area."

"That big one is your son... I couldn't tell. You're so young to have such a big son."

"He's from my husband and his ex-wife..." Mi Shu added. By this point, she had picked up her pace. She regretted chatting with Aunt Zhang, as it felt like a census, and the questions seemed never-ending. Once she told one lie, she needed to use another to cover it up.

Fortunately, Aunt Zhang didn't ask any more questions. They chatted a bit about the prices of vegetables and finally arrived at the stairway.

On the third floor, Aunt Zhang took the bag and said, "Thank you so much."

"It's nothing, just a small favor," Mi Shu said.

Aunt Zhang continued, "Come visit me sometime in the future."

Finally, each of them entered their own home, and the world finally quieted down. Mi Shu let out a long breath and placed the purchased groceries on the dining table.

The apartment had two bedrooms and a living room. It was an old complex without an elevator, and the interior was very old-fashioned. All the furniture had a cheap, yellowish wood material.

The windows inside the room were small, and the lighting was poor. At this moment, the curtains were half-drawn, and a man in black sat by the window. A teenager in his teens was lying on the sofa, holding his phone horizontally and playing a game.

The man in black turned his head slightly and looked at Mi Shu with some displeasure. "I saw you talking to the aunt from next door just now."

Mi Shu rolled up her sleeves and her heart was pounding. "I just chatted casually."

The man's voice was hoarse. "If she hears something suspicious, we will all be in danger."

The teenager on the sofa had just finished a game and put down his phone. He said, "You don't need to go grocery shopping in the future. Eating takeout is the same."

Mi Shu trembled and said, "But I think cooking at home will feel more like a family..."

For a moment, everyone fell silent at the mention of the word "family."

Mi Shu added, "You don't have to do anything."

She took the initiative to take on all the housework. She bought groceries, washed vegetables, cooked, washed dishes, and tidied up the home. Every day, she carefully cleaned up the place.

Just like every time, she would carefully clean up the scene, wiping away all the fingerprints and footprints, and gathering the fruit cores and cigarette butts left behind.

She did these things like checking each statement and finding every bug after completing a program.

Mi Shu continued boldly, "And I think if everyone doesn't go out or have normal interactions with others, it will make people more suspicious."

The air inside the room seemed to freeze, and the man in black finally compromised. "Alright, you know how to handle yourself. Just be careful, I don't want any trouble."

TN:Alexa, play Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood for all the messed up families. 

It seems like our unsubs are from shit families and go around taking their anger out on happy families. Maybe they're from abusive families and met like-minded individuals and formed this psycho-killers assemble cosplay of a family. But why does it seem like there is something fishy going on with 'Mi Shu'. Don't worry this is not a spoiler I'm just guessing since I'm reading this as I translate. I have no idea what happens next.