Chapter One: Remains in the River

Chapter 1

“Ring, ring, ring…”

The simple chime of the desk phone sounded especially piercing in the captain’s office of the Criminal Police Division.

Sitting in his office chair, Captain Cheng Fei glanced at the caller ID—it was the station chief. He immediately picked up the receiver, his expression turning grave. “This is the city bureau’s Criminal Police Division. Captain Cheng Fei speaking. What’s the situation?”

“Captain Cheng, it’s Chief Gu from the station. We’ve received a report from the 110 Command Center: a civilian found a woman’s head wrapped in a black plastic bag by the West City River. We request support from the Criminal Police.”

“Understood. We’ll be there immediately.” Cheng Fei hung up, sprang from his chair, and strode into the main office, raising his voice so all could hear, “All teams, grab your equipment and head to the crime scene. There’s a case by the West City River.”

Without waiting for a reply, Cheng Fei led the way out of the office. The technicians, forensics team, medical examiner, and criminal police quickly followed.

Two unmarked police cars and a police van sped toward the scene. They arrived in short order.

The perimeter had already been cordoned off by the local police, but a crowd of curious onlookers had still gathered.

“Where’s the victim?” Cheng Fei demanded as soon as he stepped from the vehicle, addressing Chief Gu, who hurried over to meet him.

“This way, Captain.” Chief Gu led the way, explaining as they walked, “So far, only the head has been found. The others are still searching the river for the remaining body parts.”

“Where’s the person who reported it? Are there any locals in the crowd who recognize the victim?” Cheng Fei continued, not missing a step.

“The caller’s a fishing enthusiast from the area, but he doesn’t know the deceased. We’ve asked around—no one recognizes her,” Chief Gu replied.

Cheng Fei nodded, then knelt beside the black plastic bag lying on the ground. He peered inside at the severed head. The blood had long since drained away, the flesh slowly decomposing but not yet fully rotted.

“Qin Lian, can you make a preliminary estimation of the cause of death?” he asked the medical examiner.

Qin Lian, a woman of thirty-eight with ten years in the field, frowned deeply at the sight of the decaying head. After a moment, she answered, “Captain Cheng, I can say for now that this was homicide. For further conclusions, we’ll need the rest of the body.”

Cheng Fei eyed the sunken sockets and asked, “Can you tell if the eyes were lost to decomposition, or were they gouged out before death?”

“They were gouged out. Whether that happened before or after death, I’ll need to examine further,” Qin Lian responded.

“Captain Cheng, we’ve found more body parts,” Chief Gu reported, approaching.

“Qin Lian, come with us,” Cheng Fei ordered.

Qin Lian stood, grabbing her forensic kit, and followed Chief Gu to the other remains. She opened another black plastic bag, and a suffocating stench wafted out.

“The dismemberment is quite professional. Was the murderer a doctor, or someone in our line of work?” Qin Lian muttered to herself.

“How can you tell?” Cheng Fei asked.

Qin Lian reached into the bag and pulled out a bone. “See here? The separation of flesh and bone is precise, making it easier to fit in the bag. Whoever did this knows the human body intimately.”

“Captain! Another head found!” A police officer, breathless and alarmed, ran up to report.

Cheng Fei’s brow furrowed. He stood, voice low and steady: “Take us there.”

The officer led Cheng Fei and the others to the new discovery. Qin Lian, carrying her kit, joined them.

“Captain Cheng, this head also appears to be a woman’s, and the cut at the neck matches the other,” Qin Lian reported after inspecting it.

“It seems we’re dealing with the same killer. This is a heinous crime. I’ll call the chief for backup. Xiao He, call Hui—tell him to end his vacation and come to the scene immediately,” Cheng Fei instructed Detective He Zhen.

“Yes, sir!”

The investigation proceeded in tense, methodical order.

Meanwhile, as it was New Year’s Day and traffic was heavy, Traffic Officer Fang Wenxuan was directing cars at the roadside.

Fang Wenxuan was tall and slender, fair-skinned, his features strikingly handsome. Even in the simple uniform of a traffic officer, he stood in the sunlight with an air of elegance, drawing the lingering gaze of many passing female drivers.

Suddenly, Fang noticed a speeding black Honda. The car braked only as the light turned red, stopping over the line.

Fang Wenxuan approached, notebook in hand, and tapped on the window.

The window rolled down quickly.

“Sir, you failed to slow for the red light and stopped over the line. Please show your driver’s license,” Fang saluted and spoke formally.

“Hey, we’re colleagues. I’m a detective, on official business. Can you let this slide? I have to get to the scene immediately,” Lin Hui replied, leaning out the window.

Fang Wenxuan frowned, scrutinizing the man inside. He looked about thirty, with a straightforward and attractive demeanor—not the type to lie. “Your badge?”

Lin Hui patted his pockets, then realized he was on vacation and hadn’t brought his badge. “Buddy, I’m off duty. Just got called in, haven’t got my ID on me, but—”

“Then show me your driver’s license.” Before he could finish, Fang cut him off, shaking his head inwardly. Looks can be deceiving—even someone who looks so upright tries to dodge a ticket.

“I really am a detective, just don’t have my badge. The light’s green now—can you let me through? I have to get to the crime scene,” Lin Hui pleaded as the light changed.

“Please show your license; you’ll be on your way in a moment,” Fang still refused to yield.

“You…” Lin Hui fumed, glaring at the traffic officer outside—so young and clean-cut, probably fresh on the job. Those eyes fixed on him, full of disdain.

“Sir, please hurry. There are many cars waiting behind you,” Fang said, trying to remain calm, though Lin Hui’s stare made him uncomfortable.

Lin Hui glanced in his mirror—indeed, a long line of cars had formed. He knew the ticket was inevitable, so he quickly handed over his license.

Fang took it efficiently, shot Lin Hui an assessing look, and thought, What poor manners.

“Hurry up, I’m on duty,” Lin Hui grumbled, glancing at his watch, both anxious and annoyed. This officer was just too conscientious—even on a holiday with heavy traffic, he caught his one mistake.

“Hey, officer, you’re really dedicated. Other cops let colleagues pass during the holidays, but you insist on writing me up. Are you trying to entrap me?” Lin Hui retorted, though he knew Fang was only doing his job, he couldn’t help but provoke him out of irritation.

Fang finished writing, handed back the license, and said, “If you feel my penalty is unfair, you can file a complaint. My badge number is 5201314. Sir, don’t forget to pay the fine. You may go.”

“Hmph.” Lin Hui glanced at the ticket—two hundred yuan fine, one point off his license—and left, even more disgruntled, hitting the gas as he sped away.

He drove straight to the riverside.

“I’m a detective, just off vacation, and don’t have my badge,” Lin Hui explained to the officer barring his way.

The officer hesitated, unsure.

“Captain!” Lin Hui shouted when he spotted Cheng Fei ahead.

Cheng Fei looked over and approached, telling the officer, “Let him in, he’s one of us.”

The officer finally lifted the tape and let Lin Hui through.

“Where’s your ID?” Cheng Fei asked sternly once Lin Hui was inside.

“Captain, I was off today, so I didn’t bring it. I was too far from the bureau to go back for it,” Lin Hui replied, quickly donning gloves and shoe covers.

Thanks to the joint effort of the police and detectives, all the body parts were finally recovered and taken to the forensic lab.

The detectives, bringing the collected evidence, returned to the division.

“Let’s analyze the case,” Cheng Fei said, seating himself in the meeting room, addressing everyone.

“I’ll go first,” Detective He Xiaopeng volunteered, producing two evidence bags: one containing a black plastic bag, the other a nylon pouch. “The black bag held the head. The nylon pouch was nearby, probably discarded after its zipper broke with time, causing the black bag to fall out and be discovered. Fortunately, I found the zipper. If there’s any skin tissue stuck there, we might get a DNA match.”

“Good,” Cheng Fei nodded, turning to Lin Hui. “Hui, what about you?”

“I found a lot of broken glass,” Lin Hui reported.

“That river’s always full of trash. Glass shards are nothing special,” He Xiaopeng replied.

“Maybe not at first glance,” Lin Hui countered, “but I could smell blood on them. The forensics team confirmed it—human blood. We’ll soon know if it matches our two victims.”

“This is all we have so far. Our priority is to identify the victims. He Xiaopeng, check with the station about missing persons. Hui, you’ll come with me to canvass the riverside,” Cheng Fei assigned tasks.

“Yes, sir,” He Xiaopeng acknowledged.

Lin Hui and Cheng Fei took the preliminary sketches from the tech department and drove to the West City River.

They spent over two hours canvassing the area, but no one recognized either of the victims.

“Captain, maybe we should wait for the autopsy report. Once we have the time of death, we can check surveillance footage near the roads. Whoever brought those bodies here must have used a vehicle,” Lin Hui suggested.