Chapter 4: The New Arrival Reports In

Chapter 4

The sixty-square-meter apartment was so clean it felt almost unnatural. Generally, when tenants moved out, who would bother to scrub the floors this meticulously?

Half an hour later, Cheng Fei arrived with Zheng Qiaoshan from Forensics.

“Hui, what’s the situation?” As soon as he walked in, Cheng Fei addressed Lin Hui, who was crouched on the floor, inspecting carefully.

“Captain, don’t you notice a heavy smell of blood?” Lin Hui glanced up at Cheng Fei.

Cheng Fei nodded. “I do. Qiaoshan, bring the reagent and check if there’s human blood on the floor.”

Zheng Qiaoshan, twenty-six, was always the most meticulous in collecting and analyzing evidence. She set down her case, took out a cotton swab, and gently wiped the floor. Then she placed the swab into a small tube containing reagent.

Moments later, the swab turned pink. Zheng Qiaoshan looked to Cheng Fei. “Captain, it’s human blood.”

“Xiaopeng, go ask the neighbors how many people usually live here, who they are, and get the landlord. Hui, search thoroughly. This is likely the primary crime scene,” Cheng Fei ordered at once.

Lin Hui searched the apartment and found only women’s clothing in the wardrobe—not a single men’s sock or slipper. Yet a man had clearly been here, leaving no trace behind.

“Cunning indeed,” Lin Hui muttered to himself.

Fifteen minutes later, He Xiaopeng returned, looking defeated, evidently empty-handed.

“Xiaopeng, what did you learn from the neighbors?” Cheng Fei asked.

“Captain, I spoke to them. They’ve heard from Mei Yanqin that she had a boyfriend, but no one’s ever seen him—not even the landlord. Mei Yanqin rented the place herself, and Wang Minmin visited often,” He Xiaopeng reported.

“Seems this boyfriend is highly suspicious,” Cheng Fei said, his eyes narrowing.

“Captain, we’ve collected all the necessary evidence,” Zheng Qiaoshan said, holding her case.

“Good. Let’s return to the bureau for a meeting,” Cheng Fei replied.

The four of them returned to the Criminal Investigation Division. Zheng Qiaoshan handed the blood samples from the floor to Qin Lian for testing. The results revealed both Mei Yanqin’s and Wang Minmin’s blood.

The teams had gathered in the meeting room. Cheng Fei pinned a photograph to the bulletin board. “This man was the last to be seen with Wang Minmin and Mei Yanqin. Is he Mei Yanqin’s mysterious boyfriend? We must find out. He’s gone to great lengths to hide his identity—making him our prime suspect.”

“Captain, last time we discussed the possibility of this case being related to an organ trafficking ring. Should we pull up the files from that case for review?” Lin Hui suggested.

“We have very little evidence this time. The nylon bags fished from the river were carefully wiped clean—no fingerprints, clearly the work of a professional. We can examine the previous case files,” Cheng Fei agreed. He turned to He Xiaopeng. “Xiaopeng, check all surveillance footage from the surrounding streets over the past month.”

Three hours later, Cheng Fei left his office and walked up to He Xiaopeng. “Any progress, Xiaopeng?”

“Captain, Mei Yanqin and Wang Minmin appear frequently in the footage, but there’s no sign of the shadowy man or the mysterious boyfriend,” He Xiaopeng replied.

“Thanks for your hard work. Keep watching carefully, especially at night—he tends to appear late,” Cheng Fei said, patting his shoulder.

Cheng Fei crossed the room to Lin Hui, who was poring over old files. “Hui, any leads?”

“Captain, the earlier case involved a man who was attacked after meeting someone from an online chat. He reported it to the police, and the officers took his statement and investigated. The woman who met him online blocked him immediately after the crime, so there were no records, but the tech staff managed to recover their chat logs. The woman logged in through a mall’s WiFi, but with so many people connected, the lead went cold. The crime scene was a small hotel without cameras and lots of foot traffic. The owner didn’t know who entered the room. Once again, not a single trace was left behind,” Lin Hui said, disappointed.

Cheng Fei patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t lose heart. Every crime leaves traces.”

“Looks like we’ll have to work overtime tonight, Xiaopeng and I will keep watching the footage. I refuse to believe he can always evade the cameras,” Lin Hui said through gritted teeth, clutching the files. “I’ll catch this ruthless killer.”

“Captain, we’re short-handed. When can we get reinforcements?” He Xiaopeng asked.

“The rookie will report in tomorrow. You’ll have some help from now on,” Cheng Fei replied.

“Who is it, Captain?” Lin Hui asked.

“You’ll see tomorrow,” Cheng Fei said, then left for his office.

Night fell, and only Lin Hui and He Xiaopeng remained in the office, eyes glued to the monitors, scrutinizing every passerby and every vehicle.

“Hui, why don’t you rest? The captain might need you to investigate tomorrow,” He Xiaopeng said, noticing Lin Hui rubbing his eyes.

“No, I won’t sleep until we find that shadowy figure or the mysterious boyfriend. The victims’ families are coming for the bodies tomorrow—we’ve found nothing. How can we face them?” Lin Hui answered, eyes fixed on the screens once more.

Dawn crept in unnoticed. After a night without sleep, Lin Hui glanced at the gray sky, then at his watch—7:30. He stood, deciding to fetch a cup of coffee to shake off the fatigue.

Just as he reached the door, he saw someone carrying a large box—so big it hid the person’s head and blocked the hallway. Lin Hui stepped sideways to pass, but felt a sharp sting in his hand. Looking down, he realized he’d been pricked by a cactus.

“Who is this? My hand’s been jabbed!” Lin Hui muttered irritably.

“Sorry, sorry!” came a familiar voice from behind the box, apologizing repeatedly.

The person quickly set the box down and finally looked up.

“What are you doing here?” Lin Hui was shocked to see the petite traffic officer with badge number 5201314, infamous for writing tickets.

“I’m here to report for duty,” Fang Wenxuan replied with a smile. She glanced at Lin Hui’s hand. “Did you get pricked? Is there a thorn? Let me take it out for you.”

“Hold on!” Lin Hui stopped her from taking his hand. “You said you’re here to report? Are you the rookie the captain mentioned?”

Fang Wenxuan nodded. “That’s right.”

“You?” Lin Hui looked her up and down—fair-skinned, not exactly robust, looking as if a gust of wind could knock her over. She didn’t look like she could hold her own in a fight. He chuckled. “With your build, the criminals might end up catching you instead.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Fang Wenxuan frowned, uncomfortable under his gaze.

Lin Hui ignored her and walked over to the box she’d brought. Pushing aside documents and books, he saw snacks and daily necessities underneath.

Was this “5201314” planning to make the Criminal Investigation Division her home? Even the cactus—neither Qin Lian, the coroner, nor Zheng Qiaoshan, the forensic analyst, kept one on their desks, but this little traffic officer was oddly sentimental, nothing like a detective at all.

Fang Wenxuan was annoyed at Lin Hui rummaging through her things without permission, but remembering she was a newcomer and Lin Hui was a senior colleague, she held her tongue.

“Do you think this is your home, bringing all this? You might as well take it all back to the Traffic Division,” Lin Hui remarked.

“That’s not for you to decide,” Fang Wenxuan shot back, then bent to pick up her cactus and walked over to He Xiaopeng. “Senior, I’m Fang Wenxuan, the rookie. Please take care of me. This is for you. Since you spend so much time in front of a computer, this can help with radiation.”

“Wow, thank you! I’m He Xiaopeng. Just call me Xiaopeng. If you need anything, just ask,” he replied, delighted with the cactus.

“I’ve got plenty of snacks, too. If you’re ever hungry during overtime, just help yourself,” Fang Wenxuan smiled.

Lin Hui watched Fang Wenxuan ingratiating herself with He Xiaopeng, raising an eyebrow. She certainly knew how to get along with colleagues—why was she so prickly with him?

“Hey, what about my hand?” Lin Hui approached her.

Fang Wenxuan stepped forward, took his hand, and examined it closely. “There’s a thorn. Let me get it out.”

“Here’s a needle,” He Xiaopeng offered.

Fang Wenxuan carefully began extracting the thorn from Lin Hui’s hand.

Sitting on the desk, Lin Hui watched her slender, delicate hands and frowned. How could someone so frail catch criminals? He couldn’t feel any calluses on her hands—she probably never practiced shooting.

“Hey, Fang Wenxuan, you’re here early,” Cheng Fei said as he entered the office.

“Good morning, Captain. I live nearby and woke up early, so I came in early,” Fang Wenxuan replied with a smile.