National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1118 - 1049: Observing

Duang!

Duang Duang!

Wu Junhao led his team, using a battering ram to smash the warehouse door of Bian Yizhang’s tobacco and liquor store after several attempts.

Amid the dusty air, Wu Junhao, shielded by anti-riot officers with ballistic shields, turned on his tactical flashlight and led the group inside.

Jiang Yuan was held back by Huang Qiangmin on the opposite side of the street, unable to do anything.

Though Jiang Yuan had LV3 skills in firearms handling, Huang Qiangmin had witnessed explosives with a 30-meter blast radius. There was no way Huang Qiangmin would let Jiang Yuan enter a serial killer’s warehouse first.

Shen Feihong, the commander of Qinghe City Criminal Police Detachment, was also present at the scene, enviously watching the interaction between Jiang Yuan and Huang Qiangmin. He wished for a subordinate who would protect him like a princess in the same manner.

"Safe."

"Safe!"

Only after hearing echoes announcing safety from inside did Jiang Yuan and Huang Qiangmin enter the premises guarded by Mu Zhiyang.

The warehouse was converted from an office building from twenty or thirty years ago, spanning an area of about a hundred square meters. There were a few partition walls dividing the space. The walls were thick, the ceiling height was decent, and the windows had all been bricked up. Illumination relied entirely on artificial lighting.

"Over here!" Wu Junhao’s voice came from the room on the eastern side.

Jiang Yuan and Huang Qiangmin moved towards it. With each step, the ground beneath their feet emitted a crunching sound.

"Plastic sheeting," Huang Qiangmin glanced down and felt a sense of unease, informing Jiang Yuan.

"Hmm." Jiang Yuan nodded as he continued observing and advancing deeper inside.

The entire room was wrapped in plastic sheeting, and four human severed heads were clearly displayed on a stainless-steel tabletop covered in plastic.

The heads had been treated with lime, an old-fashioned method of preserving corpses. The stark whiteness of the heads made the scene even more chilling.

"Four heads?" Huang Qiangmin almost doubted his ability to count. The case thus far had only revolved around three victims.

"Four heads. No other body parts have been found so far," Wu Junhao solemnly replied, keeping additional personnel from entering the room.

In cases of such brutal acts of violence, the necessity and urgency of solving them intensified. Whether for individual officers or society as a whole, such cruelty must unequivocally be eradicated.

Jiang Yuan lowered his gaze to the plastic sheeting on the floor—transparent, intact, and free of bloodstains. The few smudges present were likely brought in by the police themselves.

"Commander Wu, don’t move," Jiang Yuan instructed, refraining from inspecting the heads and instead examining the footprints on the plastic sheeting.

Compared to soil or muddy surfaces, footprints on plastic sheeting were challenging to capture. However, the warehouse was filthy, covered in dust, and lacked proper sealing or cleaning, thereby leaving some traces. Similar residuals could be found on metal or tiled surfaces.

"Bring a few people to lift Commander Wu out and get the electrostatic dust lifter here," Jiang Yuan ordered before addressing Wu Junhao, "Stay still for now, and later leave a sample of your shoe sole. I’ll check other areas first."

"Alright," Wu Junhao responded reluctantly, saying, "I’ll just pretend I stepped on a landmine, waiting for you to defuse it."

Nearby officers chuckled briefly before realizing the grim atmosphere. They quickly turned away.

Shortly afterward, someone brought over two bamboo poles, handing Wu Junhao one for each side to prop under his arms. A team gathered around and effortlessly hoisted Wu Junhao out.

Wu Junhao exhaled deeply but felt nauseated as he inhaled again.

"These heads were preserved with lime, but the technique is average," Jiang Yuan said as he completed a circuit of the warehouse, conducted a cursory examination of the scene, and collected some fingerprints and footprints. He then returned to the plastic-sheeted room.

Liu Wenkai entered from the rear, remarking, "Maybe the method was learned online."

"It’s possible." Jiang Yuan considered this explanation, finding Liu Wenkai’s analysis plausible. As a former head of the major crimes unit, Liu certainly had solid expertise.

Wu Junhao glared, tempted to move closer for a better look but afraid he’d be hoisted out again. Displeased, he muttered, "The plastic sheeting layout here might’ve been copied from TV dramas. I recall seeing something similar in American TV shows."

"That’s possible. Still, the sheeting is neatly laid—there’s some skill involved," Jiang Yuan acknowledged.

"Ordinarily, wouldn’t he have wrapped the heads in the plastic sheeting, discarded them elsewhere, and covered his tracks? Leaving them here, displayed so neatly—it’s like provoking the police," Liu Wenkai suggested.

"This isn’t his first time provoking us," Wu Junhao scoffed.

Liu Wenkai: "What’s his motive then?"

Wu Junhao: "Didn’t you just say? To provoke the authorities!"

"So he’s just purely deranged? With all this time, could he not have gone to sing karaoke or something?" Liu Wenkai mused aloud. Cases involving deranged individuals tend to be overly elaborate, their convoluted actions draining police resources.

As they conversed, the electrostatic dust lifter Jiang Yuan requested had been grounded and delivered.

The electrostatic dust lifter was a commonly used tool among forensic specialists for collecting footprints. However, it required extensive grounding, particularly when used on plastic sheeting.

The device operated simply: the footprint was covered uniformly with the electrostatic dust film of an appropriate size, then subjected to repetitive cycles of energizing and de-energizing. Dust from the footprint adhered to the film, which could then be photographed for evidence collection.

Jiang Yuan observed rather than operated the device himself, instead focusing his attention on gait patterns.

"Captain Jiang, the footprint collection is complete," reported a technician from the forensic unit.

Jiang Yuan nodded, turning to Huang Qiangmin and the others nearby. "Based on the footprints, this should still be Bian Yizhang’s doing."

"Just one person?" Huang Qiangmin asked, his concern evident.

"Just one." Jiang Yuan confirmed, signaling for the plastic sheeting to be carefully removed.

Due to the need for evidence preservation, these tasks took a couple of hours.

Only now did Jiang Yuan approach the four severed heads for closer examination.

"These are the heads of victims number one, two, and three," Jiang Yuan paused before picking up the bottommost head. "The fourth is female. Judging by the dental structure, she appears to be about 28 years old. Her teeth were once corrected, which likely leaves a record. Her nose underwent cosmetic surgery too, though it’s somewhat decayed now. Based on her bone structure, she should have been quite attractive."

"Then I suggest labeling her as a beauty," Liu Wenkai commented, adding, "With nose work, other cosmetic procedures are also plausible. Even a regular-looking person could look stunning with makeup and corrections. If you say she already looked good initially, just a few tweaks and some makeup could make her easily pass as a conventional beauty."

The soundness of this logic prompted most present to nod in tacit agreement—it seemed convincing.

"Has the warrant for Bian Yizhang been disseminated? Any leads?" Huang Qiangmin asked, his emotions slightly steadied. Though another victim had been added, since the perpetrator had been identified and no additional culprits seemed involved, the case was progressing towards resolution.

In this modern era, fugitive tracking was relatively easier.

As evening set in, Jiang Yuan and his team finished processing the scene and drove back to Ningtai County.

The crime occurred in Qinghe City, but jurisdiction fell under the Taihe Working Group due to complications with the Tai River. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Vehicles from the Qinghe City Bureau escorted them partway before returning to their posts. Once back in Ningtai County, the officers from Wu Junhao’s anti-riot squad and Liu Wenkai’s criminal police brigade also returned to their stations.

Jiang Yuan and his team drove into the underground garage of Building 9, taking the elevator upstairs to immediately begin analyzing the four new severed heads.

This investigation lasted until the early hours of morning.

The courtyard of the Ningtai County Bureau Criminal Police Brigade was nearly pitch-dark.

Bian Yizhang tightened the raincloth around himself, raised his binoculars again, and stared at the courtyard of the Criminal Police Brigade, silently observing.