National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1130 - 1061: The Skilled Assassin

"There are still quite a few clues available for investigation in the 303 case."

Jiang Yuan, upon taking over the 303 case, immediately called Liu Jinghui over.

Liu Jinghui originally had his home in the provincial capital. Although he seldom went back, being transferred over was still quite convenient.

As for the cases Jiang Yuan took on, Liu Jinghui had always been rather interested in them.

Similar to Jiang Yuan’s current approach, Liu Jinghui was more inclined to tackle challenging cases. However, for cases like the 303, once restarted, they require massive efforts, and Liu Jinghui himself did not have the confidence to restart it. Moreover, the higher-ups were unwilling to shoulder such a huge cost.

But Jiang Yuan was different. The cases Jiang Yuan undertook were reassuring in both the success rate of solving them and the conviction rate. To use an imperfect metaphor, Jiang Yuan was like an expensive combine harvester: as long as you paid the steep rental and operating fees, he could reliably harvest crime. Liu Jinghui, by comparison, was more like a strong but stubborn mule—capable when the conditions were right, but if his mood was off or the environment unsuitable, there might be no progress at all.

For a brigade chief like Yu Wenshu, unless Liu Jinghui presented extremely strong evidence to persuade him, he wouldn’t agree to restart the 303 case. Or to put it another way, even if someone like Cao Chujun took the initiative to propose restarting, and his methods relied on Liu Jinghui’s abilities, Yu Wenshu still wouldn’t approve.

However, with Jiang Yuan backing him up, Liu Jinghui could then stand at the forefront, making him far more adaptable than a combine harvester.

Only to hear Liu Jinghui speaking eloquently:

"In the 303 case, the social relationships of the three victims were complex. From the perspective of motives, we believe the interpersonal relationships of the three victims are very likely to be closely related to this case. Unfortunately, although the task force deployed extensive manpower to trace leads through their relationships, they failed to identify any suspects."

"From the perspective of the perpetrator, the killer is also highly unusual. For example, the ability to pry open anti-theft windows barehanded is beyond most petty thieves. I saw records where the 303 task force specifically tested this model of anti-theft window. At the time, among about 60 members of a SWAT team, only four managed to pull it open, and only two could do so relatively easily. Both of those officers weighed over 90 kilograms."

Liu Jinghui exhaled a breath and continued, "On another note, the victim resided on the third floor. For the perpetrator to climb up, they would need certain skills, and their body type couldn’t be too heavy or cumbersome. In summary, the killer must be experienced, trained, and highly skilled."

Liu Jinghui added, "Unfortunately, the task force focused purely on investigating the killer’s physical capabilities, and ultimately, their efforts yielded no results."

In the conference room of the Changyang City Criminal Police Brigade, apart from the 30-plus officers Jiang Yuan had brought along, there were over a dozen others who joined, forming a team nearly equivalent to a full task force despite the case not being officially reopened.

Some members had their heads buried in documents, others were looking up at Jiang Yuan, while still others were whispering in hushed discussions.

Before long, Liu Wenkai, who had specifically come over from Ningtai County upon hearing about the 303 case, spoke up: "While it’s true that the social lives of the three victims might have been quite messy, under criminal investigation, it’s hard to believe their relationships couldn’t be clarified. They must have made calls or sent messages to arrange meetups, right? Just tracing their communications should reveal most of the story."

Liu Jinghui responded with a simple "Hmm," and elaborated, "This has to be divided into two aspects. First, it’s not that the relationships of the three victims couldn’t be clarified at all, but that their connections are so intricate that further investigation consumes significant resources. Second, there are indeed relationships that can’t be traced—for instance, all three victims had instances of one-night stands, some meeting people in bars or similar settings. In those cases, they might not even have exchanged WeChat contacts or any other contact details, and the encounter could end with them bidding farewell or perhaps lingering thoughts the next day."

Liu Wenkai clicked his tongue in amazement, "Classic 303, truly Changyang’s masterpiece."

"What kind of ridiculous nickname is that!" Cao Chujun, being older, couldn’t stomach such jokes.

Liu Wenkai shrugged, opting not to continue the banter about the nickname, shifting the conversation instead: "Cases of one-night stands—wouldn’t it be unlikely for them to lead to killings of this scale? Who would commit triple homicide because of it?"

"Suppose two male victims had one-night stands with a woman, and that woman’s husband found out—would he be angry enough to grab a knife and start hunting them down?" Liu Jinghui’s logic was sharp.

Liu Wenkai furrowed his brow as he listened and then slowly nodded, adding to Liu Jinghui’s point: "Even if the male victims had a one-night stand with another man, if that man’s husband found out, he’d have his own reasons to grab a knife and go after them."

"Um..." Liu Jinghui’s meticulous train of thought resembled a bicycle chain that had suddenly been derailed by a dirty yellow stone lying by the roadside.

Liu Wenkai continued, "At the crime scene, the three victims were two men and one woman. People indulging in such behavior are obviously living fast and loose, but they wouldn’t likely stick to a fixed team, would they? Especially the two men. If they were equally promiscuous with other women, especially decent ones, it wouldn’t be shocking for them to end up killed."

"This angle was definitely explored," Captain Cao Chujun stepped in.

Liu Wenkai looked at Cao Chujun and, this time, spoke rather bluntly: "Captain Cao, I mean no offense, but given your age, you might not fully understand how young people today ’play around.’"

"Play how?" Cao Chujun asked.

"Three-person or four-person group activities, even five-person group scenarios. It’s common for someone to bring others out to party, and temporary group setups are just as frequent..." Liu Wenkai paused mid-speech and added, "This female victim wouldn’t only be messing around, right? Did she have a serious partner?"

"The female victim was married," Cao Chujun shook his head.

Liu Wenkai shook his head too, "Captain Cao, nowadays, some people—regardless of gender—not only have a spouse but also a serious romantic interest, someone who emotionally moves them yet leads nowhere, and someone exceptionally attractive they see from time to time for thrills. Beyond that, they may still have temporary flings or group activity partners."

Captain Cao wasn’t shocked—after all, he swam through society’s dark undercurrents daily as a detective—but he was deeply puzzled: "Is there really a need for all this? I mean, I know it happens occasionally, but I don’t see how it relates significantly to our case."

"I think it’s quite relevant," Liu Wenkai replied. "The victims, and their contacts, may very well fit this profile. Only by considering this angle can the investigation be thorough."

"The proportion of such cases can’t be that high," Cao Chujun remained firm in defending his previous judgment.

Liu Wenkai gave a faint smile, saying, "They’re already playing like this. It’s less about the proportion being high and more about us stumbling into a nest of it."

Cao Chujun muttered to himself, "Unlikely, unlikely."

Clearing his throat, Liu Jinghui interjected, "Captain Cao, based on your reflection on the 303 case over the years, if you had to rethink your approach, what entry point would you suggest for a breakthrough?"

Cao Chujun, who had first brought up the 303 case and invited Jiang Yuan onboard, naturally had his own considerations.

As soon as Liu Jinghui posed the question, Cao Chujun immediately withdrew from his earlier banter, adopting a serious tone as he turned to Jiang Yuan and Yu Wenshu: "After thorough thought, I believe we should consider the drug angle. Blood tests for all three victims revealed traces of a new synthetic drug. If this lead can be pursued further, it may offer explanations for the capabilities of this skilled assassin."