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墨書 Inktalez
Although this is merely a conjecture, based on the logical relationships and the traces left at the scene, my guess should be quite accurate. However, if this is indeed the case, a question arises before us: why did the Killer kidnap Yan Junde?
Analyzing this point, it is highly likely that the Killer knows Yan Junde's identity and is aware that Yan Junde has already resigned. From the very beginning of the crime, the Killer intended to shift the suspicion of murder onto Yan Junde. Yet what the Killer fails to realize is that those who can enter the Special Investigation Team are not individuals he can easily manipulate.
"Let's start investigating through Yan Junde's connections. Two conditions: first, people who know Yan Junde; second, those who know he has resigned," I said.
"I guarantee to complete the task," Alley replied.
As we returned from the car, my mind was in disarray. On one hand, I was thinking about matters related to Yuzhou City, while on the other hand, I was concerned about Yan Junde. Juan Juan had no idea what kind of situation we were facing, and although we knew Yan Junde was in danger, so far there had been no clues to indicate where he might be.
The Special Investigation Team was suddenly down by half its members, and I found it quite unsettling. Mary was still busy typing away at her computer, not sure what she was working on. The sound of her fingers striking the keyboard added some noise to the otherwise quiet car, making it feel less lonely.
Before we could return to the Police Department, a phone call came in on Alley's mobile. After answering, Alley turned to me and said, "Team Leader, that so-called Law Enforcer has struck again. This time a woman is dead; her body is still at the scene. Plum, turn around; I'll give you the address..."
It was still only afternoon, and yet the Law Enforcer dared to commit another crime. Under such clear skies, this was a blatant provocation.
We raced to the scene with sirens blaring at top speed. As we arrived, we saw that two streets had been cordoned off by the first responders from the Fire Department and local police. In the distance, we could see a building still billowing white smoke. Stepping out of the car, waves of heat hit us. A few steps forward revealed a chaotic scene with many injured people lying or sitting around as ambulances rushed in and out.
It was evident that a fire had just occurred here.
A police officer approached us. I identified myself and asked, "What’s going on here? What happened?"
After a brief explanation, I finally understood what had transpired. The burned establishment was the largest bathhouse in the area. Earlier today, this bathhouse suddenly caught fire; when alerted by nearby residents, the Fire Department arrived first, followed closely by local police and ambulances.
At this point, the bathhouse had not opened for business yet; however, there were quite a number of people inside—especially many young and attractive women. When mentioning this fact, the police officer gave me a knowing look. We understood that such large bathhouses often concealed many "ladies." Although cities crack down hard on such establishments, they always seem to pop up again.
There were many people inside despite the closed doors; firefighting efforts were slow as firefighters needed to break through tempered glass before allowing anyone out. Strangely enough, although thick smoke poured from within the building, the fire itself wasn't very large; most of those injured seemed to have sustained their injuries while pushing and shoving during their escape.
The police officer said, "We initially thought there were no fatalities because the fire wasn't significant. However, when we searched inside, we found one deceased person—only one—and her body is still in that lounge area. The scene has already been sealed off. To be honest, I never thought I'd encounter something like this in my life..."
Following the police officer into the bathhouse revealed that from outside it appeared small in size. Once inside, however, it became clear that there was much more space due to its multi-level structure. Upon reaching the lounge where the deceased lay, I understood why the police officer had reacted as he did.
In the lounge, we saw a female corpse bound in mid-air, as if lying on an invisible bed, about fifty centimeters off the ground. A sharp dagger, stained with blood, was positioned near her lower body. At first glance, I recognized this dagger as the one used in the video to carve words into Liu Sanxi's body. Her mouth was tightly taped shut by the Killer, but her nose was deliberately left exposed.
Her lower body was gruesomely bloodied, creating a horrifying sight. On one wall of the lounge, someone had written a few words with candle wax drippings: "Uphold Justice, Duty Bound—Enforcer Liu."
A strong odor wafted through the air. An officer from the police station remarked, "The Fire Department has determined that this is the primary fire scene. The thick smoke originated from here, and there are traces of burned sulfur present, which is also the source of the smell. Do you see all those plants over there? That’s how the smoke was generated."
I scanned the surroundings and noticed that the windows were sealed shut, with tape along the edges. I asked, "Was the door sealed before it was opened?"
The police captain nodded and replied, "That's correct."
It seemed that the Killer had completely sealed this place off, even covering the door seams with tape. As a result, the smoke wouldn't immediately disperse; it would first fill this room before seeping out through tiny gaps. This explained why there was suddenly so much smoke outside.
"Let's wait for the Forensic Expert to arrive," I said.
Before long, a Forensic Expert from the Police Department hurried to the scene. Upon seeing the state of the corpse, even they appeared incredulous. We worked together to lower the body down while the Forensic Expert began their examination. I stood below, observing the same suspended sharp dagger.
Behind the dagger was something resembling a spring. I tried pushing it back, and immediately, the spring retracted. Correspondingly, there was a device similar to a winch behind it with sharp little teeth inside. The winch held a long piece of wire that was hooked onto a rope binding the corpse's hands.
The Forensic Expert stated, "The only injuries on her body are in her lower region, but dust was found in her mouth. Given the current situation, she likely suffocated... I'll need to perform an autopsy to confirm." We looked at her lower body, which was bloodied and mangled beyond recognition; it was hard to believe she had suffocated.
If Juan Juan were here, her tools would have been able to determine the cause of death right on site. Some officers from the Police Department helped carry the body out to transport it to the morgue. I turned to Alley and said, "Check the surveillance at the Bathhouse to see if any suspicious individuals came here."
Alley nodded and replied, "Plum, you handle this while I learn a few more tricks from our leader."
I shrugged helplessly and said, "The Killer is a mechanical genius; did you notice anything mechanical here? Just like last time, they designed a specialized killing tool. The Killer aimed the dagger at this woman's lower body; every time she pressed forward against it, the winch would turn. Once all that wire was wound up, it would cut through the rope binding her hands. At that point, she could tear off the tape from her mouth and either call for help or bite through her bindings."
"Clearly," Alley said, "this woman did not manage to do that."
"Look into this woman's background..." Before I could finish my sentence, Alley interjected: "You don't need to say that; I've already arranged for it just now. It shouldn't take long to find out."
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the people sent by Alley brought back the basic information about the deceased. The woman was named Su Min, and she had been calling herself Yue Xiaomei at the Bathhouse. She was not from the city; her family came from a rural area. She had started working as a "lady" at the Bathhouse a few years ago, but according to other women at the Bathhouse, while she was indeed in this line of work, she often went out to scam money from "young virgins."
Alley said, "It seems this victim meets the Law Enforcer's 'enforcement' requirements."
"Captain, Team Leader," a detective who had been sent to check the surveillance footage rushed back and reported, "The surveillance has already been completely wiped! There's nothing left."
It seemed that the Killer had indeed come prepared and anticipated this. I exchanged a glance with Mary, who nodded in response. While the Killer could erase traces from the computer, it was difficult to eliminate the data within it; I believed Mary would be able to uncover it. However, the outcome of the investigation left me dumbfounded as everyone stared at a program that popped up on the computer screen:
A small bear appeared on the screen with a line of text beside it: "You won't find anything."
After some operations, Mary frowned and shrugged her shoulders, saying, "I won't go into professional jargon, but in short, the person we're trying to catch is a hacking expert."
"A hacking expert and a mechanical genius." I rubbed my temples with my fingers, thinking to myself: "Since the establishment of the Special Investigation Team, this might be the strongest opponent we've encountered so far, especially since we're down two members. What kind of person could the Killer be, and why did they abduct Yan Junde?"
At that moment, Alley's phone rang again. Alley nodded repeatedly and hung up before saying to me, "Team Leader, that was a call from the Forensic Expert. The cause of death for the victim has been confirmed as asphyxiation. However, the Forensic Expert found another USB drive inside the female corpse's uterus."
Upon hearing Alley's words, everyone fell silent. The audacity of the Killer had reached such heights that it was truly appalling.
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