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墨書 Inktalez
The time was still early when Lin Yuan drove the police car to the entrance of their neighborhood. The construction work below had not yet begun.
As soon as the security guard saw him, he immediately let him through.
"Thank you, Uncle. Do you know when they will start the construction here?"
"They should arrive around two in the afternoon."
Since people would need to pass through this area, the security guard was well-informed. He glanced at Lin Yuan, wondering if someone had been thrown into the sewer; such a small space wouldn't be able to accommodate a person.
"Could you accompany us for a moment? And bring some tools?"
The curious security guard readily agreed. It was peak time for people heading to work and going out to buy groceries, but the drainage area behind the neighborhood wouldn’t attract too much attention.
There were warning signs indicating that construction was underway and that entry was prohibited. The few hollow stone slabs covering the sewer showed clear signs of having been moved and could be opened.
Lin Yuan observed this scene and thought it would be more convenient to simply toss them aside rather than move them back and forth.
"Help me move these."
The security guard quickly stepped forward to assist Lin Yuan in moving what they could. As they opened it, a faint unpleasant odor began to spread, which was expected given that this was a sewage area. The water looked somewhat murky but not overly dirty; however, just from the smell, it was clear there were plenty of bacteria inside.
Zhang Xiao watched his actions with a growing sense of dread, feeling that her earlier bad premonition might be coming true. Under their watchful eyes, Lin Yuan rolled up his sleeves and reached in.
Leaning close to the gutter and ignoring the foul smell, Lin Yuan felt around and pulled out a clump of hair.
Both the security guard and Zhang Xiao watched cautiously, unsure how to help. After about two minutes of searching inside, Lin Yuan withdrew his hand.
"Officer Lin, what if she wasn’t harmed at all? Maybe she just went out to have fun?" Zhang Xiao asked nervously.
"She’s right here."
Most criminals do not leave bodies at the scene, especially in cases of sudden violence; if it were those few men, their only option would be to dispose of the body somewhere else.
As Zhang Xiao pointed out, this was an old neighborhood where any unusual activity would easily attract attention.
"But you've searched for so long without finding anything; what if...?"
Lin Yuan didn’t respond but continued staring at the water's surface for a moment before addressing the security guard: "Could you check if something is blocking the flow ahead? The water isn’t flowing right."
"What do you mean by 'not flowing right'?"
The security guard glanced over and didn’t see anything unusual but decided to follow Lin Yuan’s instructions and checked one by one ahead of him.
The hollow areas between the stone slabs allowed for a glimpse inside; as he passed by, Lin Yuan found a branch nearby. He got down on his stomach, using one hand to steady himself against a stone slab while probing with the branch in his other hand.
Almost immediately after inserting the branch, he felt something solid beneath the water—definitely not just mud but something hard.
Lin Yuan probed further inside and felt another object beside it.
Lin Yuan pushed himself up from the ground and turned on the flashlight on his phone, counting the distance on the stone slab.
This should be the spot.
Just as he was about to pick up the crowbar beside him, there was movement from the security guard's side.
"Police! Over here!"
He saw the security guard sitting on the ground, and somehow, his hand had reached into something. When he pulled it out, it was a dark bag with something dangling from it.
"Should I open it?"
The security guard's voice trembled slightly as he touched what seemed to be a human hand.
"Leave it for now!" Lin Yuan replied, turning his attention back to the stone slab in front of him.
"I'll help!" Zhang Xiao hesitated for a moment but then approached.
Even with a crowbar, it would be difficult for one person to pry it open. Lin Yuan instructed her to use the crowbar while he positioned himself at the end of the stone slab that was being pried up.
With a creak, as the stone slab was lifted, Lin Yuan exerted force immediately. The heavy slab fell onto the grass beside them with a muffled thud.
Zhang Xiao spotted a black garbage bag, but compared to the one in the security guard's hand, this one was significantly larger.
Lin Yuan pulled it out and felt around a bit more. In total, they found four bags, three of which were quite sizable and wrapped in several layers.
"Could this contain... a person?" The security guard wondered aloud, though he wasn't curious enough to entertain such thoughts just yet.
Lin Yuan handed his phone to Zhang Xiao to record while he began to open each bag one by one.
The foul odor that wafted out this time was completely different from before. The first bag revealed something dark and matted with hair.
Zhang Xiao couldn't hold back; despite still filming, she turned aside and began to retch. Having skipped breakfast that morning, she was simply dry heaving.
In the video, Lin Yuan managed to pull aside some hair, revealing a pale face underneath.
This bag contained a head.
Upon seeing the face clearly, Zhang Xiao's initial fear faded momentarily, replaced by shock and confusion.
It really is a person!
Could their neighborhood be some kind of murder hotspot? In such a short time, two people had died—both young women at that.
As the security guard pondered whether he should consider a different job, Lin Yuan tied up the bag securely. After taking a few photos with Zhang Xiao's phone, he called Team Zhang.
The police car arriving from the station was discreet; there were many residents around, and they feared disturbing the scene.
As Zhang Xiao snapped back to reality from his sorrow, he began calling Meng Ruochu's parents. They were not in Haishi, and she also thought about who could have done this.
Li Muze, it must be him! There wouldn't be anyone else!
When Team Leader Zhang arrived with a few forensic experts, they were met with the sight of a dismembered body, almost unrecognizable. After the officers took several photographs, they handed the evidence over for forensic examination.
“How did you find this place?”
It was impossible for Meng Ruochu to come out alone at night; even if she had climbed over a wall, she wouldn't have done it by herself. So she must still be here.
However, the person who did this was somewhat clever.
“How so?”
Lin Yuan led Team Leader Zhang to the drainage ditch and explained, “If they had just thrown the body in like this, it would have been discovered by the next day. The area a bit further ahead has already been cleaned up, so tossing it there would work well.”
“But the conditions aren't sufficient. At night, there's too much uncertainty; if someone hears a noise, it could lead to trouble.”
“That’s why they used balloons.”
“Balloons?” Team Leader Zhang looked puzzled. “Couldn't they just throw the bags forward with a bit of force? What do they need balloons for?”
“If you use smaller balloons in larger quantities, they provide buoyancy,” Lin Yuan clarified. “But what if the buoyancy isn’t enough? There’s a risk that it could get stuck somewhere, which would increase the chance of exposure. Plus, while this drainage ditch isn’t shallow, it’s filled with garbage.”
“Why are their positions different?”
Before they arrived, Lin Yuan had noticed that the locations of the bags had been marked; indeed, there was a considerable distance between the two spots. The reason the security guard was able to retrieve the bags was that he happened to reach a corner where one of the stone slabs above had a missing piece covered by cloth, making it hard to see.
Team Leader Zhang hissed and stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You’re being cryptic; just tell me directly.”
“They used a rather clumsy method.”
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