Chapter 42: Clue

"Let's go." Lin Guoliang put away his phone.

"Did the Little Girl specify an exact location?"

"She said it was a curved building; I think it must be that commercial building in the northeast corner," Jiang Wenxin said.

As a people's police officer, she was quite familiar with the surrounding environment; even for an unfinished building, she knew its layout clearly.

Lin Guoliang walked forward, carefully observing the surroundings on both sides.

"Master, what's wrong?" Jiang Wenxin asked.

"If this really is a murder case, the killer might have left via this path; after all, this is the only way out. You should pay extra attention and see if you find anything," Lin Guoliang said.

Hearing this, Jiang Wenxin's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "Master, you thought of that so Zhou Dao; how did I not think of it?"

"It's just experience; with time, you will know these things too," Lin Guoliang said casually.

Although Jiang Wenxin had learned these things at the police academy, not everyone is a born detective, nor can everyone apply what they learned to their work.

The two walked forward and found that although this path showed signs of being walked on, there was nothing particularly special about it.

"Tell me, if a murder really occurred, did the Little Girl discover it herself, or did someone else find it and have the Little Girl call the police?" Lin Guoliang asked.

"I think someone else found it and had the Little Girl come to call the police; this place is too remote; I don't think a Little Girl like her would come here," Jiang Wenxin said.

"How old is the Little Girl, and what are her features?" Lin Guoliang inquired.

"About twelve or thirteen, looking weak and fragile, very wary..."

Jiang Wenxin recalled and described Yin Rourou's features one by one.

Just then, the two finally arrived in front of the commercial building; because it had been abandoned for too long, much trash was thrown inside, and weeds had grown everywhere; moreover, since it was summer, it emitted a foul, strange smell.

"Be careful," Lin Guoliang warned.

The two turned on their law enforcement recorders and cautiously ascended the stairs.

"Huh?"

Just then, Lin Guoliang seemed to discover something and squatted down.

Jiang Wenxin stood guard carefully nearby, yet was curious about what Lin Guoliang had found.

After glancing a few times, she realized they were just a few cigarette butts.

Lin Guoliang looked at the steps above a few more times, then said, "Someone sat here smoking, and it must have been within the last few days."

He said this because these cigarette butts looked very clean.

Lin Guoliang did not touch these cigarette butts; if a murder really occurred upstairs, the forensic team would come to collect these things, and they might find clues to the killer.

So he reminded Jiang Wenxin to watch her step, and the two continued upward, quickly reaching the fifth floor.

Because it was a commercial building, the entire fifth floor was very large.

"Master, should we split up to search?" Jiang Wenxin asked.

"Split up what? Better to be a bit slow than to put ourselves in danger."

Lin Guoliang drew the telescopic baton from his waist, and Jiang Wenxin also took out her tear gas spray.

The two each covered one side, searching cautiously, and soon, they really found a woman tied to a chair in a corner.

Lin Guoliang carefully approached to check the woman's breath, then met Jiang Wenxin's puzzled gaze and nodded, indicating that the woman was indeed dead.

Lin Guoliang put away the telescopic baton, took out his phone, and began taking careful photos, while Jiang Wenxin stood guard carefully nearby, simultaneously looking around curiously.

Just then, they suddenly heard a wail of sirens from outside.

The two hurried to the side of the building; because it was an unfinished building, there were no obstructions everywhere, and standing at a height, they could see everything below clearly.

They saw several police cars parked by the roadside, and then six or seven police officers got out of the cars.

Lin Guoliang seemed to see a familiar figure in the crowd; under the afterglow of the setting sun, the figure stood straight.

"It seems to be people from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team."

"Did they also receive the alarm?" Jiang Wenxin asked in confusion.

Obviously, they came for this corpse; since that was the case, someone must have called the police to tell them.

"Let's go down," Lin Guoliang said.

So the two went downstairs and walked toward the group.

At this moment, Xia Baokun, captain of the first squad of the Criminal Investigation Team, was leading a group of people walking in from the entrance.

When they saw Lin Guoliang and the other two coming toward them, both sides showed surprise.

Xia Baokun was surprised that two people's police officers appeared here; obviously, someone had provided them with clues.

And Lin Guoliang was surprised that they had even brought a forensic doctor; obviously, this meant they had already confirmed a murder occurred here, not just received an alarm.

"Captain Xia," Lin Guoliang greeted first.

Lin Guoliang knew Xia Baokun, but Xia Baokun did not know Lin Guoliang; he just felt he looked somewhat familiar.

Lin Guoliang introduced himself and Jiang Wenxin proactively: "Captain Xia, I am Lin Guoliang from the Yuxiu Police Station ahead, and this is Jiang Wenxin."

"Oh, your station chief is Guan Xueming," Xia Baokun vaguely recalled the other party.

Lin Guoliang smiled and nodded, "Yes, Captain Xia has a good memory."

There were over a hundred police stations in Binhai City; for Xia Baokun to remember who their station chief was was not easy.

"Why are you here?" Xia Baokun asked with a smile.

And the several criminal investigators behind him had not spoken a word, only staring at them, carrying a hint of wariness.

So Lin Guoliang told Xia Baokun the reasons for their coming here one by one, including his discovery of the cigarette butts on the steps and the situation of seeing the female corpse, detailing everything.

Because the process was very simple, it was finished in a few words.

Finally, he added, "Our law enforcement recorder has been on; if Captain Xia wants to see it, I will send it to you when we return."

Hearing this, Xia Baokun nodded, but his expression became somewhat serious.

"You said a Little Girl called the alarm; what did she look like, do you still remember?" Xia Baokun asked Jiang Wenxin.

"I remember."

"Then later, describe her, and I'll have someone draw her likeness," said Xia Baokun.

"Actually, there's no need for that trouble—I saw her right outside the police station, and there are surveillance cameras there; just check the footage," said Jiang Xiyue.

Xia Baokun smiled upon hearing this: "That's right, look at me, I forgot about that. By the way, your name is Jiang Xiyue—what's your relationship to Jiang Haitao?"

"He's my father," said Jiang Xiyue.

Upon hearing this, Xia Baokun's gaze softened by three degrees; he spoke gently: "You two go back first. I'll go see your station chief later."

"Understood, Captain Xia. We won't delay you," said Lin Guoliang, pulling Jiang Xiyue away quickly.

With the clues provided by Lin Guoliang and the others, Xia Baokun's team moved much faster.

The cigarette butts found on the stairs were naturally collected and sent to the Evidence Division.

When they reached the fifth floor, they finally saw the female corpse.

The forensic examiner stepped forward—taking photos, searching for clues—and soon everyone was busy.

But Xia Baokun had nothing to do; he walked to the window, lit a cigarette, and happened to see the retreating backs of Lin Guoliang and the others.

Watching their backs, Xia Baokun wore a thoughtful expression.

They had come here today, even bringing all their personnel, because someone had given them reliable information confirming a murder had occurred here.

Moreover, this was not the first case, but the third this month—and the killer's modus operandi was nearly identical.

Yet in this third case, the body had been discovered prematurely—was it truly just a coincidence?

You have to know that this place is so remote that even a vagrant wouldn't be willing to come here, so how did the person who reported it discover it?

【77】 Knowing how remote this place was, even vagrants probably avoided it—how had the person who called in the alarm even found it?