Chapter 852

Lin Dongfan held the posture of rubbing his temples for about three minutes.

It wasn't a headache; there were two little people fighting in his head. One said, "You have a wife and children!" The other said, "But that sewer pipe really is what Cao Cao loves."

The result of the fight was that he decided to go wash his face first.

Just as he reached the restroom door, his phone rang.

It was Luo Zhiwei of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

"Wei?" Lin Dongfan pressed the answer button, tone calm: "Chief Luo, I was just about to look for you—when will you crack the Su Qingyu disappearance case?"

"Mayor Lin, something happened."

Chief Luo did not directly respond to Mayor Lin's accusation.

He lowered his voice to report to Mayor Lin: "Just now the City Bureau received a report; a highly decomposed corpse was found on Eagle Mountain, buried for about a month or more."

Lin Dongfan tightened his grip on the phone: "Has the identity been confirmed?"

"Still digging." Chief Luo said: "But according to the informant's description, the burial site is remote, and the body was placed inside a suitcase. My first thought was..."

He didn't finish, but Lin Dongfan already knew what he was going to say.

Su Qingyu!

Su Qingyu, who was neither seen alive nor found dead, had also been missing for about a month.

"Is Zhou Zheng examining the scene?" Mayor Lin asked.

"Coincidentally, he took leave today to go back to his hometown, saying his daughter felt unwell and he took her to see a doctor." Luo Zhiwei said: "Now Deputy Captain Gao Yicheng is leading the team, and they've already arrived at the scene."

Lin Dongfan breathed a sigh of relief: "Once the victim's identity is confirmed, report to me promptly."

After hanging up, Lin Dongfan stood at the restroom door, looking at his face in the mirror. Just moments ago he had been worrying about the trouble of unclogging the sewer pipe, but now he had no thoughts left.

……

Without neon lights, Eagle Mountain's night is much darker than the city's.

Half an hour ago.

Several police cars had already stopped at the side of the mountain road, their headlights illuminating the forest like daylight.

At the scene, the coroner, forensic technicians, and the criminal investigation brothers formed a circle, with a large pit that had just been dug in the middle.

It gave off a pungent rotting smell.

Inside the pit was a large dark-gray suitcase, its zipper corroded and mottled, but the original brand—Samsonite—could still be faintly seen.

Gao Yicheng crouched by the pit, shining a flashlight inside.

Corpse fluid was seeping out from the suitcase's seams.

"Take photos, secure the evidence." Gao Yicheng stood up and told the brothers behind him: "Then pull the case out, being careful not to damage anything inside."

"Mm."

After the officer finished taking photos, he endured the nausea, gritting his teeth as he hauled the suitcase out of the pit and gently placed it flat on the edge.

Coroner Lao Sun put on gloves and began the procedure.

The instant the suitcase zipper was opened, a strong stench of decay burst out, causing several young criminal investigators to instinctively step back half a step.

Lao Sun's expression didn't change as he shone a flashlight and examined closely.

The corpse was highly decomposed, the face unrecognizable.

However, the style of the dark blue suit he wore could still be made out—a small logo embroidered on the left chest, the emblem of a golf club.

"Huh? Lao Sun..." a technician gently poked the corpse's pant pocket with a twig: "Is this a cell phone?"

Lao Sun reached into the corpse's pant pocket and felt.

Sure enough, it was a cell phone.

Although the phone's surface was covered with disgusting matter, it hadn't corroded; after wiping off the external grime, the casing was intact—it was the latest model of a certain fruit brand's phone.

Lao Sun tried pressing the power button—no response.

So Lao Sun placed the phone into an evidence bag and handed it to Gao Yicheng: "Captain Gao, this phone might contain identity information."

"Take it back and have the tech division restore the data."

At past 2 a. m., the preliminary scene investigation ended, police tape was raised. Gao Yicheng and Coroner Lao Sun took the severely decomposed corpse back to the forensics center,

and worked straight through until the next morning, with everyone completely sleepless.

9 a. m.

Gao Yicheng called Bureau Chief Luo Zhiwei: "Chief Luo, the victim's identity has basically been confirmed; it's very likely Su Qingyu."

"What do you mean by 'very likely'?" Chief Luo asked.

Gao Yicheng explained: "Although the DNA test results aren't out yet, based on clothing, height, and disappearance time, it's almost certain. Moreover, the phone found at the scene has already been sent to the tech division."

"Can the phone data be recovered?" Luo Zhiwei asked

Gao Yicheng replied: "The phone's corrosion isn't severe; the data should be recoverable."

"Recover it as soon as possible; report any findings immediately."

"Understood."

……

Two days later.

In the tech division's office, the computer screen flickered with dense streams of data.

The young engineer Xiao Li pushed up his glasses.

He said to Gao Yicheng standing behind him: "Captain Gao, we've recovered it. Inside are WeChat chat logs, memos, and several encrypted audio files."

"Can the audio be played?" Gao Yicheng asked.

"We're cracking the password." Xiao Li tapped the keyboard: "The encryption is fairly simple; this poses no difficulty—just give me another half hour."

Gao Yicheng nodded, standing aside to wait.

Half an hour later.

The audio files were opened one by one.

Su Qingyu's voice came from the computer speakers, hoarse and exhausted, carrying an air of utter despair.

"Today is July 15th, I really don't know who to talk to. Zhao Tianyu is getting more and more crazy; he's taken out a high-interest loan, I dare not ask, nor dare to speak of it. But Mayor Lin's side is also pressuring me, asking me to gather information. I'm damned stuck in the middle, neither side treats me as a person…"

Hearing this, everyone around became tense! The deceased was indeed Su Qingyu.

The recording continued.

"……July 18th, the Zhou-surnamed person came to see me again. He warned me not to get too close to the mayor's wife, not to betray the Zhao family, or else there'd be no good outcome. I haven't betrayed them, I haven't said anything. But his look, I can tell, he, like Zhao Tianyu, simply doesn't trust me……"

The Zhou-surnamed person?

Gao Yicheng's breath hitched as he frantically tried to figure out who this "Zhou-surnamed person" was—could it be Captain Zhou Zheng? Thinking that, Gao Yicheng frowned again, feeling it unlikely.

"……July 20th, I got another call from someone surnamed Zhou asking how my considerations were going. Considerations about what? I honestly don't know what he wants me to consider. I said I don't understand his meaning, and he replied that it's fine if I don't, as long as Zhao Tianyu understands. What does that mean? What does Zhao Tianyu understand? I daren't ask……"

From the recording came the sound of Su Qingyu pouring drinks and getting drunk.

"……They're trying to drive me to death. I want to call the police, but the police are unreliable. I want to seek Mayor Lin, yet I fear he'll treat me as a double agent. Who can tell me what I should do now……"

The last audio file ended, exuding a strong sense of despair.

The office was deathly silent.

Gao Yicheng stood frozen on the spot; Xiao Li turned to look at him and whispered, "Captain Gao, who… who could this Zhou-surnamed person be?"

"!!!"

Gao Yicheng remained silent for Along time, not answering the question.

"First, seal the evidence." Gao Yicheng said, "Lock up the original and the backup; besides you and me, don't let anyone else know for now."

"Understood."

Gao Yicheng walked out of the Technical Section, stood at the end of the hallway, and took out his phone. He had wanted to call Chief Luo Zhiwei, but his finger hovered over the screen, hesitating to press down.

Chief Luo was attending a meeting out of town.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zheng was the detachment captain, his direct superior. This matter is too big; once reported, the entire Criminal Investigation Detachment would be shaken.

He thought it over and dialed another number.

"Old Li, help me check something." He cautioned, "Look at Su Qingyu's former residence, office, and other places he frequented to see if any surveillance was installed, and pull the footage as soon as possible."