Chapter 194

The autopsy room was filled with a strange odor that made breathing difficult.

Liu Jinghui made it sound easy, but even he found it troublesome.

The special task force was utterly overwhelmed.

For the six-murder case, inquiries and pressure from superiors never ceased.

If not for the two white-shirted officers in Qinghe City personally calling the provincial capital, a deadline for solving the case might already have been imposed.

By then, everyone in the municipal bureau wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

Their wives would be left alone in empty homes.

The liver is correct.

But no matter how many theories you throw out, you still have to solve the case, right? Just wandering around outside won't get you anywhere.

Normal life can't be lived like a movie.

If in the first two days the task force was still getting familiar with the case and searching for clues, by the fourth and fifth days, with no positive developments, any detective-savvy leader would know what was going on…

It's not hardening!

And it's probably a problem so severe that even medication won't fix it.

Otherwise, it would at least speak up—call for a tourniquet, at least.

So on the fifth day after the murders, the director himself sat down in the special task force's office.

Instantly, everyone in the task force wore twisted expressions.

Shen Feihong, chief of Qinghe City's Criminal Investigation Brigade, finally remembered Liu Jinghui; after seeing off the director, he immediately invited Liu to a meeting.

In the smoky conference room, everyone offered sincere but awkward smiles.

Shen Feihong offered a cigarette and said, "Director Liu, we're stuck. You've got to give us some advice."

Liu Jinghui thought: I did give you advice before, but you didn't listen.

Of course, the advice I gave back then turned out to be useless too. But solving a case is walking in darkness—you won't find the milk you're looking for unless you grope through until midnight.

Liu Jinghui had spent years solving cases across the country and was used to the different policing styles everywhere. There were plenty of police leaders with ideas and strong control instincts—some could solve cases, some couldn't.

Shen Feihong wasn't among the worst; he had case-solving ability, he just happened to face an overly complex case.

In a smaller, recent homicide, he might have solved it himself.

But if it were a smaller, recent homicide, he'd never even meet Liu Jinghui.

"We could start by investigating the reservoir," Liu Jinghui said calmly, not intending to argue. "We should have data on the reservoir's hydrology and historical water levels, right?"

Shi, the captain of the major case team, around the same age as Liu, lit another cigarette and exhaled sideways. "We hired a hydrology expert. He says since the reservoir was built, the water level has never dropped this low… Internal water flow data is scarce. In summary, if the killer understood how to use the reservoir's currents, he's not just a local—he must be someone who's highly skilled in water and lives near it."

"But we don't know if the killer even understands that," Liu Jinghui acknowledged.

Captain Shi nodded. "We can't prove it, but I still think the killer likely lived or worked near the reservoir."

"Oh?"

"We interviewed eyewitnesses, especially fishermen around the area—over three hundred people," Shi emphasized. "No one saw anything. No rumors. No tips."

Searching for eyewitnesses is standard in every case, and in this one, it should've worked even better.

A body bag that large thrown into the reservoir would've made some noise. If too obvious during the day, the killer might've dumped it at night—and someone might've seen it.

And the killer didn't just dump once.

Shi had raised similar doubts in the previous meeting; now he stressed it further: "As the saying goes, walk enough night paths, you'll meet ghosts. So many fishermen, and not one heard a sound from the reservoir? That means the killer picked an excellent spot—this isn't a place you can just pick by sight."

"Maybe he just got lucky—the first time he dumped there, no one noticed, so he kept doing it," said another veteran detective from Qinghe Bureau, opposing the reservoir-centered investigation.

This was a classic clash in investigative direction—Liu Jinghui had seen it once before, and still couldn't judge.

Both sides had valid points, especially the veteran detective. His words sounded like nitpicking, but in reality, serial killers operate exactly like this.

It's like starting a business. Everyone stakes something important, so they all conduct what they believe is thorough research and act on it.

The outcome? Sometimes it's about skill, sometimes it's about luck.

Could a person, using wrong assumptions, open a store in the wrong location, and still make money due to a string of coincidences?

Very possible.

Could a killer, using wrong assumptions, choose a wrong dumping spot, and still go undetected?

Very possible.

At that moment, the veteran detective added: "This reservoir is the main source of drinking, domestic, and irrigation water for nearby residents. Many locals know it well—you can't investigate easily. Also, generations have lived here; no one would ever dump a body in it. When we solve rural cases, no one ever dumps bodies in their own well."

"But bodies 1234 and 56 were found in two different areas. That means the killer chose two locations—both undiscovered, and the second was even more hidden. This isn't luck or accidental discovery," Shi insisted.

Liu Jinghui interjected: "Wasn't 56 washed downstream? Did you ask the hydrology expert?"

Shi replied: "We asked. It wasn't washed down. He chose another spot to dump it."

Liu agreed, but before Shi could show relief, he added: "But that doesn't prove the killer is from around the reservoir. We all agree he understands the reservoir. I think you two's ideas should be combined—he's not from the reservoir area, but he knows it. There must be plenty of people like that."

Shi fell silent for a moment. "That's too much of a coincidence."

The veteran detective also stayed silent, clearly disagreeing with Liu's conclusion. From his perspective, it was uninvestigable—how could you ask every person: "Are you familiar with Qinghe's Baichuan Reservoir?"

Liu Jinghui sighed inwardly. This is the problem with deduction: everyone can reason from facts, but the most probable scenario isn't always the truth.

More evidence is needed to support it.

Or, shift perspective—see if the two theories can intersect.

"What about transportation? Any progress?" Liu asked.

"We've checked the reservoir's own vehicles, staff cars, and delivery trucks that come regularly," said Captain Chen.

"Can you find tire tracks or parking spots near the reservoir?" This was Liu's earlier suggestion—the killer had dumped multiple times, so he likely had fixed routes and parking spots.

Like a family going camping, someone with even a little planning would consider routes and parking.

Someone dumping bodies should be even more planned—otherwise, randomly parking by the roadside might attract a helpful passerby, or worse, police or reservoir staff.

Chen, sunburnt and dark, grunted: "There's a whole stretch of parking spots. The land's scattered—cornfields, sunflower fields, reeds, trees. In dry season, off-road vehicles can drive through reeds. Some even come just for fun."

"The off-road crowd?"

"We checked. Doesn't fit. Most are outsiders—from the provincial capital, etc. they don't know the water conditions. Most come a few times and move on. Few come continuously for three or four years. Someone who came eight years ago and again three years ago? Extremely rare." Chen's logic was clear—he eliminated the off-road group.

"What about the victims' routines? Victim 1 was on a business trip—her route into Qinghe City is traceable, right? Victim 5 was a student. Where did their paths cross?" Liu continued.

"Here in Qinghe."

"Specific routes?"

"We can't even clarify them now."

"What about victim 3? Still no source?"

"Only after screening did we realize—there are way too many jobs that require staying up late…"

The truth won't jump out itself. Now it's the task force's brainstorming time.

In other words, aimlessly searching for threads.

…

Jiang Yuan moved back and forth between victims 2 and 4 for a long while.

Of the six bodies total, victims 1 and 5 had been identified. Victim 3 hadn't been confirmed yet, but at least there was a direction to search.

Among the remaining 2, 4, and 6, victim 6 was only upper-body bones, dumped later by the killer, offering no usable clues.

Victims 2 and 4 had too few bone markings to go on.

If anything, both likely had X-rays taken.

Victim 2 had a fractured humerus; victim 4 had undergone orthodontic treatment—both require X-rays.

Theoretically, Jiang Yuan could take new X-rays of the bones and compare them with hospital records to identify the victims.

But there's a big problem: requesting X-rays in bulk from hospitals is extremely difficult. Bringing them back is even worse.

If we knew exactly which hospital, it'd be easier. But in China's context, it's perfectly reasonable for someone from Qinghe to seek treatment in Changyang City.

What if we run into another victim like victim 1—a transient or business traveler? What if they're from another province? How do we match then?

Fortunately, fractured humerus and orthodontic treatment both tend to be treated locally.

Orthodontics requires repeated visits over years—treatment elsewhere is burdensome and inconvenient.

A fractured humerus is an acute injury—most people with a broken arm seek care nearby—unless they broke it while away…

After repeated checks with no other identification points, Jiang Yuan still approached Wang Lan.

Wang Lan could also see these two identification points, but like Jiang Yuan, he worried: comparing victim 4's teeth was feasible, but could the hospital even retain the humerus X-ray for victim 2?

"No other way?" Wang Lan asked, no longer holding out hope now that Jiang Yuan had raised it.

Jiang Yuan nodded. "This is the only idea I have."

"Can you handle the humerus X-ray? I'll do the teeth. I can't do the humerus."

"I can." Jiang Yuan had no choice but to push on!