Chapter 267: The Blood-Red Sunset

Everyone present stopped eating meat, all eyes on Wan Baoming.

Wan Baoming put down his phone, suppressed his racing heart, trembling hands, and fluttering toes, then merely pressed his lips together and said: "The officers conducting the investigation just visited a household that bought large quantities of charcoal; they found the owner emotionally disturbed and unable to explain the charcoal's purpose... a search uncovered human tissue..."

"The case... is already solved?" Wang Chuanxing was the first to ask.

He hadn't expected the case to be solved this way—it didn't match any criminal investigation textbook he'd read.

Liu Jinghui was even more lost, holding a skewer of meat, unsure whether to drop it, then asked again: "What's the situation now?"

"That... maybe they found the murderer—?" Wan Baoming finally added a question mark; he'd spoken too confidently, and now how should he finish?

Liu Jinghui silently glanced at the skewer, then silently shoved it back into his mouth.

Wan Baoming chuckled awkwardly: "Uh, Lieutenant Liu, maybe we should head to the scene first?"

"You go. I don't need to. The case has nothing to do with me." Liu Jinghui took two bites of meat, wiped his mouth, and said: "Jiang Yuan grilled it well—the flavor really soaked in."

Jiang Yuan felt a bit embarrassed and said: "Lieutenant Liu, this was an unexpected bonus... since we're already here, let's go look around—see if there's any other evidence. We'll make sure he gets the death penalty."

"Killing and burning a corpse? Eighty percent chance it's the death penalty." Liu Jinghui spoke, then put down his skewer and followed them over.

The suspect's villa stood on a small hill just a few hundred meters away.

The Jingling Community was built into the mountainside, with villas arranged in tiers, separated by green belts and trees to protect **.

Many households had planted bamboo and built pavilions, so even their daily life and smoke were hidden from view.

By the time Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui arrived, nearly a hundred people had gathered around the villa.

Fortunately, Elite Team members were directing the scene, occasionally shouting "Protect the scene!"—which offered some reassurance.

Three or four cameras had also entered the premises.

Even though everyone now carries body cameras, the role of these cameras remains indispensable, especially their ability to focus precisely on specific scenes—still essential. Comprehensive recordings of key moments greatly reduce disputes during later court proceedings.

Jiang Yuan distributed gloves and masks to Liu Jinghui and the others, then led them into the villa in order.

The backyard.

A charcoal grill with a smoking function appeared before them.

The so-called smoking function meant that, besides its normal grilling capability, a large secondary furnace hung beside it, capable of holding fruitwood charcoal; the two were connected by a smoke duct, allowing food to be slow-smoked at low temperatures.

The grill had just stopped working, but inside the open iron lid hung half a charred leg—grotesque and nauseating.

"While we were searching outside, you dared to keep burning the body?" Wan Baoming was stunned and furious—this arrogance was too brazen.

The suspect, handcuffed and flanked by two officers as he pointed out the crime scene, remained calm: "What else should I do? Wait for the meat to rot? You'd still smell it."

"You..." Wan Baoming didn't know whether to praise his answer or scold him.

Tang Jia, listening to their exchange and seeing the scene inside the grill, suddenly felt waves of nausea, turned away, found a trash bin, and vomited.

Wan Baoming said nothing and turned to a nearby officer: "How did he slip past the earlier screening?"

"Every household here has a barbecue grill in the backyard," the officer replied defensively. "We were looking for incinerators that reach 1000 degrees, at minimum 800. His barbecue grill? Even if pushed to the limit, it barely hits 400 or 500 degrees..."

"Does he have any other high-temperature heating equipment?" Wan Baoming pressed.

"Yeah, he's got a super-high-temperature steak grill in the kitchen—there, already moved out. Twelve kilograms, but it only holds a few kilograms of meat... or objects. We didn't spot it before... nobody recognized it." The officer sounded exasperated.

Wan Baoming looked over and understood: it was a rectangular, vertically mounted device, all stainless steel, with a vertical slot inside for placing steaks.

The buttons and indicators were in English, and since it was plugged in and placed in the kitchen, the officers who saw it probably never considered it a potential incinerator.

Moreover, its size was far too small to meet the standard for a corpse incinerator.

Who could have imagined the suspect was such a patient, twisted individual—willing to painstakingly dismember a corpse?

And this device's purpose was likely to crush bones.

The body was first roasted over charcoal, using massive amounts of carbon until only bones remained, then smashed, reloaded into the super-high-temperature steak grill, burned until fully carbonized, then crushed again...

Wan Baoming asked the suspect again: "Where did you dispose of the burned bones? Where exactly? Are there other disposal methods?"

The suspect, gazing calmly at the chaotic backyard, smiled suddenly and asked: "If I tell you, what do I get in return?"

Wan Baoming waved his hand to the officers holding him: "Take him back."

For a suspect like this, if he wanted to talk, let him talk freely—but once he started making demands or entered a confrontational state, breaking his defenses wouldn't be easy. Wan Baoming wouldn't conduct an interrogation here, at this moment.

Liu Jinghui sighed: "Alright, case solved. I'm heading back..."

His voice was slightly subdued. Though there hadn't been many cases in Changyang City lately, he'd rushed over just to see the case closed—this process inevitably left him uneasy.

Jiang Yuan quickly said: "Don't leave yet. This case isn't over yet. Actually, we had no leads at all—no direction whatsoever. It was pure luck, like a blind cat stumbling onto a dead rat..."

"Still, you had enough trial-and-error, gathered enough evidence, before you finally hit on it," Liu Jinghui said, familiar with how local detective squads operated. "The perfect case is solved through meticulous reasoning, striking straight at the core—but few can do it, and nowadays, nobody even strives for it."

"That's only because you've had enough trial and error and gathered enough comprehensive clues to figure it out," Liu Jinghui said matter-of-factly, familiar with the criminal investigation team's methods below: "The most perfect way to solve a case is through meticulous reasoning that strikes straight at the core—but few can achieve it, and nowadays, no one even seeks it anymore."

Liu Jinghui hesitated two seconds, then said: "Mm. They finally allowed me time off, so I'm spending it with my wife and kids."

"Oh, then I'm really... interrupting you..."

"It's fine. My wife and kids went home." Liu Jinghui waved his hand. "We had a normal argument. She got used to me being away all the time—now that I'm home every day, she's uncomfortable, so she's picking fights on purpose."

Several veteran detectives nearby nodded in agreement:

"Too much time off harms family harmony."

"I once picked a fight too—otherwise I felt restless."

"After three days at home, even my dog started avoiding me."

Hearing so many voices that matched his own, Liu Jinghui's face broke into a smile.

One good thing about the police force is that everyone shares the same work, life, future, and values.

Moreover, the police force across an entire province is largely similar—though this applies mainly to detectives; other police units operate differently.

Jiang Yuan watched as several technicians collected evidence and organized physical items, but didn't step forward to help.

The investigation was essentially complete. Next came evidence submission and prosecution; unless supplementary investigation was requested, the police department had nothing further to do.

As an external forensic expert, Jiang Yuan had no desire to touch evidence now that the case was solved—he'd only risk having to fill out reports and create unnecessary work for himself.

Jiang Yuan turned to Liu Jinghui and said: "Lieutenant Liu, the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade called me in to work on cold cases. If you're free, why not join us?"

Liu Jinghui blinked: "This... doesn't really follow procedure."

Jiang Yuan smiled: "Just have Chief Yu handle the paperwork—he'd probably be happy to."

"Hmm..." Liu Jinghui hesitated, then said: "I still have a week of leave left."

"Wait for your wife to come back?"

"No, if I stay home, my wife and kids will feel like they have no home." Liu Jinghui asked: "What cases are there?"

"You pick first," Jiang Yuan said generously.

He wanted to solve as many cases as possible, pushing his task progress forward.

Liu Jinghui, infected by his enthusiasm, smiled: "Alright, I'll work with you for a week."

At that moment, Tang Jia, who had just finished vomiting violently, leaned against a pillar and looked up to see Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui, their backs to the blood-red sunset, laughing freely.

"Is the world ending?" Tang Jia murmured.

Wei Zhenguo said: "For some people, maybe it is."

"Is it the end of the world?" Tang Jia murmured.

Wei Zhenguo said, "For some people, it probably is."