July 16th, 8 AM. It had been 40 hours since Wu Qingyu went missing.
Yesterday, Shen He had asked Xiao Chen to bring some people to investigate the surrounding area with 41 Yinshan Road as the center, but there was still no news. It was as if a living person like Wu Qingyu had evaporated into thin air.
At 8:45, Xiao Chen called.
"Not good, Captain Shen. We found a body in a lake six kilometers away from 41 Yin Shan Road.”
It was early summer, and the lake was covered with lotus leaves and flowers. They were untainted by the mud and reflected the sun. Under the bright sunlight, they looked especially beautiful.
Shen He did not sleep for another night. His exquisite red phoenix eyes were dark and blue. He looked tired. His long ungroomed hair was on his forehead, making him look even more dispirited. His left hand was casually placed in his pocket as he watched the corpse salvage team not far away.
"When did you find the body?" Shen He asked softly.
"It's a villager who lives nearby. He only discovered it this morning when he passed by.”
As they were talking, the corpse had been fished out. It was swollen and white, and it emitted a stench under the scorching sun. Everyone around covered their noses.
Shen He put on his gloves and mask and squatted down to take a closer look.
" No algae or water plants in the mouth and nose, strangulation marks on the neck, obvious bleeding from the eyeballs, and signs of struggle on the body. It's possible that the body was strangled and dumped here." He looked at the bruise on the victim's abdomen with some doubt. Then he lifted his clothes and saw that the bruise on the abdomen continued to the back. It was a shocking scene.
" The deceased was skinned," Shen He said suddenly.
This sentence made all the investigators at the scene gasp.
They were cruelly skinned, and the skin of the deceased was gone from his belly to his back.
Shen He's expression was solemn as he stood up and asked,"When will Zhou Yubi arrive?"
"It will take a while."
As the corpse had been soaked in the water for too long, it was impossible to identify its original appearance. It could only be vaguely seen that it was a woman from the appearance and clothing.
Shen He stood by the lake and looked at the clear blue sky above his head and the sparkling lake surface under the sunlight. A chill started from his feet and spread all over his body. On such a sunny day, he actually felt a chill from the bottom of his heart.
Not far away was a reed marsh, swaying with the wind, and a flock of egrets flew over.
When Jiang Jiang arrived, she immediately saw Shen He in the crowd. He was still tall and slender. He stood there and looked extraordinary.
Shen He turned around and saw Jiang Jiang. His cold and handsome face suddenly became gentle. His sharp gaze also became gentle. However, Jiang Jiang did not notice all of this.
He strode toward Jiang Jiang.
"When did you arrive?"
"I just arrived. What happened?"
"Murdered. The murderer strangled the victim to death, peeled off part of his skin, and dumped the body here.”
"Skin?" Jiang Jiang's delicate and pretty face showed a hint of doubt.
" Mm." Shen He's voice was as cold as ever.
Jiang Jiang had been working in the city's evidence appraisal center and rarely dealt with corpses. Although she was mentally prepared, she was still shocked when she saw the hideous and swollen corpse of the deceased. She quickly turned her head.
"Are you scared?" Shen He asked lightly.
"Yes." Jiang Jiang admitted readily.
Shen He looked at the reeds in the distance," They are all innocent victims. If we are all afraid, then who will give them justice? What fairness and justice is there in the world?”
Jiang Jiang took a deep breath." Yes." Then, he turned to look at the dead body on the ground.
"Has the identity been verified?"
"Xiao Chen went to investigate, but he still can't confirm that the deceased is the missing Wu Qingyu.”
As Shen He spoke, Tang Chen and Zhou Yubi got out of the car.
"Captain Shen, what happened?"
Zhou Yubi put on a mask and gloves and squatted beside the body to check.
There were more than half a meter tall water plants by the lake, swaying in the wind on the surface of the water with dark yellow bubbles.
Jiang Jiang squatted down and dipped her fair hand into the murky lake water.
"What's wrong?" Shen He asked curiously. Jiang Jiang's face was filled with joy.”
"It's a footprint, and it's very deep."
Just as Jiang Jiang finished speaking, a commotion began in the distance.
Mallopin ran over in a hurry and panted heavily." Captain Shen, we've seen a ghost. This is really a ghost. We just received a report that another body was found downstream of this lake. It's also a female corpse.”
Shen He frowned and exchanged glances with Jiang Jiang." Another corpse?”
"Yes, I've just informed the corpse salvage team to salvage it.”Tang Chen's expression was solemn." Captain Shen, this isn't simple. Two bodies appeared in a lake in a row. I suspect this is a serial murder.”
Shen He was silent for a moment." Jiang Jiang and I will go over to take a look. You stay here and wait for Zhou Yubi's autopsy."”
"Yes."
At this moment, Shen He's heart was in a mess.
In less than 40 minutes, another body was pulled out of the water. The deceased was also a woman. The skin from her belly to her back and even her thighs had been completely peeled off.
Unlike the previous victim, this victim's throat had been pierced multiple times by a sharp weapon and she had died from excessive blood loss. Her stomach had been cut open and her internal organs had been dug out by the murderer. The internal organs were filled with stones and stitched up with ordinary black thread.
The sun was very bright, but under the sunlight, every investigator felt a chill rise from the soles of their feet.
Jiang Jiang rushed over and walked to Shen He's side." A serial case?”
"Although we can't be sure yet, and we can't be sure if there are any more corpses in this lake, it's most likely a serial crime!”
"Mallopin," he turned around and said sternly,"have the corpse team continue searching along the river.”
"Yes, Captain Shen!"
Shen He turned around and looked at Jiang Jiang with a serious expression."That footprint?"
"The technical team is collecting evidence and modeling. They should know soon.”
Shen He stood under a big tree by the shore, his forehead already covered in sweat.
A cool breeze blew over, stirring up a wave of heat from the ground. The burning sensation was suffocating.
He turned to look at Jiang Jiang and sighed." Let's go back to the team for a meeting first. Bring the bodies of the two victims back too."”
"Alright."
Before Jiang Jiang walked into the door of the Criminal Investigation Unit, Xiao Chen had already seen them. He walked over anxiously and said," Captain Shen, the identity of the first victim has been confirmed. The woman's name is Qian Yun. She just turned eighteen this year. She was from the Lan family in the Shi 'an District of Jiangzhou City. She dropped out of high school and found a job as a dancer in a bar. In fact, she was secretly engaged in sex trade. She has been missing for a week or two.”
"No one reported it during this period?"
"No, according to her roommates, Qian Yun is a loner and has a bad temper. She basically has no friends here and usually goes out alone. No one knows that she went missing and everyone thinks that she went home.”
Jiang Jiang frowned." When was the last time her roommate saw her?”
"They're all in the interrogation room preparing to make a statement.”
"Alright, I'll go and ask." Jiang Jiang turned around and met Shen He's clear eyes.
"Yes."
Jiang Jiang walked towards the interrogation room.
Before she entered the room, she heard the chatter in the interrogation room. She pushed the door open and entered with a serious expression.
When the women saw Jiang Jiang enter, they only glanced at her casually and continued to play around.
Jiang Jiang looked hesitant. He sat down and coughed heavily.
Only then did the women quieten down.
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