Chapter 2 Bloody Suspicion

Early in the morning, Yu Hao awoke from a chaotic dream. He'd been having these recurring dreams, dreams of the loneliness and helplessness of his youth. Outside, the blizzard had subsided, leaving the world blanketed in a thick blanket of snow, a blinding white. Several empty beer bottles lay scattered on the floor beside his bed, the amber liquid at the bottom having solidified. Yu Hao rubbed his temples, bent down to pick them up, and tossed them into the trash. Just as he was making his way to the bathroom in his slippers, the rapid ring of his cell phone pierced the morning silence. Yu Hao turned back and fished his phone from among the tangled bedding. The words "Lu Chao" flickered on the screen. He slowly swiped the answer button, and the strained voice of a young police officer echoed through the receiver: "Captain Yu, this is bad. There's a homicide." "Murder?" Those two words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly waking Yu Hao up. Qindao had always enjoyed excellent security. The last murder had occurred six months earlier, and they had solved the case in less than three days. "Where? I'll be there right away." Yu Hao rushed to the wardrobe, holding the phone between his shoulders, and pulled out a police uniform with one hand. "That... Captain Yu..." Lu Chao's tone suddenly became hesitant, "It's near your home, Nan'an Village." What? Yu Hao's fingers suddenly tightened, and the phone case made a "creaking" sound under the heavy weight. A chill crawled up his spine, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. "Who... who is the deceased?" He heard his voice trembling, afraid of hearing a familiar name. "The deceased is Wang Shun, and the body was found this morning. President Qin said... I still have to notify you." Wang Shun? Yu Hao's heart was slightly relieved. He knew this name, but he was not familiar with it. He was a gangster in the village. "Okay. I'll be there right away." After hanging up the phone, Yu Hao quickly put on his coat and rushed out the door. When he was about to reach the scene, he suddenly stopped. The rental building where the murder occurred was located north of Luo Xin's building. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent Luo Xin a message: [A murder has occurred in the village. The details are still unclear. Stay home with Xiaoxue and don't go out.] The other party replied almost instantly: [Don't worry, take care of yourself.] The crime scene was already surrounded by a cordon. Several police cars were parked on the side of the road, their alternating red and blue lights flashing in the snow. The crowd of onlookers, wrapped in thick cotton coats, kept rubbing their hands and breathing heavily, but they were reluctant to leave, craning their necks to look inside. Seeing Yu Hao approach, the crowd automatically parted to form a passage. "Captain Yu!" Lu Chao waved from the cordon. This young police officer...

In the morning, Yu Hao woke up from a chaotic dream. He had been dreaming a lot these days, dreaming about the loneliness and helplessness of his youth.

Outside the window, the blizzard has stopped, and the whole world is covered with thick snow, so white that it is dazzling.

On the floor beside the bed, several empty beer bottles lay in a haphazard pattern, the amber liquid remaining at the bottom of the bottles having solidified.

Yu Hao rubbed his temples, bent down to pick them up and threw them into the trash can.

Just as I was walking towards the bathroom in my slippers, a quick ring of my cell phone broke the silence of the early morning.

Yu Hao turned back and fished out his phone from among the messy bedding. The words "Lu Chao" kept flashing on the screen.

He slowly slid open the answer button, and the young police officer's tense voice came from the receiver: "Captain Yu, this is bad, there's a murder."

"Murder?"

These two words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, and Yu Hao instantly woke up.

The public security in Qindao has always been good. The last murder occurred half a year ago, and they solved the case in less than three days.

"Where? I'll be there right away." Yu Hao said as he rushed to the wardrobe, holding his cell phone on his shoulder and pulling out a police uniform with one hand.

"That...Captain Yu..." Lu Chao's tone suddenly became hesitant. "It's near your home, Nan'an Village."

What?

Yu Hao's fingers suddenly tightened, and the phone case made a creaking sound as it could not bear the weight.

A chill crept up my spine and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on my back.

"Dead...Who is the deceased?" He heard his voice trembling, afraid of hearing a familiar name.

"The deceased's name is Wang Shun. His body was found this morning. Mr. Qin said... he still needs to notify you."

Wang Shun?

Yu Hao's heart relaxed a little. He knew the name, but he wasn't familiar with it. He was a local thug.

"Okay. I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, Yu Hao quickly put on his coat and rushed out the door. When he was almost at the scene, he suddenly stopped.

The rental building where the murder occurred was located north of Luo Xin's building. He quickly took out his phone and sent a message to Luo Xin:

[A murder has occurred in the village. The details are still unclear. Stay home with Xiaoxue and don't go out.]

The other party replied almost immediately: [Don't worry, take care of yourself.]

The crime scene was cordoned off, and several police cars were parked on the roadside, their red and blue lights flashing against the snow.

The crowd of onlookers were wrapped in thick cotton clothes, rubbing their hands and breathing out, but they were reluctant to leave and stretched their necks to look inside.

Seeing Yu Hao coming, the crowd automatically made way for him.

"Captain Yu!" Lu Chao waved from the cordon. The young officer's nose was red from the cold, and his eyes were bloodshot—he had been on duty last night and had clearly not slept.

Yu Hao slipped through the cordon and patted Lu Chao on the shoulder: "What's going on?"

"The deceased was a male, about thirty years old, killed by a single knife wound to the chest." Lu Chao lowered his voice. "Boss Qin is in there, having to go on a business trip soon. He said... you'll be in charge of this case."

"Okay, take me to the scene." Yu Hao's voice was low, and his eyes swept over the crowd. Familiar faces like Aunt Liu and Uncle Zhang were looking over here nervously.

The recent thefts have already made the villagers nervous, and now there is a murder case, their anxiety can be imagined.

Wearing rubber gloves, Yu Hao walked into the rental house 202.

The room was not big, with a layout of one bedroom and one living room. The air was filled with a faint smell of blood and the taste of leftover wine and food.

In the living room, Master Qin Guoan was giving instructions to several police officers. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his gray hair standing out in the morning light. "Are you here?"

As the earliest criminal investigation expert in the bureau, Qin Guoan has retired to the second line, but his eyes are still as sharp as an eagle.

"Master." Yu Hao nodded, his eyes quickly scanning the living room. Several empty beer bottles lay on the coffee table. On the table lay cold dishes and two sets of bowls and chopsticks, one of which contained barely touched rice.

Against the west wall stood an old wardrobe, its paint chipped, as if it had been picked up from a garbage dump. Apart from that, the entire living room was empty, exuding an eerie neatness.

"The deceased, Wang Shun, was 32 years old and from out of town," Qin Guoan introduced briefly, removing his white gloves. "Since you're here, I'll leave this case to you. I'll report to the provincial government shortly."

"Don't worry, Master."

Qin Guoan smiled, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out: "The suspension is over, and you should solve the case well." He patted Yu Hao's shoulder and strode away from the scene.

In the bedroom, Wang Shun lay face up on the bed, a knife lodged in his chest. The blood had already congealed, staining the light blue sheets dark red.

Several empty beer bottles and a torn condom wrapper were scattered on the bedside table.

Medical examiner Sun Wei, bent over the body, looked up at the noise. Her short hair was neatly tucked behind her ear, revealing her chiseled profile. "Captain Yu, our preliminary estimate of the deceased's time of death is between 8 and 9 PM last night. A single stab wound to the heart. There are almost no signs of struggle."

Yu Hao approached and examined the body. Wang Shun's eyes were half open, his mouth slightly open, and an expression of disbelief was frozen on his face.

This expression made Yu Hao's heart tighten - could the murderer be someone the deceased knew? And someone Wang Shun would never have thought would hurt him?

"Was he killed while drunk?" he asked.

"We can speculate this way, but we have to wait for the blood test results to be specific." Sun Wei's voice was calm and professional.

Yu Hao frowned: "Focus on checking the deceased's state of consciousness before he was killed, and determine whether he could clearly recognize faces at the time."

"clear."

"There were signs of sexual activity at the scene," Sun Wei pointed to the disheveled bedsheets. "There were semen stains on the underwear, but no used condoms were found."

"Are there any traces left?" Yu Hao's eyes swept across the bed.

"No female secretions were detected." Sun Wei pushed her glasses.

"But, Captain Yu..." Lu Chao suddenly interrupted, "We found female footprints in the house, and size 37 sneakers, concentrated in front of the dining table and bed."

Yu Hao nodded.

Lu Chao continued, "They probably drank alcohol first, and then had sex."

"Prostitution?" Yu Hao guessed, then ordered, "Take back all the dishes and wine bottles on the table for DNA testing."

"Okay." Lu Chao responded and left.

After the initial examination, Sun Wei bent down to straighten the deceased's collar. At this moment, a small red object at the end of the bed caught Yu Hao's attention.

"What is this?" He picked it up gently with tweezers - it was a delicate red pin.

Sun Wei looked up: "Any questions?"

Yu Hao shook his head: "It doesn't look like something the deceased would use, so put it away for now."

He handed the pin to a thin police officer beside him and looked around again, but found no more clues.

"Take the body back for an autopsy."

Back in the living room, Yu Hao walked to the window. Outside was a grassy hill, with walls built against the hillside. There was no trace of a footprint on the snow-covered slope.

"The window was open when you came in?"

"Yes." Lu Chao replied.

Yu Hao frowned.

It was the coldest time of the year and the windows should have been locked. How did the murderer open them so quietly?

If there were accomplices to help him, why didn't he just leave through the door? Why did he have to take the risk of climbing through the window?

He leaned out the window. Aside from a faint footprint on the windowsill, there were no signs of damage. The snow outside was smooth, and the hills looked untouched.

It is just as the master said - a heavy snow is the best shroud that can cover up all traces of crime.

"Who reported the case?" Yu Hao turned around and asked.

"His wife, Li Rong. Zhang Min is comforting her in the car." Lu Chao pointed to a police car downstairs.

Outside the cordon, the eyes of the onlookers followed him closely. Lu Chao led Yu Hao to the police car, and Zhang Min immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Captain Yu."

"Have the family members of the deceased stabilized emotionally?" Yu Hao lowered his voice.

"Much better. I just answered some questions."

It turned out that Wang Shun was from Yanhai City and came to Qindao to work two years ago.

A few days ago, he told his wife Li Rong that his boss had given her a bonus of 50,000 yuan and asked her to come to the city to reunite with him.

Li Rong rushed here by train, but she didn't expect to receive the news of her husband's death as soon as she arrived in Qindao this morning.

"Isn't this too much of a coincidence?" Yu Hao thought to himself.

He turned to Lu Chao and asked, "Did you find the 50,000 yuan at the scene?"

"No." Lu Chao shook his head.

"Check Wang Shun's relationships and the origin of the 50,000 yuan, as well as his call records and WeChat messages. Go through them all."

"Understood." Lu Chao quickly wrote down the request.

Yu Hao walked towards the police car and saw Li Rong sitting in the back seat.

The woman was thin, but she was wearing an expensive down jacket, the fabric of which shone with a high-end luster in the sun.

"Please accept my condolences for what happened." Yu Hao nodded slightly.

Li Rong raised her tear-stained face, her eyes revealing just the right amount of helplessness.

Seeing that she remained silent, Yu Hao continued, "Can I ask you a few more questions?"

The woman sighed, her face showing the expression of someone who had lost her husband. "Ask."

Yu Hao took in her somewhat numb expression again and asked, "What does Wang Shun do for a living?"

"Working on a construction site."

"Since when?"

"About two years ago, I came here to do this." Li Rong answered mechanically, sighing every few seconds, the rhythm so regular that it seemed to be carefully calculated.

"Which construction site?"

"have no idea."

"Have you ever seen or heard of the boss he's talking about?"

Li Rong shook her head.

"Did Wang Shun ever tell me why he received the 50,000 yuan bonus?" Yu Hao became more and more convinced that Wang Shun had concealed many things from his wife.

"No." A strange look suddenly flashed in Li Rong's eyes. "But he often sends money home, sometimes as much as five thousand, sometimes as little as five hundred. Fifty thousand yuan is the first time."

When she talked about money, her tone became noticeably enthusiastic.

"Fifty thousand yuan in cash?"

"They give out bonuses in cash."

Yu Hao seemed to be lost in thought, then changed the subject: "How often do you come to Qin Island?"

"Me?" Li Rong's eyes suddenly wandered. "I've only been here a few times."

"When was the last time?"

"About half a year ago."

"Did you meet his colleagues or friends that time?"

"No...no." Li Rong lowered her head, then suddenly raised it again, the evasiveness in her eyes completely gone. "If the case is solved, can the money be recovered?"

Yu Hao and Lu Chao exchanged a glance. Lu Chao replied, "If this money does exist and was taken by the murderer, we will do our best to recover it."

This answer obviously did not satisfy Li Rong, and she lowered her head in disappointment.

"What time did you arrive at Qindao?"

"Seven ten. Qindao North Station."

"Do you still have the ticket?"

Li Rong took out a wrinkled ticket from her pocket. The edges were worn, and it was obviously not carefully preserved.

"Let's arrange for her to rest first. We'll send her home when she's all right." Yu Hao said to Zhang Min, turning to leave but suddenly stopped. "Oh, I have two more questions."

Li Rong was stunned: "What's the problem?"

"What's your shoe size?"

"Number 37." Li Rong looked confused.

A glint flashed in Lu Chao's eyes, and he immediately took out a piece of sampling paper: "Please cooperate with us to collect shoe prints."

Li Rong reluctantly stepped on it. Unfortunately, she was wearing high heels, and the footprints left at the scene were sneaker prints.

"One last question." Yu Hao looked directly into her eyes. "How is your relationship with your husband? Is it possible that he has someone else outside? Or... is he soliciting prostitutes?"

Li Rong's face instantly turned pale, her lips trembled, and a flicker of anger flashed in her eyes. This reaction seemed both offended by the question and as if some unpleasant memory had been brought back.

Zhang Min looked at Yu Hao awkwardly.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." Yu Hao gestured to Zhang Min to take her away.

"Captain Yu, you're not asking anymore?" Lu Chao was puzzled.

"She has answered very clearly." Yu Hao turned and walked towards the crime scene, leaving a series of deep footprints on the snow.