After expressing his gratitude again, Wang Shen turned his attention to the deceased. The body was now covered with a white sheet. "Wasn't a forensic doctor with us this time?" Wang Shen asked the police officer beside him.

“It’s too late, we can’t get in touch with Dr. Wu,” replied the police officer closest to Wang Shen.

Wang Shen nodded in sudden realization. He had almost forgotten that Wu Yi was now the forensic doctor in their department. "Let's make proper arrangements for the deceased's body first, and then notify Dr. Wu tomorrow."

After saying this, Wang Shen walked towards the house where the murder had occurred. The lights were on inside, and Wang Shen could see several police officers going in and out from a distance. Wang Shen quickened his pace and entered the house.

Wang Shen first walked to the living room, where glass shards were scattered. He pointed to the glass shards on the floor and said, "Some of these glass shards have bloodstains on them. You need to be careful to pick them out. Also, this spot, and this spot..." Wang Shen then turned around and pointed to the TV cabinet behind him.

“These places are stained with blood, so be sure to take samples. Also, do a thorough fingerprinting of this house, don’t miss any details.” Wang Shen spoke with a furrowed brow. He glanced around the house, a sense of indescribable helplessness in his heart.

Just as Wang Shen was lost in thought, Liang Zichen walked over to him and handed him a towel. "Captain Wang, wipe yourself down first."

Wang Shen snapped out of his daze and took the towel from Liang Zichen. He dried his hair as he walked towards the door.

Liang Zichen followed behind Wang Shen and said slowly, "The technical investigation of these clues will take some time, Captain Wang, please wait patiently a little longer."

Wang Shen understood that Liang Zichen was trying to comfort him, but Wang Shen changed the subject and asked, "Zichen, when do you think the murderer might have committed the crime?"

Upon hearing this question, Liang Zichen didn't blurt out his answer but thought for a while. After a moment, he replied, "It should have been not long ago, no more than twenty-four hours ago."

"Where did you find it?" Wang Shen continued to press.

Liang Zichen closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, and slowly explained, "From the deceased's body, the forensic doctors all believe that the body can 'talk,' and that's indeed the case. We know that if the time of death is too long, the body will float on the surface of the water. So the murderer used stones to tie the body to prevent it from floating. I saw the whole process of pulling the body from the fishpond, and the body did not float on the surface of the water. This can only mean that the time of death was not long enough."

Wang Shen nodded in agreement, then frowned and said, "Our biggest problem right now isn't the technical investigation of these clues."

Liang Zichen waited for Wang Shen to finish his sentence, but Wang Shen only frowned and didn't finish speaking. Liang Zichen pursed his lips and added, "Our biggest problem is where Dean Fu Ju and the child went, right? From the information we have so far, they don't seem to have been harmed."

Wang Shen glanced at Liang Zichen and nodded again. "That's right, speaking of this..." Wang Shen paused here, then waved to a policeman not far away.

"Captain Wang, what's the matter?" the police officer asked as he jogged up to Wang Shen.

"I'm asking you, have we received any police reports during this period?"

"Reports? Yes, quite a few," the police officer replied confidently after hearing Wang Shen's words.

"What types of reports are there? Are there any criminal cases?"

After listening to Wang Shen's question, the police officer shook his head and replied, "There are no criminal cases, only civil disputes."

Wang Shen nodded, smiled at the police officer in front of him, and then waved his hand.

"If Dean Fu Ju and the child were indeed not murdered, why didn't she call the police? At this point, even the most foolish person should know that they are being persecuted by the murderer, and calling the police would have been the best option." Wang Shen still couldn't understand this question.

"Captain Wang, is it possible that Dean Fu Ju hasn't had time to call the police yet? Let's wait a little longer, maybe we'll be able to catch her." Liang Zichen really didn't know how to give a reasonable explanation for Wang Shen's question, and could only try his best to comfort him.

Wang Shen sighed and then instructed Liang Zichen, "Zichen, check the surveillance footage at the intersection tomorrow. Also, check the surveillance footage within two kilometers of here on the provincial highway."

"You want to see surveillance footage from within two kilometers?" Liang Zichen looked slightly surprised.

"The murderer must be very familiar with the area around this house. Therefore, the murderer must also be very familiar with the surveillance cameras on the provincial highway. Since the murderer has already decided to commit the crime, do you think he would openly appear from this road in front of the house in this deserted place?"

"Captain Wang, do you mean that the surveillance footage at this intersection basically doesn't capture the killer's figure?" Liang Zichen was beginning to understand what Wang Shen meant.

“If I’m not mistaken, that’s how it should be.” Wang Shen nodded.

After receiving Wang Shen's affirmative answer, Liang Zichen continued to speculate, following Wang Shen's line of thought: "So, you think the murderer used a roundabout tactic. The murderer started from a relatively far place, avoiding the cameras here, and then came here?"

Wang Shen nodded again, then added, "If the murderer's actions were premeditated, then that's how it should be. By the way, we can focus our investigation on surveillance footage from areas with high population density."

Liang Zichen understood Wang Shen's meaning. If the murderer was considering avoiding the security cameras in front of the house, it meant they were trying to hide. However, since street surveillance cameras were unavoidable, the murderer would likely choose to enter the area near the house through cameras in densely populated areas. The larger the crowd, the easier it would be for the murderer to conceal their tracks.

Wang Shen stood outside the house, watching the police officers handle the scene. By the time all the work was finished, it was already past midnight.

Wang Shen returned home, lay on his bed, rubbed his throbbing temples, and drifted off to sleep.

Wang Shen didn't know how long he had slept, only that he was woken up by a phone call the next day. He awoke from his hazy dream, ran his fingers through his hair, and then reached for his phone on the bedside table. He picked it up and saw it was a call from Wu Yi.

Wang Shen immediately sat up in bed, slapped his face twice, and then answered the phone. "Hello, Dr. Wu."

"Captain Wang, Han Lin's detailed autopsy report is out. And your bureau sent over another one early this morning, saying you were in a real hurry for the autopsy report, is that right?"

Upon hearing Wu Yi's words, Wang Shen laughed twice and then replied, "Yes."