Chapter 2, Poppy 02
This is Donglan City, Longchuan Province, a large city with a population of nearly 10 million.
Donglan, nestled between the river and the sea, has been a vital trade route since ancient times. With the rise of internet companies, it has become a hub for numerous online businesses. Both its economy and construction rank among the best in China.
Like many urban planning, the university town is located in a sparsely populated suburban area, far away from the city center.
Luo Siwei hurriedly ate a bun and hailed a taxi. The driver drove almost two-thirds of the way when he encountered the first morning rush hour. There was a long queue of cars in front, and the speed of movement was as slow as a snail.
Luo Siwei checked the time and decisively paid the driver before getting off. She went to the side of the road, hopped on a shared bike, sped forward, and rode all the way to the outskirts of the city.
Donglan City, like most cities, has both bright and glamorous sides and dark and dilapidated corners. Where there is light, there is darkness; where there is wealth, there is poverty.
In order to get there as quickly as possible, Luo Siwei took a shortcut and passed through a shantytown. The buildings here were generally not high, forming a sharp contrast with the high-rise buildings not far away.
There are many pigeon-cage-like buildings, and they are densely packed. The road is messy and bumpy, and there is water stagnating beside the curb all year round. The trash cans are overflowing with water, and I don’t know when they were last cleaned.
Luo Siwei was a very good driver. He held his breath, leaned over, and rode his bike, speeding through the alley.
Finally back on the main road, she was not far from the university town. As she passed an intersection and waited for the red light, a BMW drove diagonally from the side and braked erratically. Not only that, the driver rolled down the window and whistled at Luo Siwei, a strong smell of alcohol wafting out.
Luo Siwei glanced at the license plate number, then straightened his eyes and looked straight ahead.
As soon as the light changed, she sped away, leaving the car behind. The driver's thick tongue cursed could be heard from behind.
Luo Siwei passed an intersection ahead and saw a familiar traffic policeman. She greeted him, "Hello, Senior He, please stop the BMW behind us. It's probably drunk driving."
She then reported a license plate number.
The traffic police recognized her and said, "Thank you, Junior Sister Luo. I'll go over and take a test."
Luo Siwei kept his achievements and fame to himself and continued riding forward.
Finally arriving at the university town, Luo Siwei parked the car at the last parking spot nearby.
She walked all the way to the scene of the crime and saw from a distance that the police officers who had arrived earlier had set up a yellow cordon.
The city has a large population, and there are detailed regulations and arrangements for criminal investigation work. Ordinary cases with two or fewer deceased are handled by various branches according to their jurisdiction, so there are also criminal investigation teams in each branch of Donglan.
Serious cases with more than two victims, or serial cases, must be investigated uniformly by the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Municipal Bureau.
In criminal investigation cases, on-site investigation is particularly important. The crime scene environment, surrounding traffic, people coming and going, and whether there are surveillance cameras are all key points to solving the case.
This is an old campus of Donglan University, which has been abandoned for a long time. They were planning to rebuild a gymnasium, but the funds have not been approved and the project has been shelved for several years.
Before Luo Siwei even entered the crime scene, she felt someone approaching from behind. She immediately became alert, the hair on her back stood up, and she subconsciously pushed her elbow back.
A cry of "ouch" came from behind, and then the man squatted down, covering his nose.
Luo Siwei turned around and realized that the person she had hit was Shen Qing, a young police officer in her team. She asked apologetically, "Are you okay?"
Shen Qing covered her nose and shook her head with tears in her eyes.
"I told you a long time ago, don't approach Captain Luo from behind when no one is around." As the voice was speaking, a young girl walked over.
The girl had short hair, neat clothes, and a scholarly air, a fresh-out-of-school look on her face. She was wearing gloves and holding a scene investigation logbook.
The girl is also a police officer in Luo Siwei's team, responsible for record-keeping work. Her name is Ni Xiang.
Shen Qing and Ni Xiang were both recruited by Luo Siwei and have the closest relationship with her in the team.
Shen Qing is 24 years old this year. He graduated three years ago and was transferred from a lower-level police station.
Ni Xiang is 21 years old this year. She was assigned to the Third Police Station just after the New Year. She worked as a trainee police officer for a few months. This month, she just got her diploma and was successfully converted to a regular employee.
Speaking of Ni Xiang joining the team, there was a period of twists and turns.
In March, a total of eight trainee criminal police officers were assigned to the Third Branch from the police academy. The short-staffed criminal police team immediately began a fierce recruitment process.
Tall and strong men clearly had an advantage in this profession, and several male students were quickly chosen, while the female students were picked over and relegated to the last. Ni Xiang was particularly thin and small, looking like a delicate Lin Daiyu. Even though her academic record was excellent, no one was willing to choose her.
Luo Siwei's team was not short of people. She was delivering a case closing report to Director Li that day. As soon as she entered the door, she saw two girls standing outside the director's office.
Director Li had just finished mobilizing the two female officers to go to the substation's household registration office. After their conversation, they were handed two sheets of job descriptions and told to make their own decisions. The other woman accepted the arrangement, resignedly signed, handed in the form, and returned. Ni Xiang, however, refused to sign, repeatedly reading the terms.
Director Li didn't rush her. He leisurely sat at his desk, sipping tea and occasionally offering her some advice: "Working in household registration isn't that stressful, and safety is guaranteed. There's no distinction between high and low in this job; it's all about serving the people. You can come in and become a regular employee first. If you still want to join the criminal police team, you can apply for a transfer later."
Luo Siwei knocked on the door, went in and handed in her file, and Director Li looked up and chatted with her for a few words.
As Luo Siwei was about to leave, Ni Xiang looked in her direction. The girl was so nervous she stuttered, "Are you... Captain Luo, Luo, Luo?"
Luo Siwei nodded.
Ni Xiang was even more excited: "Captain Luo, you are my idol. I also want to be a female captain like you, that's why I chose criminal investigation as my major."
Luo Siwei paused and looked at her carefully for a moment. The girl had big eyes and pointed ears, and looked like an elf. Luo Siwei looked at the form in the girl's hand again and immediately understood.
She had faced this same situation before. Luo Siwei asked, "You don't want to go to the household registration office? Do you want to be a criminal police officer?"
Ni Xiang nodded quickly: "Yes, I want to solve the case." Her eyes lit up when she mentioned this.
Luo Siwei deliberately put on a critical expression and looked her up and down: "Being a criminal police officer is dangerous and tiring. Can you do it?"
Ni Xiang was not convinced: "Don't look at my small size, but I am brave and strong."
As she spoke, she took out the transcript from the file bag beside her and handed it over.
Luo Siwei looked down and really couldn't find any fault. The boys' fighting results were not as good as hers.
Looking at Ni Xiang in front of her, she remembered herself in the past. Criminal police is different from other jobs. There are very few female police officers, and their abilities are often questioned, as if they cannot solve the case if they are not tall and strong.
Luo Siwei was first assigned to the archives room of the branch. After working there for three months, she understood the work functions and human relationships of the branch from top to bottom. She took the initiative to find the third captain of the criminal investigation team and recommended herself to join the criminal police team.
Even if the police force was short of staff at the time and she was successfully transferred, she was always assigned some odd jobs, daily errands, or receiving some female prisoners who had to be interrogated by female police officers. This was called special care for the policewoman.
At that time, Luo Siwei not only did his job well, but also took time to go to the scene and conduct a detailed investigation.
In the past few years, she has tried her best to prove herself time and time again, and played a key role in solving many cases. Gradually, she won the attention of those men and successfully became the deputy captain. Later, when the third captain was transferred, she was promoted to the position of criminal police captain, becoming the first female criminal investigation captain in the third police station.
Luo Siwei didn't want Ni Xiang to follow in her footsteps, but the fact that there were no vacancies was true.
She was hesitating when Uncle Chen, who was delivering water to the branch office, arrived. Uncle Chen was middle-aged and had a back injury. The water delivered to the office here was in huge buckets, so changing the water was a bit difficult.
Seeing this, Ni Xiang took the initiative to go over and said softly, "Uncle, let me help you."
Without waiting for Uncle Chen to refuse, she picked up the bucket weighing dozens of kilograms and carried it easily on her shoulder.
When Director Li saw this scene, his mouth opened into an O shape. He knew how heavy the bucket was.
Uncle Chen hurriedly thanked her: "Thank you, girl, you are really strong." As he spoke, he took down the empty bucket.
Ni Xiang lifted the bucket effortlessly and placed it steadily on the water dispenser.
Luo Siwei chuckled. She made a quick decision and turned to ask Director Li, "Director Li, our team had the highest crime-solving rate last year. Is that enough for another trainee officer?"
Director Li did not refuse this time and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll help you apply."
From that day on, Ni Xiang became Luo Siwei's little follower.
This girl is just as she said, brave and strong, and she takes care of every detail when recording files. However, she looks weak, speaks in a soft voice, and stutters a little when she is nervous, making her look like a weak and vulnerable little white rabbit.
Luo Siwei neither corrected her nor laughed at her. Instead, she comforted her: "That's good. You're very deceptive. The victims won't be afraid of you. Criminals are also easily fooled by your appearance and let down their guard."
Ni Xiang got the hang of it quickly. The only drawback was her lack of experience, but this experience could be compensated by diligence. She was studious and inquisitive, and often took the initiative to do team work.
Half a year later, Ni Xiang got a regular position in the police force and also won an Outstanding Newcomer Award.
On the contrary, among the boys who came in with her, some were bold and disobedient, some were reckless and caused trouble, and some were absent-minded while on duty. Several of them had already ended their internship period early, and only two or three were qualified to stay.
At this time, the other captains envied Luo Siwei, saying that she had a good eye and chose a treasure.
Luo Siwei chuckled, his words stinging, "Isn't it just the ones you guys picked out and didn't want? If it weren't for your preference for boys over girls, your job discrimination, and your judging people by appearance, this outstanding newcomer would be yours too."
Luo Siwei said this not only for Ni Xiang, but also for himself back then.
The truth choked those people, and they all felt ashamed of themselves.
On the outskirts of the city, outside the abandoned building of Donglan University.
The weather was nice today, and the early morning sun shone through the branches of the green plants, casting spots of light on the ground. The surrounding school buildings had long been abandoned, and the plants everywhere had begun to grow wildly, smelling like summer grass.
However, this beauty was only superficial. Mixed with the smell of grass was a faint stench of corpse. As the three approached the scene, the smell became stronger and stronger.
In the summer, the weather is hot, the smell is strong, and there are many mosquitoes and flies. These are the three major difficulties in investigation. Every time the team members work, they are sweating profusely and suffering terribly.
The three of them had just taken a few steps when Shen Qing slapped a mosquito that had landed on his arm to death.
Seeing this scene, Ni Xiang remembered something and hurriedly took out a small bottle of outdoor mosquito repellent from her schoolbag: "Captain Luo, spray some on it to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes."
Shen Qing said sourly: "You only think about Captain Luo. I was bitten several times before you took this thing out."
Luo Siwei took it, smelled it carefully to make sure there was no peculiar smell, and then looked at the instructions.
Mosquitoes in the wild are fierce and poisonous, and ordinary mosquito repellents are completely ineffective. Scented toilet water will affect the judgment of police officers, so Ni Xiang chose an unscented one.
Luo Siwei and Shen Qing both sprayed some.
This mosquito repellent is very effective and works immediately. After spraying it, the mosquitoes retreat visibly away.
Luo Siwei praised Ni Xiang: "The equipment is quite complete."
Ni Xiang wrinkled her nose. "I've learned a lesson. I'm a real mosquito magnet. Last time I was on set, I got dozens of bites on my legs. I almost had the twelve zodiac signs on them."
Luo Siwei said, "Give me the address later and I'll buy a few bottles."
Ni Xiang replied yes.
Luo Siwei took out his gloves and put them on as he walked: "Has Deputy Captain Han arrived?"
Ni Xiang nodded: "I'm here. I just finished meeting with the school leaders."
Shen Qing also said: "Deputy Captain Han has taken people to conduct a spiral survey nearby."
The so-called spiral investigation is to conduct an investigation and search in a spiral manner around the crime scene, with the crime scene as the center. This operation can discover as many clues as possible in the surrounding area.
Luo Siwei asked again: "Has the identity of the deceased been confirmed?"
Ni Xiang had already briefly summarized the information: "The deceased was a senior student at Donglan University named Yu Wanying. She had celebrated her birthday three days ago. That evening, she had planned to have a small birthday party with friends. However, Yu Wanying did not show up that day, and her classmates and friends reported her missing... Initially, the missing persons department suspected she had run away or been kidnapped, but unexpectedly, the body was discovered so quickly. The forensic doctor said the time of death was likely the evening of her birthday, and the body was abandoned between last night and this morning."
Luo Siwei looked around. There were no fences nearby, so anyone could enter. It was difficult to identify the suspect. She asked, "What did the school leaders say?"
Ni Xiang said, "The school said... Yu Wanying received her diploma a few days ago. She moved out of the dormitory a long time ago and has been living outside. This case has little to do with the school."
It sounds like the school is eager to shift the blame before the investigation even begins.
Shen Qing said, "I heard Deputy Captain Han talk with the school leaders for a while. The school will fully cooperate with the police and hopes that we can solve the case as soon as possible. In addition, they want to temporarily suppress the news to avoid causing panic among students."
"The key is to ensure that no new victims are created," said Luo Siwei.
Shen Qing hummed, "They said they would ensure the safety of the students. Other grades have started their exam weeks in the past few days, so the school will increase security."
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