Chapter 49 Chapter 49 All cases have been sorted out...
"It's clear that these cases share common characteristics. As I mentioned earlier, the victims were all assaulted, suffered slashes to their waists and abdomens, and even had their ribs severed. Furthermore, they were all wearing white dresses on the day they disappeared, including Fang Huiwen, who was recovered from the river this time. We have confirmed with her parents that the deceased was indeed missing a white dress, and her roommates have also confirmed that this was the dress she was wearing on the day she disappeared."
After Qiu Jiang finished speaking, the whole place fell into an eerie silence. The entire office was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
After a long time, someone finally spoke with difficulty.
"So... you suspect it's a serial murder case?"
"Yes, and it's a serial murder case that spans more than ten years." Qiu Jiang boldly put forward this view.
At this moment, everyone was shocked and the whole office was as noisy as a crowded city during festivals.
"How is this possible?"
"If that's true, doesn't it mean that the murderer hasn't been caught for all these years, and has even gotten worse?"
"In the past ten years, there have been only a handful of similar cases in our province, no, in the entire country. Could the murderer really be that cunning?"
"I'm afraid it's not about being cunning or not. Information isn't shared across the country these days. Furthermore, if the perpetrators aren't caught at the time of the crime, it's going to be even harder to find them later. If the killer had been more careful, they could have done it."
"But even if there are many similarities, after all, so many years have passed, and the evidence is probably gone. How can we be sure that it was really the same person who committed the crime?"
There was a lot of chatter in the office, but Ji Mingcheng did not stop them from discussing. After all, the cases they usually handled were just ordinary homicides. At most, the murderer would escape after killing someone and then be caught by the police after committing other crimes.
But after all, they are all ordinary people, and they are still afraid of killing, so few murderers dare to commit multiple crimes. Now if Qiu Jiang's guess becomes true, it means that six girls have been killed in thirteen consecutive years.
Once it is exposed, it will be enough to cause a sensation across the country.
So they have to be more cautious about this case.
When their discussion became more intense, Ji Mingcheng suddenly knocked on the table. Although the sound was not loud, it attracted everyone's attention in an instant. For a moment, everyone's voices gradually became smaller and finally disappeared.
"It's still in the speculation stage, but as Qiu Jiang just said, there are indeed many similarities between the six cases, and we can't rule out this possibility."
"Captain Ji, do you suspect there are more victims?" Chen Da frowned, not wanting to really guess what he was thinking. After all, if this guess was true, it would mean that the murderer had committed more than just six crimes in thirteen years.
In their eyes, six cases was already an extremely vicious number. If this number continued to rise, what kind of murderous demon would they be facing?
However, Ji Mingcheng nodded, confirming his idea.
"Yes, if this is truly a serial murder case, the killer might not be confined to Anxi. Chen Da, send letters of assistance to the police stations in every city in the province to determine if there are similar cases in each city."
Chen Da put aside other emotions and replied in a deep voice, "Yes."
Ji Mingcheng turned to look at Wang Li, "Wang Li, how is the interrogation of those two people going?"
Wang Li spoke immediately, "Captain Ji, both of these guys had witnesses that day proving they were busy near the supermarket. After unloading the goods, they went straight to another store to pick up the goods and then returned to the city. The highway toll station has checked their entry and exit records, and they returned in a similar manner. They left as soon as they finished delivering the goods, and at most stayed for a meal. We've already asked Lin Qiushan to identify them, and he said they didn't look like them, so they're probably not car thieves."
Ji Mingcheng nodded slightly to show that he understood.
"In that case, why not give Lin Qiushan a copy of those videotapes and let him screen them."
Wang Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately said, "Yes, I'll arrange it right away."
"Qiu Jiang, go to the branch office that had jurisdiction over these files at the time and investigate the specific circumstances. Report any findings immediately."
"Yes." Qiu Jiang responded very neatly.
Afterwards, Ji Mingcheng arranged tasks for other people and the meeting ended there.
Qiu Jiang did not delay and went to the police station to investigate the specific situation after dinner.
At this time, it was raining and snowing even though there had been no snow this year. You would get soaked as soon as you went out, not to mention the slippery roads. It would be strange if you could ride a bike in this weather.
"Jiang Jiang——"
An urgent voice came from behind.
It was Deng Xingwang.
He ran to her side, breathless. "Team Ji asked me to take you there. Let's drive."
The worry and annoyance in Qiu Jiang's eyes suddenly brightened up a lot.
"OK."
They then went to four police stations in succession, and not only obtained the files, but also the location of the crime.
After reading all the files, she became more convinced that these six cases were serial murders, but this was not enough. She had to go to the crime scene in person.
The first place they arrived at was a quiet park. This park was crowded in the summer, but at this time there were basically no people. Most of the people who often appeared here were residents of nearby communities, but at least you could occasionally see some people taking a walk. But when they arrived at an artificial circular pool, almost everyone walked around the artificial lake without any prior agreement.
If an uninformed person turns this way, they will be immediately stopped by the people around them and urged, "Go, go, go, go this way, don't go that way."
The man seemed to be here for the first time, and he was curious when he heard this. "That pool looks beautiful, why can't we leave?"
“People have died there, and no one around us leaves from there.”
As soon as he said this, the man's face immediately showed some regret. He walked faster than the person next to him and even urged him, "Hurry up, hurry up, I'm scared."
They left in a hurry, but Qiu Jiang went straight to the pool.
As soon as I approached the pool, a dark shadow passed by like the wind...
The same thinness, the same method of killing.
It's definitely him.
Qiu Jiang can be sure.
This place can be confirmed, but it is not the end. She hurried to the other three places and finally got the answer she wanted.
When they returned to the police station, she felt even more confident. She stood in front of Ji Mingcheng with her head held high and her chest puffed out. "Captain Ji, all the materials are here."
Ji Mingcheng raised his eyebrows at her expression and asked, "More certain?"
"Um."
Qiu Jiang nodded heavily.
"Okay, there's news from the provincial capital too. Wait, your guess might be true."
Hearing this, Qiu Jiang couldn't stand still at all. She quickly asked, "Have you found another case with similar circumstances?"
"Some people just have an impression of it, but it will probably take until tonight to find out the details."
"Go back and have a good rest today. We'll talk about everything after we get some news from there."
Even though she was a little impatient, she also knew that investigation would take time, and it was already quite fast to get the results tonight.
I guess the provincial capital was able to come out so quickly out of respect for their season team.
Qiu Jiang told herself over and over again to stay calm, and it took several times for her to calm herself down.
She took a deep breath and turned to leave the office.
She had been working non-stop for the past two days and hadn't had much rest at all, especially at such a critical moment. She tossed and turned all night, and when it got a little light, she couldn't stay up any longer. She didn't even have breakfast at home, but just went to the cafeteria to have a quick bite.
Turn around and go to the detention center.
There were also staff on duty at the detention center at night. It happened to be from yesterday afternoon to noon today. When Qiu Jiang went there, the people there were holding lunch boxes and eating.
Because she came here frequently in the past few days, the people in the detention center were familiar with her and greeted her warmly when they saw her.
Qiu Jiang chatted with them for a while and then asked, "Is there any progress with Lin Qiushan?"
"I think so. Your colleague is still in there."
As soon as she heard it, she knew who was inside and asked hurriedly, "Can I come in?"
"Sign up here."
"OK."
After signing, Qiu Jiang was led to the inner courtyard by them. When she walked to the outside of a room, she saw Lin Qiushan dozing off in the room, yet he was forcing himself to identify the contents of the videotape.
Although she didn't know how Wang Li made him so obedient and hardworking, after Wang Li looked over, Qiu Jiang waved at him outside the window and silently asked if she could go in.
Wang Li nodded quickly. After Qiu Jiang went in, Lin Qiushan turned his head to look at her. When he saw it was her, his eyes suddenly brightened up a lot, and he felt that his body was still in pain.
Without paying much attention to his situation, Qiu Jiang walked to Wang Li and asked quietly, "Brother Wang, did he recognize him?"
Wang Li stretched out five fingers.
Qiu Jiang understood instantly.
It seems that five people were identified.
Liu Qiushan looked back at them tremblingly at this moment, "Comrade police, I have finished reading it all."
"Anything else?"
He shook his head so hard that it almost fell off.
"It's gone, it's gone. It's really gone."
"Okay, once we find these five people, we'll need you to identify them in person."
"Okay, okay, absolutely no problem."
Lin Qiushan had a fawning look on his face, which was completely different from the sinister and weird look when they first met.
What on earth did Brother Wang do to make someone behave like this?
Qiu Jiang was really curious.
Since there was nothing more to be gained from him, Wang Li led Qiu Jiang away. Just as they were about to leave, Lin Qiushan hurriedly called out to them, shouting, "Comrade police officer, am I doing this to redeem myself for meritorious service?"
"Let's talk about it after we find the person." Wang Li only replied with this sentence.
Qiu Jiang clearly saw Lin Qiushan's shoulders slump.
She finally understood what carrot Wang Li was using to lure him.
It’s really amazing.
Then the two of them returned to the Municipal Bureau together. When they just walked into this floor, they saw Deng Xingwang standing at the door of the office, looking around.
As soon as he saw the two of them, he became excited.
Qiu Jiang and the other man looked at each other and walked towards him quickly.
Before they could ask, Deng Xingwang explained the situation like a firecracker, "There's news from the province. Team Ji has called everyone to a meeting. They're waiting for you two."
When they heard this, they hurried inside. Qiu Jiang grabbed a pen and paper from her desk, and when she saw an empty seat by the window in the small meeting room, she quickly sat down.
Ji Mingcheng had a serious expression on his face, looking very different from his usual easygoing self, giving people a bad feeling that a storm was about to come.
Soon their premonition became reality.
Ji Mingcheng said in a deep voice, "The provincial capital sent over the investigation results, proving that there have been seven similar cases in the past thirteen years. All of them meet the conditions Qiu Jiang listed yesterday, including being dressed in white dresses before death, having severe abdominal contusions leading to broken ribs, and signs of sexual assault. The higher-ups have ordered a combined investigation of these thirteen cases."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.
They didn't expect that something that was still in the speculation stage yesterday would be concluded today.
They never expected that there was such a terrible murderer in their area, and he was still committing crimes. Perhaps at some inadvertent time, they might pass by each other.
Many people's hair stood on end.
"So, team season, what are we going to do now?"
"Because we were the first to discover the case, we will ultimately be in charge of these thirteen serial murders. Our colleagues in the provincial capital will fully cooperate."
Ji Mingcheng glanced at everyone. "This case is the biggest one we've encountered since the establishment of Team Five. Not only does it pose a serious threat to public security and stability, it's also extremely serious and could easily cause an uproar and panic among the public. Therefore, we must solve the case as quickly as possible to avoid causing public outcry."
Guo Kai and the others knew the importance of solving the case as soon as possible, but they didn't think about public opinion like he did, so they paid special attention when they heard this.
After all, no matter how strictly a secret is kept, it may eventually be leaked. Similar things have happened too many times in the past, and it is difficult to guarantee that this time will be an exception.
They all responded "Yes."
"Also, I would like to give special praise to Qiu Jiang. It was her meticulousness that allowed her to not miss such an important clue. Let's applaud her." Ji Mingcheng smiled and was the first to applaud.
Then, thunderous applause broke out in the conference room, and everyone looked at the girl with a smile on their faces, her face now flushed red.
Qiu Jiang never expected that their season team would be so ceremonial, which made her feel very embarrassed for a moment, but in this embarrassment she also felt respected and valued enough.
She believed that as long as she worked hard, their team would definitely train her well, and maybe one day she would be able to lead a team to bring all the evil forces to justice.
She dreams big and hopes this is the best time to start.
There was just one thing: the applause lasted a little too long. The blush on her little face just wouldn't go away, and she felt a bit like a monkey being visited by tourists in a zoo.
But Chen Da and the others felt that applause was not enough to express their appreciation for her keenness, and they kept praising her.
"That's amazing, Jiang Jiang! I think our team has a good chance of winning the Advanced Team Award this year."
"I've always said Jiang Jiang is a smart kid. Look at how smart he is. He's definitely a good candidate for a criminal police job."
"Jiang Jiang, good job."
…
Their voices of praise made her feel embarrassed and excited, and thousands of words were reduced to just one sentence.
"I'll do my best."
This was too plain a statement, and everyone burst into laughter.
"Hahaha--"
After the incident, everything should be back on track.
They re-examined and discussed the thirteen cases they had collected.
Ji Mingcheng turned on the projector, showing everyone the thirteen files, and began to speak, "Based on the timelines of these thirteen cases, Fang Huiwen's case is the oldest. Furthermore, the marks on the corpse are uneven and suggest a second stabbing. This suggests the murderer was unskilled at the time. As the timelines of these cases increase, the murderer's methods become increasingly sophisticated."
"It's clear that his killing skills were constantly improving as he committed crimes again and again. However, one strange thing is that the first twelve victims were all young women, while the last victim was a nine-year-old child. There must have been some special reason for his sudden change in the range of his previous victims during the final crime. This is something that requires special attention."
"Furthermore, the murderer's method of violence was almost identical each time: first assaulting, then killing, and always targeting the victim's lower abdomen. This suggests he has a strange preference for this behavior, most likely because he has been treated this way before, or has witnessed a similar situation."
"Finally, regardless of age, every victim was wearing a white dress. The styles and materials of the dresses varied. This suggests he only cared about whether the victim wore a white dress, not the other details. This suggests he deeply hated women wearing white dresses, which may be related to his past experiences. We need to focus on investigating whether any potential suspects share similar traits."
"Besides that, is there anything else you want to add?"
Wang Li then said, "Liu Qiushan has identified several people. Most of them are delivery drivers. They should be able to drive tricycles. We will go and investigate them immediately to see if there are any who meet the requirements."
Ji Mingcheng nodded, "Okay, you will make the arrangements next."
"yes."
Guo Kai took over the conversation at this time, "Captain Ji, the two cases that have occurred in our city are likely the starting and ending points of the murderer's crimes. It is very likely that the murderer is very familiar with Anxi City and travels back and forth between the provincial capital and Anxi all year round. Otherwise, Anxi and the provincial capital would not be the only two places in the province where similar cases have been discovered. Although there are more cases now, I think our investigation should still focus on these two cases."
"Of course, that doesn't mean the other cases aren't important. We can send some people to sort through the files and see if we can find any clues we haven't discovered yet."
Ji Mingcheng looked at the others, "Any opinions?"
"No."
"Okay, is there anyone willing to sign up?"
Chen Da raised his hand. "Captain Ji, I've met with colleagues in the provincial capital and have a better understanding of other cases. I think I should be responsible for organizing the other cases."
"Can."
"Team Season..."
She shouldn't have spoken at this point, but she had to. She pursed her lips and said with determination, "Captain Ji, let me investigate Fang Huiwen's case."
As soon as she opened her mouth, she attracted the attention of others.
Qiu Jiang's distinct black and white pupils were filled with persistence. "Right now, Fang Huiwen's parents are in pain after losing their daughter. Since I'm a girl, perhaps I can better connect with them, and..."
The murderer clearly knew Fang Huiwen and was full of hatred towards her. If Fang Huiwen's parents knew about the existence of such a person, perhaps their case could be solved quickly.
Ji Mingcheng looked at her deeply and finally agreed, "Okay."
After he finished arranging the personnel for other tasks, Qiu Jiang rushed to Fang Huiwen's parents without stopping.
Fang Huiwen's case has not yet been concluded, and her body cannot be taken away now. Her parents have been waiting outside the forensic room, crying until they are numb, staring blankly at the door that separates life and death.
Their daughter is lying in there now, but they have no way to bury her.
Not only that!
The beast who killed their daughter has not been caught yet and has not yet avenged their daughter's life, and they are unwilling to accept this.
When Qiu Jiang arrived, he saw the old couple suddenly stand up, their eyes filled with frightening hatred.
"Girl, when will that beast be caught?"
Their tone wasn't very pleasant, but Qiu Jiang understood their feelings and patiently consoled them, "Uncle and aunt, we're currently investigating with all our might. We've already found many clues, and I believe we'll find the man soon. We'll make him pay for his crimes and comfort the deceased's soul."
Her tone was gentle but comforting. They were obviously angry at the police for taking so long to find their daughter and for letting her be buried in such an environment for thirteen years, but after hearing her words, the couple's anger turned into tears of despair.
Even though she felt sad, she had to ask some questions. After waiting for them to calm down a little, Qiu Jiang hesitated and finally opened her mouth.
"Uncle and aunt, I'm going to ask you a few questions. These questions are extremely important. Maybe your answers will help us find the murderer, so please stay calm and listen carefully, okay?"
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief and wiped each other's tears. "Little girl, just ask."
"Is your daughter grudged against someone of the opposite sex? The person is likely between fourteen and eighteen years old."
The two looked at each other, frowning and shaking their heads. "Wenwen was already 21 when the incident happened, and she didn't like kids younger than her, thinking they were childish. So the friends she kept were all her own age or older, never younger. Plus, she had a good personality and lots of friends. In all these years, I've never heard of her falling out with anyone, let alone making enemies."
"Are you sure?"
"Okay." Fang Huiwen's mother nodded seriously. "Wenwen will tell me everything that happens to her. If she really makes an enemy, she will definitely not hide it from me."
Qiu Jiang wrote it down and started asking the next question.
"Do you know anyone who particularly hates white dresses?" she continued, looking up.
What is the problem?
The couple was confused.
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