Chapter 81 Portrait: Sending them where they belong
Jiang Ling didn't start by drawing a portrait; instead, she began by analyzing the motives behind the crime.
Only by clarifying the criminal motive can we accurately describe the criminal's psychological characteristics.
Her question was directed not only at everyone else, but also at herself.
If her guess is correct, and it really was Fan Hu and Meng Jianghao who did it, then their motives must be clarified.
Judging from Fan Hu and Meng Jianghao's criminal records, before 1994 they committed crimes such as fighting, brawling, and petty theft.
Murder! Especially killing police officers, how could they possibly have such audacity?
Even those with antisocial personality disorder are not born vicious and indiscriminate killers.
After all, nobody wants to die.
What Zhou Wei said earlier is very true. Even if it was a chance encounter, if a murderer saw a young, single woman walking alone at night and had evil intentions, the first reaction of the murderer should have been to flee, not to kill, the moment he heard her say that she was a police officer.
Why did he suddenly become excited and violent when he heard the word "police"?
Liu Haoran raised his hand: "Isn't the motive supposed to be to silence them? Maybe the victim was on a mission, following the murderers, discovered their illegal activities, but gave himself away, so... he was silenced?"
Everyone gasped in shock.
Police officers on a mission across cities?
A lone female police officer was following two burly men late at night.
What kind of mission is it that's worth risking so much effort for?
Luo Yunchen suddenly stood up: "Drugs! It must be a drug case, which is why the murderer had the intention to kill. They do things that will get them killed, and they have a natural hatred for the police. As long as they find an undercover police officer around them, their methods of retaliation are extremely cruel! I have dealt with similar cases before. Drug dealers deal with undercover police officers by burning them alive, skinning them, cutting off their flesh... they are almost always left with no complete corpses."
His voice grew softer and softer, and when he said the words "to die without a complete corpse," it was so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Everyone's expression changed.
Even Jiang Ling shivered and remained silent for a long time.
Jiang Ling recalled an undercover narcotics officer who, after being discovered by drug dealers, was tortured for a full 45 hours before being finally given a quick death. When the police later found his body, he was covered in wounds—his eyes had been gouged out, his nose and chin had been cut off, pieces of flesh had been sliced off his calves, and five ribs were broken…
Even more terrifying is that all the harm was done while the officer was fully conscious. This was because the drug dealer injected the narcotics officer with a large amount of stimulant.
It is said that the average lifespan of anti-drug police officers is 41 years.
To bring peace and tranquility to the world, countless heroes have sacrificed their lives for the fight against drugs.
There's a song from later generations with the line: "Who says only those who stand in the light are heroes?"
Although the identities of undercover anti-drug police officers cannot be revealed, they are undoubtedly heroes!
Liang Jiushan, who had been sitting quietly listening to the lecture, stared wide-eyed, his face turning deathly pale.
Is being a police officer really that dangerous?
He used to think that being a policeman was glamorous, but now he realized for the first time that being a policeman could also be life-threatening.
Liang Jiushan suddenly thought of something and raised his hand.
Jiang Ling looked at him and raised her hand to signal him to speak.
Liang Jiushan's voice still trembled slightly: "If, I mean if, if that person really was a police officer on a dangerous mission, how dare she reveal her identity? Didn't she know that if she said she was a police officer, the other party would definitely kill her?"
Jiang Ling's eyes lit up.
Unexpectedly, Liang Jiushan has strong logical thinking skills and figured out this contradiction so quickly.
Liu Haoran raised his hand and patted Liang Jiushan hard on the shoulder: "Good lad, you thought of the same thing as me. I also find it strange. If they are undercover narcotics officers, they would be careful to hide their identities. How could they just say it out loud?"
Luo Yunchen, who had handled drug enforcement cases, still looked somber: "The core principle of undercover police officers is to conceal their identity. Actively exposing oneself is an extremely dangerous and undisciplined act. There are usually only three situations in which one's identity is exposed: when the mission is over and the operation is closed, when one's life is under extreme threat, or when an unexpected event occurs that cannot be controlled."
Luo Yunchen glanced at everyone, a hint of sorrow flashing in his eyes: "This case is clearly the second one."
A somber atmosphere enveloped the office, and no one spoke.
The only sounds were rapid breathing and the chirping of cicadas outside the window.
Luo Yunchen's words drew everyone back to that alley late at night on June 24th.
The policewoman was discovered while following someone and engaged in a fierce fight with two adult men. Although she was well-trained, she was outnumbered and her opponents were likely armed. She quickly found herself at a disadvantage and faced the immediate danger of being killed or incapacitated.
In a life-or-death moment, she judged that continuing to hide her identity would surely lead to her death. In order to deter the criminals and gain a chance of survival, she had no choice but to reveal her identity.
As the killer covered her face and dragged her into the depths of an alley, she screamed "I'm a cop—" with all her might. This was an instinctive strategy in the face of death, not a calm choice.
Jiang Ling suddenly remembered something and took out the picture of the murder scene in the alley drawn by Luo Yunchen.
Her eyes were red and filled with tears. She slowly raised her left hand to show the portrait to everyone, while her right hand pointed to Li Qiang, who was hiding behind a trash can and trembling in the painting.
Jiang Ling wanted to speak, but she couldn't utter a single word. Her voice trembled, and a surge of intense sorrow choked her throat.
It was as if an invisible giant hand was squeezing her heart tightly, causing her excruciating pain.
After a long pause, Jiang Ling finally calmed down and said what she wanted to say: "From her angle, she could see Li Qiang hiding. The reason she shouted out her identity was at the cost of her life, leaving behind crucial information and clues for the outside world."
Unfortunately, she was dragged away and killed by the criminals before she could even say her name.
But at least... she saved the eyewitness Li Qiang and left behind clues.
Luo Yunchen looked at the scene he had drawn carefully, and after a long while, he nodded: "Yes, that makes sense. Li Qiang was hiding behind three trash cans at the time, two standing up and one lying down. The victim was in a tilted position, so it was possible that he could see Li Qiang through the gaps between the trash cans."
Li Zhenliang shouted, "Since she left clues, what are we waiting for? Let's catch the murderer and avenge her!"
Liu Haoran slammed his fist on the table and shouted angrily, "That's right! They actually killed police officers! They're outrageous! They must be torn to pieces!"
Zhou Wei stopped taking notes, looked earnestly at Jiang Ling, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Team leader, do you have any ideas? At least... we need to find out who she is, right?"
As fellow police officers, witnessing their comrade being murdered and desperately shouting "I am a police officer" to try to leave clues for witnesses, how could one not be moved by such a scene?
With a shared sense of righteous indignation, everyone was eager to arrest the two criminals immediately.
Jiang Ling looked up at the blackboard and drew a heavy red circle around the words "silence": "We'll follow this clue and investigate the victim's identity."
Jiang Ling said to Zhou Wei, "Dawei, take out the map of Hunan Province and mark the locations of Yizhou and Yan City."
Zhou Wei immediately got up, took out a map of Hunan Province, and marked the cities of Yizhou and Yanshi on the map.
Jiang Ling drew a line between the two cities: "Jiu Shan confirmed that the murderer was from Yizhou. Why did they come to Yan City? How did they get here? Which cities might they have passed through along the way?"
Zhou Wei began to observe the railway line: "Yizhou is quite far from Yanshi. If these two people are migrant workers, their first stop would definitely not be Yanshi."
He searched along the railway line with a pencil and finally drew a circle around "Yuezhou": "Yuezhou is the closest transportation hub city to Yizhou. If local farmers want to take a train south, they must first take a bus from Yizhou to Yuezhou and then take a train from Yuezhou. Therefore, I judged that the murderer would have settled in Yuezhou at first."
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei had worked together for many years and had excellent chemistry. He immediately understood what Zhou Wei meant: "You mean to say that the murderer was mainly active in Yuezhou before, and only recently came to our Yan City?"
Zhou Wei nodded: "From what I understand, most of the migrant workers from Yizhou go south, while those who stay in the province are mainly concentrated in the provincial capital and Yuezhou."
Without hesitation, Jiang Ling picked up the phone: "Team Leader Lei, please contact the anti-drug squads of Yuezhou and the provincial capital police immediately and focus on tracking down the whereabouts of the undercover police officers. If there are any missing persons recently, please inform me immediately!"
With wave after wave of messages bombarding him, Lei Xiao's mind had been completely blank for the past two days. Hearing Jiang Ling's confident words, he didn't ask for the reason, but simply replied, "Okay!"
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Ling looked at Luo Yunchen: "Are you ready? Let's start the portrait drawing."
Luo Yunchen's mouth dropped open: "Ah, so fast? Shouldn't we define the scope first?"
Jiang Ling said, "I have already informed Captain Lei of the scope of the investigation, but I will repeat it here for everyone. Based on the existing clues, the scope of the investigation is focused on the following points."
First, we will search for young and middle-aged men from Yizhou who have recently been active in Yanshi, targeting construction sites, moving teams, auto repair shops, and casual labor markets in urban-rural fringe areas.
Second, look for a pair that is both strong and thin and closely related, where the strong man has a history of violence, a volatile temper, smokes, and may have vices such as drug use, alcoholism, and gambling.
Third, screen individuals from Yizhou with prior convictions for robbery, rape, indecent assault, or assault.
Everyone was nodding.
Especially Liang Jiushan, whose bright eyes were full of admiration and faith.
It was only thanks to Jiang Ling that clues could be extracted from Li Qiang's confession and the scope of the investigation could be determined in such a short time.
Jiang Ling said to Luo Yunchen, "Next, we'll try to draw their portraits directly. As long as we can draw those two thugs, we can use the sketches to find them!"
Luo Yunchen hesitated, "This...is this really going to work?" He had never seen those two people before, and Li Qiang hadn't seen their faces clearly either. The clues they had were far too few; could they even draw them?
Luo Yunchen once drew Geng Lihua's face before the real culprit was identified.
But that feeling was mysterious, and the opportunity was fleeting.
Moreover, on that occasion, the focus was on investigating the work clothes and the time period of the incident, and the police did not regard the portrait as important evidence.
There are even fewer clues about the killer now, and there are only two.
Jiang Ling also said that they should follow the clues. To be honest, Luo Yunchen was a little flustered, afraid that it would lead the investigation astray and delay the case.
Jiang Ling looked at Luo Yunchen earnestly: "Senior brother, give it a try."
Li Zhenliang, Liu Haoran, and Zhou Wei encouraged Luo Yunchen together.
"Team Leader Luo, give it a try, we believe in you!"
"That's right. If you were able to draw Geng Lihua last time, you'll definitely be able to draw those two shameless thugs this time too."
"What's there to be afraid of? Be bold and try."
Even his two apprentices, Su Xinwan and Zhuang Jianbai, looked at Luo Yunchen with bright eyes: "Master, give it a try."
Encouraged by so many people, Luo Yunchen was filled with pride. He placed the drawing board on his lap, picked up a charcoal pencil, and said with bright eyes, "Okay, you tell me, I'll draw it!"
Jiang Ling retrieved Fan Hu's file from her mind; in the upper right corner of the file was a photo of him with a shaved head.
Great, the answer has emerged. All she has to do now is write out the solution process.
“Okay, let’s begin.” Jiang Ling’s deep and clear voice broke the silence. “The main culprit is from Yizhou, aged 25-35, 180cm tall, weighing around 90kg, with a good physique and a thick waist and broad shoulders.”
Luo Yunchen did not write anything, but listened quietly.
He quickly searched his mind for a suspect's image that matched Jiang Ling's description.
Having painted over a thousand portraits under his master's guidance, Luo Yunchen firmly believes in the saying "appearance reflects the heart." Although everyone's appearance is related to their parents due to genetic factors, a person's appearance will gradually change with changes in environment and state of mind.
Jiang Ling continued speaking.
"The main perpetrator needs to emphasize his sense of power, because power is his weapon to control others. He has a highly antisocial personality, lacking empathy, remorse, and moral restraint. His dialect is full of insults and threats, indicating that he is irritable and aggressive. When the victim shouted that he was a police officer, he was not intimidated, but instead became even more violent. He saw the police as oppressors, and killing the police was his way of rebelling against the status quo and proving himself."
strength.
Immediately, images of a bunch of fierce and burly men popped into Luo Yunchen's mind.
"Manual laborers often face job instability and financial hardship. They may gain a small degree of authority among their coworkers due to their physique or violent tendencies, but they struggle to earn genuine respect. This leads to a deep-seated resentment towards society, especially towards 'respectable' individuals. This resentment needs an outlet, making them more susceptible to alcoholism, gambling, or even drug abuse."
"He's broke, yet he drinks, gambles, and does drugs, which suggests that besides manual labor, he might have other ways to make money quickly. For example..."
Liu Haoran reacted quickly, replying, "Thugs!"
Jiang Ling nodded firmly: "Yes, he may obtain drugs by acting as a henchman for drug dealers and by working as a bouncer at casinos to earn gambling funds."
Luo Yunchen seemed to be deep in thought.
Master Lin Weidong has held numerous training lectures in Kyoto, aiming to cultivate more criminal sketch artists for the public security system. During the training, Lin Weidong would showcase many distinctive criminals and analyze their physical features.
In Luo Yunchen's memory, he had actually seen several faces that resembled thugs.
After describing the psychological and behavioral characteristics, Jiang Ling began to conduct a facial analysis by combining the criminal file and psychological profile: "Senior, the main criminal's face should fully demonstrate the presence of violence."
Luo Yunchen quickly followed up, drawing a square face with a wide jaw on the paper: "This is the foundation of strength. People who like to use violence usually have a ferocious face and like to grit their teeth. The result of long-term exertion of the chewing muscles is that the face becomes more and more square, and the chin is the same."
Jiang Ling said, "When the mind is scattered, the eyebrows are scattered. People with fierce and menacing appearances often have eyebrows that are shaped like the character '八' (eight)."
Luo Yunchen casually drew two thick, messy eyebrows. The eyebrows were thick, black, and dense, but without any grooming, like wildly growing thorns, messily covering the brow bone. The eyebrows were shaped like an inverted V, with the brow peak close to the inner corner of the eyebrow and the tail short and slanted downwards, forming a naturally fierce appearance.
Jiang Ling nodded to herself, noticing that his eyebrows resembled two rusty knives. Luo Yunchen certainly had some skills; no wonder his father had kept him in Yan City.
Jiang Ling pointed to the eyebrows in the portrait: "The eyebrows are downturned, the face is fierce, even if the face is expressionless, it looks like he is glaring angrily."
Luo Yunchen glanced at Jiang Ling and began to groom his eyebrows.
Jiang Ling continued: "During the fight, in order to show off his strength, he would often let out a low growl, his cheekbones would be slightly high, his muscles would be taut, forming a special pattern."
Luo Yunchen nodded and sped up his drawing, quickly taking shape the broad, square face and prominent brow bones.
"For criminals with antisocial personality disorder, the eyes are the most telling indicator." Jiang Ling looked at the portrait in Luo Yunchen's hand, and a photo of Fan Hu flashed through her mind as she added.
"There is no warmth in these eyes, only the coldness of a predator and a desire for destruction. The pupils are probably small, and the whites of the eyes are cloudy and yellowish due to alcoholism. When looking at people, the eyes will habitually squint, with scrutiny and contempt, as if sizing up prey. When he is furious, these eyes will become bloodshot, glaring like copper bells, and the corners of the eyes will rip upwards."
Luo Yunchen gradually became familiar with Jiang Ling's speaking speed, grasping the essence of her words and presenting them on paper with charcoal. The main culprit's eyes were drawn small and deep-set, with extremely small pupils, and the surrounding area was outlined with fine hatching to convey a sense of gloom and turbidity.
Jiang Ling spoke quickly, but each word was clear: "People with an easily angered constitution have their nostrils constantly opening and closing, which makes their nostrils large. As a result of frequently breathing through their mouths, their lips become thicker, but this thickness does not mean they are honest. The corners of their mouths will habitually turn downwards, forming a fierce arc. When they grin, the corners of their mouths will be stretched to their maximum."
"In addition, the fact that the main culprit carried a cheap lighter indicates that he smokes. Long-term smokers have yellow teeth and poor oral hygiene. When he opened his mouth, he would show a mouthful of yellow teeth, and his gums might protrude, making him look like a bloodthirsty beast."
Luo Yunchen hummed in agreement and added a nose and mouth to the face. The nose was emphasized for its ruggedness, the downward curve of the lips was precisely captured, and several symbolic nasolabial folds were drawn at the corners of the mouth to enhance the fierce look.
"Skin is a canvas of suffering and indulgence. Dark, rough skin with large pores is a mark of long-term sun and rain exposure and struggle at the bottom. There should be deep frown lines on the forehead, traces of long-term anger and frowning. The cheeks may have slight redness or swelling due to alcoholism."
Luo Yunchen pondered for a moment, then used short, forceful crisscrossing lines to depict the rough, dark texture of the skin, with the vertical lines on his forehead appearing as if carved by a knife. He then picked up a red marker, lightly touched the corner of his eye, and swept two strokes across his cheek, instantly creating an image of bloodshot eyes and an unnaturally red face.
"Finally, don't forget the sense of power he always exudes," Jiang Ling added with certainty. "His right biceps are bulging, and he has an abnormal pride in them. When the weather is a little hot or he's emotional, he'll deliberately roll up his sleeves to show them off."
Luo Yunchen quickly drew a short, thick neck, and from there the lines continued downwards to draw the main culprit's upper arm, its sleeve rolled up and exposed. The muscles were strong and muscular, with the biceps protruding high.
Jiang Ling hadn't expected Luo Yunchen to have grasped the concept so thoroughly.
He accurately depicted Fan Hu's facial features with lines, capturing at least 80% similarity.
After finishing the last stroke, Luo Yunchen placed the drawing board in front of Jiang Ling, looked up at her, and asked, "Take a look, what do you think?"
All the heads crowded around.
All six pairs of eyes were fixed on the portrait.
Liang Jiushan's eyes are the brightest.
It's amazing! He felt like everything before his eyes was a magic trick.
Just by guessing, you can figure out what the killer looks like? That's amazing!
The others all gaped open, expressing their amazement.
"Team Leader Luo, your portrait skills are getting better and better."
"Your drawing is so fierce, it makes it hard to breathe!"
"Yes, yes, he's definitely not a good person. He looks like a gangster thug."
Jiang Ling gestured to Su Xinwan to change the paper: "Okay, let's draw the accomplice next."
Su Xinwan skillfully peeled off the sketch paper from the drawing board, and Zhuang Jianbai carefully took the portrait, handed her another blank sketch paper, and the two worked together seamlessly, quickly pasting the new drawing paper onto the drawing board.
Luo Yunchen found his rhythm, picked up his charcoal pencil, and said with high spirits, "Okay, let's begin. You say, I'll draw!"
"Accomplice, aged 18-25, thin build, about 168cm tall, weighing about 55kg, slightly hunched, and underdeveloped muscles." Jiang Ling pulled up a photo of Meng Jianghao from his mind. In the photo, Meng Jianghao's eyes were evasive, his face had a hint of immaturity, and also a premature numbness.
"He must have had a repressed and painful childhood because of his compliant personality. He grew up in a poor family where only obedience could ensure survival. He dared not express himself, and hunger was a common occurrence, which is why he was very thin and malnourished."
"He was cowardly, and attaching himself to the strong was his survival strategy. Participating in crime was the price he paid to gain recognition and avoid being violently treated. He was not inherently bloodthirsty, but his sense of morality was severely eroded under the coercion and brainwashing of the ringleader. Witnessing the killing of a policeman had a huge impact on him, filling him with fear and guilt."
"He may be a junior from the same hometown as the main culprit, a henchman he met in prison, or simply a low-level thug who was subdued by him. He has a very low level of education, lacks independent survival skills, and is easily tempted and controlled by drugs and other substances."
Luo Yunchen began searching his memory for a face that matched this personality.
Cowardice, submissiveness, fear, poverty, low self-esteem, susceptibility to coercion, susceptibility to temptation...
Since Luo Yunchen hadn't started writing yet, Jiang Ling slowed down her speech slightly, giving him more time to think and prepare. "Because he was thin and ate little, his chewing muscles were underdeveloped, his jawbone was not wide, and he had a long, thin face. His cheekbones were prominent, his skin was thin, and he lacked the fullness of a young person. His complexion was pale due to long-term malnutrition."
"Also because he was thin, his eyes appeared relatively large, but they were always lowered, and he dared not make eye contact with anyone for more than a second. He witnessed the main culprit murder the police officer, and he was extremely terrified. He suffered from chronic insomnia and nightmares, which resulted in prominent eye bags and slight facial swelling. His eyes contained an unyielding confusion, anxiety, and a numbness beyond his years."
Luo Yunchen began to draw.
This time, because the accomplice and the principal offender had completely different personalities, his writing style also changed. It became delicate and repressive.
The long face and prominent cheekbones are outlined, but the lines are finer, making it appear delicate.
The eyes are drawn large, but deliberately drawn looking downwards, with drooping eyelashes and shadows cast in light gray tones under the eyelids to express eye bags and fatigue.
Jiang Ling continued to describe: "His lips were thin and pale in color. They were habitually slightly parted, making him appear somewhat dull. When nervous, he would unconsciously bite his lower lip, sometimes even drawing blood. He was almost afraid to speak loudly; his voice was squeezed out from his throat."
"He always hunches his shoulders and shrinks his neck, as if trying to hide himself. This posture makes his neck appear tense, his shoulders hunched inward, and even creates a visual effect of being 'oppressed by an invisible force' in the portrait. His cheek muscles are relaxed and lack vitality."
"His voice is high-pitched, so he must be quite young, most likely under 20. He should be at the age of youthful exuberance, but his face is replaced by a premature weariness. He is insecure and doesn't dare to reveal too much of himself, so he grows his hair long and his bangs habitually hang down, covering part of his forehead and eyes."
As Jiang Ling described, the characters in Luo Yunchen's paintings gradually came to life.
The lips are drawn thin and tightly pressed together, with a small indentation lightly drawn on the lower lip, a mark left by long-term lip biting.
The neck is drawn long and thin, and the shoulders are drawn inward, creating a timid posture.
Her hair was drawn a little long and messy, with a few strands of bangs covering half of her eyes.
The overall skin tone is rendered pale with a very light gray tone, with only a touch of unhealthy red on the cheekbones.
Jiang Ling picked up two newly completed portraits.
Luo Yunchen's paintings are not merely lifelike, but also imbued with a certain soul.
Fan Hu's face exuded an aura of violence and destruction in every line; Meng Jianghao's face, on the other hand, was filled with numbness and struggle crushed by fear.
“It’s them.” Jiang Ling’s voice was resolute, her eyes flashing with cold light, and her fingertip tapped heavily on Luo Yunchen’s painting. “Now, it’s time to send these two people where they belong.”
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