Chapter 108 Zhao Kui: Spatial Geographical Portrait
In the continuous drizzle of late autumn, no one can be in a good mood.
The atmosphere in the office of the First Brigade of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Detachment was even more somber than the sky outside the window.
The arson attack on the Xinglong building materials warehouse resulted in deaths and had an extremely negative social impact. The pressure to solve the case within a limited time weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like an invisible boulder.
Lei Xiao is now the captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, and the vacant position of captain of the First Brigade was naturally filled by Fan Wei, an experienced veteran criminal police officer.
Fan Wei had just returned from an emergency meeting at the bureau, his brow furrowed, a look of anxiety on his face as he desperately sought a breakthrough. He strode to the whiteboard in the center of the office, picked up a pen, and without much preamble, wrote down a name: Zhao Kui.
Fan Wei added a heavy question mark after the name, then turned to look at everyone: "This Zhao Kui is highly suspicious!"
Fan Wei's voice was deep and powerful, carrying a sense of urgency: "He was a former warehouse worker at Xinglong Building Materials. A month ago, he was fired after being reported by Lao Fan for stealing. He held a grudge and publicly vowed revenge. On the night of the incident, he disappeared after arguing with his wife and didn't return home until late at night. His whereabouts are unclear. The timing and motive are both crucial. Keep a close eye on him!"
The young police officers in the office were invigorated.
Captain Fan's experience is the anchor of the team. His direct identification of suspects immediately made everyone feel that the direction of the investigation was clear.
Li Zhenliang frowned.
The motive for the murder was clear, but the time and whereabouts of the perpetrator were unknown, which seemed to make him a prime suspect. However, Zhao Kui had a volatile temper, threatened revenge, and even dared to argue with his wife and run away from home—this didn't match the psychological profile the team had created.
Jiang Ling sat in her seat, listening quietly without speaking immediately.
She understood Fan Wei's pressure and his experience-based judgment; Zhao Kui was indeed a logical and obvious "target."
Only after Fan Wei finished assigning the initial investigation tasks for Zhao Kui did Jiang Ling stand up, her tone calm but carrying undeniable weight: "Zhao Kui's suspicion certainly needs to be thoroughly investigated. However, before concentrating our efforts on investigating him, our team just completed the sketch of the arsonist. Would you like to hear that first?"
Fan Wei glanced at Jiang Ling and nodded. He recognized Jiang Ling's professional abilities; her three-pronged investigation method was extremely advantageous in guiding the direction of the investigation.
Jiang Ling gestured for Li Zhenliang to step forward.
Li Zhenliang stood up and handed the completed psychological profile report to Fan Wei, giving a brief report: "Captain Fan, we believe the murderer's motive was arson in retaliation. Fan Guoping's death was not murder, but an accident. The profile points to a suspect who is 20-30 years old, male, short or thin, with a timid and gloomy temperament, and who is in a low or marginal position in the warehouse environment."
Fan Wei took the report but didn't open it. Instead, he stared at Li Zhenliang with a stern gaze: "Zhao Kui is tall and strong, which doesn't match your portrait. You don't think he's a suspect?"
Li Zhenliang lacked Jiang Ling's strong inner strength and was forced to lower his head by Fan Wei's imposing presence. Although the team's internal analysis was quite logical, he dared not directly deny the suspects proposed by Fan Wei.
As the team leader, Jiang Ling stepped up without hesitation: "Yes, we believe that Zhao Kui is not a suspect."
The arson case at Xinglong Building Materials warehouse had a terrible impact, and even the media joined in the fun. Newspapers and television were filled with reports of the fire. The deadline for solving the case put a lot of pressure on Fan Wei. After finally finding a suspect, Jiang Ling rejected him. No one could have a good attitude.
He frowned and looked at Jiang Ling: "You'd better be able to convince me."
Jiang Ling pointed to the report: "It contains our team's detailed analysis, defining the nature, scope, and characteristics of the suspects, ultimately identifying them..."
Fan Wei raised his hand to interrupt Jiang Ling: "Time is tight, I don't have time to look at your psychological analysis report. Here is Fan Guoping's autopsy report, you can take a look at it first."
After he finished speaking, an autopsy report was presented to Jiang Ling.
Upon opening the document and seeing the photo of Fan Guoping's twisted and charred corpse, Jiang Ling's pupils constricted slightly. Skipping the intermediate analysis, Jiang Ling went straight to the conclusion.
The body was found in a highly charred, fist-like position, consistent with death by burns combined with acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Based on the time of the fire and the state of the food remaining in the stomach, the time of death is estimated to be between 10:00 PM on November 22, 1994, and 1:00 AM on November 23, 1994.
Fan Wei said in a heavy tone, "See? Arson resulting in death. What else could it be but murder? Furthermore, Zhao Kui was not only dissatisfied with Fan Guoping, but also extremely dissatisfied with the foreman who fired him and the warehouse that didn't pay him severance pay. The arson not only eliminated his thorn in Fan Guoping's side, but also retaliated against the warehouse. The motive is very clear. I've brought him back, and he'll be sent to the interrogation room immediately. Let's not waste our breath here. Keeping a close eye on Zhao Kui is definitely the right thing to do."
Fan Wei didn't have any issues with Jiang Ling; he was just under too much pressure to solve the case and was eager to produce results.
"Sharpening your axe won't delay your work, Captain Fan." Jiang Ling looked at Fan Wei, his attitude calm and resolute.
Fan Wei looked at Jiang Ling for a few seconds, then finally gave in and sighed, "Alright, then your group can tell everyone."
Jiang Ling methodically produced the on-site investigation report, fire safety briefing, Fan Guoping's basic information, and Zhou Wei's hand-drawn warehouse floor plan.
Jiang Ling looked at her team members.
The four members of the psychological profiling team worked together seamlessly and immediately began their analysis.
Zhou Wei pointed to the floor plan: "The east section of the warehouse stores timber and insulation materials, the west section stores hazardous materials such as paint thinner, and there is a passageway in the middle. The duty room is on the east outer wall, a brick and stone structure, with a small window facing the waste packaging area inside."
After briefly introducing the general layout of the warehouse, Zhou Wei pointed to the fire points marked on the map: "The three fire points are located next to the paint buckets in the west area, deep in the timber pile in the east area, and here," he pointed to a location near the back window of the duty room, "a pile of waste packaging materials. This point is close to the duty room and is hidden, so when it is lit, the thick smoke and flames will directly pour into the small window."
Li Zhenliang continued, "The murderer was very familiar with the environment and precisely chose flammable and concealed locations. Judging from the behavior, arson was the core objective. Multiple points were set on fire simultaneously or in rapid succession, aiming for a rapid and uncontrollable fire, and a large amount of accelerants were used. The murderer enjoyed the power of the flames themselves and the intense psychological satisfaction brought by the destructive process. Murder was merely a side effect or a price he subconsciously disregarded. This is more consistent with the characteristics of retaliatory arson than direct murder."
Hearing this, Fan Wei still insisted: "That's right, Zhao Kui committed retaliatory arson."
Li Zhenliang looked to Jiang Ling for help, but Jiang Ling just winked at him, signaling him to continue.
After taking a deep breath, Li Zhenliang straightened his back and said loudly, "That's right, Zhao Kui did have a criminal motive, but from the perspective of criminal behavior, people like him who are irritable, impulsive and easily angered usually retaliate in a more direct way, using fists or sticks, rather than arson that requires complicated operations."
Fan Wei remained silent.
His partner, Wei Yang, chimed in, "Old Fan, that makes some sense. When I brought Zhao Kui back to the police station today, he was quite agitated. He yelled, 'If I wanted to get revenge on that old bastard, why would I need to sneak around setting fires? I should just beat him up! What good would burning down the warehouse do me?'"
Yes, setting fire to the warehouse and incidentally burning Fan Guoping to death doesn't quite fit Zhao Kui's modus operandi. A person who admires direct force and has a short temper needs to wash away his humiliation in a visible, immediate way that demonstrates his "power"—by publicly beating Fan Guoping.
Setting a fire in the middle of the night? What's being burned is the boss's property. He might not even "see" Fan Guoping's death. This kind of covert, delayed, and even untargetable method of destruction wouldn't satisfy someone like Zhao Kui.
Fan Wei had to admit that Jiang Ling and the others' analysis was correct. After carefully reviewing the report that Li Zhenliang had given him, he said somewhat reluctantly, "So you mean that Zhao Kui is not the arsonist, and the real murderer is a warehouse employee in his twenties who is short and thin, has a repressed and inferior mentality, has been bullied for a long time, and has an extreme lack of a sense of existence and security?"
Jiang Ling nodded: "Judging from the modus operandi, the murderer couldn't possibly be a strong, burly man. Zhou Wei, tell us about your crime scene reconstruction."
"Yes!" Zhou Wei fixed the enlarged warehouse layout plan on the whiteboard and began to explain, pointing to the three arson points.
"Ignition Point 1: Next to the paint and thinner drums in the west area, ignited directly using readily available high-efficiency accelerants. Ignition Point 2: Deep inside the timber pile in the east area. The location is concealed, and it is necessary to ensure that the timber pile starts burning from the inside, making it difficult to detect and extinguish early. Ignition Point 3: Outside the back window of the duty room, a pile of waste packaging materials. The location is extremely critical and concealed, right next to the outer wall of the duty room, and the thick smoke and flames produced after ignition will directly pour into the small window of the duty room."
"From this, we can easily see that the killer's goal was to create a fire that would quickly spiral out of control and cause massive destruction. The setup of multiple ignition points, with ignition point 1 in the hazardous materials area and ignition point 3 targeting the duty room, also presented a huge challenge—the time difference."
Zhou Wei looked at everyone, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.
“If the perpetrator had lit point 1 first, the fire and smoke would have spread rapidly and attracted attention. Even late at night, patrols or nearby residents might have noticed it. This would have left him with a very short window of opportunity to move around in other areas of the warehouse.”
"If point 2 or 3 is lit first, the fire may be smaller and more concealed in the early stages, but once point 1 is lit, the entire warehouse will be quickly engulfed in flames, and the perpetrator may not be able to escape safely."
The conference room was silent as everyone watched intently as Zhou Wei pointed at the floor plan.
At that moment, Zhou Wei felt like he had become the protagonist in the crowd, and an unprecedented sense of accomplishment surged up, making his mind clearer and his attitude more calm.
"Therefore, the most effective way, and in line with the killer's desire for a 'spectacular effect,' is to minimize the time difference between the three ignition points, ideally igniting them simultaneously or in succession within a very short period of time. This would ensure that the fire breaks out at multiple key locations simultaneously, quickly linking together and creating an uncontrollable situation."
Zhou Wei looked at everyone and said, "So, how can we achieve this effect? Haoran, you play the murderer. Liangzi, you help set up the scene."
Liu Haoran immediately stood up, and Li Zhenliang followed suit, directing everyone to use tables, chairs, and benches to roughly simulate the warehouse scene.
Following Zhou Wei's words, Liu Haoran began to act furtively.
"Assuming the perpetrator enters the warehouse, he needs to efficiently complete the following actions: arrive at the fire site No. 1 in the West Zone, carry a small number of ignition tools, quickly locate the predetermined position, and use the on-site thinner as an accelerant to ignite the fire."
"Quickly traverse the warehouse to the No. 2 fire point in the East Zone. Starting from the West Zone, you need to quickly pass through the middle passage, where there are piles of goods blocking the way. Then enter the East Zone, go deep into the piles of goods, and find the predetermined hidden ignition point."
"The straight-line distance from fire point 1 to fire point 2 is more than 50 meters. The actual path is longer due to the obstruction of the stacks of goods, about 60-80 meters. The passage is partially blocked by the goods, requiring detours or climbing. The timber stacks in the East Zone have a complex structure, and to get inside, you need to crawl or go around layers of stacked timber."
Liu Haoran began to move forward with difficulty and speed. Sometimes he would flip over chairs that were pretending to be obstacles, and sometimes he would crawl under tables. His movements seemed somewhat clumsy.
"Then, he had to move quickly from fire point 2 to fire point 3, which was the pile of waste behind the duty room window. The two points were relatively close, about 20-30 meters apart, but the space was extremely limited."
"As you can see, the fire ignition point No. 3 is located between the back wall of the duty room and the main outer wall of the warehouse, forming a narrow gap with a width of less than 1 meter. In some places, you have to squeeze through sideways. In addition, there are pipes, extended shelves, and piled-up waste above, so you have to bend over or even crawl to get close to the innermost ignition point. It is not convenient to move around."
Looking at Liu Haoran's tall figure and seeing his clumsy and difficult movements, everyone couldn't help but wonder: It must be really difficult for someone so big to move around in that cramped warehouse space.
Zhou Wei continued, "The fire is about to erupt in full force, and thick smoke will fill the air. The perpetrator needs to find a safe way to escape the scene in a very short time. He may return the way he came, or he may use other reserved exits."
Liu Haoran also finished the last move in a disheveled state, covered in dust.
Zhou Wei's gaze swept across the entire scene, his attitude calm and resolute, carrying a strong sense of confidence: "To complete the aforementioned complex, long-distance route with high-difficulty obstacles within an extremely short time window, and to successfully ignite the three key points, places extremely demanding requirements on the killer's physique and mobility."
"First, one must be quick to act and have good physical fitness, and be able to run, climb, and turn quickly in complex environments."
"Second, the ability to pass through low-ceilinged spaces. This is the most crucial point. The narrow crevice and waste pile environment where the No. 3 fire was located required the perpetrator to have a small body cross-section, so as to easily squeeze through the narrow gaps and avoid getting stuck or making a loud noise."
"Third, a lower center of gravity and greater agility. It can move quickly and stably in narrow spaces filled with clutter and uneven surfaces, requiring skillful bending, lowering the head, turning sideways, and even briefly crawling to reach the optimal ignition point. A tall and robust person would be clumsy in such an environment, easily bumping into objects and making noise, taking more time, and possibly not being able to reach the intended ignition point effectively at all."
Liu Haoran wiped away non-existent "sweat" from his face and struck a tired pose to show that his physique did not meet the three points Zhou Wei had put forward.
"Fourth, familiarity with and adaptability to complex environments. The murderer was very familiar with the nooks and crannies of the warehouse, knowing where to move quickly and where to crawl or climb. This familiarity often stems from working there for a long time, and may be due to physical size, frequently needing or getting used to using these narrow passages, such as short porters taking shortcuts or being responsible for cleaning these corners."
"Finally, precise execution under time pressure. The entire process must be completed precisely under high tension and urgency, with extremely low margin for error. A slender build has a natural advantage in speed and agility when navigating obstacles."
Finally, Zhou Wei presented his analytical conclusions.
"From the perspective of the strict requirements of spatial geography and the crime process, especially the need to traverse long distances and overcome obstacles to complete multiple precise ignitions in a very short time, the perpetrator is characterized by familiarity with the scene, a slender build, and agility. This is consistent with our team's psychological profiling conclusions."
The scene was completely silent.
A minute later, a burst of enthusiastic applause suddenly erupted.
"Well analyzed!"
"After hearing what David said, I feel like I can see the killer's movements and appearance."
“A tall and strong person could not possibly carry out such a complex and precise act of arson. Zhao Kui is definitely not the murderer.”
Zhou Wei's spatial geographic profile not only reconstructed the crime process, but also strongly supported the core profile feature of the murderer's slender stature from a physical perspective of the feasibility of the action. This is more convincing than simple psychological inference, especially when refuting suspects like Zhao Kui who clearly do not meet the requirements of spatial action, it has a remarkable effect.
Fan Wei looked at Jiang Ling and gave her a thumbs up: "Jiang Ling, your team members are all excellent."
Jiang Ling smiled slightly: "So, what's next?"
Fan Wei waved his hand: "Don't rush to release Zhao Kui. Let him stay in the detention center for two days to lull the real murderer into a false sense of security. Wei Yang! You lead the team to investigate based on the sketch provided by Jiang Ling and the others. Be quick!"
"Yes!" Wei Yang stood up and responded loudly.
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