Chapter 57 Wen Mo: Fragile, Gloomy, and Easily Controlled
Su Xinwan stood there blankly, her mind a little dazed.
She was shocked by her mother's words.
He's a man, so I'm not afraid.
You are a woman, and you are going to get married.
--Why?
—Regardless of gender, the harm caused by sexual abuse can last a lifetime.
Having experienced such humiliation and oppression, Xin Yan's heart is already broken. Is it because he cannot get pregnant and others cannot tell that he is "not afraid"?
—Can Su Xinwan, who sacrificed her younger brother to ensure her safety, still feel at ease getting married?
Countless thoughts flooded her mind, and Su Xinwan felt like her head was about to explode.
She looked at her mother, opened her mouth as if to say something, but when she met her mother's eyes, which were filled with fear and whose faith had been worn away by life, she suddenly didn't want to say anything.
The mother's mind was bound by countless "fears".
She had long since experienced her mother's stubbornness.
What's the use of explaining so many reasons?
The fact that her mother could give her the greatest love was to slip money into Su Xinwan's hand as soon as they met and urge her to leave.
Su Xinwan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and tried to speak calmly to Hu Shuifen: "My colleague and I came to town on business and stopped by on the way. I'm thirsty and would like some water."
Hearing her daughter mention her colleague, Hu Shuifen finally looked at Jiang Ling properly.
She grinned, and Jiang Ling noticed that she had lost five or six teeth, leaving a black hole where the teeth were missing, like a monster that devoured light.
Hu Shuifen said "Oh, oh" twice. "Like you, a police officer?"
Su Xinwan nodded: "Yes, they are police officers."
Both she and Jiang Ling were dressed in summer casual clothes today, beige short-sleeved shirts and olive green loose trousers, looking dashing and spirited.
The word "police" seemed to give Hu Shuifen some confidence.
But then panic flashed in her eyes, and she stretched out her arms to block the way: "No, you can't go in! Your dad said that no outsiders can go in without his permission."
Su Xinwan strongly disliked the term "your dad": "He's not my dad, my dad's name is Su Jiangong!"
The tiny flame that had just ignited in Hu Shuifen's eyes suddenly went out.
Her lips trembled, but she said nothing.
Su Xinwan changed her tone: "I'm not an outsider, so I can come in, right?"
Hu Shuifen hesitated for a long time.
Her nostrils flared and her breathing became heavier than before, indicating that she was going through a fierce internal struggle.
Ultimately, the desire to spend more time with her daughter prevailed. Without even glancing at Jiang Ling, Hu Shuifen grabbed Su Xinwan's arm and hurried toward the main room, urging her on, "Hurry up, hurry up."
Su Xinwan turned her head and exchanged a glance with Jiang Ling.
Su Xinwan mouthed: Wait for me.
Jiang Ling nodded slightly, raised her right hand, and pressed her palm down: "Find an opportunity to check the basement."
Watching the mother and daughter disappear from sight, Jiang Ling slowly strolled to the vegetable garden at the east end.
Hu Shuifen is a diligent person and takes very good care of her vegetable garden.
The vegetable plots are planted with chili peppers, eggplants, water spinach, loofah, cucumbers, green beans, etc. Each plot is separated by cement slabs to make it easier for the vegetable growers to walk around.
The dark, fertile soil and green leaves, after being washed by the morning dew, exude a unique rural charm.
Jiang Ling lowered her head and observed carefully.
— Burying corpses in vegetable gardens and using them as fertilizer?
This is a plot point that only exists in novels.
Farmyard manure needs to undergo composting and fermentation, a process that is usually carried out under aerobic and high-temperature conditions.
If a corpse is buried directly in a vegetable garden, the decomposition process will produce a large amount of putrefactive liquid and gas, leading to soil compaction or structural damage, and increasing soil salinity. High concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and other decomposition products at the burial site can cause root burn. Furthermore, the decaying corpse will attract scavengers such as dogs, rats, and insects, which will dig and gnaw on the food, damaging the garden and spreading diseases.
The vegetable garden in front of Jiang Ling had fertile soil and the vegetables were growing vigorously. There was no salinization, compaction, or local root burn, and she didn't see any scavengers visiting it.
There were no signs of burial.
Jiang Ling looked up and glanced around.
The wall was very high, with shards of broken glass stuck at the top, gleaming eerily in the sunlight.
The main gate of the two-story villa was a heavy solid wood door, which was tightly closed at the moment.
—The safety measures are very solid.
Through the openwork cast iron gate, you can see a gas station across the street, with cars and people coming and going on the road.
Behind the villa is a small hill, its slopes covered with a variety of trees.
There are self-built houses on both sides, separated by three meters, not close to each other.
It's a quiet place amidst the hustle and bustle; if any noise occurs inside the villa, it's hard for others to hear.
At the west end of the yard, there is a faucet with a water tank, next to which is a roll of plastic water hose, and next to the hose is a high-pressure water gun.
There are vehicle tracks on the ground.
Chu Jingen owns a car and often washes it at home.
Using his eyes as a ruler, Jiang Ling measured every inch of Chu Jingen's villa courtyard, drawing it all down and engraving it in his mind.
We set off at eight o'clock in the morning, drove for an hour, and discussed for half an hour. Now it's the time when the sun is rising from the east, but it's not too hot yet.
Standing in the villa courtyard, with the bustling main road behind me and green mountains in the distance, a morning breeze blows by, carrying a damp feeling.
Yes, this place isn't far from the Double Curve River.
When I came over just now, I saw several stylishly decorated hotels and restaurants.
The missing persons are not limited to town residents; they may also be tourists from other places.
The college students who come here to sketch are energetic, kind-hearted, and have clear, innocent eyes. They haven't had time to experience the harsh realities of life, and they think everyone is a good person. These are the easiest young people to deceive.
How I wish those eyes, shining with such clear and innocent light, could continue to shine forever.
Jiang Ling suddenly hoped that her speculation was wrong.
A commotion came from inside the villa.
Jiang Ling walked slowly towards the entrance hall.
The door opened, and Su Xinwan was standing in the entryway, struggling with her mother.
"Mom, please come with me! I'm begging you. I have a job now, I can earn money, let's rent a place together, okay?"
Hu Shuifen showed no appreciation whatsoever, and pushed Su Xinwan out, saying, "Go away, go away. I'll stay here and stay in this house; I'm not going anywhere else."
Su Xinwan was thus pushed out and stood alone in the foyer, her eyes filled with a sense of bewilderment.
Su Xinwan only snapped out of her daze when she met Jiang Ling's gaze.
She quickly walked down the steps to Jiang Ling's side and whispered, "No, we can't get into the basement. It's locked, and my mother doesn't have the key."
Jiang Ling: "It's okay, we'll discuss it again when we get back."
The two walked out of the villa side by side.
However, she didn't notice that the villa's front door wasn't closed properly. Hu Shuifen's eyes peered through the crack in the door, greedily watching Su Xinwan's back, her eyes filled with longing.
The five-person group met in the reception room of the Changhe Town Police Station.
Upon seeing Su Xinwan, Zhou Yongcheng, the police station chief, laughed heartily, shook her hand a few times, and said, "Little Su, you've really done well. All these years, and you've become a police officer. Not bad, not bad at all, you haven't let your father down!"
Su Xinwan remembered Zhou Yongcheng.
He used to work in the same factory as his father, Su Jiangong, but at that time Zhou Yongcheng was in the security department and Su Xinwan's father was in the technical department.
When her father passed away, Zhou Yongcheng came to offer incense and pay his respects. He had always taken good care of her.
Su Xinwan's smile was genuine: "Thank you, Uncle Zhou."
Zhou Yongcheng asked, "You've come here today to look into the missing persons cases in the town over the past few years. Is there some activity from the city bureau?"
Su Xinwan did not answer his question, but instead introduced Jiang Ling to him: "This is our case team leader, Jiang Ling."
When Zhou Yongcheng heard the name "Jiang Ling," his mouth dropped open.
"Oh, you're Jiang Ling! I know, I know. I'm on good terms with Chief Jiang of Qingshi Town, and he often mentions you. A while ago, some of my comrades talked about you; they went to your lecture on the 'Three-Fixed Investigation Method,' right? Impressive, impressive!"
What a small world.
Within the same system and the same city, only two intermediaries are needed to connect strangers.
In a society based on personal connections, acquaintances still have their uses.
Zhou Yongcheng excitedly served them tea and water, and then called over his colleague in charge of file management to help find the police reports of missing and deceased people from the past ten years.
After everyone worked together to find the documents, three files were placed on the desk.
The first victim was named Zhang Lei.
He was only 18 years old when he died. He was sunny, handsome, and physically strong. He was a member of the school basketball team. In the photo, his smile is very bright and infectious.
Zhang Lei is the only son of an ordinary working-class family; both his parents work at the cultural center. A senior high school student, he has average grades but is well-liked and is a cheerful, sunny boy on campus.
Zhang Lei disappeared four years ago, in May 1990.
After his family reported the case to the police, an investigation was launched, and his body was found in a suburban wooded area half a month later.
The people at Changhe Town Police Station had a deep impression of this case, Zhou Yongcheng sighed.
“The Municipal Public Security Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division took over the case, but it was not solved and became a cold case. Zhang Lei’s parents come to ask about the results every few days, and we are all feeling bad about it.”
"The forensic examination at the time determined the cause of death to be mechanical asphyxiation. The child had blunt force trauma to the back of the head, ligature marks on the neck, and bruises all over the body, indicating that he had been severely abused before his death. Alas! It was truly tragic."
Jiang Ling asked, "Are there any signs of sexual assault?"
Zhou Yongcheng felt a tightness in his anus, and his whole body felt unwell.
His eyes widened instantly: "Sexual assault? No, no, no, that didn't happen."
Jiang Ling frowned.
There are no signs of sexual abuse, so it must have been Chu Jingen who did it.
Su Xinwan showed the police report to Jiang Ling and said, "There's only one high school in town." The implication was that he and Xinwan went to the same school and might have some interaction.
Judging from their appearances, Zhang Lei and Chu Xinyan are completely different types.
Because of long-term abuse, Chu Xinyan is introverted, gloomy, thin, and taciturn.
Zhang Lei grew up under the loving care of his parents. He loves sports, is tall and strong, and loves to laugh and talk.
Zhang Lei cannot be a replacement for Chu Xinyan.
Should we exclude it?
Jiang Ling closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down and observe Zhang Lei from Chu Jingen's perspective.
Changhe Town is not large, and Zhang Lei and Chu Xinyan attend the same school. Chu Jingen may have seen Zhang Lei at school, on the street, or on the basketball court.
Zhang Lei's untouched youthful vitality and healthy physique would sting Chu Jingen's eyes and ignite his jealousy.
Zhang Lei represents the perfect image that Chu Jingen could never reach in his lifetime—sunny, strong, and flamboyant.
The body was not deeply buried or disposed of and was discovered by the police relatively early. Zhang Lei may have been the beginning of Chu Jingen's "practice".
Because the purpose was destruction, not domestication, there were no signs of sexual assault on Zhang Lei.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling opened her eyes, which shone with an extremely bright light: "Leave this case here, and we'll review the forensic report and the crime scene investigation report when we get back to the Municipal Bureau."
Although four years have passed and many clues have been lost, traces remain. Now that we have a suspect, following this lead might yield compelling evidence.
For example, you might find the murder weapon based on skull marks or neck ligature marks, or a car that matches tire tracks on the ground. If you're lucky, you might also find pieces of clothing or suspicious footprints.
Make bold assumptions, then verify them carefully.
Li Zhenliang, Liu Haoran, and Zhou Wei answered in unison: "Yes!"
Zhou Yongcheng looked at Jiang Ling with a hint of admiration.
No wonder Jiang Shouxin always praised Jiang Ling in front of him, and no wonder the comrades who attended her lectures were full of praise—she truly is outstanding. Look at the team she leads—diligent, capable, and obedient—how wonderful!
After identifying the first victim, Jiang Ling picked up the second case file.
This is a missing person named Wen Mo.
She was 20 years old and a sophomore in college when she went missing.
Wen Mo and Chu Xinyan are somewhat similar: pale, thin, with timid and evasive eyes, and obvious social anxiety and depressive tendencies.
Wen Mo comes from a single-parent family and has a strained relationship with his mother. He rarely interacts with his classmates and his only hobby is drawing. Three years ago, in August 1991, he came to Changhe Town with his sketchbook and stayed at a hotel near Shuangqu River. He would go out to draw every morning and return to the hotel to rest in the evening.
Looking at Wen Mo in the photo, Su Xinwan's expression turned serious.
Their temperament and expressions are so similar.
It's practically the perfect alternative.
Considering the time when Wen Mo disappeared, August 1991, wasn't that the time when Xin Yan had just finished the college entrance examination and was waiting for her admission notice?
Zhou Yongcheng glanced at the police report, and the memory surfaced in his mind.
"Ah, I remember this person."
"After school started, we found out he hadn't registered, so we contacted his mother. She said Wenmo hadn't come home at all during the summer vacation and assumed he was working part-time at school. When we compared the two sides, we realized something was wrong and quickly called the police. After investigating for a long time, they finally found out that he was from our town."
"Tell me about this child, coming to a strange place alone during summer vacation without telling his mother. He's been missing for over a month before being found. How are we supposed to find him?"
Su Xinwan asked, "Wen Mo is staying at a hotel. He's gone missing. Doesn't the hotel care?"
Zhou Yongcheng shook his head: "He leaves early every morning and doesn't return until evening. He doesn't talk to anyone. He paid a deposit of two hundred yuan, enough to cover two days' room fees. During that time, the hotel business was booming. When Wen Mo didn't return to the hotel, the hotel owner kept his deposit, happily packed up his things and threw them in the warehouse, cleaned the room, and continued doing business. The hotel owner didn't care about the life or death of outsiders at all, let alone calling the police. It wasn't until the police came knocking that he panicked a little and handed Wen Mo's belongings over to the police."
It took a full month, from the summer vacation in August to the start of school in September, for Wen Mo to be discovered missing.
Because of the long gap in information, many clues have been lost.
Where did Wen Mo go on the day he disappeared? Who did he meet?
The police asked all the residents of the town, but no one remembered this solitary and silent boy.
Zhou Yongcheng added, "This case is very complicated. Wen Mo is from the provincial capital of Hunan Province and went to university in Jiangcheng, Hubei Province. The school reported the case to the police in Hubei Province, and the police in Hunan and Hubei Province cooperated in handling the case. The police from the provincial capital came to our Changhe Town to look for him. In the end, the case became a cold case and is still hanging in the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau."
Li Zhenliang asked, "Are all the case files for Wen Mo's disappearance in Jiangcheng?"
Zhou Yongcheng shrugged: "That's right, we only have police reports here. We have to go to the Hubei Provincial Police for the specific materials."
In the 1990s, the public security system did not have a nationwide network. Cases involving different provinces were relatively difficult to access due to issues of jurisdiction.
Liu Haoran asked, "How is Wen Mo's mother?"
Zhou Yongcheng sighed: "Wen Mo's mother comes to the Shuangqu River every August to pay her respects. Alas! Although the mother and son did not have a good relationship, they were still related by blood. She runs a business in the provincial capital and I heard she is a strong woman. Every year when she comes, she stays at the Qingjiang Hotel where her son stayed before he disappeared."
Liu Haoran asked, "Do you have her contact information?"
Zhou Yongcheng took out his phone book and found a line: "Look, that's her, Wen Liyuan."
Liu Haoran wrote down Wen Liyuan's phone number.
As Jiang Ling recorded Wen Mo's information, she pondered to herself.
Wen Mo disappeared during the summer vacation after Chu Xinyan finished her college entrance examination.
He and Chu Xinyan are very similar in both appearance and personality.
He was alone and didn't contact anyone outside, making him an easy target.
He is very likely Chu Xinyan's "replacement".
Choosing Wen Mo indicates that Chu Jingen's preference for "prey" has become fixed on the type that is "fragile, gloomy, and easy to control".
After murdering Zhang Lei, the body was quickly discovered by the police because it was buried too shallowly. Chu Jingen must have learned his lesson, and this time his method of disposing of the body was more skillful. To this day, the police have not found Wen Mo's body and can only classify it as a missing person case.
This is terrible.
Chu Jingen not only gained experience in hunting, but also became more cautious in disposing of carcasses.
Although she had never met Chu Jingen directly, Jiang Ling had already discovered that he was a cunning and intelligent man, a formidable opponent.
Whether it's committing torture or disposing of corpses, a stable and secluded place is required.
The basement of the Chu family villa is a good place.
Jiang Ling remembered that Chu Xinyan's criminal file contained a sentence: Chu Xinyan hid the murder weapon in the basement and burned the pornographic magazines collected by Chu Jingen to destroy evidence.
basement.
Even Su Xinwan couldn't get in.
The key was in Chu Jingen's hands alone.
If we could go inside and explore, we might find relevant evidence.
Jiang Ling silently picked up the third document.
Zhao Rui was 21 years old when he went missing.
The family reported the incident to the police in October 1991.
Zhao Rui was short and of average appearance, somewhere between Zhang Lei and Wen Mo. He wasn't particularly sunny, but he wasn't extremely gloomy either. From the photos, he seemed somewhat quick-witted and clever, with a keen eye and a hint of barely perceptible wariness.
After graduating from technical school, Zhao Rui worked as a mechanic at a car repair shop in town. His family was of modest means; his parents were alive, but his mother suffered from a chronic illness requiring long-term medication. He was relatively independent, had a somewhat street-smart personality, and was fairly popular among his classmates.
Jiang Ling frowned.
It's certain that Zhao Rui is not a replacement for Chu Xinyan.
He was not the perfect male figure that Chu Jingen hated most and could never reach in his lifetime.
Zhou Yongcheng enthusiastically introduced the case.
"Zhao Rui's family is not well-off. He has two older sisters who are married and moved away. His father has a limp and runs a small stall in front of the house, repairing shoes and umbrellas. His mother has diabetes and poor eyesight, so she can't do much."
"Don't let Zhao Rui's young age fool you, he's quite skilled at repairing cars. He thinks the wages in town are too low and wants to go to the south to work. If it weren't for his parents holding him back, he would have gone to the south to make his way in the world long ago."
"His father came to report him missing that day."
"He said he hadn't been home for three days in a row. At first, we thought he was sleeping at the store because he was working overtime at night. But when the day came to take his mother to the hospital for a check-up, Zhao Rui still hadn't come home, so his father got a little anxious. When he went to the store to ask, he found out that he hadn't come to work for two days. He thought he had gone to the south to work and make a lot of money."
Jiang Ling asked, "So, Zhao Rui disappeared on his way home from get off work?"
Zhou Yongcheng: "Yes, he left work at six o'clock that day as usual, and seemed no different from usual. He told his boss and left. But after that, we never heard from him again."
Jiang Ling asked, "Didn't you contact your family?"
Zhou Yongcheng: "Yes. Everyone thinks he went to work in the south without saying goodbye because he didn't want to be a burden on his family. When we were investigating, someone said they saw Zhao Rui waiting for a bus at the town bus stop at night, saying he was going to the city to take care of some business. But we still haven't heard from him."
At this point, Zhou Yongcheng shook his head: "Sigh! His mother cried until she went blind, and she still sits at the door every day calling his nickname, saying she'll wait for him to come home even if it kills her."
Jiang Ling handed the documents to Li Zhenliang: "Take another look and discuss whether or not to keep them."
The information circulated among Li Zhenliang and his three colleagues.
Li Zhenliang was the first to speak: "I think they should be kept. It's quite coincidental that he disappeared, exactly two months after Wen Mo disappeared. That should be the time when the provincial police came to Changhe Town to investigate after Wen Mo's disappearance was reported. Maybe there's some connection between the two of them."
Liu Haoran shook his head: "I don't think we need to stay. Two people disappearing in such a short period of time would be too conspicuous. Would the killer be so bold?"
Because Zhou Yongcheng was still nearby, to avoid alerting the suspect, no one mentioned Chu Jingen's name, instead referring to him as "the murderer" or "he".
Zhou Wei frowned: "We've been sifting through all this time, and we've only found three documents. Let's keep them all."
Su Xinwan: "I feel like this person has nothing to do with him, so there's no need for him to stay."
Four people, 2:2.
Jiang Ling raised her hand and tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.
Her mind was racing.
Although Zhao Rui seems to have no connection with Chu Jingen, he may be related to Wen Mo's disappearance.
Firstly, the interval is short;
Secondly, no body was found either;
Thirdly, and most importantly, Zhao Rui was a car mechanic, and perhaps he discovered some secret in Chu Jingen's car and was silenced.
Or perhaps Zhao Rui accidentally witnessed Chu Jingen and Wen Mo's unusual contact.
It is also possible that he saw Chu Jingen make actions that clearly crossed the line towards Xin Yan.
The archival materials mention that Zhao Rui had a strong sense of chivalry and was very likely to intervene or stop injustices.
This is what made Chu Jingen want to kill him.
After killing two people, Chu Jingen became even more cautious and adept at disposing of the bodies. The police made no progress, and Zhao Rui's family still believed he was working in the south—all of this was under his control.
After a moment, Jiang Ling said, "Stay."
The decision was final.
The entire criminal profiling team responded with a shout of "Yes, sir!"
All three sets of data have been decided to be kept; all that remains is to make copies and conduct further investigation and analysis.
By the time all these tasks were completed, it was already noon.
Zhou Yongcheng invited everyone to stay for dinner, but Jiang Ling smiled and declined.
She planned to familiarize herself with the geography of Changhe Town and try to find connections between the three victims.
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