Chapter 80 Female Police Officer: Why are you in the alley late at night?
After obtaining information about the killer's place of origin, Luo Yunchen began to create a criminal investigation profile.
Li Qiang was once again invited into the office and asked to describe in detail the crime scene he had witnessed.
Although he was already sick of talking, he couldn't refuse and could only repeat the same words again and again.
Jiang Ling sat down with Liang Jiushan to the side.
Liang Jiushan's eyes sparkled with curiosity, admiration, and a hint of longing.
The door to the world of criminal investigation quietly opened before him.
If he initially wanted to become a policeman because he was moved, then his current firm belief stems from his passion for it.
The crisp, handsome uniform, the serious yet lively atmosphere, the challenge of outsmarting criminals... all of this made Liang Jiushan like it.
Especially today, when Jiang Ling introduced himself as an "expert" to Li Qiang, Liang Jiushan's heart was pounding with excitement.
Sister Ling said she's good at identifying people by their voices, hehe. I originally thought it was just a child's trick, but I never expected it to come in handy at the police station.
Now, Luo Yunchen needs to draw the scene that happened that night based on Li Qiang's description.
To be honest, Liang Jiushan is very, very much looking forward to it.
Drawing it out is definitely more intuitive and clearer than writing it out.
Occasionally, the soft scratching of a pencil across sketch paper could be heard, and the light focused on the large drawing table.
Luo Yunchen was staring intently at the several pages of notes spread out on the table—a detailed record of Li Qiang's terrifying eyewitness account of the rainy night, with all descriptions of the killer's appearance, actions, dialogue, and reactions circled in red.
Su Xinwan's summary was excellent, and her questions were very detailed. Luo Yunchen had been listening attentively the whole time and hadn't been in a hurry to take action.
A new sheet of sketch paper was laid out on the table.
The upper half of the paper was almost blank, with only a few hasty lines representing raindrops and dim light. Luo Yunchen's brush landed precisely on the lower half of the paper, focusing on depicting the actions and the scene.
Jiang Ling stood quietly to the side, arms crossed, her gaze shifting between the notes and Luo Yunchen's pen.
She knew that the "faceless portrait" was the real test of Luo Yunchen's skills.
Luo Yunchen's pencil began to move, the movement swift and decisive.
He first drew a huge, veiny hand on the left side of the paper, its five fingers spread like iron pincers, fiercely covering the symbolic outline of a woman's face, devoid of features, only some blurry shadows. His strokes were heavy, almost breaking the pencil lead, emphasizing the absolute control and brutality. Exaggerated muscle lines were drawn at the wrist.
He explained as he drew, since Su Xinwan and Zhuang Jianbai were still beginners and needed to learn from scratch.
"The main perpetrator was a strong man with absolute strength. He was right-handed with large knuckles and his hands should have shown signs of long-term heavy physical labor, such as calluses or slight deformities."
Next, Luo Yunchen outlined two thick calves and mud-caked shoes, depicting a posture of forcefully stomping forward. In front of the toes of the shoes were several twisted and struggling lines representing the body being dragged, as if the victim was being forcibly pulled into the darkness.
Without looking up, he explained as he drew: "Judging from Li Qiang's description, the murderer had a clear target and acted violently and efficiently. Therefore, the dragging posture should present these lines. You see, the body's center of gravity is leaning forward, and the steps are powerful and stable."
As he drew, Luo Yunchen suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and decided to draw several explosive speech bubbles in the upper right corner of the image, just like in comics:
In a huge dialog box, Li Qiang recounted his fierce dialect: "Damn! It's the cops!" The handwriting was wild, impactful, and the ink was extremely dark.
A smaller dialog box appeared next to it, with the handwriting somewhat sparse: "Brother, don't be so unreasonable."
Next to it is a sonic symbol representing a sneer, "Hehehe... Hahaha...", with twisted and ferocious lines.
Jiang Ling offered her opinion from the side: "The principal offender's tone was extremely violent. His initial reaction to being identified as a police officer was shock, which then turned into excitement. He habitually insulted his subordinates and had a strong sadistic and controlling desire. The accomplice's tone was hesitant and worried, reflecting obedience and unease, and he was easily influenced and manipulated by the principal offender's emotions."
Luo Yunchen quickly sketched the perspective outline of the narrow alleyway on the background of the drawing paper.
—The slanted lines symbolizing rain, the broken streetlights, the overturned trash can, and behind the trash can, a thin figure is hidden—that is Li Qiang.
Jiang Ling: "The fact that the perpetrator deliberately chose a secluded, unlit area and an alleyway near a demolition site to commit the crime makes it easier to hide or dispose of the body, which shows that the murderer was familiar with the terrain of the area."
Representing the location where the victim struggled, Luo Yunchen, referring to photos of the alley scene, used a red marker to draw a few splattered drops of blood on the wall.
Seeing those few glaring red marks, Jiang Ling felt extremely heavy-hearted: "The common traits of the murderers: numbness to violence and antisocial tendencies."
Luo Yunchen put down his pen and let out a long breath.
There isn't a single clear face on the paper, yet it's filled with suffocating violence and control.
Luo Yunchen asked Li Qiang, "Is that so?"
Li Qiang looked terrified, once again haunted by the brutality of that night. He stammered, "Yes, that's how it was. This person was this tall and strong, and he was ruthless. Oh, right, when he was dragging people, something fell out of his pants pocket. It looked like one of those cheap red lighters sold in convenience stores."
Luo Yunchen drew a cheap red lighter with half of it sticking out in the murderer's pocket.
Li Qiang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's it!"
After gaining Li Qiang's approval, Luo Yunchen took the portrait off the drawing board and handed it to Jiang Ling: "Alright, now it's up to you guys."
Looking at the portrait—lacking facial features yet exuding a chilling aura—Jiang Ling gained a deeper understanding of Luo Yunchen's professional abilities. The painting perfectly captured the killer's physique and behavioral characteristics, further bridging the gap between the police and the perpetrator.
"Senior brother, you've worked hard." Jiang Ling picked up the unique portrait report and pondered to himself.
The clues that have been obtained so far mainly include the following points.
The main perpetrator is between 25 and 35 years old, approximately 180cm tall, weighing around 85kg, very strong, and right-handed. He has long been engaged in heavy physical labor, possibly in construction, manual labor, or auto repair, and his hands show significant signs of overuse damage. He grew up or has lived in Yizhou, Hunan Province for an extended period and speaks a local dialect. He is extremely violent, controlling, and exhibits antisocial personality disorder, enjoying the process of domination.
He harbors a deep-seated hatred for the police and a morbid desire to challenge them. He may have a prior record of violent crimes. He smokes and uses cheap lighters.
The accomplice is younger than the principal offender, approximately 18-25 years old, with a high-pitched voice, a height of about 165-170cm, and a slender build. They are from the same hometown as the principal offender or have been following them for a long time, sharing the same accent. They are timid, highly dependent, and controlled by the principal offender through violence or distorted authority. They play a supporting role in the crime but harbor fear and anxiety, and sometimes attempt to dissuade the principal offender. They are a potential point of entry.
Based on their conversation, it can be inferred that the ringleader and the accomplice are not blood brothers, but have a close relationship, possibly being from the same hometown, coworkers, or fellow inmates. The ringleader has absolute control over the accomplice.
The two perpetrators worked together, with a clear division of labor. They chose to target lone women late at night in secluded alleys, using violence to subdue them and drag them to a more secluded location to assault them. They reacted extremely to the victims being police officers. The crimes were planned and demonstrated familiarity with their surroundings.
Fragments of memories flashed through Jiang Ling's mind.
She tried to reach out and grab them, but the fragments were too fast and vanished in an instant.
Her past life's criminal files were her greatest asset, but the case before her was shrouded in mystery.
Jiang Ling had never heard of this case in her previous life.
During her time in the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital, she had never heard of two murderers being held there, whose crimes were killing police officers.
It is highly likely that the policeman's body was never found, and the case was eventually closed as a missing person case.
The thought of those two murderers from her past life going unpunished filled Jiang Ling with an inexplicable anger and frustration.
Fortunately, many things have changed in this life.
Zheng Yu was promoted because of Jiang Ling.
Zheng Yu relentlessly pursued Li Qiang's whereabouts, and even after knowing that he was not the poisoner, she still did not give up.
Li Qiang was successfully apprehended and confessed to the murder.
If Li Qiang hadn't witnessed the murder, and if the alley hadn't been washed away by heavy rains, leaving no trace of the killing, no one would have known that someone had died there.
That's why Jiang Ling took on this case in this life.
The June 24th alleyway murder case.
This is the most difficult case Jiang Ling has encountered since her rebirth.
The victim's name and age are unknown; all that is known is that he is a police officer.
Very little information is available about the murderer. Apart from his place of origin, his age, appearance, personality, occupation, etc., are all just speculations, with only a general and vague range.
At this moment, Jiang Ling wished she could be like before, able to instantly recall the killer's file and know all the details of the crime the moment she saw a case. That way, she could quickly apprehend the murderer and avenge the murdered policewoman as soon as possible.
When Jiang Ling arrived at Lei Xiao's office to report on her work, she was still feeling very heavy-hearted.
Because everything is still unclear, and even the identity of the victim is unknown, based solely on Li Qiang's confession and a small amount of blood at the crime scene, although a case has been filed, no special task force has been established. Currently, Lei Xiao is in charge of arranging manpower to conduct the investigation.
Lei Xiao put down the phone and shook his head at Jiang Ling and Luo Yunchen: "No news. We called all the police stations in Yan City, and all the female police officers are on duty. There are no reports of them going missing. We have already reported to the provincial department, and they are investigating the missing policewoman. I'm just afraid... I'm just afraid she's from another province. If that happens, it will truly be like looking for a needle in a haystack!"
He asked Jiang Ling, "What suggestions do you have?"
Jiang Ling rallied her spirits: "Hurry up and conduct the investigation, focusing on young and middle-aged men who are from Yizhou or have been living in Yizhou for a long time and have recently been active in Yanshi. Pay special attention to construction sites, moving teams, auto repair shops, and casual labor markets in urban-rural fringe areas. Check employment records and temporary residence registrations."
Lei Xiao nodded: "Zheng Yu will be in charge of this investigation. She is bold, meticulous, persistent and hardworking, and a promising talent. If you have any ideas, you can communicate with her directly."
Jiang Ling: "Okay."
Jiang Ling pondered to herself.
The goal is to find a pair that is both strong and thin and have a close relationship, especially if the strong man has a history of violence, a volatile temper, and speaks the Yizhou dialect of Hunan Province.
He may have a criminal record; it is advisable to focus screening on individuals with prior convictions for robbery, rape, indecent assault, or assault.
etc!
Jiang Ling's eyes suddenly lit up.
Prior conviction!
How could she have overlooked this?
With so many criminal files in her mind, matching them one by one with the information she currently has, how could she not find this strong and thin pair?
Thinking of this, Jiang Ling, disregarding that she was still in Lei Xiao's office, dragged a chair over, sat down, and closed her eyes.
Seeing Jiang Ling's appearance, Lei Xiao and Luo Yunchen exchanged a glance.
Lei Xiao asked quietly, "What happened?"
Luo Yunchen also felt a little confused, but he reacted quickly: "Junior sister may have thought of some important clue. Keep your voice down and don't disturb her."
Jiang Ling now feels like a high-speed computer.
She searched through a vast amount of files for criminals matching the perpetrator of the June 24th alleyway murder case. First, she began filtering based on place of origin in Yizhou. Next, she matched physical characteristics.
No...
No, that's not it either.
Wait a moment!
It seems I've found it!
Criminal File Number: JJ-1997-041
Name: Fan Hu, also known as "Tiger Boy" and "Fan the Iron Hammer"
Gender: Male
Date of birth: August 1966
Place of origin/registered residence: Sitao Village, Jiangyuan Township, Heishan District, Yizhou City, Hunan Province
Current address/location: No fixed address. Frequently moves between Yizhou, Yuezhou, the provincial capital of Hunan Province, and construction sites and urban-rural fringe areas in neighboring provinces.
Fan Hu's physical characteristics perfectly match the details shown in that portrait.
He is 180cm tall and weighs about 90kg. He is exceptionally strong and robust with well-developed muscles, broad shoulders, a thick back, and a short, thick neck.
He had dark, rough skin, a square face, a broad jaw, thick eyebrows, small eyes with a fierce gaze, a slightly flat nose, and thick lips. He had a buzz cut and walked with a heavy gait, slightly pigeon-toed. His hands were enormous, with large, deformed knuckles covered in calluses and minor scars. There was an old scar about 3cm long running from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone, caused by a fight.
Fan Hu had no stable job and worked long hours as a laborer on construction sites, a porter, and a quarry worker, doing heavy manual labor. He was extremely poor. His meager and unstable income was mostly spent on alcoholism, gambling, and buying cheap drugs.
Fan Hu's parents died early, and he was barely raised by his violent uncle. He dropped out of junior high school and remained unmarried and childless.
He was extremely withdrawn and hostile. Among his coworkers, he was known for his strength, temper, and ruthlessness, and no one wanted to befriend him. However, he took on a follower named Meng Jianghao, who was very obedient to him.
Fan Hu is a repeat offender with four prior criminal records.
In 1988, he was detained for 15 days in Yizhou for causing minor injuries in a fight over a trivial matter.
In 1990, he was suspected of participating in a gang fight in Yuezhou, which resulted in one person being seriously injured. However, due to insufficient evidence and the main person responsible taking the blame, he was not prosecuted.
In 1992, he was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison for stealing building materials at a construction site in Yuezhou, and served his sentence in Tangping Prison in the provincial capital.
In 1997, he was convicted of gang raping women in Yanshi and sentenced to 13 years and 6 months in prison, where he was serving his sentence in the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital.
After being imprisoned, prison guards conducted a psychological evaluation of Fan Hu and concluded that he suffered from severe antisocial personality disorder with sadistic tendencies. He took pleasure in violence, enjoyed the absolute sense of control over others, and harbored deep-seated hatred for the police and social rules.
Jiang Ling recalled that Fan Hu had boasted in prison that he had killed people, and not only that, he had dismembered them and disposed of the bodies in the sewers. After being reported, Fan Hu laughed arrogantly when questioned by the prison guards, saying that he was just bragging and that bragging wasn't illegal.
Thinking about this, Jiang Ling strongly suspected that Fan Hu was the mastermind, the perpetrator, and the main culprit in the June 24 alleyway murder case.
His place of origin, dialect, physical appearance, professional background, and history of violence all closely match the portrait of Luo Yunchen.
Jiang Ling was startled when she thought of the records indicating that Fan Hu might be involved in drugs.
Both of his crimes occurred in Yuezhou, the heart of Hunan Province's drug network. Could drug traffickers be behind Fan Hu's murder case?
Jiang Ling silently reviewed Fan Hu's information in her mind before starting to rematch criminal files that matched the characteristics of another murderer.
This man is Fan Hu's partner; if Fan Hu goes to prison, he will certainly not escape either.
Didn't Fan Hu take on a subordinate?
It must be him.
Criminal file number: JJ1997-043
Name: Meng Jianghao
Gender: Male
Date of birth: November 1975
Place of origin/registered residence: Sitao Village, Jiangyuan Township, Heishan District, Yizhou City, Hunan Province
Current address/location: Adjoining Fan Hu and moving around.
Similarly, Meng Jianghao's physical characteristics are highly consistent with those of the accomplice in this case.
He is 168cm tall and weighs about 55kg. He is thin, slightly hunched, and not very muscular.
Meng Jianghao had a pale complexion, a long face, prominent cheekbones, large eyes that were often lowered and evasive, thin lips, and no obvious scars on his body. He had long, slender fingers with often dirty nails, a habitually hunched over, and avoided eye contact when speaking. When nervous, he would unconsciously rub his fingers or bite his lower lip.
He had no independent income. After dropping out of junior high school, he went out to work with other villagers and was completely dependent on Fan Hu financially. He worked as Fan Hu's laborer on construction sites or helped him dispose of stolen goods and run errands.
Meng Jianghao lost both his parents and was raised by his grandmother, with whom he shared a deep bond. Aside from Fan Hu, he had few friends and was seen by others as Fan Hu's shadow and follower.
Both of his crimes were related to Fan Hu.
In 1992, he received two warnings for petty theft in Yuezhou. However, he only stole inexpensive items, such as food from the construction site canteen and candy from the convenience store.
In 1997, he participated in the gang rape of women in Yanshi and was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison, serving his sentence in the Ninth Prison in the provincial capital.
According to the assessment, Meng Jianghao suffers from severe dependent personality disorder, accompanied by anxiety and depression. He is timid, insecure, and lacks assertiveness. His feelings towards Fan Hu are far more fearful than loyal, and his involvement in crimes is mostly for self-preservation and to seek distorted protection.
He was primarily involved in the crimes as an accomplice and accomplice, such as acting as a lookout, holding down the victim's hands and feet, and cleaning up traces at the scene.
After being imprisoned, Meng Jianghao suffered from prolonged high anxiety, frequent nightmares, and physical discomfort related to bloodstains and screams. He felt a deep sense of guilt towards his grandmother and repeatedly expressed his remorse to prison guards, worrying that she would be left without care.
The problem now is that the two men were imprisoned in 1997 and have not admitted to murdering the policewoman in 1994.
Was it a deliberate cover-up, or did they not do it at all?
Jiang Ling tends to deliberately conceal things.
The two were imprisoned for rape. Although one was sentenced to thirteen years and the other to eight years, as long as they reform themselves, they will eventually be released and start a new life.
If he confesses to murdering the policewoman, it would be a capital offense!
Meng Jianghao was afraid of Fan Hu and worried about his elderly grandmother, so he wouldn't confess to the crime. However, the fear of killing him gave him nightmares; he would vomit and tremble at the sight of blood or the sound of screams.
As for Fan Hu, he was a vicious and cunning man with an antisocial personality. In the 1990 brawl that resulted in serious injury, he had someone take the blame for him and escaped legal punishment.
For him, killing the policewoman was an achievement, not a disgrace. He couldn't resist the urge to boast, but he knew his limits.
If he really did it, then his claim of "dismembering the body and throwing it into the sewer" is true.
After reviewing the files one last time, Jiang Ling finally opened her eyes.
She swept away her previous gloom, her eyes shining brightly.
The information about Fan Hu and Meng Jianghao is highly relevant to this case.
He is most likely the perpetrator in this case.
Then let's look for them in this direction!
As soon as Jiang Ling opened her eyes, she met Luo Yunchen's curious gaze.
Luo Yunchen asked, "What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought. This is Captain Lei's office."
Jiang Ling looked around, then looked somewhat embarrassed at Lei Xiao, who was sitting behind his desk without saying a word: "Captain Lei, I suddenly had an inspiration and got carried away."
Lei Xiao waved his hand: "It's alright, we're all on the same side."
Luo Yunchen became increasingly curious: "What inspiration?"
Jiang Ling: "The main culprit in this case is extremely vicious and may have a criminal record. He is likely involved in prostitution, gambling, and drugs. We can start from this aspect and find informants or released prisoners to learn more."
Lei Xiao's eyebrows furrowed: "But right now we only know their place of origin and physical characteristics, not their names or appearances. How are we supposed to find out?"
Jiang Ling: "Let me try to create a psychological profile."
Lei Xiao urged, "Then hurry up. We'll start a massive manpower search once you finish drawing the portrait."
Jiang Ling returned to her office and slammed her hand on the table: "Meeting!"
As soon as he said that, everyone sprang into action.
Li Zhenliang cleaned the blackboard.
Liu Haoran pushed over a portable whiteboard.
Zhou Wei prepared the zoning map and notebook.
Liang Jiushan had distinguished himself by recognizing the person's identity through their voice and was specially approved by Lei Xiao to participate in the investigation of this case. After studying Luo Yunchen's portrait, he followed Li Zhenliang and the others back to the psychological profiling office. Now, seeing Jiang Ling calling everyone to a meeting with great enthusiasm, he immediately perked up, sat upright at the conference table, and took out a notebook to take notes, just like he was listening to a lecture at school.
Jiang Ling said to Luo Yunchen, who followed her in, "I'll tell you what to do, and you can draw it."
"Okay." Luo Yunchen nodded subconsciously. Although he didn't know where Jiang Ling got this commanding presence from, Luo Yunchen was willing to follow her instructions.
Su Xinwan thoughtfully prepared a drawing board with sketch paper clipped to it and placed it in front of Luo Yunchen.
Zhuang Jianbai sharpened the charcoal pencil.
With everything ready, Jiang Ling stood in front of the blackboard and looked at everyone.
"The first step of the three-pronged investigation method is to determine the nature of the crime. This is a heinous murder case, which is extremely special because the victim is a police officer, and it also makes the motives of this crime complex and varied."
Because everyone was in their own office, they were all relaxed.
Jiang Ling paused briefly, and someone immediately chimed in.
Li Zhenliang: "Killing someone in retaliation."
Jiang Ling nodded, signaling him to write the answer on the blackboard, and explained: "The murderer had been at the bottom of society for a long time, experiencing poverty, violence, and a criminal record, which led to his extreme antisocial personality. He viewed the police as oppressors, which is why he became extremely excited when he heard the victim say that he was a policeman, and killed him to vent his anger."
Upon hearing this, everyone gritted their teeth.
Antisocial personality disorder is terrifying. How did that policewoman end up with one? Disgusting!
Jiang Ling looked at everyone: "Besides retaliation, what other criminal motives might there be?"
Liu Haoran quickly raised his hand: "Robbery?"
Zhou Wei, who was in charge of taking notes, retorted without looking up: "Why kill someone to rob someone of their virtue? Especially when you hear that the other party is a policeman, most people would have run away long ago. The reason I kill a policeman is, I think, a kind of crazy sense of accomplishment."
Jiang Ling immediately affirmed: "That's right. Destroying authority gives the murderer a morbid sense of accomplishment, which can become something to brag about to his underlings in the future. So, he takes action to kill."
Li Zhenliang sighed and shook his head, then wrote down the second motive for the crime on the blackboard: a morbid sense of accomplishment.
Jiang Ling asked, "What else can you think of? Why did you kill the police?"
A clear, youthful voice rang out; it was Liang Jiushan speaking: "Was it because the police found out you were doing something wrong, so you killed them to cover it up? That's how it's always portrayed in movies."
Jiang Ling's eyes lit up, and she pointed at Liang Jiushan: "Very good, survival-based silencing, this is the third criminal motive."
After a brief pause, Jiang Ling asked again, "Okay, then I'd like to ask everyone, what bad thing did the murderer do? Why was he discovered by the police? Was the police officer following him, or did they just bump into him?"
That's a good question.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Jiang Ling asked again, "It has been confirmed that the victim is not a police officer from our Yan City; she is from out of town. Why would a police officer from out of town be in that secluded and dangerous alley late at night?"
Li Zhenliang said uncertainly, "Was it a chance encounter? For example, she was rushing to catch a night train, happened to pass through that alley, and was then targeted by the murderer?"
Zhou Wei shook his head: "Impossible. A policewoman, especially a woman, should know better how to protect herself. She could take a taxi to catch the train at night; why would she travel alone?"
As he spoke, Zhou Wei hung a map of Yan City on the whiteboard: "Look, this alley is near a demolition site. It's in a remote location with no main roads nearby. Ordinary people would never go there."
Li Zhenliang let out a sigh of frustration.
Why would this policewoman appear in that alley late at night?
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