Snow Dance Case 1.1
The island nights should be peaceful and languid, but the piercing sound of police sirens shattered the tranquility of the resort.
Yu Yan was the first to spring up from the villa's sofa, his gaze instantly shifting from relaxed to sharp. Fan Jinci closed the medical journal he was reading, his brows furrowing slightly. Wen Lin tossed aside his game controller and exchanged a glance with Situ Jin. Even Li Weimian and Jiang Zhaoyan, who were enjoying red wine on the terrace overlooking the sea, walked in.
"What's going on?" Jiang Zhaoyan raised an eyebrow.
Soon, Wen Lin learned of the situation through internal communication: "A male corpse has been found in the resort's private beach area. Preliminary assessment... the cause of death is suspicious."
The body was located on a secluded beach partially surrounded by rocks, with the pale moonlight shining on the deceased.
The man, around thirty years old, was wearing an expensive vacation shirt and casual trousers. He lay on his back in an extremely bizarre posture—arms outstretched, fingers twisted and intertwined, legs together, toes pointed, like the closing movement of some modern dance, or a distorted sacrificial ritual.
Most chillingly, a small, thin, silver metal plate, shaped like a snowflake, was affixed to the center of his forehead, gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Local police have cordoned off the area, but are clearly at a loss for what to do with the scene.
"Don't disturb the scene." Yu Yan showed his badge and was the first to cross the cordon. He turned around and his gaze found Fan Jinci precisely.
Fan Jinci silently put on the rubber gloves he always carried, walked forward expressionlessly, ignored the surprised looks of the local police officers, and squatted down next to the body.
Instead of touching the conspicuous snowflake mark, he carefully examined the deceased's pupils, mouth, nose, and neck.
"No obvious external injuries, no signs of struggle. Time of death was approximately 2 to 3 hours ago." His voice was as calm as if he were stating experimental data. Then, his gaze fell on the silver snowflake.
He removed it with extreme care using tweezers. The back of the thin sheet was slightly sticky, and the skin underneath... left no trace.
"It wasn't stuck to the skin, it was stuck to... sweat or a small amount of water." Fan Jinci put the snowflake-shaped piece into the evidence bag and examined it against the light. "The craftsmanship is exquisite, unlike ordinary jewelry."
Li Weimian also came over. She didn't look at the body, but scanned the surrounding sand: "The footprints are messy, but around the deceased... there are only his footprints, the closest ones are more than five meters away." She pointed to the fine sand patterns blown by the wind, "Unless the murderer can fly, or... came from the sea and left from the sea."
Jiang Zhaoyan had already made the call and said succinctly: "Check all the guest registrations at this resort tonight, especially VIPs and solo travelers. Also, check the entry and exit records of ships in the nearby waters."
Wen Lin squatted a little further away, taking a picture of the deceased's contorted posture with his phone, muttering, "This posture... looks kind of familiar..."
Situ Jin stood at the edge of the cordon, dutifully preparing to receive any preliminary evidence that might be needed.
Yu Yan's gaze remained fixed on Fan Jinci. When he saw Fan Jinci finish examining the snowflake flakes and subconsciously rub the silver butterfly ornament on his wrist with his fingertips, his heart sank.
This is a small, unconscious movement that Fan Jinci makes when he is thinking, and it usually only occurs when he encounters something extremely difficult or something related to his deepest memories.
"Brother Fan." Yu Yan approached, his voice low. Fan Jinci raised his eyes, his gray-blue pupils appearing exceptionally deep in the moonlight. He handed the evidence bag to Yu Yan, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear:
“The structure of this snowflake… is exactly the same as the markings in one of Ryan’s unfinished 'neural inhibitor' design drawings.”
My vacation is over.
A new deadly game has begun. And the first clue points directly to Fan Jinci's past, which he is unwilling to revisit.
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