Fisherman's Case 1.6
4:15 AM · Jiangxin Island Reef
The river surged in the darkness, its waves crashing against Chen Haisheng's dilapidated fishing boat.
Seven bronze plaques were scattered on the deck, each polished to a shine and bearing dark red fingerprints along its edges.
Fan Jinci stood at the stern of the ship, his fingertips holding a bronze plaque that had just been removed from the stomach of the deceased.
Under the moonlight, the markings of "Q-7-1998" on the card were clearly visible.
“He fed each of the dead a piece.” Fan Jinci’s voice was soft, but as cold as a knife. “It was like some kind of…atonement ritual.”
Yu Yan stood half a step behind him, the gun still pointed at Chen Haisheng, who was kneeling at the bow of the boat. The old man's wrists were handcuffed to the gunwale, and his hunched back resembled a fully drawn bow, ready to snap at any moment.
"Why now?" Yu Yan asked. "Twenty-three years have passed, why have you suddenly started killing people?"
Chen Haisheng raised his head, his cloudy eyes reflecting the moonlight.
“It’s Ah Xiu’s death anniversary.” He grinned, revealing his broken teeth. “Every year on this day, I can see her on the river.”
The Puzzle of Truth
The forensic center re-examined Ah Xiu's remains and found high concentrations of mercury compounds in her liver tissue.
The liver cancer diagnosis was forged; the true cause of death was acute neurotoxin poisoning.
Medical records preserved by Chen Haisheng show that Zhou Weiping promised to save her "once the antidote is successfully developed".
The beginning of revenge: Three months ago, Chen Haisheng ran into Zhang Quan, a crew member who had participated in the poisoning incident, by the river.
While drunk, Zhang Quan boasted, "The money made from that batch of goods is enough to buy ten lives!"
That night, Chen Haisheng broke into Zhang Quan's house and found a receipt for hush money paid by Ryan hidden in his bookcase.
The notebook found on Zhou Weiping's body contained the following: The antidote requires antibodies extracted from the poisoner's blood.
Chen Haisheng built a makeshift dialysis device and repeatedly purified the medication using the murderer's blood.
With each person he killed, he carved a bloody mark on the ship's deck—
All 347 experiments failed.
Li Weimian stood on the shore, holding a note she had found hidden in Ah Xiu's wedding dress. The yellowed paper bore a line of delicate handwriting:
"Brother Haisheng, after the baby is born, we'll take him to town to see the lanterns."
The moment Chen Haisheng saw the note, he felt as if his bones had been removed. He slumped onto the deck, his cracked lips trembling, but no sound came out.
“You didn’t know she was pregnant.” Fan Jinci squatted down to look him in the eye. “Zhou Weiping didn’t know either.”
The forensic doctor's gloves reeked of the river's stench, yet his fingertips remained as steady as a scalpel. He unfolded a newly released test report:
"Pelvic examination of the remains confirmed that the deceased, Ah Xiu, was approximately 8 weeks pregnant at the time of her death."
Chen Haisheng's wailing shattered the tranquility of the river.
The case report was spread out on the criminal investigation team's desk, next to seven evidence bags, each containing a bronze plaque.
Wen Lin slumped over his desk, catching up on sleep. Li Weimian's coffee cup was pressing down on a stack of psychological evaluation reports. Situ Jin was working through the night in the lab, the last toxin sample under the microscope.
And in Fan Jinci's office—
Yu Yan leaned on the edge of the table with one hand, while holding a document in the other. The red ink from the case closure stamp stained his fingertips, like a drop of blood.
"Sign." He pushed the document over and tapped the words "spouse" with his knuckles.
Fan Jinci looked up at him, his gray-blue pupils reflecting the morning light.
"Are you crazy?"
Yu Yan leaned down, his breath brushing against the tip of his ear: "When you took the bomb for me three years ago, why didn't you say I was crazy?"
Outside the window, the river mist has dissipated, and the morning sun is rising.
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