Luggage Case 1.5
The air in the dissection room was so heavy it seemed to drip water. Yu Yan waved for everyone else to leave, leaving only himself and Fan Jinci.
"M-16, who is that?" Yu Yan's voice was low, sharp and undeniable, but more so a protective one.
Fan Jinci walked to the sink and slowly rinsed the residue off his gloves; the sound of the running water was exceptionally clear in the silence. He looked up at Yu Yan in the mirror, his gray-blue pupils filled with a rare and complex emotion.
“One of the failed experiments from Ryan’s early days, codenamed M-16.” Fan Jinci’s voice was icy, like a scalpel cutting through metal. “A… defective product whose neural coding sequence partially overlaps with mine. He should have been ‘dealt with’ long ago.”
Yu Yan instantly understood Fan Jinci's earlier silence. It was not just a code name, but also involved that dark past. The reappearance of a "kindred spirit" who should have disappeared meant that Ryan's shadow had not yet dissipated.
"His target is you?" Yu Yan's eyes instantly turned dangerous.
“Not sure.” Fan Jinci turned off the tap. “But getting my attention this way is very similar to Ryan’s usual… ‘awakening’ ritual.”
The forensic department conducted an emergency analysis of the evidence found under the landlady's fingernails.
Blue plastic fragments: The composition is consistent with a certain type of industrial-grade reagent bottle cap, often used to hold high-purity chemical reagents, including □□.
The dried, dark red stain has been confirmed as human blood, but it does not match either the deceased or the proprietress, suggesting it belongs to an unknown third person. DNA testing is currently underway.
Dark gray fiber: This is not ordinary clothing fiber, but a special material for a certain type of anti-static workwear.
“Reagent bottles… anti-static clothing…” Wen Lin looked at the report and suddenly slapped his forehead, “This guy must be from a lab or a chemical plant!”
Jiang Zhaoyan immediately retrieved the employee lists of all relevant companies in the surrounding area, especially those male technicians in the "M-16" age group. Situ Jin stood at the door of the forensic lab, pale-faced, clutching the finger bone identification report tightly in his hand. He knew his unauthorized actions had caused trouble and felt deeply guilty.
“Teacher Fan, I…” He opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
Fan Jinci merely glanced at him indifferently: "Next time, follow the procedure." Although his tone was cold, there was no blame in it; it was more like a warning.
Li Weimian walked over and patted Situ Jin on the shoulder: "Don't just stand there, get to work. Do another cross-comparison of all the physical evidence from the 2016 disappearance case and this case, especially the clothing fibers and soil trace elements. The murderer knows so much about both 'daughters,' there must be some commonalities that we have overlooked."
Situ Jin nodded gratefully and immediately threw himself into his work, determined to make amends.
The new comparison results have brought about a breakthrough:
1. The same special fragrance residue found on the deceased's clothing was detected as found in the diary of the missing girl in 2016. This fragrance is used only in a very niche handmade perfume studio.
2. Trace amounts of the same rare metal dust were found at both crime scenes (suitcases and cement bags), pointing to a precision mold factory that supplies parts for high-end instruments.
3. The founder and perfumer of that handmade perfume studio, and also the chief technical consultant of that precision mold factory.
This person's name appeared on the list of chemical plant-related companies selected by Jiang Zhaoyan—he had participated as an expert in the chemical plant's production line optimization project.
Name: Mo Wen, 38 years old, holds dual doctorates in chemical engineering and materials science.
“M-0…M-16…” Wen Lin murmured.
Li Weimian quickly pulled up Mo Wen's file. The background was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, but it was too perfect.
“It’s him.” Fan Jinci looked at the gentle and refined face in the file photo, his tone certain. “Ryan is skilled at forging identities.”
Once the direction of the investigation was clear, the truth gradually surfaced, cruel and tragic:
Mo Wen (M-16): A survivor of Lane's early experiments, he is exceptionally intelligent but emotionally twisted, with a perverse obsession with "perfection" and "belonging." He regards the two daughters of the landlady (his biological daughter and the girl he later adopted or with whom he has a close relationship) as "works" or "possessions" in some sense.
The 2016 case: The first girl (his biological daughter) may have discovered his secret or tried to escape, and was killed by him. He removed a piece of finger bone as a "memorial" and disposed of the body (sealing it with cement).
In this case: The second girl (adopted/close relative) may have noticed clues while sorting through the deceased's belongings and went to question him (at the same place as the 17th), only to be murdered instead. He imitated the old case in disposing of the body and deliberately left clues, aiming to lure Fan Jinci into the trap.
The proprietress: She probably had suspicions all along, especially after the second girl went missing. The police investigation brought her closer to the truth, and Mo Wen had to silence her.
His motivation was a morbid possessiveness, a distorted inheritance of Lane's "creating perfection" concept, and a perverse challenge to and attraction to Fan Jinzi's "successful work".
After locating the precision mold factory laboratory where Mo Wen was located, the raid was immediately launched.
Yu Yan took the lead and kicked open the explosion-proof door of the laboratory.
The interior wasn't the chaotic mess I'd imagined; rather, it was excessively tidy, with various instruments gleaming coldly. Mo Wen, dressed in a white anti-static suit, calmly placed a blue reagent bottle back on the shelf.
He turned around, a strange smile on his face, his gaze passing over Yu Yan who was holding a gun, and landing directly on Fan Jinci, who was wearing a white coat at the very back.
“M-0, you’ve finally arrived.” His voice was gentle, yet chilling. “I’ve prepared a gift for you… the final legacy of our ‘father’ Ryan.”
At his feet was a black suitcase exactly the same as the one found in the mountains.
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