Half an hour ago, she received a call from Ji Shuyun, saying that a murder had occurred by the river.
Inside the cordon, Ji Shuyun keenly caught Xia Zhining's voice from the noisy crowd.
Seeing his sister staggering in the crowd, he immediately got out of the cordon.
He pushed through the crowded crowd with his broad shoulders, his right hand protecting Xia Zhining, and his left hand had already raised the cordon in advance: "Slow down, the ground is not clear here."
Xia Zhining's eyes fell on the old man's body on the riverbank, and he blinked in confusion, "Brother, what's going on at the scene?"
"The deceased, Yuanshan, 67, a retired archaeology professor, was found dead by a young man jogging on the riverbank at 6:47 this morning."
Ji Shuyun quietly explained the situation to Yixia Zhining: "The old man had strangulation marks on his neck, which doesn't seem consistent with falling into the water or accidental drowning. The police have initially determined it was a homicide."
Xia Zhining was even more puzzled. How could an archaeologist have an enemy with someone? "I'll go to the waterside and take a look."
Just as Xia Zhining was about to go to the riverbank, Ji Shuyun stopped her and said, "Put this on first."
"Don't get your shoes and socks wet."
Ji Shuyun took out a pair of brand new rain boots from a bag beside him and handed them to Xia Zhining.
Xia Zhining nodded obediently, her brother was so thoughtful in his preparations.
Xia Zhining was helped by Ji Shuyun to put on rain boots, and walked towards the mudflats with one step deep and one step shallow.
Xia Zhining was wearing rain boots, and the soles of her boots sank into the soft mudflats, making a "gurgling" sound.
She squatted down and touched the water surface with her fingertips, causing ripples to spread out in circles.
In the turbid shallow water, only a few small fish fled in panic, and a few water striders drew tiny ripples on the water surface.
She pursed her lips. These little guys' thinking was too simple, and they couldn't even piece together a complete consciousness.
Not far away, Xia Zheng saw all her movements.
He had already checked the water's edge and found no animals that the animal language communicator could possibly communicate with.
Ji Shuyun walked over and squatted beside Xia Zhining.
He handed over a bottle of mineral water: "The water is too shallow?"
Xia Zhining shook her head, feeling somewhat frustrated: "There's not even a frog..."
Ji Shuyun looked at the shimmering river, his gaze gently resting on his sister. "Large wetlands like rivers must have a lot of small animals thriving around here."
He noticed his sister's slightly frustrated expression and whispered, "Let's walk slowly along the riverbank. We'll always find a little one who can help."
Ji Shuyun leaned forward slightly, and his voice softened a bit: "The forensic doctor said the time of death was at night, think about it..."
He dragged out the last syllable, giving his sister room to think, "What kind of small animals would come out on the river at night that you can't see during the day?"
Xia Zhining thought about it carefully, and her eyes suddenly lit up like stars: "Night herons! And otters! They are all nocturnal animals!"
Ji Shuyun raised the corner of his mouth in an arc of approval: "Yes, maybe our witness is sleeping soundly now."
"To solve a case, we must not be impatient and we must not lose confidence."
He helped Xia Zhining tuck her hair, which was messed up by the river wind, behind her ears. "Then I'll come with you again after dark, okay?"
Xia Zhining nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
Xia Zheng heard the conversation between the brother and sister and sneered.
Old Wang, who was in charge of the surveillance, reported to Xia Zheng with a frustrated look on his face, "The last time the deceased, Yuanshan, was seen on the runway along the riverside scenic area was at 9:40 pm three days ago."
"But the surveillance coverage along the river is incomplete, and the section of the river where the incident occurred happened to be a blind spot. Furthermore, due to the lack of light at night, I was unable to capture the subsequent situation..."
At this moment, a member of the laboratory staff came running over with a transparent evidence bag, calling out to Xia Zheng: "Professor Xia, we have a major discovery!"
"I dug out a sandalwood bracelet from the mud, with the word '夌' engraved on it."
Xia Zheng thought about the conversation he had just heard between Ji Shuyun and the other ladies, and said to his assistant, "Take this bracelet and let the onlookers identify it to see if it is a personal item of the deceased."
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