Qiming Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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"Mhmm, that's right." Gu Yunfeng squatted down and examined the body. "Apart from the stab wounds, the deceased's hands show signs of epidermal exfoliation, indicating he grasped something with his injured hands." As he spoke, he unbuttoned the deceased's collar. "There are several scratch marks on his neck, perpendicular to the ligature marks, indicating the cause of death wasn't excessive blood loss. The facial bruising and swelling, along with the horizontal, circular ligature marks around the neck, suggest the preliminary cause of death is mechanical asphyxiation."

"The deceased was in good physical shape, with only two non-lethal wounds on his body. It seems the murderer wasn't very skilled." Gu Yunfeng stood up and walked over to the garbage bin where the victim was found. Besides a few layers of thick leaves, there was nothing unusual inside.

It appeared that during the struggle, the assailant lost control of their weapon and resorted to another method to kill the victim.

"The murder weapon..."

"We'll need to wait for the autopsy results. From the wounds, it looks like it might have been an ordinary fruit knife, and the ligature... probably a hemp rope?"

These were all common tools. The fact that the attacker used a fruit knife and had it taken away barehanded suggests the murder was likely committed in a fit of passion, without thorough premeditation.

A hot wind blew through, mixing the stench of garbage with the smell of the decaying body, scaring away a stray cat that had been wandering nearby.

In the past few days, temperatures in Nanpu City had been above thirty degrees Celsius day and night, making the smell stronger than usual. This residential area was scheduled for demolition within a year, with red demolition signs everywhere. No one lived here now, and few people passed by, so there was little hope of finding eyewitnesses.

"Judging by the rigor mortis, the time of death is likely more than twenty-four hours ago. There was a fierce struggle here, but no signs of a struggle near the body, so it must have been dumped here." Gu Yunfeng checked the livor mortis marks – a crime of passion, mutilation of the face, and moving the body to conceal evidence from the actual crime scene.

"Wen Xin, how many surveillance cameras are in the neighbourhood?" He turned to ask a short-haired girl in a light-coloured uniform nearby.

"Two within a kilometre." Wen Xin ran over, holding a hard-covered notebook popular ten years ago. "Centred on the body, there's one two hundred meters south and one three hundred meters north."

"This area hasn't been developed much, and now it's facing demolition, so surveillance coverage is sparse," she explained.

"Then expand the search area."

This neighbourhood had about twenty buildings awaiting demolition, all two or three stories high, covered in vines climbing along the eaves. It was twenty kilometres from the city centre, with large farmland nearby.

The private houses had no concept of community and lacked surrounding facilities, with only a few scattered trash bins over a meter high and solitary street lamps that lined the streets.

The body had been stuffed headfirst into one of the bins. The afternoon garbage truck discovered it while emptying the bins.

The person who reported it was a sanitation worker with the garbage truck. He said the truck cleans the bins around two o'clock daily, and everything was normal yesterday afternoon. So the body must have been moved here after three o'clock when he and the driver left.

"Also, we should compare DNA with those who have criminal records. The deceased has several old wounds, suggesting a possible criminal history."

Gu Yunfeng looked up at the sunset sky, the colours layered and changing, electric wires twisting and turning haphazardly, with many sparrows perched on them. Cases like this were common; as long as the identity of the victim was determined, a large part of the case was solved. The murderer likely had a dispute with the victim. Investigating the victim's relationships and finding the primary crime scene would provide a complete evidence chain.

He removed his gloves and pressed his neck, suddenly noticing a woman in the distance watching him and Professor Xu Chengyue, who was talking with other technical investigators.

She wore a black wide-brimmed hat, hiding half her face, and a red velvet top with a long black skirt, standing in the sunset shadows of the trees.

The scene investigation wrapped up around eight o'clock. This area had no inhabitants, and the public facilities were poorly maintained. Only two or three streetlights worked, flickering on and off. Once the sun set, they had to rely on flashlights. Gu Yunfeng glanced at the dim crescent moon and suggested returning to the office to continue working, hoping the analysis results would come out that night so they could wrap up the case soon.

"Five hours of overtime daily, retiring twenty years early," Gu Yunfeng bragged. He liked to finish tasks quickly, especially simple ones.

"No way, we're used to it, but Professor Xu..." Shu Pan immediately pointed out, looking at Xu Chengyue as if seeing a saviour.

"Would you like a cigarette?" Shu Pan offered Xu Chengyue a cigarette, which he declined with a slight shake of his head.

"Eh? You don't smoke either, like Captain Gu?" In their line of work, where the pressure was high and the days and nights were often reversed, not everyone drank, but smoking was almost universal. That's why Gu Yunfeng was an oddity; he not only didn't smoke but forbade others from smoking around him. This had caused conflicts in the past, making the team wary for a long time, and causing them to sneak cigarettes in the bathroom to avoid his keen sense of smell.

"Professor Xu can't drink right now, and certainly can't smoke."

"And, per medical advice, he needs to rest before ten, so he can't stay up late with you." A cold female voice interrupted from behind. She took off her hat, revealing long black hair falling over her shoulders.

It was the woman who had been watching them an hour ago, with bright eyes and fair skin, a stunning beauty in Gu Yunfeng's eyes. She wore red high heels and wiped the sweat off her face.

She had waited in nearly forty-degree heat for two hours.

"Xizi?" Xu Chengyue looked surprised and greeted her. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't answer, instead turning to the crowd. "You might not be aware of Chengyue's condition. His body is still quite weak, and the weather has been quite hot these past few days, I had to come along." She finished with a standard smile.

A bright evening star shone in the sky, and shadows intertwined at her feet.

Under the cold moonlight, she stood alongside Xu Chengyue in the tree shadows. She paused and said, "I'm Ying Xizi, Chengyue's personal doctor."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Okay, so I think what I will do is upload one chapter a day for the first week, so until Friday, then next week, I will put it on a set schedule.

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: June 21, 2024 by Angel

Edited: June 23, 2024 by Angel