S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 164

Special Files – Witches 11 – Leapfrog Murder

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As Fang Dongshun and Mei Wen's plan was uncovered, they were convicted of conspiring to kill Du Ping and Wang Aizhen. Two lives, it was enough for them to face the consequences, whether they could be released or not was still still up in the air.

But those two completely brought it upon themselves. The only pity is for the young child who lost both parents overnight and had contact with an extremely dangerous murderer...

Everyone was a bit worried about this child.

Whether the child has a promising future is one thing, but a safe growing environment is another.

The previous part is beyond SCI's control, but they must handle the latter. Anyway, the murderer must be caught.

Bai Yutang took a photo of the portrait and sent it to Jiang Ping, asking him to check on this person.

Zhao Hu leaned over and asked Zhao Jue, "Master Jue, is that kid the seventh generation you're looking for?"

Zhao Jue shrugged, indicating he wasn't sure yet.

"If the details of the body were handled by him, is he also the one who sent Chen Feng's crystal shop cards to the deceased?" Ma Han asked.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue both clicked their tongues in annoyance. Clearly, this point was troubling them.

A case always forms a closed loop. In this whole case, having a subplot where the two victims visit a crystal fortune teller... feels redundant.

Zhan Zhao asked Zhao Jue, "Could it be that he discovered you were looking for him, so he used this method on purpose..."

But as he said this, Zhan Zhao found the logic a bit flawed. Seeing the arrangement of the bodies would have revealed it immediately, so why go through the detour of the crystal shop?

At this moment, Jiang Ping called back, telling Bai Yutang that he couldn't find a match based on the facial features.

"Do you have the address for Ding Liying's clinic?" Bai Yutang asked.

"Yes, I'll send it to you!"

Soon, Jiang Ping sent the address.

Bai Yutang took everyone to the clinic.

However...

When they arrived at the clinic, they found the door locked and a rental advertisement posted at the entrance.

Bai Yutang called the landlord.

The landlord said Ding Liying had moved out a few days ago, saying he was moving to another city.

When asked where he had moved to, the landlord said he didn't know.

After explaining that it was a police investigation, the landlord came to open the door for them.

But the clinic was already emptied out. Not only that, it had been cleaned, leaving no useful clues behind.

"Good grief, it's emptier than a bare shell." Hu Zi ran back and forth, shaking his head helplessly.

Bai Yutang asked the landlord for information about the tenant.

The landlord said it was a psychological clinic, but he wasn't sure about the details.

Zhan Zhao took out Zhao Jue's sketch and asked, "Have you seen this person?"

The landlord stared at it for a while and shook his head, "No... I don't come here often."

Everyone looked at each other – they had found nothing!

"This person might have been in disguise." Bai Ye offered his opinion while holding the sketch.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang immediately crowded over – Uncle Ye was discussing the case with them voluntarily for the first time! Awesome!

Zhao Jue looked at the two of them with some confusion, feeling that they weren't as bearish when facing Bai Ye...

Bai Ye said, "He didn't kill Fang Dongshun, indicating he wasn't afraid of him revealing his situation to the police... which means he might have been in disguise. Since he spoke face-to-face with Fang Dongshun, the disguise couldn't have been too exaggerated, or it would have been easily noticed."

After speaking, Bai Ye glanced at Zhao Jue, who was on the side.

Zhao Jue thought for a moment, clicked his tongue, and took out his phone to make a call.

After a while, the call connected, and Zhao Jue said, "I have something to ask you."

The person on the other end said something, and Zhao Jue replied, "We'll be right over!"

Hanging up, Zhao Jue pointed at Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "Funeral home!"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stared at him with wide eyes – Huh?

Bai Ye said he wanted to introduce someone to them.

Bai Yutang started the car, and Zhan Zhao whispered in Bai Yutang's ear, "How come they seem to have made so many friends in S City in such a short time?"

Bai Yutang shrugged, "A friend introduced at a funeral home..."

Ma Han and Zhao Hu were a bit put off, and Zhao Hu asked Ma Han, "Is this friend even alive?"

Ma Han thought that anything was possible, and going to a funeral home was better than going to a cemetery...

Everyone drove to the funeral home in S City.

Upon arrival, they found the place to be quite large. Zhao Jue asked for directions on his phone, and the other party sent a hand-drawn map.

They all crowded together to look at the map, only to find it was drawn by a rather artistic soul, resembling a game of Snake gone awry in a bowl of noodle soup, with lines all over the place...

Zhao Jue deciphered it and pointed, "That way!"

The crowd followed Zhao Jue, winding through the funeral home until they arrived at a small building at the back.

The entrance of the small building had three characters written on it – Mortuary.

"Hmm..."

Everyone exchanged looks. Zhao Hu tugged on Ma Han, saying he urgently needed to use the bathroom...

At that moment, the automatic door of the building opened, and a tall woman with long hair and wearing a white coat stepped out. Seeing the group, she raised a hand at Zhao Jue.

This woman appeared to be in her thirties, with wavy long hair, a tall stature, and a beautiful face, exuding an air of royalty.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang found her somewhat familiar, as if they had seen her somewhere before.

Bai Ye introduced her, "This is Gui Jiali, a makeup artist at the funeral home."

Gui Jiali nodded to everyone.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang were still trying to recall where they had seen her when Zhao Hu piped up from behind, "Hey, aren't you Sister Jiali?"

Ma Han clearly recognised her too.

Zhan Zhao immediately remembered where they had seen her before. They had encountered her during an investigation at the Bai Group's film studio. At the time, they hadn't spoken to her, and she hadn't been wearing a white coat. She had passed by them, and Jiayi and Qi Le called her "Sister Jiali".

Back then, they had thought that anyone Jiayi addressed as "sister" must be some big shot in the industry... Who would have thought she was a makeup artist at a funeral home? Why had she been at the film set?

Gui Jiali seemed to know what they were thinking. She smiled slightly faintly and said, "I occasionally help out with special effects makeup at the film company. Zombie films are quite popular these days."

Saying that, she gestured for everyone to follow her.

They walked into the morgue, but fortunately, they didn't go to the storage room for bodies. Instead, they went up to an office on the second floor.

After everyone sat down on the sofa, Gui Jiali brewed a pot of herbal tea and asked what they needed to consult her about.

Zhao Jue gestured towards Zhan Zhao and the others, "Ask her anything related to disguises or transformations, she's an expert in this field."

Zhan Zhao then took out the sketch and showed it to her.

Gui Jiali took the sketch and examined it.

Zhan Zhao also explained the situation where the suspect had a close conversation with Fang Dongshun.

Gui Jiali nodded and said, "It's unlikely that they wore prosthetics or masks for a close conversation, so the changes would mostly be internal adjustments."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang thought for a moment – Internal adjustments... how would that work?

"For instance, wearing a dental brace." Gui Jiali explained, "From the sketch, this person's mouth area is slightly convex, which makes the cheekbones less noticeable. The cheekbones are a key feature for facial recognition. Additionally, this person is very thin, yet their cheeks are prominent. It's possible they inserted some filling material inside their mouth to change their face shape, making it appear more square. Another thing is the person's eyes. They are slightly elongated, but this phoenix-eye shape isn't very natural. Have you seen how opera singers use headbands to pull their foreheads up? By pulling the forehead upwards, the face is lifted, making the brows and eyes appear higher. Wearing a wig that covers the forehead can significantly alter the overall appearance and is not easily noticeable."

Based on Gui Jiali's analysis, Zhao Jue took out paper and pen and started drawing again.

Everyone sipped their tea while they waited.

Gui Jiali stood on the side, offering suggestions as Zhao Jue worked on the sketch.

About half an hour later, Zhao Jue completed the second sketch.

Gui Jiali nodded, satisfied with the result.

Bai Ye examined the sketch. Although the modifications weren't extensive, they involved key features, and the slight adjustments significantly altered the appearance.

Zhao Jue handed the sketch to Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang.

Upon seeing the sketch, Zhan Zhao stood up abruptly with a "huo."

Bai Yutang also frowned as he looked at the drawing.

Zhao Hu whispered to Ma Han, "No way..."

Bai Ye and Zhao Jue, puzzled, asked, "Who is this?"

Bai Yutang pulled up a police wanted poster on his phone and showed it to Zhao Jue and Bai Ye.

They looked at the wanted poster, which read – The Leapfrog Killer.

Zhao Jue stroked his chin, "I think I've seen this on the news. Wasn't this case from many years ago?"

"An unsolved case from five years ago." Zhan Zhao said, "This person committed a series of crimes in the suburbs of S City. He would stalk and follow women who went out alone at night. Usually, when women realised someone was following them, they would become frightened and start running. The killer would then increase his pace, and just when he got close, he would intentionally make frog-jumping motions to scare his victims. The most despicable part is that he didn't use a weapon, instead, he used the terrain to kill. He would push the victims off bridges or into rivers, making their deaths look like accidents. At the time, the police were already suspicious due to the frequent accidents in that area. Then, a survivor appeared. She was a university student who had come home for the summer holidays. She went to the city for a friend's birthday party one weekend and was returning home late at night. After getting off the bus, she felt someone behind her. When she looked back, there was indeed a suspicious-looking adult male following her. The girl had heard about the frequent nighttime accidents in the area. As she walked onto a bridge, the killer caught up with her. She didn't run or panic. Instead, she suddenly turned around and swung her bag, hitting the killer's face and knocking off his hat. The girl saw his face clearly. While the killer was covering his face, the girl jumped off the bridge. The bridge wasn't high, and importantly, the girl was on the swim team and was very good in the water. She also knew there was a melon field with a watchman's hut on the other side of the river, where someone would be keeping watch during the summer. After jumping into the river, she quickly swam to the other side and ran into the hut, where she indeed found an elderly man. Upon hearing that someone had attacked the girl, the man immediately grabbed a gong, ran out, and started banging it while calling for the villagers to catch the culprit. At the same time, the girl called the police. The man in black on the bridge fled in panic. After confirming it was an assault case, the village organised a night patrol, and the police also sent officers to patrol the area. However, the killer never appeared again."

"It's a pity the murderer was never caught." Bai Yutang said with a hint of regret, "Five years ago, surveillance wasn't as widespread as it is now. Whenever accidents happened in remote areas, the media would often link the incidents to the Leapfrog Killer, which caused a lot of panic for a while. With the proliferation of surveillance in recent years, it's much harder to get away with that kind of crime now."

Zhan Zhao nodded, "I remember being quite impressed by his case when I reviewed old cases. His entire criminal behaviour was very strange, but at that time, I was busy with other cases and didn't delve into it deeply."

Zhao Jue, holding the newly drawn sketch, murmured, "A wanted criminal, huh..."

This development was unexpected for everyone. Had this fugitive from years ago resurfaced, committing crimes again but with different methods? Or was there a more complex reason behind it?

Bai Yutang, who was also familiar with the "Leapfrog Killer" case, asked Zhan Zhao, "Wasn't the area where the incidents occurred near that cornfield?"

Zhan Zhao nodded. "That's right. According to the investigation data, the police at the time even suspected that the perpetrator was a local man, so they conducted a thorough investigation of the village."

"The area around the cornfield..." Zhao Jue asked, "is there anything special there?"

Neither Zhan Zhao nor Bai Yutang knew much about it, but at this moment, Gui Jiali suddenly asked, "Are you talking about the cornfield south of the reservoir? The one with several stone bridges, where there was a car accident a while back?"

Everyone nodded, indeed... Ding Ying got out of the car and asked for directions to Sanbo Bridge... The village head had mentioned a car accident that led to the replacement of the stone railings with steel ones.

"Could it be related to that car accident?" The crowd asked.

Gui Jiali smiled mysteriously. "That was no ordinary car accident."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

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

Translated: June 1, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 16, 2024 by Soojin