frightfiction Chapter 971 The Bloodstained Scene
Chapter 971 The Bloodstained Scene
After entering the cellar, Suman looked around and said, "We wrapped the body in several layers of plastic sheeting. The coal ash here has absorbent properties, which can slow down the decomposition of the body." She bent down and scooped up a handful of coal ash, letting it slip through her fingers. "We spread the coal ash on the ground to make sure no footprints are left."
Zheng Jun then dragged the wooden crate to a corner of the cellar, opened the lid, and simulated pushing the body inside: "When I pushed the body into the cellar, I heard the sound of ice breaking, just like the sound of Li Qingmin's neck breaking. That sound has been lingering in my mind ever since." A pained expression appeared on his face, as if he had returned to that terrifying night.
After the identification process, Su Man and Zheng Jun were escorted back to the police car. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the cornfield, casting long, dark shadows. As the police car slowly started moving, the secret hidden for three years was finally revealed in its entirety to everyone.
On the afternoon of the same day the case was being investigated, Li Ming went directly to the Municipal Public Security Bureau to give Qin Chuan a detailed work report.
During this period, Qin Chuan did not actually pay much attention to specific cases; the relevant case investigation work was actually carried out by Li Ming and others.
However, at critical moments, Qin Chuan's support for the Criminal Investigation Detachment is absolutely no problem. Qin Chuan has considerable influence in coordinating resources from various relevant departments.
In the modern Dongchuan City, Qin Chuan can be described as a rising star.
Everyone knows Qin Chuan's future is limitless; he could potentially rise to any position, given his extensive experience in grassroots positions and his current role as a member of the Standing Committee of the Dongchuan Municipal Party Committee and Deputy Mayor. Therefore, if Qin Chuan were to leave the public security force, further evidence could be presented against him.
However, Qin Chuan's path is not necessarily suitable for everyone. The key issue is that the main reason Qin Chuan has this option is because he is young.
Moreover, Qin Chuan's performance during this period can be described as steady by outsiders.
In reality, amidst constant struggles and various adversaries at every level, a person's performance is what truly matters. Everyone is watching.
Jinzhuan is quite satisfied with Li Ming's recent work. To be honest, Li Ming represents a group of pragmatic police officers in the entire Dongchuan City Public Security Bureau.
Recently, regarding the overall consideration of the Dongcheng City Public Security Bureau within the police force, Qin Chuan is also making preparations for personnel adjustments.
Of course, whether Li Ning will make any adjustments is another matter. After Li Ming finished reporting to Qin Chuan, he leaned against the passenger seat on the way back and let out a sigh of relief.
During this period, the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Dongchuan City Public Security Bureau has been working non-stop. Fortunately, several major cases that had not become cold cases have been solved. Although the process was arduous and everyone was working overtime and staying up late, the results were good.
Li Ming was thinking of letting everyone rest for a while after returning.
Whether they had cases or not, everyone's vacation was canceled during this period, which was a good opportunity for everyone to take turns resting. However, before the car even arrived at the Criminal Investigation Detachment's compound, Li Ming received a phone call.
"A murder occurred in the eastern suburbs?"
Exhausted, Li Ming roused himself; another case had arrived!
In the eastern suburbs, the red and blue beams of police car headlights pierced the twilight, casting flickering shadows on the rusty iron fence of the abandoned logistics park. Li Ming pushed open the creaking iron gate, and a stench of decay mixed with the damp smell of rust assaulted his senses. He instinctively covered his mouth and nose, his shoes crunching over the shards of glass scattered on the ground.
"The deceased was in Warehouse 3, Block B." The officers who arrived first jogged over, handing over their investigation reports. Their flashlight beams swept across the overgrown clearing; in the distance, the warehouse's roller shutter door was ajar, like a gaping maw. Inside the police cordon, several young people in camouflage uniforms were trembling. The girl's tactical vest was still stained with paintball paint, but the terror on her face was more vivid than any paint.
"We're playing CQB," the boy's Adam's apple bobbed. "We were trying to take a shortcut to flank them, but then we smelled something strange..." His voice suddenly choked, pointing towards the depths of the warehouse. Li Ming switched on his powerful flashlight; the beam pierced the stagnant air, illuminating the dark red bloodstains winding across the mottled wall, clinging to the peeling plaster like dried vines.
The sound of the scalpel slicing through rotting flesh was exceptionally clear in the confined space, and Zhang Lin's protective mask was fogged up. The victim's skull was riddled with wriggling maggots; he carefully picked up bone fragments with tweezers: "A blunt force injury, the wound is an irregular arc, consistent with a steel pipe weapon." Suddenly, a dark green liquid oozed from the decaying abdominal cavity, and the pungent stench of death caused several young officers to stagger backward.
"The time of death was more than three weeks ago." Zhang Lin pulled the thermometer out of the rectum, "Based on the fly larvae's life cycle, it was roughly 21 to 25 days ago. The deceased's right hand was clenched..." He put on rubber gloves and laboriously pried open the stiff knuckles. A toothed metal pull ring fell into the evidence tray, its edges still covered with dried flesh tissue, "like a pull ring from a military can; this type is rarely seen on the market."
Li Ming's gaze swept across the warehouse floor. Scattered around the dried pool of blood were shell-like objects; upon closer inspection, he realized they were plastic paintball casings. In the corner, beneath a spiderweb, a torn camouflage armband swayed gently in the breeze, dark red blood clots clinging to the fabric fibers. As the flashlight beam swept across the ventilation duct, splattered blood on the inner wall was suddenly revealed; the fan-shaped distribution of blood spots indicated the victim had been leaning against this spot when murdered.
"Retrieve the park's surveillance footage." Li Ming ordered into the walkie-talkie, the sound of his boots crunching over broken glass on the ground particularly jarring in the silence. In the corner, the paintball graffiti hadn't completely faded—below the crooked skull, the words "LAST GAME" were covered in some kind of dark liquid, now glowing eerily under the ultraviolet light.
Suddenly, Xiao Sun crouched down at the iron ladder in the warehouse mezzanine: "Drag marks!" He pointed his laser pointer at the ground; two parallel scratches pierced through the dust and extended to the drain in the corner. Prying open the rusty iron grille, rotting clothing fibers were entangled on the inner wall of the pipe, carrying a faint, sweet, fishy smell on the night breeze. Meanwhile, in the drainage ditch outside the warehouse, technicians used a magnet to retrieve a heavy metal object—a deformed steel pipe, its surface textured with dark red tissue embedded within.
The on-site investigation will continue.
Li Ming paced back and forth outside the cordon, the cigarette between his fingers flickering. Inside the warehouse, Xiao Sun and Xiao Yang, already dressed in protective suits, headlamps, and masks, cautiously stepped into this space filled with bloodshed and mystery, like two sappers clearing mines on a battlefield.