"If only that were the case!" I remained calm, not as excited as Xia Hou, because if the killer were so careless, they wouldn't have gotten this far. I put away the test tube and searched the unfinished apartment again, but found nothing else. I said to Xia Hou, "That's it, let's go back!"
"Okay!" Xia Hou replied enthusiastically. After we left the apartment and walked out of the complex, we found the property management department and asked them about the unfinished apartment. A person who looked like a director said, "That apartment has never been sold!"
"What about the surveillance in the hallway?" I asked.
"It's here, you can watch!" I asked the director for help, and he asked a security guard to take us to the complex's guard room. I asked him to play some recent surveillance footage from the hallway outside the unfinished apartment. I kept telling the security guard to fast forward, and after watching for a while, we didn't find any suspicious individuals entering, but we did find a black wolfhound running into the room.
Moreover, Xia Hou and I were surprised to find that when it reached the door, it simply barked twice, and the door, as if by Alibaba and the Forty Thieves' sesame opening, opened automatically.
Seeing this, everyone present exchanged bewildered glances.
Xia Hou and I were also a bit surprised, but to achieve this, one only needs to tamper with the door.
I returned to the unfinished apartment again and checked, only to discover that the main door was automatic. According to the wiring, if someone were watching the surveillance remotely and controlling it, it wouldn't be difficult to achieve what was seen in the surveillance.
Xia Hou and I exchanged a look, took photos, and collected all usable evidence. I collected some dust from the scene, thinking that if all else failed, I would have Xie Chuchu use Locard's exchange principle.
Locard's exchange principle, also known as the principle of material exchange, was first proposed by the famous French criminologist Edmond Locard in his textbook "Traité de criminalistique" (Treatise on Criminalistics) in the early 20th century. This theory suggests that the process of a crime is essentially a process of material exchange. The perpetrator, as a material entity, always comes into contact with and exchanges substances with various other material entities during the commission of a crime. Therefore, material exchange is pervasive in criminal cases and is an inseparable companion to criminal behavior, a law that is not subject to human will.
Of course, I wouldn't use this until the last moment, as the cost of one use is too high, and I doubt Director Huang would approve.
After Xia Hou and I returned, we first compared the shoe print and the urine. The forensic department started working immediately upon receiving the task, while Xia Hou and I studied the shoe print in the conference room.
Based on the size of the shoe print, it should belong to a male about 1.8 meters tall and weighing around 120 catties (approximately 60 kg). We studied the photos of several victims, but there was no breakthrough for a while.
It wasn't until Xie Chuchu sent me a video invitation that I remembered to accept it.
"What's wrong, Chuchu?"
"The DNA test for the urine is out, but there's no record in the big database. This person has no prior record. Although we have the DNA now, without a suspect to compare it to, that's all we can do!"
"I understand. It's good if it's the suspect's; if it's someone else's, it's troublesome. Oh, right! Have you compared it? Could it be animal urine?"
"Heh heh! Senior, you can rest assured about that. The composition of human urine is completely different from that of animals. I've tested it, and it's indeed from a human!"
"That's good then!" I was worried that the urine at the scene might have been left by that wolfhound.
I looked at the screenshot of the previous surveillance and went to He Xin, asking her to clarify the image. However, He Xin directly complained, "Dad, you really don't listen, do you? This kind of image can't be clarified; at most, it can only be enlarged a bit!"
"Uh, sorry, I forgot. Can you find the whereabouts of this wolfhound using the Heavenly Eye?" I inquired.
"You want me to deploy the Heavenly Eye system to find a wolfhound?"
"Absolutely. This wolfhound is very likely the dog that committed the murder, and its master who commanded it is undoubtedly the real killer!"
"Alright! I hope your line of thinking is correct!"
Although He Xin said this, I could tell she didn't quite believe me.
At this moment, Liu Yuning returned with Gao Mingqiang and others. Seeing their dejected expressions, I knew they hadn't found anything.
Seeing my slightly smug look, Liu Yuning's face immediately showed anger: "Consultant He, have you discovered something on your end?"
Before I could answer, Xia Hou, standing beside me, said, "Captain Liu, we found suspected urine left by the suspect downstairs at Liu Shuhua's home!"
"Oh? It seems your luck is really good!" Liu Yuning said somewhat awkwardly.
I thought to myself, is this called good luck? Isn't this strength?
Of course, I wouldn't say such a thing directly to Liu Yuning. The case hasn't been solved yet, so I can only endure it.
Noticing my silence, Liu Yuning walked up to me: "Consultant He, I've interviewed quite a few of the victims' families and friends, but there's been no progress. They all have no idea how the victims died. They had no grudges with anyone before, nor did they have any reason to want to end their lives."
"Yes, although we suspect the killer works in a hospital or a funeral home, there are too many such staff members. Unless we can pinpoint a location, continuing to investigate like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack!" I sighed.
"Can't the identity of the urine be found?" Liu Yuning asked.
Xia Hou said, "This person has no record in the database. We checked the surveillance and didn't find anyone entering that house. The urine was also tested, and it's not from that wolfhound!"
"Alright! Then let's all focus our attention on that wolfhound!"
I was a bit surprised that Liu Yuning was finally willing to listen to me.
Soon, He Xin and the technical police seemed to have been injected with stimulants, all of them furiously typing on their keyboards, the scene reminiscent of 1993 when we used to play Legend together in internet cafes.
Suddenly, He Xin exclaimed excitedly, "Found it! The wolfhound's last known location is the 'Wild Animal Kingdom Zoo'!"
A zoo??
Hearing He Xin's words, everyone present stared at the screen in surprise.
He Xin quickly sent us a location: "Go! Go! I believe you can find that wolfhound!"
Seeing that everyone was still unmoving, Liu Yuning became annoyed: "You don't even want the food that's put right in front of your mouths?"
"Yes, Captain Liu, we'll depart immediately!" everyone answered in unison and rushed out of the criminal police office at top speed.