Returning to the provincial department, we reviewed the surveillance footage from the long corridor. Based on the time Huang Junwei entered the restroom, we found him indeed go in. He emerged looking flustered, but without any blood on him. We then had to bring Song Meiqin in again.
Interrogation room.
When the matter of sending messages was brought up, Song Meiqin asked curiously, "Is this true? No wonder Huang Junwei kept asking me why I sent him messages at such times, but I didn't!"
"Give me your phone!"
Song Meiqin complied readily and handed me her phone. I took it and checked, but couldn't find any messages. I then went to the information department, and with He Xin's assistance, we managed to restore the deleted messages from the mobile company.
Indeed, Song Meiqin had sent a message to Huang Junwei, two minutes after the incident. Xiang Yingzong had already been murdered by then. It seemed to explain why Huang Junwei, upon entering the restroom at that time, would have encountered the body.
Our only remaining lead was the pinhole cameras. He Xin and her team had already been investigating them, and it was only now that Yuan Hezhi had results, retrieving all the footage. However, no fingerprints were found on the cameras.
The peeping individual was likely not new to this. I found countless indecent videos on several cameras, and also saw the criminal throwing Xiang Yingzong into the toilet. However, due to the angle, we could only see his lower body.
The person appeared quite stout, not matching Huang Junwei's height and weight. Furthermore, we discovered that Xiang Yingzong's lower body was already badly dismembered before being stuffed into the toilet. We had heard sounds of a struggle and chopping previously, but the camera angle made it impossible to clearly see the murder. If he hadn't been near the toilet, we likely wouldn't have seen even this much.
It was both fortunate and unfortunate for us. We only had the killer's lower body. How could we identify him?
Based on past experience, this person was certainly not an employee of the bar. If he intended to kill the victim, he could have easily found a place outside. Committing the murder inside the bar would only increase his risk of being discovered. Coupled with the deliberate damage to Xiang Yingzong's body, the possibility of accidental death could be ruled out.
Our attention shifted to the surveillance footage of the road near the bar around the time of the incident. With the indication of the killer's lower body, it should have been much easier to find him. I had just been wondering how to use it, but for the brilliant minds of He Xin and Yuan Hezhi, it wouldn't be difficult to match it with enough time.
They coordinated with the technical team and began cross-referencing the criminal suspect with the large database. The process was unlikely to be quick. Liu Yuning and I, along with others, went to rest. I lay down on the sofa in the team leader's office and slept soundly, as I was extremely tired. If I didn't rest, I genuinely worried I might faint, which would be counterproductive. Although everyone wanted to solve the case quickly and the pressure was immense, we understood the importance of work-life balance.
I was woken by a soft knock. The person seemed afraid of disturbing my rest. I slowly rubbed my eyes and sat up from the bed, then cautiously approached the door and opened it.
He Xin, holding a document excitedly, handed it to me and said, "After several hours of investigation and comparison, we have confirmed a man named Er Junzhi. Shortly after he left the bar, thinking he was in the clear, he was captured head-on by a supermarket surveillance camera. Xia Hou found the footage from there, and I cross-referenced it with the facial recognition database!"
"Good! I knew you wouldn't let me down!"
"Have you found his location?"
Mentioning this, He Xin showed a disappointed expression. "No, he seems to have gone into hiding. However, this only increases his suspicion. He's a collector and recently purchased agate. He's also a regular at several antique shops. His personality and behavior match our simulated suspect profile! The killer being him is highly probable."
"Then all that's left is to apprehend him."
After stating the obvious, I went to the information department. Everyone was likely exhausted from yesterday's efforts and was slumped over their desks sleeping. I had just seen He Xin's swollen dark circles and quickly told her to rest.
After she fell asleep, I, along with the Punishing Sin team and many detectives, began to investigate Er Junzhi's whereabouts using his ID information, the Sky Net system, and mobile signals. I refused to believe he could remain hidden.
We couldn't find him immediately, but a technical officer managed to trace Er Junzhi's address.
Alright, if we couldn't find the person, we'd search his home for now.
I brought Xia Hou, Xiao Yuande, He Xiaoyu, and He Jinghui, who immediately followed knowing I was going out on assignment.
Liu Yuning, Zhang Keying, and He Xin were also in the car. When we arrived at the collector's house, we found the place difficult to describe. It had a classical feel, yet some parts exuded a modern atmosphere, even futuristic designs.
Usually, collectors prefer ancient designs, but this Er Junzhi was different; he liked all styles.
We knocked on the door, but there was no response. Xia Hou directly kicked the door open and, brandishing his service weapon, was the first to charge in with Xiao Yuande. He Xiaoyu and He Jinghui followed.
We entered subsequently. We didn't realize until we were inside that the layout of the house was like a vast and deep maze. Upon entering, we immediately got lost. Various unknown artworks were hung everywhere, and some looked like... damn it, those things were human eyeballs!
The eyeballs were preserved in hanging bottles. A gap appeared in the wall, and cold wind blew through, causing the bottles to clink against each other. Witnessing those eyes reminded me of the case of the "Peeping Eyes" I had encountered before.
These eyes must have belonged to previous victims. As we passed by, we suddenly saw an iron gate at the end of a distant tunnel. Xiao Yuande knocked on it a few times with no response. Xia Hou, standing nearby, spotted a fingerprint lock.
Fortunately, He Xin was with us this time. She skillfully connected her wristband to the fingerprint lock tool and then launched a program to crack the system.
With a ding, the fingerprint lock was unlocked, and the large door automatically slid upwards.