He Xin, while examining the mobile phone, typed on the keyboard and said to me, "Fan Jianyi's number was activated on April 2, 2015, and he hasn't changed it since. I've traced the last location of his mobile signal to the Fugai Port in Gao Gang City. If I'm not mistaken, he was attacked there, then taken back to a place by the killer, tortured, and finally dumped in the tea garden."
"En, I suspect the victim would have traces of anesthetic. If he was drugged at the port, it would be easy to take him away. Have you checked the surveillance near the port?" I asked.
"I'm checking. The traffic management bureau just sent over some information, but that place isn't a main road, so I've asked Gao Mingqiang to help get more footage!"
"Is he at the port now?"
"He's on his way. Efficiency, it's all about time!"
"En, well done. Look, it seems to be coming through!"
"It's Mingqiang sending the data over!"
He Xin pressed the enter key with force, and a percentage indicator quickly began to calculate. After a while, we all saw a video file. It was a whopping 10 gigabytes. I wondered if he’d sent a whole month's worth.
He Xin filtered out some content based on the time of death and found the period before Fan Jianyi's incident. We indeed found him approaching the port alone and standing at the edge for a long time without reacting, like a puppet.
So strange?
A normal person wouldn't stand like that. This Fan Jianyi is indeed peculiar.
I haven't met him in person, only heard descriptions from a few of his colleagues. That's not enough.
After all, many people don't show their true selves, unless they encounter someone they know well, or their closest family.
I think Fan Jianyi is that kind of person.
"Isn't that too strange? Could he have been having some kind of issue at the time?" He Xin asked me.
"The footage is actually a bit blurry. There's a lot of steam near the port, and the cameras are often obscured. It's already quite good that we can see this. Based on the surface analysis, he looks a bit like a zombie."
"Yes, watch this playback!"
He Xin tapped on the keyboard, and the footage of Fan Jianyi walking stiffly towards the port appeared before our eyes!
"He really looks like a zombie!" I exclaimed.
"Didn't you just say that?"
"I was just using it as a metaphor. I didn't expect it to be so accurate."
"It's so strange, I feel like there are other secrets behind this case!"
"Let's hope not. It's also possible this isn't the Song Ci serial murder case at all."
He Xin didn't quite understand my meaning and shook her head, saying, "Then it's even stranger. What do you mean?"
"Stop saying it's strange. Fan Jianyi looks like he was drugged. His movements don't seem faked, as if he was influenced by something! Those people might just be using the recent Song Ci murder case as a cover to divert our attention. Of course, this is just my guess!"
"I think Dad should go and see the body. The answer should be there!"
I nodded and temporarily left the technical department. When I arrived at the forensic laboratory, Xie Chuchu and Xiao Dong had finished their verification. A report appeared before me.
I opened the report and began to read it carefully.
Deceased: Fan Jianyi. Cause of death: abdominal injuries. The final experimental conclusion for the specific weapon used should be a Tang Dao, although this type of blade bears some resemblance to a sickle, differing in sharpness. The deceased's lungs and stomach showed signs of disease. This person often drank heavily and was particularly fond of smoking. Due to a prolonged period of starvation, no food residue could be found in his stomach, nor any excrement in his intestines. The deceased's face was relatively intact this time, as the killer did not deliberately damage it. The deceased's fingers and toes were also present. His body contained heptane, as well as a hallucinogen, likely LSD. The accurate time of death was 10 days and 21 hours.
This report was written somewhat like a description, but it was Xie Chuchu's style. At this moment, I saw Ling Xiaotao also nearby. She nodded at me, indicating that the report was written by them together.
I said, "The method this time seems different from before. The killer didn't deliberately try to hide the victim's identity. Therefore, taking the phone must have had another purpose. It's very likely that the victim's phone contains some important information."
"Yes, but these are issues that we forensic doctors can't discuss. What I can say is that the two drugs in his body were likely used by the killer to facilitate the commission of the crime against the victim," Xie Chuchu said.
"Alright, you should also attend the case discussion meeting this afternoon. It's lunchtime now, everyone take a break first!"
With these words, I went to the mess hall myself. As soon as I arrived, Liu Yuning and Gao Mingqiang returned. However, judging by Liu Yuning's expression, the investigation didn't go smoothly. I asked her, "What's wrong?"
"I've searched Fan Jianyi's family and friends, as well as his living spaces. I found nothing. I wasted the whole morning!"
"I expected this. Look at this video!" I showed Liu Yuning the video I had watched with He Xin on my phone.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? You made me search everywhere!"
"Although we need to focus on investigating the case, what if you miss something by not thoroughly checking everything?"
"Ugh, you just like assigning me these thankless tasks!"
"Because I have more important things to handle."
Liu Yuning swallowed a mouthful of rice and took all the char siu from my plate, saying, "So I need to replenish my body. You don't need to eat so much meat!"
"Ugh, you're too bossy. I haven't had a single piece of meat today!"
As I spoke, Xie Chuchu immediately offered me a chicken leg and said, "Senior, eat this. I'm on a diet recently!"
Liu Yuning gave her a glare and said, "What's your relationship? Giving someone else your leftovers?"
"No, I just saw Senior looked too hungry."
"Hmph, I'm hungry too. This chicken leg is mine!" Liu Yuning snatched the chicken leg away again, as if she wouldn't allow me to eat someone else's saliva.
This time, it was Xie Chuchu's turn to give Liu Yuning a glare and retort, "You don't mind other people's saliva?"
"We're all girls, what are we afraid of? Alright, let's eat!" Liu Yuning said, eating heartily. She seemed quite satisfied and soon cleared her plate.
After eating, she let out a contented burp, "I haven't eaten three dishes in a long time. Recently, I've noticed my appetite is getting better and better. I don't know why."
Eating vegetables and white rice, I was speechless but had to make do. After a simple meal, Captain Guo organized us to go for a meeting. We left the mess hall together and headed towards the conference room.